iAudio4 battery lifetime

[theDuke]

I'm using the iAudio 4 (512 MB) now for about three months and the only thing I must complain is the battery lifetime.
The product description states that battery lifetime is up to 15 hours, but I only get a maximum of 7 hours from batteries and about 5 hours with rechargeables.
I have disabled all energy consuming options (backlight) and I use only CBR encoded MP3.
But what troubles me most is, that the iAudio is discharging the battery without even using it. A full rechargeable was empty after two weeks in the iAudio 4 without ever switching the unit on.

Is this normal or is my iAudio defect an I should exchange it?

Also the battery status display is absolutly wrong, displaying full for four hours, but dropping to empty in less then one hour (for rechargeables).
And if voltage display is around 1.10 Volt the iAudio stops playing, is this normal too?

I also proposed a energy saving mode for the firmware with less/no info (I guess the dynamic peak level and title scrolling consumes extra CPU power) to be displayed at the LCD. This would be great, because most of the time I do just listen and never look at the LCD.

What do you think?

[jadeboy]

you got my vote for a less fancy gui firmware with higher better life. I probably only get 2-3 Hours on rechargable alkaine

[eXity]

WTF? What kind of Batteries are you using? Sure, if you are using really old NiCads then you will be seeing rather bad runtimes like that, but I got a lot longer than you did out of my Sanyo 800mAh Batteries. It's also important to have a good charger ... and mine is pretty smart, because it can de-charge them to their absolut 0 limit and then charge them full again.

[theDuke]

I also use Sanyo 800mAh and some new ones with 900mAh and I have probably one of the best electronic chargers (Ansmann Energy).
After charging voltage is displayed with about 1.32 Volt at iAudio 4, but as I said it switches off at about 1.10 Volt (<5 hours).

[eXity]

Strange ... my iAUDIO4 always switches off at 1.0!

I'll do some more testing when I get it back.

[CaptMyCapt]

The product description states that battery lifetime is up to 15 hours, but I only get a maximum of 7 hours from batteries. . .
But what troubles me most is, that the iAudio is discharging the battery without even using it. A full rechargeable was empty after two weeks in the iAudio 4 without ever switching the unit on.

Is this normal or is my iAudio defect an I should exchange it?

Charger notwithstanding, Duke's questions about battery life are valid. What's up with the much less than [supposedly] normal battery life with alkline batteries. While I get a bit more with my iAudio, I don't get anywhere near 15 hours, even with all the extras disabled. I too am interested in answers (opinions?) to Duke's questions on this.

Thanks,

[NeTo]

I haven't counted the hours that the battery has lasted, but I at least I can manage a whole week with only two batts, doing a lot of recording (lectures mostly :D) and using the themes from time to time. I think that they last at least 12 hours each, using a very cheapo carger.

What I can confirm though is that the meter stays too much time in high, then it goes to zero very quickly (using lastest korean firmware).

[rorreta]

:confused: I 've a 256 iAudio4 (it bought 1 month ago), and I have the same battery problem, 6 to 7 hours for battery life. I'm using a SONY Stamina (750mA) battery and SONY charger. The worse thing is when the battery is unloaded the iaudio don't puts out, he die!. When it is replaced the battery there is not files neither system, and I should update the firmware. :eek:
There is something that can do or I should replace it?

[sicpup]

I had the same problem. I tried all kinds of brands. They all lasted less than 7 hours. I set all setting to save power and still never got more than 7 hours.

I think this model has a defective circuit that drains the battery while the unit is in the off position. Important to note, during the first month the battery life was 10-12 hours however after a month I started to experience a reduction of 7 hours.

I returned my unit and waiting for the replacement. I'll let you know how the new unit performs.

[theDuke]

@sicpup: I'm really, really interested, whether the replacement improves anything!

I've also contacted my reseller (www.k55.de (http:/www.k55.de/)) for replacement and the surprising answer was:
1. They've done test on their own for iAudios battery lifetime and also only reached 7 hours.
So in their opinion Cowons statement was too optimistic. They now have changed their product description at their webshop
2. They've contacted the manufacturer and he stated, that the iAudio really claims 0.8 mA power even if switched off.
Conclusion: A replacement will improve nothing.

I sacrificed one more alkaline battery and ran a test exactly under Cowons conditions (128 kits CBR, loudness: 20, no effects, no lights) - result:
Battery lasted exactly 7 hours and 8 minutes!!!

I'm really, really angry now :mad::mad::mad:
Of course I've contacted iAudio's support with this problems and they first recommended me to replace the unit, but my second email with the resellers statement stayed unanswered.

Should I accept this lacks?

[eXity]

Hi there,
may I ask what brand of AAAs you were using?

[theDuke]

@eXity: for shure you can ask ;)

I used the following alkalines:
- VARTA High Energy
- Duracell M3
and I use the following recharables:
- Sanyo Ni-MH 800 mA
- HID Ni-MH 900 mA
charged with Ansmann Energy 4 (microcontroler)

[eXity]

Duracell M3
Paradoxically (M3) enough I had many problems with these batteries. They seemed to run out real fast. Like they would be flat on my CW200 in 5-6 hours or so.

I even made a post about it a really long time ago:
http://www.jetaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?t=330&

Can't comment on the other alkaline - never used it.

I have the Sanyos and get pretty good playtime from them. I'm not sure (been using U2 and M3L loads), but I think it was something like 8 hours.

[dragan]

I really love my iAudio4, but I would really like to change for a U2, because of the built in battery, but I don´t have the economy for it. So I have a suggestion that most likey would improve the battery life of iAudio4. Simply to have a option that makes the screen blank after a period of time, not showing any info, and when you press a button the screen comes back.
I turn on my player and then I leave it in the pocket, not really looking at it that much, and making the screen blank, should improve battery time. I´ve seen this option on other brands of mp3 players.
The playback time for FM transmition should be longer, twice the time. All other mp3 brands have twice the battery time when in FM mode. All this must be controlled by the firmware, right?

opinions and other suggestions

Does the firmware developers read/look at this forum?

[DoD-DarkHand]

I have experienced the same prblems with my iAUDIO4 too. i bought it around july, and after awhile i began to notice that the battery life just seemed to take a spike downward in its lifetime. I use rechargeable panasonic batts. but even when there fully charged the little reader always says that they dont have a full charge, they usually only have one bar filled, is this a defect in the unit?

[cipher]

I also have very poor battery life with my IAudio 4. It looks like mine shuts off at 1.18V Is there anything that can be done or am I destined to be just another disgruntled customer?

[dragan]

you can´t do a thing. The battery lifetime on the iAudio4 ****s and that´s it. You´ll just have to be another disgruntled customer. :o

[Edamame]

Are there going to be similar problems for the I5? Is the larger LCD going to drain the battery even faster? I like the design of I5, but if the battery life going to pose a problem then I will consider the G3.