Impressively horrible battery life

[mstevens]

I can't run a WM 6.5 ROM. One of my main reasons for having this device in the first place is to run a medical program that will (currently) only install and run under 6.1 or earlier. There are 6.1 ROMs I could run, but this is a working device that I need to use most of the day every day. I really can't be beta-testing ROMs. I did try nueROM since it was one of the only custom WM 6.1 non-Rhodium ROMs I could find, but it didn't really seem to offer much. Maybe it's crazy to unlock and not change ROMs, but I unlocked in order to try different radios. Does anyone know of an extremely stable, low-cruft WM 6.1 non-Rhodium ROM that offers substantial battery life advantages over stock?

I'm obsessive about fully closing as many processes as possible. Beam Receive, Bluetooth, and WiFi are always off. The phone radio is off any time I'm at home or notice I have no signal. I avoid using GPS because that just seems to make things worse.

I have read all the battery-saving threads and done nearly all of what was recommended (registry edits, disabling polling apps, etc.) but I'm not really comfortable installing cabs unless I know for certain what changes they make. I've certainly enabled all the power-saving features in Diamond Tweak and Schap's Advanced Configurator.

[mstevens]

Originally Posted by entwined82

The most important part is to get a good first (and for me, second) charge on a battery. I drain it to 0, charge full, drain to 0, charge full, and then use it naturally at that point, charging if I go below 30%.

Everything I have ever read about lithium batteries suggests that this is complete poppy**** and that only nickel cadmium batteries suffer from significant "memory effect" (and nickel metal hydride ones only a little bit). However, I'm a doctor, dammit Jim! Not some pointy-eared electrical engineer!

I'll see if I can come up with another battery to see if it behaves any differently.

[entwined82]

Originally Posted by mstevens

Everything I have ever read about lithium batteries suggests that this is complete poppy**** and that only nickel cadmium batteries suffer from significant "memory effect" (and nickel metal hydride ones only a little bit). However, I'm a doctor, dammit Jim! Not some pointy-eared electrical engineer!

I'll see if I can come up with another battery to see if it behaves any differently.

Well I've tested this on various cell phones. LG Env, LG 5400 (both on Verizon), and the Mogul/6800 on Verizon. The 6800 was especially shocking with its results. I had a brand new extended battery..just charged it and I'd get maybe 1 day out of it before needing to charge. I exchanged it, discharged the new one and then full charged it. I got 2-3 days.

Everything I've read has told me this should not be so..but its been my experience. Since then I stick with that and do two discharges for the hell of it.

[mstevens]

Originally Posted by entwined82

Everything I've read has told me this should not be so..but its been my experience.

Yeah, there's no point arguing with reality. I've read that my TP shouldn't quite this lousy battery life, but my experience is different.

[dkranes]

Originally Posted by pastafarian

If you want to feel better about the TP's battery life, befriend someone with a G1.

Ain't that the truth! I feel better already.

Although turnabout is fair play. I used to be on a VZW BBerry 8830 which got 2-3 days with moderate use, no problem. My friend with a MotoQ always seemed to be on the charger, much to my amusement. Now he laughs at me.

[jmorton10]

Originally Posted by piranah

thats good...i had some issues with the phone not ringing running that control number, but i switched roms so ill see if i can get it working now

that didn't work for me either & I finally uninstalled it. At 256 my system was noticeably slower, had problems answering calls & froze up at least once a day.

Removing the program eliminated these problems 100%. I don't care how much it helps batt performance if it ruins the performance of the system.

~John

[ESsprint]

mstevens. Try Mighty ROM. It made my phone fazter and I have gone over two days with no charge shile living on a fringe zone for service. Not to mention its a 6.1 rom with normal tf3d

[kevm14]

Originally Posted by mstevens

Everything I have ever read about lithium batteries suggests that this is complete poppy**** and that only nickel cadmium batteries suffer from significant "memory effect" (and nickel metal hydride ones only a little bit). However, I'm a doctor, dammit Jim! Not some pointy-eared electrical engineer!

I'll see if I can come up with another battery to see if it behaves any differently.

I happen to be a pointy-eared EE. You are correct that the last rechargable battery chemistry to really have a memory problem was NiCad. That said, one of Li-Ion's biggest problems is a gradual slide out of calibration for the battery's internal circuitry. Essentially frequent shallow discharge and charge cycles make it "lose track" of what its total energy capacity is at the moment, as it tries to count incoming and outgoing electrons. There is always an error in this measurement thus over time the calibration becomes incorrect. A deep discharge re-calibrates a used battery (specifically the internal circuitry), but doesn't add capacity, per se. However, the symptom acts like memory for the most part, which is interesting.

I am not a chemist but it seems new Li-Ion batteries do indeed require a few discharge cycles before reaching full capacity, and I don't believe it is an internal calibration thing, either. I have seen this recommended in more places than this forum, and at least once from an OEM (PolyCom on their SoundStation 2W wireless speakerphone kit).

As far as life, Li-Ion basically wears down from total energy throughput, whether they are from shallow discharge/charge cycles or deeper ones. One caveat is they do dislike REALLY deep discharging but their internal breakers cut off before the battery can actually become damaged, so this is more academic. Li-Ion's main enemy is heat, which no TP owner wants to hear, but it is true. In that sense, since a long discharge and a long charge cycle tends to cause more heat than shallow discharges and recharges, deeper cycles are harder on the battery. But it may end up sliding out of calibration over time and require a deeper discharge to "remember" how much capacity it actually has (which always decreases with age). I also suspect, but have not confirmed, that the sophistication (or possibly presence?) of this calibration circuitry can vary across applications and manufacturers.

One thing I read a while back is the Li-Poly batteries used in PDAs seem to be more resistant to heat, and may even become more efficient at elevated tempatures.

[Rourke Swift]

Originally Posted by kevm14

I happen to be a pointy-eared EE. You are correct that the last rechargable battery chemistry to really have a memory problem was NiCad. That said, one of Li-Ion's biggest problems is a gradual slide out of calibration for the battery's internal circuitry. Essentially frequent shallow discharge and charge cycles make it "lose track" of what its total energy capacity is at the moment, as it tries to count incoming and outgoing electrons. There is always an error in this measurement thus over time the calibration becomes incorrect. A deep discharge re-calibrates a used battery (specifically the internal circuitry), but doesn't add capacity, per se. However, the symptom acts like memory for the most part, which is interesting.

I am not a chemist but it seems new Li-Ion batteries do indeed require a few discharge cycles before reaching full capacity, and I don't believe it is an internal calibration thing, either. I have seen this recommended in more places than this forum, and at least once from an OEM (PolyCom on their SoundStation 2W wireless speakerphone kit).

As far as life, Li-Ion basically wears down from total energy throughput, whether they are from shallow discharge/charge cycles or deeper ones. One caveat is they do dislike REALLY deep discharging but their internal breakers cut off before the battery can actually become damaged, so this is more academic. Li-Ion's main enemy is heat, which no TP owner wants to hear, but it is true. In that sense, since a long discharge and a long charge cycle tends to cause more heat than shallow discharges and recharges, deeper cycles are harder on the battery. But it may end up sliding out of calibration over time and require a deeper discharge to "remember" how much capacity it actually has (which always decreases with age). I also suspect, but have not confirmed, that the sophistication (or possibly presence?) of this calibration circuitry can vary across applications and manufacturers.

One thing I read a while back is the Li-Poly batteries used in PDAs seem to be more resistant to heat, and may even become more efficient at elevated tempatures.

Excellent and informative post!

[muyoso]

There are so many topics already on here that deal with battery life. I get 2 days with light use out of my Touch Pro, about a day if I am browsing and sending emails constantly. It really depends which programs you are running and how much data you use a day. Here is how I have mine set up.

NueDynamicClock - 528 Mhz when in use, 256 Mhz when screen dims, 19.2 Mhz when backlight off, 19.2 Mhz when suspended.

This saves MASSIVE battery life, with absolutely no delay or slowdown with the phone at all. The phone underclocks itself when not in use, and otherwise its running full speed.


Data disconnect - Set to 1 minute

This saves massive battery life as well. It turns your idle EVDO connection off as soon as you are no longer using it. So everytime your IMAP email is checked, the phone uses data for maybe a minute and then its turned back off, so you don't leave an idle EVDO connection active all day. It saves MASSIVE battery life. EVDO connections are re-established as soon as you need them to be, automatically, without any input needed from the user. You can adjust this setting in a program called Diamond Tweak under Data. The only setback with this program currently is that you cannot answer a phone call when you are using data with this tweak enabled. It becomes annoying the few rare times it happens, but personally, calling someone back immediately is a small price to pay for the massive battery savings this tweak offers.


For other settings, i have my email checking once an hour to limit the number of data connections that have to be established. I have my screen brightness set to maximum, with the automatically adjust setting enabled. I don't have any programs which are running which establish data connections on their own at all, which is key if you are attempting to have the phone usable for a couple days.