Best way to look after battery?

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thigger

Development Team Member
Registered:1447426133
Posts: 37

Posted 1472317158	#1

I noticed the issues fellrnr was having with his and wondered if I'm looking after my Moxy the best way. I used to just charge it when I needed it, but it has a very high idle drain and I'd often come to find it with a low/empty battery. Now I leave it attached to USB power whenever it's not in active use. When I turn it on there are often only 3 flashes though - but it seems to last the length of my interval sessions well enough (60-90 minutes). Is leaving it attached the best way to preserve the battery life? I'm worried that the fact it's flashing 3 times rather than 4 means the battery is gradually wearing down. I also seem to remember that a firmware update to reduce the drain when 'turned off' was promised - is anything likely to happen in that regard? thanks!

Roger

Moderator
Registered:1340810797
Posts: 265

Posted 1472326613	#2

Leaving the Moxy on the charger is the best approach. The charging circuit shuts off when it's full and tops off when needed so it doesn't hurt the battery at all. We have units that are over 3 years old that still have very good battery life. There is some variability in the resistors that we use for the voltage divider on the battery gauge circuit and we have the battery algorithm set up so it only does 4 flashes when the battery is almost completely charged. It goes from 4 flashes down to 3 pretty quickly, then will stay on 3 and 2 flashes for a long time. Seeing 3 flashes right off the charger is probably not a reliable indication of failing battery. I test the batteries by setting up a PeriPedal workout and then setting then sensor on a surface where it can calculate an SmO2 reading (I have a desk here that works well. The surface is something like blank newsprint paper. It helps to throw a towel over it to keep ambient light out.) Then just let it run and you can see on the PeriPedal graph when the readings stop. I typically get 3 to 5 hours like this. Let me know if you are getting less than this. I did get fellrnr's sensor back in after his problems with the battery. Of course, it worked just fine when I got it here so I was not able to diagnose the problem. I think I got almost 5 hours of life out of it on several tests. I put a new battery in his just because I had it opened up but I don't think his problem had anything to do with the battery itself. I wouldn't expect a battery to come back to life like that.

thigger

Development Team Member
Registered:1447426133
Posts: 37

Posted 1472458997	#3

Thanks - nice to know I'm not damaging it. I've not tried a full battery test since I switched to leaving it charging; yesterday after 90 mins on the turbo it had 2 flashes which I guess is reasonable.

juergfeldmann

Development Team Member
Registered:1380484167
Posts: 1,501

Posted 1472483089	#4

I have good experience with always plugged in. I have a 10 unit docking station in my clinic and have most likely the "oldest" MOXys out there as they all have number below 100 series. My clients come in if they have a workout with MOXY , take a unit form the docking station start the computer with their set up and do a live feedback workout. Once they are finished they plug it back in and this runs the full day form 7.30 Am to often 18.00 PM including lunch break. I changed in one unit once the batteries just to learn how it could be done and it works well and no problems yet. Roger may know better how old units like 0029 are in years . Some of the units go out with clients for workouts in the pool or for races and they always get the message to keep it plugged in if not in use. Hope this helps a little bit.

Roger

Moderator
Registered:1340810797
Posts: 265

Posted 1472522365	#5

I forgot to answer the question about a firmware upgrade to improve the battery life when turned off. The root of the problem turned out to be a hardware issue on the board so it's not something we can fix without a major hardware redesign. At first, we thought we might be able to do something with a firmware update, but now we realize that's not the case. So leaving the sensors plugged in when not in use is the long term solution and it doesn't seem to have any adverse affects on the battery. Storing them without being plugged in doesn't seem to be a problem either. I haven't replaced any batteries outside of warranty yet, but it's definitely something we will do for a reasonable price if it comes up. Roger

Ruud_G

Development Team Member
Registered:1419284397
Posts: 279

Posted 1475849582 · Edited	#6

Just for fun. Results of my "t-shirt-test" Not bad. Units 196 and 219 Attached Images

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