Hacking Is my battery going?

[epicelite]

Well my DS lite will not last longer then 2 hours before the battery LED turns red, then it lasts around 30-45 minutes.

I just noticed this too, is it because I am playing lameboy on my DS? I do not think that would make battery life shorter tho.

 

[Narin]

Well my DS lite will not last longer then 2 hours before the battery LED turns red, then it lasts around 30-45 minutes.

I just noticed this too, is it because I am playing lameboy on my DS? I do not think that would make battery life shorter tho.

How old is your NintendoDS/Battery, what flashcard and MicroSD card do you use and also when you play your Nintendo DS, have you ever let the battery run out of power?

 

[Ferrariman]

DS batteries only last for like 1 4/5 hours after 3 years. No biggie for me but you can get new ones at the Nintendo store, or unofficial ones at DealExtreme

 

[epicelite]

DS lite, same battery it had in it when I bought it the day they came out. I would say it is 2 years old or more I guess.

Also I always wait till it is red before I charge it because I heard that makes it last longer.

Also
R4 DS with a 2GB Kingston microSD, I know it is a real Kingston because I got it at Fry's electronics and not deal extreme lolz.

DX is cool tho, but sometimes there "genuine" stuff is not really "genuine".

So should I get a new battery?

 

[wilddenim]

Have you changed your brightness?

 

[Ferrariman]

DS lite, same battery it had in it when I bought it the day they came out. I would say it is 2 years old or more I guess.

Also I always wait till it is red before I charge it because I heard that makes it last longer.

Also
R4 DS with a 2GB Kingston microSD, I know it is a real Kingston because I got it at Fry's electronics and not deal extreme lolz.

DX is cool tho, but sometimes there "genuine" stuff is not really "genuine".

So should I get a new battery?

Unless you are on the go a lot, I think you can live with it.

 

[DeMoN]

You had your DS Lite for over 2 years and been playing a flash card on it. I'd definitely say that it's dying out.

 

[Narin]

DS lite, same battery it had in it when I bought it the day they came out. I would say it is 2 years old or more I guess.

Also I always wait till it is red before I charge it because I heard that makes it last longer.

Also
R4 DS with a 2GB Kingston microSD, I know it is a real Kingston because I got it at Fry's electronics and not deal extreme lolz.

DX is cool tho, but sometimes there "genuine" stuff is not really "genuine".

So should I get a new battery?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithium_ion#Disadvantages

A stand-alone Li-ion cell must never be discharged below a certain voltage to avoid irreversible damage.
Wrong, that actually shortens the batteries life span.

QUOTE

At a 100% charge level, a typical Li-ion laptop battery that is full most of the time at 25 degrees Celsius or 77 degrees Fahrenheit will irreversibly lose approximately 20% capacity per year. However, a battery stored inside a poorly ventilated laptop may be subject to a prolonged exposure to much higher temperatures than 25 °C, which will significantly shorten its life. The capacity loss begins from the time the battery was manufactured, and occurs even when the battery is unused. Different storage temperatures produce different loss results: 6% loss at 0 °C (32 °F), 20% at 25 °C (77 °F), and 35% at 40 °C (104 °F). When stored at 40% - 60% charge level, these figures are reduced to 2%, 4%, 15% at 0, 25 and 40 degrees Celsius respectively.

As it states, with constant use and through aging, the batteries life span decreases each year, up to 20%. So your battery may only be at 50-60% of its original capacity. Hence why it only lasts for 2-3 hours now.


Guidelines for prolonging Li-ion battery life

• Unlike Ni-Cd batteries, lithium-ion batteries should be charged early and often. However, if they are not used for a long time, they should be brought to a charge level of around 40% - 60%. Lithium-ion batteries should not be frequently fully discharged and recharged ("deep-cycled") like Ni-Cd batteries, but this is necessary after about every 30th recharge to recalibrate any external electronic "fuel gauge" (e.g. State Of Charge meter). This prevents the fuel gauge from showing an incorrect battery charge
• Li-ion batteries should never be depleted to below their minimum voltage, 2.4v to 3.0v per cell.
• Li-ion batteries should be kept cool. Ideally they are stored in a refrigerator. Aging will take its toll much faster at high temperatures. The high temperatures found in cars cause lithium-ion batteries to degrade rapidly.
• Li-ion batteries should not be frozen [36] (most lithium-ion battery electrolytes freeze at approximately ?40 °C; however, this is much colder than the lowest temperature reached by household freezers).
• Li-ion batteries should be bought only when needed, because the aging process begins as soon as the battery is manufactured.
• When using a notebook computer running from fixed line power over extended periods, the battery should be removed, and stored in a cool place so that it is not affected by the heat produced by the computer.

 

[epicelite]

You had your DS Lite for over 2 years and been playing a flash card on it. I'd definitely say that it's dying out.

No I have only had the R4 about 4 months now.

 

[DeMoN]

Quick question Narin (since you know so much about this):

If you didn't charge the DS when you first bought it, i.e, you started playing it right out of the box, will that kill the lifespan?

 

[Ferrariman]

You had your DS Lite for over 2 years and been playing a flash card on it. I'd definitely say that it's dying out.

No I have only had the R4 about 4 months now.

How long have you had the DS?

 

[Narin]

You had your DS Lite for over 2 years and been playing a flash card on it. I'd definitely say that it's dying out.

No I have only had the R4 about 4 months now.

How long have you had the DS?

He already stated it above, just over 2 years.


QUOTE(DeMoN @ Jun 5 2008, 09:30 PM)

Quick question Narin (since you know so much about this):

If you didn't charge the DS when you first bought it, i.e, you started playing it right out of the box, will that kill the lifespan?

Well, it would have a negative effect on the life span, but it wouldn't make a noticeable difference in the beginning. Its best to fully charge the device when you first receive it due to most devices with lithium ion batteries are only charged to 40-60% of the maximum battery capacity by the time you get them. Using/Playing it right away, especially if you play/use the device long enough to use up the current charge in the battery will have adverse effects on the batteries lifespan.

 

[DeMoN]

Well shit, I mean, would it kill Nintendo to ship their products fully charged.

 

[Ferrariman]

I'am so stupid...

 

[Narin]

Well shit, I mean, would it kill Nintendo to ship their products fully charged.

Why yes, yes it would. Hardware and device manufacturers do that for a very specific reason, not to piss off consumers but to prolong the battery life. Most devices sit in a warehouse, in the backroom of a store in a stock pile until needed or on a stores shelves for expanded periods of time. So even if the device is not in use, the batteries will still slowly lose their maximum storage capacity due to age, the surrounding temperature and so on.

QUOTEThe capacity loss begins from the time the battery was manufactured, and occurs even when the battery is unused. Different storage temperatures produce different loss results: 6% loss at 0 °C (32 °F), 20% at 25 °C (77 °F), and 35% at 40 °C (104 °F). When stored at 40% - 60% charge level, these figures are reduced to 2%, 4%, 15% at 0, 25 and 40 degrees Celsius respectively.

As you can see, storing it at 40-60% of the maximum charge actually lowers the rate of degradation from not being used. This way, by the time you get the device, the battery may only have degraded by only 1-2%, if any.

 

[epicelite]

So what, get a new battery?

 

[Narin]

So what, get a new battery?

If it bothers you that much, then yes, get a new battery. Normally lithium ion batteries have to be replaced every few years. After 2-3 years, the maximum charge is around 40-50% of its original capacity.

 

[ben_not_benny]

I had my DS (phat) since it came out and I barely used it. The only things I played was that Metroid demo and a handful of GBA games until I got a DSTT a few months back.

My battery lasts about 6 hours per charge playing a DS game with no sound.

 

[Azrunex]

I am lol-ing at all of you, i must have got a good battery, because i am STILL getting ~21-22 hours of battery (lowest light setting) and ive owned my lite coming up on two years.

I kind of knew how to take care of my battery from previous experiences (my laptop only gets like 5 mins of life lol)

I keep it downstairs when im not using it, on tile flooring in a corner.
I start charging it when it starts flickering red (this is about 30% charged when this starts happening, nintendo gave us some warning)
if i play ds a lot over a few days, i give it a week of "rest"
I ALWAYS use the lowest light setting, unless its somewhat bright where i'm sitting (like a car) in which case, i'll use level 2
i have an r4 and two 2gb sandisks.

 

[DeMoN]

I am lol-ing at all of you, i must have got a good battery, because i am STILL getting ~21-22 hours of battery (lowest light setting) and ive owned my lite coming up on two years.

I kind of knew how to take care of my battery from previous experiences (my laptop only gets like 5 mins of life lol)

I keep it downstairs when im not using it, on tile flooring in a corner.
I start charging it when it starts flickering red (this is about 30% charged when this starts happening, nintendo gave us some warning)
if i play ds a lot over a few days, i give it a week of "rest"
I ALWAYS use the lowest light setting, unless its somewhat bright where i'm sitting (like a car) in which case, i'll use level 2
i have an r4 and two 2gb sandisks.

Lowest light setting barely uses up any energy. We here all play at max brightness or second highest brightness. Playing a DS Lite on lowest settings is the equivalent of turning the backlight off on a DS phat, which means you'd get a very long battery life.