Kindle battery lifespan? - Page 2

desertgrandma · 12-03-2008, 10:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pshrynk

Okay, I want to bring this up again, since it's about a year that I've had mine. I seem to be getting some degredation in battery life, lately. I have done some fairly large downloads, lately, so there may be indexing stuff going on. Yesterday, though, I was reading most of the day and was down to a quarter by the end of the day. It seems that the battery had been draining faster. Anyone else having this?

I'm probably going to get a new battery from Amazon, which, one a year ain't bad, if you ask me.

Good luck!! They are on backorder..........I was trying for one myself. The will let you know when they come back in stock if you order one now..........

Strether · 12-03-2008, 10:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pshrynk

Okay, I want to bring this up again, since it's about a year that I've had mine. I seem to be getting some degredation in battery life, lately. I have done some fairly large downloads, lately, so there may be indexing stuff going on. Yesterday, though, I was reading most of the day and was down to a quarter by the end of the day. It seems that the battery had been draining faster. Anyone else having this?

Having finally learned how to use the Mobipocket Creator, I've recently finished reformatting most everything I had on my Kindle -- 15 or so pages of books. One day last week I decided to reset the Kindle to see if it would have an effect on one of the books I was reading (chapters didn't begin at the top of a page). After reset, the page turns really slowed down and the battery indicator lost one bar in about 30 minutes and a second one in another 30 minutes. Guess it decided to reindex everything. The next day lost a bar in about an hour and then everything went back to normal.

If I'm reading a lot, and some days I may read 5 or 6 hours, then it loses a bar every other day. This is the same as it has been from the outset. I generally recharge it when it loses the bar, in line with Amazon's recommendations.

Oh, and resetting didn't have any effect on the chapter problem. I had to reformat that book. No idea what that was about.

Jim

RickyMaveety · 12-03-2008, 11:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by igorsk

The Kindle's "off" switch does not actually turn the device off but just blanks the screen(same as Sony Reader). If you want to really power off the device, use the reset hole.

Really?? So, why does it go through a whole reboot process when I turn it off and then turn it back on??

Same drill as when I reset it.

RickyMaveety · 12-03-2008, 11:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gueeds

I'm currently considering getting a Kindle with the offer currently running on Amazon, but after doing some research, I'd like to ask this question.

I know the between charge life is pretty good, it can go a few days between charges depending on use. But I was looking at the page on Amazon for the replacement battery and there are numerous entries where reviewers claim their battery will no longer hold a charge after 3-5 months. Has anyone else experienced such short battery life? I would hate to spend so much on this device and have to purchase 3-4 batteries each year at $20 each.

I'm working on month 5 or 6 and I have had zero battery issues. Mine holds a charge for about two weeks, but then I only read about an hour a day or so. I've only run it down once or twice. I generally plug it in at night .... so I seldom see it other than fully charged, even if I read for two or three hours.

pilotbob · 12-04-2008, 12:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RickyMaveety

Really?? So, why does it go through a whole reboot process when I turn it off and then turn it back on??

Hmm... that doesn't happen to me. But, perhaps I don't have it off long enough. Generally when I use the on/off switch turning it "on" it comes back almost instantly to where I was when I turned it off.

BOb

brecklundin · 12-17-2008, 07:23 AM

these are Li-Ion batteries and typically Li-Ion batteries should last around 300-500 charge cycles...which really means about 50% capacity at around the 250-350 cycle point...so a Kindle battery should last years w/o needing replacement. But from what I am reading is the batteries might not be as well made as one would expect from a $400 device.

Do some googling and you will find plenty of feedback on how to best treat your Li-Ion/Li-Poly battery. You will get the best lifespan if you never let the charge drop below about 30%, I find my laptop batteries prefer topping off at around 50% and get a good 3-yrs from a 9-cell battery on a 17" laptop which gets connected and disconnected from power many times daily. Unlike NiMH batteries Li-Ion/Li-Poly batteries last longer with more frequent smaller charges...NiMh batteries like(need to be) to be fully discharged either in use or during the recharging process the keep their charge capacity.

Last Lithium based batteries do have a limited lifespan even when not used. If you want to maximize this and know the battery will not be used for long periods (say over a month) run the battery down to 40% or so charge. This will really help slow down the aging process inherent in li-Ion/Li-Poly batteries.

I can offer a comparison to my Nokia N800 and the battery in it still holds as much of a charge as it did over a year ago and I use it a lot. Right now the OS reports a full charge is 93.7% of capacity. 6-mo ago it was 97.8.

To be honest I would expect a Kindle battery should work just fine for a minimum of 3-yrs given the way they are used. But many here don't think the Kindle should be expected to last that long. FYI, for those who aren't used to Li-Ion batteries, when they die, they seem to take a sudden huge drop in charge capacity even if you have been running exclusively off the power adapter for a long time. That is the aging process of the internal chemistry of these batteries.

To be honest I have no idea about the battery in our Kindle. I never use the thing and, well, just have no idea. Still from reading I really have a sense Amazon might have cut corners on batteries, either in the original design or by adding another mfg or two that makes lower quality batteries (but could at least deliver them on time)...it's not like any of us would be able to tell. As long as the battery meets the original FCC specs Amazon doesn't have to say a word. So, some users might have gotten batteries that were not made by the same MFG as those who are not having problems.

giedre · 12-23-2008, 03:33 PM

I've had my Kindle going on a year now and I've just started to notice that the charge is not holding as long, but still it's not bad. It just seems I fully charged the battery and did not use my Kindle at all for 2 to 3 days and when I turned it back on again it was at 50%. Whispernet was not on. I only use that to download books.

desertgrandma · 12-23-2008, 04:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by giedre

I've had my Kindle going on a year now and I've just started to notice that the charge is not holding as long, but still it's not bad. It just seems I fully charged the battery and did not use my Kindle at all for 2 to 3 days and when I turned it back on again it was at 50%. Whispernet was not on. I only use that to download books.

If you want a new one, better get your name on the list now......they are backordered.

Strether · 12-23-2008, 04:41 PM

I see that Radio Shack is now carrying a battery for the Kindle (available on-line only). Anyone with experience with Radio Shack's batteries?

Jim

Ervserver · 12-25-2008, 01:36 AM

Our Kindle started going from full charge to low charge within a day, Amazon Support suggested deleting some books from the SD card, we did and now everything is fine. I'm betting battery life is why the new Kindle won't have a memory card slot

markbot · 01-02-2009, 10:16 AM

I've had my Kindle a year now and I've noticed that the charge doesn't hold as well anymore. it's not an inconvenience...just that if I don't use it for a couple of days the battery drains.

Leep · 01-02-2009, 11:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by markbot

I've had my Kindle a year now and I've noticed that the charge doesn't hold as well anymore. it's not an inconvenience...just that if I don't use it for a couple of days the battery drains.

I have noticed that if I take out the SD card, the battery life is just like when my Kindle was new. With the SD card in, battery life declines even when when my Kindle is in the sleep mode. Go figure!

cheers

markbot · 01-02-2009, 02:42 PM

I'll try that since I'm way below the built in memory usage.

bwaldron · 01-02-2009, 05:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Leep

I have noticed that if I take out the SD card, the battery life is just like when my Kindle was new. With the SD card in, battery life declines even when when my Kindle is in the sleep mode. Go figure!

Possibly related: I've found weirdness with indexing books on the SD card. One day it will show them all as indexed, then the next day -- without any changes to the books on the card -- a large number of them show as not yet indexed. The indexing process will definitely eat battery, even when in sleep/standby mode.

Alisa · 01-05-2009, 04:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bwaldron

Possibly related: I've found weirdness with indexing books on the SD card. One day it will show them all as indexed, then the next day -- without any changes to the books on the card -- a large number of them show as not yet indexed. The indexing process will definitely eat battery, even when in sleep/standby mode.

Yep. I went from half charge to dead after moving a couple dozen books from the internal memory to the SD card. Of course, I don't think the battery meter is entirely accurate as others have pointed out. It takes a lot longer to go from full to half than it does to go from half to dead. I usually plug it in when the meter's at half just in case.

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12-17-2008, 07:23 AM	#21
brecklundin Banned Posts: 1,906 Karma: 15348 Join Date: Jun 2007 Device: mine	these are Li-Ion batteries and typically Li-Ion batteries should last around 300-500 charge cycles...which really means about 50% capacity at around the 250-350 cycle point...so a Kindle battery should last years w/o needing replacement. But from what I am reading is the batteries might not be as well made as one would expect from a $400 device. Do some googling and you will find plenty of feedback on how to best treat your Li-Ion/Li-Poly battery. You will get the best lifespan if you never let the charge drop below about 30%, I find my laptop batteries prefer topping off at around 50% and get a good 3-yrs from a 9-cell battery on a 17" laptop which gets connected and disconnected from power many times daily. Unlike NiMH batteries Li-Ion/Li-Poly batteries last longer with more frequent smaller charges...NiMh batteries like(need to be) to be fully discharged either in use or during the recharging process the keep their charge capacity. Last Lithium based batteries do have a limited lifespan even when not used. If you want to maximize this and know the battery will not be used for long periods (say over a month) run the battery down to 40% or so charge. This will really help slow down the aging process inherent in li-Ion/Li-Poly batteries. I can offer a comparison to my Nokia N800 and the battery in it still holds as much of a charge as it did over a year ago and I use it a lot. Right now the OS reports a full charge is 93.7% of capacity. 6-mo ago it was 97.8. To be honest I would expect a Kindle battery should work just fine for a minimum of 3-yrs given the way they are used. But many here don't think the Kindle should be expected to last that long. FYI, for those who aren't used to Li-Ion batteries, when they die, they seem to take a sudden huge drop in charge capacity even if you have been running exclusively off the power adapter for a long time. That is the aging process of the internal chemistry of these batteries. To be honest I have no idea about the battery in our Kindle. I never use the thing and, well, just have no idea. Still from reading I really have a sense Amazon might have cut corners on batteries, either in the original design or by adding another mfg or two that makes lower quality batteries (but could at least deliver them on time)...it's not like any of us would be able to tell. As long as the battery meets the original FCC specs Amazon doesn't have to say a word. So, some users might have gotten batteries that were not made by the same MFG as those who are not having problems.

12-23-2008, 03:33 PM	#22
giedre Connoisseur Posts: 84 Karma: 4850 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: North Carolina Device: Sony 500,505, Kindle, 1150	I've had my Kindle going on a year now and I've just started to notice that the charge is not holding as long, but still it's not bad. It just seems I fully charged the battery and did not use my Kindle at all for 2 to 3 days and when I turned it back on again it was at 50%. Whispernet was not on. I only use that to download books.

12-23-2008, 04:41 PM	#24
Strether Guru Posts: 760 Karma: 2825929 Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Fresno Device: Kindle 1; iPad Air; iPhone 7; Kobo Libra; Kindle Oasis 3	I see that Radio Shack is now carrying a battery for the Kindle (available on-line only). Anyone with experience with Radio Shack's batteries? Jim

12-25-2008, 01:36 AM	#25
Ervserver Wizard Posts: 2,624 Karma: 1008294 Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Iowa, USA Device: Nook Simple Touch	Our Kindle started going from full charge to low charge within a day, Amazon Support suggested deleting some books from the SD card, we did and now everything is fine. I'm betting battery life is why the new Kindle won't have a memory card slot

01-02-2009, 10:16 AM	#26
markbot Guru Posts: 612 Karma: 7511929 Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: New York, NY Device: Amazon Kindle Paperwhite 2	I've had my Kindle a year now and I've noticed that the charge doesn't hold as well anymore. it's not an inconvenience...just that if I don't use it for a couple of days the battery drains.

01-02-2009, 02:42 PM	#28
markbot Guru Posts: 612 Karma: 7511929 Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: New York, NY Device: Amazon Kindle Paperwhite 2	I'll try that since I'm way below the built in memory usage.

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