Björn Stenberg | e08a97b | 2004-05-21 21:15:21 +0000 | [diff] [blame^] | 1 | Q1. What kind of batteries are in my V2/FMR? |
| 2 | A1. They are 2200 mAh LiIon rechargeable batteries. Specifically, it is |
| 3 | two 1100 mAh LiIon cells in parallel, physically taped together. |
| 4 | |
| 5 | Q2. Can I change the batteries? |
| 6 | A2. Yes, if you can find replacements. Archos does not sell them. One site |
| 7 | that does is: http://www.pdainternalbattery.com/archospdabattery.html. |
| 8 | Alternately, there are companies who make replacement battery assemblies |
| 9 | that might be able to help. |
| 10 | |
| 11 | Q3. Ok, I got a replacement, now how do I put it in? |
| 12 | A3. Remove the two small screws on the top of your V2/FMR, and pry the lid off. |
| 13 | Now turn it upside down and shake it a little. It should just slide out. |
| 14 | Take note of the position it's in, and put the replacement in the same |
| 15 | way. Replace the cover. |
| 16 | |
| 17 | Q4. How long should fully charged batteries run for? |
| 18 | A4. It depends on how you use it. If you're doing hard drive intensive |
| 19 | activities like formatting or transfering large amounts of data, probably |
| 20 | only a few hours. If you're only using it as an mp3 player it will depend |
| 21 | on the bitrate of the mp3s. Playing 128kbit mp3s, it should last around 8 |
| 22 | hours. Playing lower quality recordings (32-64kbit) like audio books it |
| 23 | could be more like 12 or 14. Playing very high quality files (256kbit+) |
| 24 | it could be more like 4 or 6 hours. Also, doing the 8MB RAM mod will |
| 25 | significantly increase battery life. |
| 26 | |
| 27 | Q5. How long does it take to fully charge the battery? |
| 28 | A5. About 50% charge is applied in the first hour. The rest takes up to 3 |
| 29 | more hours. |
| 30 | |
| 31 | Q6. I want/need a replacement charger. What kind should I get? |
| 32 | A6. A charger/adapter that outputs 6VDC at 700mAh and has a power plug with a |
| 33 | 3.4mm O.D. x 1.3mm I.D., with positive center will have the same specs as |
| 34 | the original. |
| 35 | |
| 36 | Q7. I've heard about options like deep discharge, but can't find them in the |
| 37 | menu. Where are they? |
| 38 | A7. These options are for the recorder (V1) only. Charging for the recorders is |
| 39 | done by software, but charging of the V2/FMR is controlled completely by |
| 40 | hardware. |
| 41 | |
| 42 | Q8. Can the FMR/V2 charge its batteries through the USB port? |
| 43 | A8. Yes, though slowly since USB is limited to 500 mA. Charging is reduced or |
| 44 | eliminated when the FMR/V2 is connected through a passive hub. If a PCMCIA |
| 45 | USB adapter is being used in a laptop or similar device, it is very |
| 46 | important to connect the external power supply if one is provided. |
| 47 | |
| 48 | The PCMCIA port cannot supply sufficient power by itself. The Belkin USB |
| 49 | 2.0 adapter, for example, comes with a "wall wart" power supply that can |
| 50 | be plugged into the PCMCIA card. |
| 51 | |
| 52 | Q9. Can I run my V2/FMR constantly with the power adapter plugged in without |
| 53 | any negative effects? |
| 54 | A9. Yes, as long as you aren't draining the battery faster than you're |
| 55 | charging it (like reading/writing a lot in USB mode). |
| 56 | |
| 57 | Q10. Is it ok if I recharge the battery when I've only drained it part of the |
| 58 | way? Will that reduce the life of the battery? |
| 59 | A10. You can recharge at any time. Li-Ion batteries have virtually no |
| 60 | memory effect. |