Batteries in the T50

[TonyInPortland]

The reason I got this player was because it was supposed to get over 50 hours on one battery. I just got it yersterday. I realize the time is less when recording. I have had some rechargeable (NIMH) AA batteries I bought a couple years ago because they were on sale, and at the time I was using a cassette walkman to listen to my radio show every day, which took AA. But I never used them until yesterday because my other ones never wore out. I fully charged two of them, not sure if they would even be good. I listened to a show I had downloaded for about four hours and the battery icon did not seem to move, so I thought it was OK. I programmed an FM recording M-F from 6-10 AM. The player started recording, but I saw that I only had two hours recording time since I was not sure how to delete anything. I stopped the recording on a commercial, then started recording again while my computer was warming up, so I could read the manual on my computer on how to delete a file. After I came back from taking my dog out, the player was off and would only come back on for about half a second. I read the troubleshooting and the only thing that fit was the battery was dead, but it had been fully charged just 20 minutes earlier. Then I went and got the other battery that I had charged, put it in, and it is working again. If you buy rechargeable batteries and let them sit for 2 or 2 and a half years, is it possible they would go bad? The package was never opened until yesterday. The AAA ones, I used four of them, recharging them 1-2 times a week each, for a year and eight months, and they still work fine. Or maybe these other batteries are cheap and don't last long? The AAAs are Energizer and the AAs are Lenmar NoMem Batteries, I got on sale at Fry's. Now when I got up today I see that with the second battery my programmed recording stopped after just over an hour. I turn the thing on and it says it is fully charged--the little battery icon--then I plug it into my computer and suddenly it goes dead, no battery. I need to know is it the player that is defective or the batteries? If one fully charged battery won't even record my 4 hour program, it is no good to me.

[ShyAnne]

Originally Posted by TonyInPortland

If you buy rechargeable batteries and let them sit for 2 or 2 and a half years, is it possible they would go bad?

Yes, particularly if the cells not only sat unused for 2 1/2 years but also may have been improperly stored, which is more important than whether or not the packaging was opened.

It's also entirely possible to get cells that are bad from the start, even if you open and charge/use them the same day. For example, you don't know how long they sat at Frys, and how Frys may have stored the cells prior to marking them down for quick sale. Sometimes a bargain isn't a bargain particularly with products that are known to degrade, like rechargeable batteries.

Originally Posted by TonyInPortland

I need to know is it the player that is defective or the batteries? If one fully charged battery won't even record my 4 hour program, it is no good to me.

You can easily find out. Buy some new rechargeable AA cells, a quality brand that aren't mark-downs, and try them out. Alternately, you could test with a fresh alkaline battery to be sure it's a battery problem and not a player problem.

However, I seriously doubt the T50 delivers less than 4 hours of recording on a freshly charged NiMH or alkaline since it's playing time is rated at 53 hours. it's jumping to conclusions to assume a player problem since:

a.) You're currently using cells of questionable quality
b.) You're using old mark-down cells that sat for at least 2 1/2 years after purchase, with no knowledge of how long they sat before purchase
c.) You haven't done any testing with different cells.


By the way, a request if ya don't mind.
Please consider adding "air" to your posts! Doesn't matter if they're long posts, but long posts that are all jammed together as one huge unbroken block of text are far less likely to get answers.

Your post currently has 24 views and this is the first reply. Likely many of the previous 24 looked at it but didn't read it specifically because they didn't wanna wade through all that, y'know? Everybody here truly wants to help, why make it hard for them?

[TonyInPortland]

I tried another older battery that was a name brand and it recorded 3 and a half hours and still had time left. I also bought some new batteries which I haven't tried yet, so I am sure the problem is the old batteries. It works great and once I get used to the touchy joystick control, I think it will be good for the use I need.

Sorry about the long post, I just wanted to include all the pertinent information.

Thank you very much.

[ShyAnne]

Glad you found it was the old batteries after all, probably bad cells.

Have heard the joysticks on T50/T60 can be a bit touchy until you get used to them. That's why I prefer T10. Instead of a single 5-way protruding joystick, T10's got a flat 4-way directional pad with one push-down button in the middle for the 5th control option. It's a better design and much easier to use. But T50/T60 are great players in all other aspects, and T10 is tough to find these days.

Originally Posted by TonyInPortland

Sorry about the long post, I just wanted to include all the pertinent information.

Again, it wasn't the length of the original post. It was the lack of text breaks.

Enjoy your recorded programs!

[TonyInPortland]

Yeah I knew that and read that people had problems with it, but I really didn't want to pay twice the amount for the T10. I hope I can get used to it. It is really hard to ff or rewind without skipping back the whole 3 minutes I have it programmed for.

And if you mean a new paragraph, by "text breaks," I don't understand how that makes any difference. It only makes the post longer. You said one huge unbroken block of text is less likely to get an answer. I mean I believe you, I just don't see why that would matter.

Anyway I will do it that way from now on. I have a separate question to ask, if I can't find a thread about it, and I will keep it very short!

[BBD]

The easier to read, the more likely the reader will finish and answer. The harder to read, the more likely the reader will get annoyed, stop reading and click the back button....

Just typin' though. Welcome to MR! (In case no one said it already....)