Sansa Clip Self-discharge Rate (Update on Page 3)

MP3 players Sansa Clip | Clip+
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See update on page 3

I have a new 2GB Clip.  If I fully charge the battery it completely discharges within 3-4 days (won’t power up) even if it is unused during the 3-4 day time period.  Is this normal?

I haven’t fully tested the run time but have used it several hours at a time with no problems.

Thanks for any help.

Message Edited by dusky on 01-03-2008 03:05 PM

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I’m not sure why it self discharges so quickly, but just confirming that it does indeed run down by itsself for me as well.

This may be something that a new firmware will be able to solve, as most mainstream ICs should have a very low power sleep function that can be activated.  Or, a part of the design just drains batteries faster than most other devices.  Shouldn’t be a problem for people who listen a lot and charge a lot, but I can see how it’s inconvenient for those who want to be able to pick up their Clip and just listen whenever every few days. 

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I’m not experiencing this with my Clip.  My Clip has been sitting in a drawer for at least a week.  I just powered it up now, and it has a full charge.

Do you think your Clip was fully powered down, or in sleep mode?  If you hold the power switch up for 15 seconds, it will fully power down.  If it is just going into sleep mode, it will say “GOODBYE”, and will not refresh its database when powered back up.

Message Edited by PromisedPlanet on 12-20-2007 09:33 AM

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Thanks for the input.  When I power it down it always says “Goodbye” even if I hold it down for a long time. 

Perhaps I haven’t been holding it down long enough.  I was following the 2 sec power down instructions from the manual (copied below).

I really like the player but if I can’t get the battery issue fixed I’l try something else.  I keep it in my briefcase as a spare to use when traveling so it doesn’t get charged everday.  ~3 days sitting idle and it won’t power on without charging.

Power Off

Slide the Power Switch up and hold it for about 2 seconds to turn off the player.

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According to the quick start guide, holding the switch up for 15 seconds does a full reset.

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My Sansa clip is dead after about 1 day of no use… I can fully charge it (3+ hours) and just over 24 hours later it is dead… It is not playing and not on hold… I hold the power button up until it says “goodbye”…  Should I return it for a different one or am I doing something wrong?

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The “Goodbye” message is displayed upon Power Off, which occurs when holding the Power/Reset switch up for 2 seconds.  But, if you hold the switch up for about 15 seconds, it does a Reset.  According to the Clip quick start guide, a reset is “like a power down of the device.”  It’s kind of confusing, especially given that if you do hold the switch up for 15 seconds, there’s no visual indication that it’s done anything different from Power Off.

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I don’t think Clip has a standby mode.  If the device is off, it is OFF.  You do not need to hold it for like 5-10 seconds.  That’s only used for resetting your device.  If your device just died after leaving it off for a day, then I think there might be something weird with it.  You can try to charge it full and turn it off and leave it for a day to see if the same thing happens again.  If it does, contact tech support for an exchange.

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I tried holding down the power button for an extended period of time but noted no difference in the self-discharge rate…dead after ~ 3 days idle (from a full charge). 

I also fully charged, selected “play all” and let it play continously to test battery life.  It played non-stop for ~16 hours before it was completely discharged so the internal battery is good. 

Too bad for an otherwise nice player.  I guess I’ll take it back and try something else.  Any recommendations on a similarly priced/featured player that doesn’t have the discharge issues?

Message Edited by dusky on 12-20-2007 06:26 AM

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You can call tech support and told them about this discharge issue and ask for a new one.  I think you might have a faulty one with bad circuit which did not control your battery discharge rate properly in your device.  Most of the time, the device has the control circuit to control the discharge and allow the player to play even after a long period on inactivity.  Just get a different device and you will enjoy it.

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Wow.  And I thought they were all like that, mine included!

Thanks for updating us! 

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I emailed Sandisk tech support about this … their response:

If you hold the power switch up for 15 seconds, it will fully power down. If it is just going into sleep mode, it will say
“GOODBYE”, and will not refresh its database when powered back up.

 

For a fully powered down clip, the discharge, if any, will be minimal. Unfortunately, we do not have any time information.

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Thanks for the follow-up with tech support. 

Unfortunately, I have tried the 15+ second power down several times and it doesn’t change the discharge rate…at least on my player.  Still loses ~1/3 of the charge per day even when idle.  Since mine will play 15+ hours continuously it’s obviously not the battery.  Firmware problem??

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dusky wrote:

Thanks for the follow-up with tech support. 

 

Unfortunately, I have tried the 15+ second power down several times and it doesn’t change the discharge rate…at least on my player.  Still loses ~1/3 of the charge per day even when idle.  Since mine will play 15+ hours continuously it’s obviously not the battery.  Firmware problem??

Are you running the latest firmware?  I guess it’s possible … the player would have to have some set of states where sometimes it fully powers down, and other times it doesn’t.  Otherwise everybody would have the same problem.  I’ve had my Clip shut off for about a week and found it had a full charge (at least according to the battery symbol) when I turned it back on.

 

I don’t know anything about hardware, so I’m not sure you can rule out a hardware problem.  Maybe a hardware problem can cause a battery to drain normally when the device is playing, but drain too quickly when it should be in power-off mode.  ???

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My best bet is if you still have your receipt and still be able to exchange at a store.  Then go ahead and exchange it because I don’t think it’s firmware related because if it is firmware, it would have affected everyone else because the same code won’t be behaving differently with different devices.  The only thing that might be different between devices are the hardware.  Maybe during manufacture, some of the devices got defective parts which could draw current even in the OFF mode.  For most of the devices, firmware controlled how much current is at the OFF mode and if the hardware are properly assembled, then it would not cause a problem.  Therefore, my only assumption is device’s hardware.  So before you got too frustrated with your device keeps discharging on you, I’d advice you to get an exchange so that you would have a better time using the device rather than getting frustrated trying to figure out what the heck is wrong with my device even though I have the latest firmware like everyone else :) 

Have a good holiday

Message Edited by kmc2005 on 12-21-2007 11:16 AM

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kmc2005 wrote:

…So before you got too frustrated with your device keeps discharging on you, I’d advice you to get an exchange so that you would have a better time using the device rather than getting frustrated trying to figure out what the heck is wrong with my device even though I have the latest firmware like everyone else :) 

Have a good holiday

Message Edited by kmc2005 on 12-21-2007 11:16 AM

Good advice.  I’ll take it back and try another before giving up on the Clip.

(BTW, I’m using the latest firmware)

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Any chance you live in, say, Minnesota and leave the player in the car overnight? I did this two weeks ago.It went down to -7 that night. The battery really self-discharged a lot. I started taking it inside with me after that, and the charge stayed much higher, for much longer.

Just my 2 cents.

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UPDATE:

I got a new one (red still) yesterday and fully charged it.  Played for 2 hours, let it sit overnight, played for another hour this morning, and still showing full charge. 

So, if your battery depletes by its self while off, get a different one! 

Also, charging with a USB charger seems to work more reliably if the Clip is on (repeat one song or something so it doesn’t shut off). 

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! 

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I’m done with Clips. (see my prior posts for reference on the problems).

Bought a new one and it self-discharges just like the first one…dead in ~3 days even when it’s sitting (unused) in my briefcase.

By the way, the discharge doesn’t appear to be linear (at least using the on-board meter). 10% loss the first day, 50% remaining after 2 days, dead by the end of three days…with the player OFF and  only turned on ~2-3 SECONDS / day to check the battery status.

I have a question if someone can help…has anybody left their Clip uncharged for 3 days or more (unplayed or played)?  If so, what was the battery status after 3 days?

Message Edited by dusky on 12-26-2007 11:36 AM

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I have my Clip played for a few hours.  The battery went down 1/4.  I left it off for a week and it was still okay.  You are probably just one unlucky person to get two lemons but what can I say.  That’s frustrating for me if I was in your shoe.  Well, all I can say is good luck and hope you will have better luck next time with any player :)  Have a good holiday