Ipaq 3800 Charginig Issue

quote:Originally posted by a123g

I installed the new battery. The Ipaq can turn on even without charging the new battery, although the battery is nearly dead since it was not charged before. I am thinking there is something wrong with the charger connection on the Ipaq. Can this be fixed??

First, why did you get a new charger? Was the old one defective? (Trying to find the cause for the problem - this is why I'm asking.)

I installed the new battery. The Ipaq can turn on even without charging the new battery, although the battery is nearly dead since it was not charged before. I am thinking there is something wrong with the charger connection on the Ipaq. Can this be fixed??

quote:Originally posted by a123g

tried all of it. nothing worked.

Who put the battery in your iPAQ? Didn't he/she test it? Any warranty?

It's either a non-connected battery cable or a totally dead battery. I'd vote for the former - replacement batteries are very seldom dead because Li-Ion batteries have very small self-discharge - some 2-3 percents a month, and they are initially charged to 40% because, as you can read here, that's the most optimal storage charge level of Lithium-based batteries:

The recommended storage temperature for most batteries is 15°C (59°F). While lead-acid batteries must always be kept at full charge, nickel and lithium-based chemistries should be stored at 40% state-of-charge (SoC). This level minimizes age-related capacity loss, yet keeps the battery in operating condition even with some self-discharge.

It'd, therefore, require years for a Li-Ion battery to completely discharge, when it will, at the end, dead. This is what the Battery University says about this situation:

The internal protection circuit of lithium-based batteries is known to cause some problems after a long storage. If the battery is left discharged after use, the self-discharge will further drain the pack and eventually drip the protection circuit at about 2.5 volts per cell. At this point, the charger will no longer recognize the battery and the pack appears dead. Advanced battery analyzers (Cadex) feature the Boost program that activates the protection circuit to enable a recharge. If the cell voltage has fallen below 1.5V/cell and has remained in that state for a few days, a recharge should be avoided for safety reasons.

Again, it's highly impropable your battery is dead because of self-discharge unless
1, it was actually used or it shipped any initial charge from the manufacturer.
2, it was manufactured so long ago (over 2 years ago) so that the initial charge has long gone by simple self-discharge and the cell voltage is under 2.5 Volts, when it's almost impossible to 'kick' it into life. (BTW, when was it manufactured?)
3, it's defective

Incidentally, the Battery University article I've linked is a tremendously good source of information – this is why I'm constantly linking it from my articles/posts. Another good, lithium-related chapter worth reading for anyone that wants to know why PDA's should be kept on charger whenever possible and why the initial "conditioning" isn't necessary (unlike with Nickel-based chemistries) is here.

tried all of it. nothing worked.

quote:Originally posted by a123g

I have an Ipaq 3800 with a brand new charger and battery and it wont charge... Any Ideas how to fix it????

thanks

Is it a factory wall charger or a USB charger? Did you also try charging your PDA when it's completely disconnected from your PC and switched off?