Battery life

[Girevik]

Does anyone know what the best wau to prolong the battery life in a One? Is it best to run it off the battery and let it run down a bit before plugging it in, or is it better to keep it charged us as much as possible?

 

[dhn]

If you can always operate the unit using a car charger, the better it is........

There is no gain to running on battery just to run the battery down before recharging.

Experts here on batteries such as canderson and GAW can provide more comprehensive info.

 

[drledger]

Yep, no reason to completely discharge these batteries. In "olden" days some batteries would develop a memory and the manufacturer recommended a complete discharge before recharging. I do not think that is the case today because I never see that disclaimer any more.

 

[Rick F.]

For more than you ever wanted to know about Lithion-Ion batteries, you can read this article:

Is lithium-ion the ideal battery?

Advantages

1. Very low profile - batteries resembling the profile of a credit card are feasible.
2. Flexible form factor - manufacturers are not bound by standard cell formats. With high volume, any reasonable size can be produced economically.
3. Lightweight - gelled electrolytes enable simplified packaging by eliminating the metal shell.
4. Improved safety - more resistant to overcharge; less chance for electrolyte leakage

 

[CynicX]

To expand a bit further. Lithium Ion batteries actually last a bit longer if they are NOT fully discharged. And generally if you are going to store them, having a 40% charge in a cool environment will prolong the life.

The only benefit from letting a lithium ion battery discharge completely is it will make the fuel gauge/battery life indicator more accurate. If you let it run down only a little time and time again the gauge will become more and more inaccurate as the battery performance fades. Basically the gauge will act like the battery is new, but it doesnt have that performance anymore...

I dont pay attention to the gauge anyone. Just plug it in every time I use it, daily for 10 hours....

 

[doctormstein1]

I basically agree when in your car keep it pluged in. It will also help you have a clearer voice.. When you get home if possible download your updates from tom tom home and keep it charging over night. I have a separate cradle that connect to the electric outlet for overnight charging. Usually when you close your computer it stops charging. Anyway good luck to you.

 

[rjvhjb]

supports reply to this type of question

what i worte:

I have a tom tom 130.s
I would like to know if there is a way to shut off the device so there is no battery drain? Pushing the button does not shut it off it only suspends it, like a sleep mode. If the device can be shut off i would not need to constantly charge it.
Also how do i reset the unit to factory settings?
Is there a pin reset under the sticker on the bottom of the unit?

their reply;

Thank you for taking the time to contact TomTom Customer Support in regard to extending your battery life. We are always happy to help.

Battery power is used, even when your device is powered off, to maintain settings (such as the last known GPS position and any active route) on your ONE 130. As such, it is not unusual for the battery to be depleted after several days out of use. To minimize the draw on your battery while in storage, we have several suggestions.

First, we recommend that you perform a soft reset on your unit prior to storing it. This will disable any programming that may be running in the background on your device. If you are not familiar with this process, it is explained on our website at:

TomTom, portable GPS car navigation systems - Support home - Select your product

There are also settings on your unit that pull more power than others. For more information on extending your battery life, we invite you to visit us online at:

TomTom, portable GPS car navigation systems - Support home - Select your product

If you do not use your device on a daily basis, we recommend that you charge it prior to each use. This will ensure that you have maximum battery capacity for your impending trips. For tips on optimal charging methods, please feel free to visit our informational web page at:

TomTom, portable GPS car navigation systems - Support home - Select your product


not much help but fast responce for what it's worth ( one day)

 

[mvl]

Also how do i reset the unit to factory settings?
Is there a pin reset under the sticker on the bottom of the unit?

The newer models like the 130 do not have a pin, so don't try pulling up the stickers. They accomplish a soft reset by holding the power button for 15-20 seconds. The older pin models would shut off and save battery after a pin reset. The newer ones will reboot, not shut off, when holding the power button so you never get the battery savings.

There is a "switch power off when external power is lost" setting in my 720's preference menu - if you have that setting in your model, you can see if it helps any.

Resetting to factory settings is on the last screen of the preferences menu.

 

[CynicX]

The newer models like the 130 do not have a pin, so don't try pulling up the stickers. They accomplish a soft reset by holding the power button for 15-20 seconds. The older pin models would shut off and save battery after a pin reset. The newer ones will reboot, not shut off, when holding the power button so you never get the battery savings.

There is a "switch power off when external power is lost" setting in my 720's preference menu - if you have that setting in your model, you can see if it helps any.

Resetting to factory settings is on the last screen of the preferences menu.

Do you think this actually shuts off ALL power or just like manually shutting it down like normal? I'm not debating your response but do you have proof that that feature kills ALL power?


....................

I feel handicapped not keeping it plugged in when its in my car. If my only source of direction is via my Tomtom then I'd be seriously screwed. Just another reason to always leave it plugged in...

 

[mvl]

Do you think this actually shuts off ALL power or just like manually shutting it down like normal? I'm not debating your response but do you have proof that that feature kills ALL power?

I don't know. It's just a guess worth trying. I can't be certain since my model has a pin (and I use it too much for the battery to run out).

 

[Rick F.]

I use this feature all the time... and I'm glad my model has the pin reset (3rd edition).

I haven't needed to use my TomTom as much the last few months so when I turn it off, I do a pin reset. Two or three weeks later when I turn it on, it still has a full charge. It takes a little longer to boot up... maybe 1 minute... but my battery shows fully charged. The clock says 12:00 because of there being no power, but I noticed I don't have to reset the clock like I thought I needed to do. Once my unit locates enough satellites (3 or 4), the clock resets itself within a minute or two.