Battery life/charging on my Sansa e200?

[origami0706]

I have a Rockboxed Sansa e200 and I don't know why the battery runs out so fast.
Is that a normal thing, or is it just my problem?
Another question I have is about charging my Sansa.
It's charging slowly and whenever I use it the battery goes down really fast.
Can someone help?

Thanks,
Irene

[MarcGuay]

You could do a battery bench and compare it to other users' results (see the SansaRuntime wiki page).  It could be that the battery is dying - do you notice the same thing while using the Sansa firmware?  Also note that charging using Rockbox isn't working yet, and this could be the reason for that issue.

[MarcGuay]

The way you use the player will have an effect, obviously.  If you watch a lot of videos or stare at the cover art a lot, the backlight will eat your battery quickly.  Using a lot of sound filters (EQ, etc) will also cause your battery to drain faster than average.

[origami0706]

I don't have any album art.
When I use my Sansa, the only thing I do is listen to music and the radio.
Most of the time, it's on hold. So should that make the battery usage average?

[MarcGuay]

Does the backlight go off when you put it on hold?  It's not the album art that will kill your battery by the way (sorry if that was unclear), it's the backlight - I was just using that as an example.

I think what needs to be figured out is what you're using to judge the battery life.  Are you comparing it to the runtime you got out of it while using the Sansa firmware or just observing it as "very short" based on the rest of your life's experience?

[origami0706]

Yeah, the backlight turns off.
I tried doing a battery bench, but I don't know how to do one.
Is there any way to save battery?
I already set the brightness to 1...

[MarcGuay]

I guess I should have asked this first:  What are you using to judge the battery length?  i.e. What does "so fast" mean in measurable time?

[origami0706]

With the original firmware, I could go withour charging for 3+ days.
Now, I can only make it 1-2 days.

[MarcGuay]

Perhaps a glance at your config.cfg file would reveal something useful.  You can attach it to a post if you'd like.  Also, please state what revision you are using (it's in the System->Rockbox Info menu).

[origami0706]

I pressed config.cfg and it said "loading...",
So I didn't really get it when I was supposed to look at the file :l

[MarcGuay]

Please attach it to a message and answer my question regarding the revision number.  "Pressing" the config.cfg file will simply load the configuration settings.

[Chronon]

Connect via USB and save it to your computer.  Then you can upload it here.

I'm also curious whether the "3 day" estimate you gave for the original firmware is recent.  

[origami0706]

The number is r18342-080825.
And the 3 day battery life thing was pretty recent.
It was from 1 week ago.

EDIT: I attached config.cfg!

[MarcGuay]

Additional Options... -> Attach.

It's possible that you're simply playing around with it more while exploring the features of Rockbox.

---

Your configuration options look fine.  I'd chalk the lower battery life up to either my point above or the possibility that you're not charging the battery properly (use the Sansa firmware).  I noticed you posted elsewhere that you use it in the car, presumably plugged into the lighter slot, and being powered from that.  Given that the e200 doesn't charge while Rockbox is running, this could be the explanation for lowered battery life - you're used to having it being powered while plugged in.

Could someone clarify what it does with the power it pulls from a charger?  Does it power the unit but not charge the battery, or do nothing at all?

[origami0706]

I charge my Sansa using the usb cable, and it charges in the "Sansa mode."
Thanks for all the help! It's great knowing that there's nothing wrong with my Sansa (whew!)