has anyone had any probs with the GT31 batteries.

got the unit out of the box and plugged it in to charge as per instructions.

unit light flashes and battery symbol comes up on screen.

while it is plugged in i can access all menus etc, find satelites and memory card.

once battery symbol shows solid i unplug unit and it is dead.

when unplugged cannot make the unit turn on?

have tried a few times now but to no avail.

any tips

definately cannot rule out user error.

If you've tried charging it more than once, it sounds like you have a problem to me, I'd be taking it back to supplier.

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decrepit said...

If you've tried charging it more than once, it sounds like you have a problem to me, I'd be taking it back to supplier.

hmm, i may just have to buy another, i got it very very cheap from a friend in the industry.

left it in the box for about 6 months and then tonight pulled out the screwdrivers to see if the battery could be replaced (waranty gone). unfortunately they have non standard built in batteries.

Hey Gestalt,

This might sound silly, but how are you turning it on?

When it's charging the unit turns on by itself, and will turn off when you unplug it.

Are you holding in the smaller button (takes a good mash with a thumbnail, not a gentle tap) for 2 seconds?

thanks nebbian.

i thought i might be doing something wrong like what you have suggested.

the unit turning on while charging and then turning off once unplugged did catch me out initially. i thought there might be a trick to it which is what made me post.

last night i decided to leave the unit on charge all night.

managed to wake to a unit that i could turn on. happy happy.

3 hours later unit was dead flat.

Go to Settings -> Ext. Power Mode, and select "Off".

This gives you a nice "charging" graphic when it's off and plugged in, the graphic will change to a solid battery when it's finished.

Try this, it might help.

These batteries aren't supposed to develop a memory. and are recommended to be kept at about 40% charge.
Leaving it discharged for 6 months may have done some repairable damage.
I'd try a series of long charge, discharge cycles, you may find that will improve things.
You've got nothing to loose.

Justin, I'd be surprised if you cant find batteries somewhere, ulness its a marine battery of something stupid like that. Try Jaycar and electronics suppliers, unless it is surface mounted on a triple layer circuit board, it should be possible(Dunno if battery world would do this kind of stuff). If you dont have any luck, send me a picky and I'll hunt around for you, no I'm not pulling mine apart to have a look. Its also possible that the control circuitry in the unit is stuffed and the batteries are fine.

I agree with decrepit. We have found the same with mp3 players we have to repair under warranty. If they have been left for a while, several long charge and discharge cycles can often bring the battery back with out need to replace it.

Also are you charging it via usb? We have found that some pc's dont have a good supply to charge some batteries while others will actually turn off the usb power when they 'sleep'. This has caught a few people out when they leave it to charge overnight but pc shuts down cos of power save mode during night.

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Haggar said...

Jason, I'd be surprised if you cant find batteries somewhere, ulness its a marine battery of something stupid like that. Try Jaycar and electronics suppliers, unless it is surface mounted on a triple layer circuit board, it should be possible(Dunno if battery world would do this kind of stuff). If you dont have any luck, send me a picky and I'll hunt around for you, no I'm not pulling mine apart to have a look. Its also possible that the control circuitry in the unit is stuffed and the batteries are fine.

WES components in Sydney have just about every shape and size battery you can imagine.

I've pulled my GT-31 apart, the battery is silver, very thin, no discernable markings that I remember on it.

I'd be surprised if a couple of deep charge/discharge cycles didn't help things along

It's definitely not a good idea to leave these batteries flat. When you're not using them, I would give them a top-up charge once a month, and even though they are not supossed to develop memory, my experience is that a discharge/charge every 3 months is a good idea.

thanks for all of the tips guys. i am trying them all. as nebs said the battery is non descript mobile device kinda thinkgy. i could test it though and match it.

sorry i didn't use it earlier.

will know next time.

Gestalt,

It might be worth getting in touch with a specialist, such as "Battery World". If they don't have it available, they might know where you could get it from. Also, I have found Locosystech to be VERY customer responsive. (They fixed a bug, and added a feature to the GT-31 for me, both times within a week). I wonder if they would send you a replacement battery for a nominal fee?

Regards,
Harrow.