Hardware Battery life sucks

[mike a]

I have a n3dsxl that I've had for at least 2 years, and it seems like the battery doesn't last as long. It seems to last about 3 hours now, not sure if some games drain the battery more than others but been playing Jewel quest and I can't see how that game would be a battery hog. Usually I'd let it run down to 50% before then recharge it, does that have something to do with it

 

[null]

Be happy: https://www.ebay.com/itm/3-7V-5000m...or-NINTENDO-3DS-MIN-CTR-001-N3DS/231885662201

 

[Ryccardo]

not sure if some games drain the battery more than others

Software running on N3DS has the choice of O3DS or N3DS clock frequency (a choice which some CFWs allow the user to override)

Usually I'd let it run down to 50% before then recharge it

Avoiding the very low percentages is indeed helpful in getting more cycles out of a lithium ion battery, but it's far from the only factor: avoiding the highest percentages, not storing the battery for long times nearly full or empty, ... also matter!
(How much does it pay to spend effort in squeezing the most out of a $15 consumable, is another question)
(and, how did you measure your alleged 50%? You looked at the icon?)

--------------------- MERGED ---------------------------

Be happy: https://www.ebay.com/itm/3-7V-5000m...or-NINTENDO-3DS-MIN-CTR-001-N3DS/231885662201

Uh, false advertising, that's for the small O3DS

 

[null]

There is "N3DS" on ad's title.

Anyway, he may find the correct one in ebay.

 

[Ryccardo]

There is "N3DS" on ad's title.

Anyway, he may find the correct one in ebay.

Tha's why I said false advertising

N3DS (and XL) quadruple batteries are made by Mugen Power, but I think it would be cheaper to buy four (or even one) reputable 18650 batteries and 3D print your own backplate... with premium 3-day shipping from China

 

[null]

I meant the best solution for this issue is to buy a new battery. Thats the point.

There are several price options in ebay and its simple to replace it.

 

[TurdPooCharger]

SPR-003 battery for the USA market:

Nintendo (official):

• [Nintendo] Battery Pack (New Nintendo 3DS XL, Nintendo 3DS XL)

Nintendo (3rd party):

• [Amazon] New 2015 Version Nintendo 3DS XL Battery Replacement SPR-003 (NOT COMPATIBLE WITH REGULAR 3DS)
• [Amazon] Official Nintendo 3DS XL Battery Replacement SPR-003 (NOT COMPATIBLE WITH REGULAR 3DS)

Cameron Sino (aftermarket):

• [Amazon] Cameron sino 1800mAh Li-ion Rechargeable Li-ion SPR-003 SPR-A-BPAA-CO Battery For Nintendo 3DS XL 2015 SPR-001 SPR003
• [Amazon] SPR-001 Game Console Battery Replacement for Nintendo SPR-003 SPR-A-BPAA-CO

Other than @Ryccardo's mentioned Mugen extended batteries from:

• http://mugenpoweronline.com/

, everything else is probably crap. If you see more than 1800 mAh like from TOMEE brand or unlabelled generic that looks eerily similar to the o3DSXL Nintendo blue/black battery, run away from it.

***

Edit - Late added entry. I'm on this fence for this one as some of their other product reviews are hit or miss. However, they do specialize in batteries, chargers, and cables.

MPF Products (aftermarket):

• [Amazon] MPF Products 1800mAh SPR-003 SPR003 SPR-A-BPAA-CO Battery Replacement Compatible with Nintendo 3DS XL SPR-001 and New 3DS XL RED-001

 

[mike a]

So my battery is toast huh... And I knew the percentage from rosalina menu

 

[TurdPooCharger]

So my battery is toast huh... And I knew the percentage from rosalina menu

It could be worse. As long as your battery:

(1) isn't instantly shutting off the 3DS without the red warning flashes:

• Random shutdowns (not the battery glitch)

(2) doesn't pose a fire risk by bulging/swelling/being inflated:

• Can you play on the 3DS without a battery? [post #13]
• See the YouTube video at the 0:55 mark and read the warning post below.

I would consider yours a still somewhat usable battery. In fact, it's doing pretty well at 2 years if you're frequently playing your n3DSXL.

 

[mike a]

Red light is still flashing when it's low, and it's not bulging or anything, plus on newegg there's batteries for $10 lol

 

[TurdPooCharger]

Red light is still flashing when it's low, and it's not bulging or anything, plus on newegg there's batteries for $10 lol

As was stated previously,

.... If you see more than 1800 mAh like from TOMEE brand or unlabelled generic that looks eerily similar to the o3DSXL Nintendo blue/black battery, run away from it.

I mean if you want to get ripped off buying a shoddy battery with poor battery life and service life because it's ~$7 cheaper, knock yourself out.

If you do buy a crummy battery, can you report back what yours weigh with a digital kitchen scale? For science, of course.
Instructions and math formula for battery comparison:

• N3DS XL battery replacement [post #6]

 

[sebas72563]

Hi. One question, when I have the console off, should the console be downloaded or not?
and if I have it off, how long would I have to download only 1% of the battery (looking at the percentage with the menu of rosalina / luma)?

 

[TurdPooCharger]

Hi. One question, when I have the console off, should the console be downloaded or not?
and if I have it off, how long would I have to download only 1% of the battery (looking at the percentage with the menu of rosalina / luma)?

There seems to be a English mis-translation in the word "download". Do you mean "dead" battery?

It is bad practice in keeping the battery life really low as this can greatly reduce its life span. Try to keep a minimum of 50% battery life whenever you can. If you play the 3DS until the red light starts blinking, you should hook it up to the charger the first chance you get.

 

[KleinesSinchen]

Hi. One question, when I have the console off, should the console be downloaded or not?
and if I have it off, how long would I have to download only 1% of the battery (looking at the percentage with the menu of rosalina / luma)?

Spanish “cargar” translates to load (things) as well as charge (electrical charge). Do you mean “get the load(charge) down”? That would be “discharge”?

There seems to be a English mis-translation in the word "download". Do you mean "dead" battery?

It is bad practice in keeping the battery life really low as this can greatly reduce its life span. Try to keep a minimum of 50% battery life whenever you can. If you play the 3DS until the red light starts blinking, you should hook it up to the charger the first chance you get.

This bad practice is probably still a leftover from the nickel-cadmium time. No matter how often you try, it’s hard to eradicate this false assumption that you can (or even should) treat a Li-ion battery like NiCd.

 

[Jayro]

I wish I could get an extended 3DS battery that would fit in my Pro Controller... Even if I had to cut some plastic.

 

[TurdPooCharger]

Spanish “cargar” translates to load (things) as well as charge (electrical charge). Do you mean “get the load(charge) down”? That would be “discharge”?

This bad practice is probably still a leftover from the nickel-cadmium time. No matter how often you try, it’s hard to eradicate this false assumption that you can (or even should) treat a Li-ion battery like NiCd.

Oh wow, that's something I haven't heard in long time like VHS and cassette. My memory's a bit fuzzy, but that's the rechargeable one before Nickel-metal hydride was a thing, something about it being very poisonous when dumped in landfill and contaminating ground water, and most importantly of all, it had a drawback of charge memory where it had to be fully discharged in order to recharge or else its battery life was shorten, something like that.

Yah, old habits die hard. :/
You know what kind of battery really sucks? Lead acid, in electric scooters. I once got lost trying to get back home riding one... This was before GPS and smart phones were common. I took one wrong turn and ended up having a 30 miles (~48 km) walk of shame lugging 100 pounds (~48 kg) of dead weight, made worse when it rained.

The really sucky lesson from that was that lead acids permanently die when their charge hit bottom. Lol.

I wish I could get an extended 3DS battery that would fit in my Pro Controller... Even if I had to cut some plastic.

Hah, that's funny. The Switch Pro Controller uses the same CTR-003 battery as the o2DS, o3DS, and n2DSXL. If you're serious about this idea, there's a way to stack and connect batteries in parallel to increase capacity while maintaining voltage.

 

[sebas72563]

good. I have another question but I do not know if you will understand me.

Let my 3ds discharge to 10% of the battery (looking with the menu of rosalina). I played from 1:30 p.m. until about 7:15 p.m., then turned it off but I did not charge it and the next day at 9:00 a.m. I turned on the 3ds and the ignition bulb, it was not red, but blue. , and look at the rosalina menu and it was at 13%. It's very weird, is this normal?

 

[KleinesSinchen]

As far as I know, the 3DS has no "energy counter" or "smart battery". This means it does not track the charge level. It only measures the voltage (and Rosalina calculates that to a percent value).

Letting the battery rest for a night can lead to a slightly higher voltage (and %-value).

Other example: Take an old flashlight with a normal light bulb, not LED. If the (non rechargeable) battery is almost empty, the bulb will get weaker and weaker. Turn the light off and wait some hours. You can use the flashlight for some minutes again. The effect is not as big on rechargeable batteries (like Li-ion), but the voltage increases slightly when resting after usage.

So yes the change from 10% to 13% may look weird, but I would say this is in normal range.

 

[sebas72563]

OK thanks. When the 3ds is in sleep mode (when I close it), the battery has to discharge slower than when I have it open playing? . because I'm seeing that although it is in sleep mode it is discharge in the same way as if it was being used (playing)

 

[survivorevil]

just go for the original one from nintendo. I messed up and ordered two from ebay and they were crap