do rechargable batteries work on the Handspring Visor?

ghostman

Golden Member
Jul 12, 2000
1,819
1
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I just got a Handspring Visor Deluxe. I stuck a pair of AAA alkalines and it worked fine, but it was sucking too much batteries. I thought that I would migrate to NiMH since I use NiMH for my mp3 player. I didn't have any AAA NiMH batteries, but I had AAA Renewals (rechargable alkalines). I charged them up, and stuck them in...and now, the problems.

It doesn't start up with the Renewal batteries. I try two pairs, none of them work. They work fine in my graphing calculator. So I figure I would stick the regular AAA back in. I stick it in and it still doesn't work. It doesn't turn on.

What happened? I read that people have no trouble with rechargables. The manual says to use two AAA alkalines, so I thought I'd be safe with rechargable alkalines. It's 1.5V, not 1.2V like NiMH. Did I kill the PDA?
 

hevnsnt

Lifer
Mar 18, 2000
10,868
1
0
I doubt it..

Try unscrewing the "tip" of your stylus and press the reset button for 5-10 secs..
 

Damascus

Golden Member
Jul 15, 2001
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<< It's 1.5V, not 1.2V like NiMH. Did I kill the PDA? >>



That shouldn't be a problem since alkalines output 1.5v for about the first
few perecents of the charge.
 

chefmws

Senior member
Jun 30, 2001
206
0
0
to use rechargable batteries in your handspring you need to download one of the battery programs. that program will allow you to select what type of battery you are using so that the battery indicator will let you know when you are low. if you use the default battery status that comes with the handspring and you are using NiMH, or some other sort of rechargable, the system will just shutdown when low on juice and you will loose all the data in the system. by using the program you will be given the proper low battery message and can change out as needed.

BTW... you will be changing out recharables about twice as often as you do regular alkaline batteries.

as to why your handspring will not turn on with reg batteries.... make sure you have them inserted according to the "+" "-" , i know this sounds dumb but i have seen it happen before.
the reset option sounds like a good thing to try as well.

EDIT: use this link to get what i think is the best battery program to date
battery panel program
 

ghostman

Golden Member
Jul 12, 2000
1,819
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Okay, I kept sticking the regular alkalines in and it finally came on. I then swapped several times with more regular alkalines to make sure this wasn't a fluke. It seems to be working again. I actually stuck the Renewals back in, thinking it might be just bad luck, and it had the same problem. I managed to get it running again after a while of regular alkaline swapping and seems to work consistently with regular alkalines.

I downloaded Battery Hack...or Battery Monitor...whatever the GPL'd one is called right after I posted yesterday. I haven't tried setting it to rechargable batteries because it seemed frivolous to check the monitor if I couldn't start the thing anyway (unless the program actually somehow makes a low battery work, which I guess it can't do...). I'm going to head out and buy a pair of NiMH at CompUSA today and give that a shot.

$7-8 seems kinda expensive for 2 AAAs though...


UPDATE: NiMH seems to work fine. Must've been bad Renewals...