Jay wrote: >>>I've noticed that the Garmin GPS 12 really eats batteries-almost too much to use it for constant operation.<<< I used to have a Garmin GPS12XL that worked 12 hours on 4 AA alkaline batteries. At some point I noticed water in the display and sent a message to Garmin asking how to get it out. They asked me to send the unit to Garmin and replaced it with a new one: New software, new box, new manual, batteries included, my own waypoints downloaded, and a battery life of 20 hours instead of 12. I'm not saying it is time to drown your GSP 12, but since Garmin guarantees the unit is waterproof, you might want to put it to the test, if the guarantee is still valid. Recently I sold the 12XL and bought the Garmin E-trex, mostly because it is so sexy, not only the housing but also the display and the user interface. The E-trex works 12 hours on 2 AA alkaline batteries, which I think is reasonable. Niels Blaauw *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
<<question for battery capacity of different kinds<< Since I needed some capacity indications myself, I have been searching the internet, and was quite surprised how difficult it is to find these data. What I found comes from a vendor of geigercounters: (I assume you have some knowlegde about currents, flows and resistors. I do, although I might misuse some words, trying to write English.) >>> We now have Alkaline batteries that have high current capacities in the 1 1/2 volt size. ( Duracell capacity ratings) AA Alk. 2850 MAH = Milliampere Hours. C Alk. 7800 MAH D Alk. 15,000 MAH To translate what this means, if you put a AA Alk. battery in a circuit that uses 40 milliamperes to operate, the battery will have a useful life of 71.25 hours. At the same rate (40 MA) a D size would run for 375 hours. <<< According to the Duracell site, the "Alkaline Ultra" or whatever they call it, has a capacity of about 1.5 times the normal alkaline version. As for other kinds of batteries, I have no data. As far as I know, the capacity of a battery does not depend on the usage. However, since a battery behaves as a resistor, the output voltage will drop when the used current rises. During the life of a battery, the voltage will drop from about 1.5 to 1.2 volts gradually. After that the voltage will drop fast. The hardware using the battery will decide for itself when it is time to shutdown: This may be at 1.3 volts in a camcorder (meaning the battery is depleted for only 2/3) or much lower in a flashlight that you will use until there is no light left at all. For things like photo cameras and GPS's I have no idea when they shutdown. I expect an electric pump to drain the batteries completely. Hope this is of some help, Niels Blaauw *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.4.0 : Thu Aug 21 2025 - 16:33:21 PDT