O Battery life, battery, wherefore art thou, battery life?

DeusExMe · 06-27-2008, 12:58 PM

My battery life disappears for no apparent reason. Even with Whispernet turned off and the Kindle power turned off, I woke up this morning to find that the battery had dropped down to no power, needing to be charged. What could be going on?

MoSo · 06-27-2008, 01:03 PM

First off, when was the last time you charged it? Was it low before you turned it off?

Gideon · 06-27-2008, 01:05 PM

That's really weird.

A few things:
A) The Kindle does use energy when it is just sitting there contrary to press statements
B) The Kindle's battery indicator is... well.. not at all reliable.

Also, it could be another issue. My Kindle had a problem similar, and was fixed by reflashing the firmware. I don't remember how to do this, but you may be able to find instructions online or call Kindle support and get instructions. Fixed mine and no problems since.

Patricia · 06-27-2008, 01:11 PM

If it is like the Sony, then the battery meter may need a few cycles before it calibrates itself accurately. I'd experiment with a couple of evernight charges and see if things improve. Then contact Amazon if they don't.

DeusExMe · 06-27-2008, 01:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MoSo

First off, when was the last time you charged it? Was it low before you turned it off?

Well it was down to about 1/4, maybe less, by the meter. Still that should be good for hundreds of more page turns at that point.

Gideon · 06-27-2008, 01:18 PM

Yeah, that's enough... the battery display is just not reliable. Once you get to that point, you can almost expect it to go off at some point. If you're actually reading it'll give you a warning, but the meter is primitive.

KlondikeGeoff · 06-27-2008, 02:37 PM

DeusExMe, all batteries, even this, lose some charge even when idle. I always charge when the meter gets down to one bar, and never lost it all yet in six months.

The thing to consider is how much you have read before it does get down to one bar. With Whispernet turned off, you should be able to go about a week, depending upon how much you read, before needing a recharge. I read several hours a day, and still go a week.

If it gets low with only a day or so of use, then call Amazon, and if the battery is defective, they'll replace it with no problem.

Elsi · 06-27-2008, 04:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DeusExMe

Well it was down to about 1/4, maybe less, by the meter. Still that should be good for hundreds of more page turns at that point.

Nope -- once it drops below the 1/4 mark, plan on charging pretty soon. I did run mine to the point where it flashed a warning that the battery needed to be charged. I didn't -- just put the thing to sleep with the Alt-Aa key press, thinking I'd just use it later until it quit. Next morning, it was dark. Recharged & it wouldn't power on until I used the forced reset with a paper-clip.

But -- with the antenna turned off and reading from 2-6 hours a day, I easily get 4-8 days on a single charge. Turning on the antenna means needing to charge every-other day, but I don't try to use the Kindle to surf the net. I only use the antenna for deliberately downloading content from Amazon, MobileRead, or Feedbooks.

DeusExMe · 06-27-2008, 06:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Elsi

Next morning, it was dark. Recharged & it wouldn't power on until I used the forced reset with a paper-clip..

This is interesting to me because I have another concern too.

A couple of times now, I believe both of them following recharges, the Kindle would not power back on at first. Today, I pushed the power button into the up position and....nothing. Then I had my wife plug the thing in again and it turned right on.

Could this be systematic of deeper issues? Should I contact Amazon?

Elsi · 06-27-2008, 07:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DeusExMe

A couple of times now, I believe both of them following recharges, the Kindle would not power back on at first. Today, I pushed the power button into the up position and....nothing. Then I had my wife plug the thing in again and it turned right on.

Could this be systematic of deeper issues? Should I contact Amazon?

You could. I didn't. The only time the unit has bricked is when I let it run all the way down so far that there wasn't even the "lock up screen" being displayed. After a recharge, it wouldn't turn on -- and I assumed it was because the machine had gotten confused when the battery died. A quick press with the end of a paper clip in the "reset" hole under the cover and the Kindle came right on. It's never shown any bad behaviour except when I mistreated it.

DaleDe · 06-27-2008, 09:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DeusExMe

This is interesting to me because I have another concern too.

A couple of times now, I believe both of them following recharges, the Kindle would not power back on at first. Today, I pushed the power button into the up position and....nothing. Then I had my wife plug the thing in again and it turned right on.

Could this be systematic of deeper issues? Should I contact Amazon?

I would doubt if there are deeper issues. It is likely the unit is getting confused when the battery is really low. It is trying to work without enough juice. It is not a good idea to just run down the battery. (except once or twice to help calibrate the meter). It is better to keep it topped off. Lithium ION batteries prefer to be topped off. Just charge it and keep it charged when you are around home and then if you need to go somewhere you will know you have maximum power available for the trip.

Dale

RickyMaveety · 06-27-2008, 09:46 PM

I noticed that mine froze when it got down to one bar. It was while my neighbor was borrowing it, and she was afraid she had broken it.

However, I just recharged it and then hit the reset on the back, and it was just fine. Since then, I plug it in while I'm at my desk, or if I plan to use it as a browser for any length of time.

Although, I have found that if I'm browsing a specific site (like the tv listings) I can leave it in Whispernet mode just long enough to allow the page to load, and then I can turn it off and flip between the pages of the site while they are still in memory.

scotty1024 · 06-28-2008, 05:30 AM

I recently discovered that leaving the unit in Alt-aA mode and leaving it with its buttons pressed (like the embrace from a bag's zipped net pouch) will drain the battery in a few hours.

Leaving the wireless on can drain the battery very rapidly if the Kindle winds up in a wireless dead zone. The unit doesn't seem to be incredibly clever about backing off on trying to reach the network to save the battery.

I've also noticed that large books eat the battery like candy as the Kindle works to index the book after download. Purchase several tomes at the same time and you can lose a bar off the meter over the next hour even with the unit otherwise completely idle.

Every time I flattened my Kindle's battery (testing the buttons) I had to reset it to recover it. Having designed portable battery operated devices myself I can attest that a solid self-reset from a battery drain with Intel CPU's is tough. They just seem to need an extra whack to get them to start working again.

Leep · 07-04-2008, 10:57 PM

Does Kindle recharge when connected to the USB port of your computer like Ipods do?

RickyMaveety · 07-04-2008, 11:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Leep

Does Kindle recharge when connected to the USB port of your computer like Ipods do?

It does trickle charge ... but it won't charge from a completely spent battery through USB.

06-27-2008, 12:58 PM	#1
DeusExMe Kingdom Agent Posts: 22 Karma: 24 Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Springfield, VT Device: Amazon Kindle	O Battery life, battery, wherefore art thou, battery life? My battery life disappears for no apparent reason. Even with Whispernet turned off and the Kindle power turned off, I woke up this morning to find that the battery had dropped down to no power, needing to be charged. What could be going on?

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06-27-2008, 01:03 PM	#2
MoSo Crankier than average Posts: 143 Karma: 345 Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Southern Oregon mountains Device: Kindle #1, Kindle #2; internet appliance - The Chumby.	First off, when was the last time you charged it? Was it low before you turned it off?

06-27-2008, 01:05 PM	#3
Gideon Wearer of Pants Posts: 1,050 Karma: 7634 Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Norman, OK Device: Amazon Kindle DX / iPhone	That's really weird. A few things: A) The Kindle does use energy when it is just sitting there contrary to press statements B) The Kindle's battery indicator is... well.. not at all reliable. Also, it could be another issue. My Kindle had a problem similar, and was fixed by reflashing the firmware. I don't remember how to do this, but you may be able to find instructions online or call Kindle support and get instructions. Fixed mine and no problems since.

06-27-2008, 01:11 PM	#4
Patricia Reader Posts: 11,504 Karma: 8720163 Join Date: May 2007 Location: South Wales, UK Device: Sony PRS-500, PRS-505, Asus EEEpc 4G	If it is like the Sony, then the battery meter may need a few cycles before it calibrates itself accurately. I'd experiment with a couple of evernight charges and see if things improve. Then contact Amazon if they don't.

06-27-2008, 01:18 PM	#6
Gideon Wearer of Pants Posts: 1,050 Karma: 7634 Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Norman, OK Device: Amazon Kindle DX / iPhone	Yeah, that's enough... the battery display is just not reliable. Once you get to that point, you can almost expect it to go off at some point. If you're actually reading it'll give you a warning, but the meter is primitive.

06-27-2008, 02:37 PM	#7
KlondikeGeoff Wombat Aficionado Posts: 481 Karma: 733 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Arizona Device: Fire, Kindle1, Sony PRS-500 Reader, Rocket 1100 eBook	DeusExMe, all batteries, even this, lose some charge even when idle. I always charge when the meter gets down to one bar, and never lost it all yet in six months. The thing to consider is how much you have read before it does get down to one bar. With Whispernet turned off, you should be able to go about a week, depending upon how much you read, before needing a recharge. I read several hours a day, and still go a week. If it gets low with only a day or so of use, then call Amazon, and if the battery is defective, they'll replace it with no problem.

06-27-2008, 09:46 PM	#12
RickyMaveety Holy S**T!!! Posts: 5,213 Karma: 108401 Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: San Diego, California!! Device: Kindle and iPad	I noticed that mine froze when it got down to one bar. It was while my neighbor was borrowing it, and she was afraid she had broken it. However, I just recharged it and then hit the reset on the back, and it was just fine. Since then, I plug it in while I'm at my desk, or if I plan to use it as a browser for any length of time. Although, I have found that if I'm browsing a specific site (like the tv listings) I can leave it in Whispernet mode just long enough to allow the page to load, and then I can turn it off and flip between the pages of the site while they are still in memory.

06-28-2008, 05:30 AM	#13
scotty1024 Banned Posts: 1,300 Karma: 1479 Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Peoples Republic of Washington Device: Reader / iPhone / Librie / Kindle	I recently discovered that leaving the unit in Alt-aA mode and leaving it with its buttons pressed (like the embrace from a bag's zipped net pouch) will drain the battery in a few hours. Leaving the wireless on can drain the battery very rapidly if the Kindle winds up in a wireless dead zone. The unit doesn't seem to be incredibly clever about backing off on trying to reach the network to save the battery. I've also noticed that large books eat the battery like candy as the Kindle works to index the book after download. Purchase several tomes at the same time and you can lose a bar off the meter over the next hour even with the unit otherwise completely idle. Every time I flattened my Kindle's battery (testing the buttons) I had to reset it to recover it. Having designed portable battery operated devices myself I can attest that a solid self-reset from a battery drain with Intel CPU's is tough. They just seem to need an extra whack to get them to start working again.

07-04-2008, 10:57 PM	#14
Leep Guru Posts: 739 Karma: 1018859 Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Near Seattle Device: kindle1, K3, K3G (thanks MR), iTouch, Kindle Touch	Does Kindle recharge when connected to the USB port of your computer like Ipods do?

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