Battery

I am considering buying my first MP3 player and the Express looks like everything I want.  My only concern is the battery.

  1. what is the expected life of the battery - not play life, but acutal usable life before it is dead or won’t keep a charge?

  2. is there anyway to replace the battery as you can with the c or e series?

I look forward to some input.

The battery is not replacable. Battery life is going to be in direct relation to how often it is used and charged. i would say that under normal use the life expectancy of the battery will far exeed the warranty of the device which is 1 year.

The Express should be good for at least 400 full charge cycles.  If I charged my dead device twice a week or so, then that would be close to 3.5 years of use.  Not too bad.

I am considering purchasing a sansa express but I wondered about the battery. Is there any way to charge it without connecting it to my computer?  I would like to be able to charge it while on vacation,etc., when my computer may not be around.  Thanks!

most of these will work here. Its just an AC to USB wallcharger.

I bought a simple wall charger from China like the ones listed ( European plug ) but can’t get it to charge the Express although it does charge mobiles. Express charges fine from computer. Anything I may be doing wrong?

It definitely seems counter-intuitive, but turn the Sansa Express on before plugging it into a non-computer USB charger.  You should see the little battery icon indicating it is charging.  When charging through a computer, the Sansa Express will not let you use any of its functions, but when charging through a non-computer USB charger you can still use all of the features of the player.

Also, while I’m sure it is not recommended or supported by Sandisk, the battery is accessible via the two small screws underneath the cap.  Replacement batteries of that size and capacity are readily available, you might have to solder it on.  That’s what I’m going to try in a few years when my sansa is dead, anyway.  I might even try doubling the capacity if I can fit one in there, so I can go longer without charging.

Use this info at your own risk!

People, stop saying batteries are unreplacable. Like an iPod, you need to take apart the Express to detach the battery from the logic board via a connector.* Battery lasts approx 15hrs on low volume and low OLED brightness. 12hrs on Med-Low Volume and High OLED brightness (which is what I use).

Li-Ion Batteries typically lasts 300-500 Full cycles. A Full Cycle is basically the running down of the battery’s xxxx mAh (the power it can supply) till automatic shutdown and fully recharging it again. It is safe to assume (like a poster above me) that the Sansa Express will last through 400 cycles before it’ll drop charge capacity (meaning that the battery will not hold full charge at the normal xxxx mAh but lower).

There are AC USB wall chargers avaliable for sale. They’ll charge your Express.

The reason why the Express is non-functionable while attached to the computer and is functionable on a wall charger is because the computer is actively syncing with the Express. If you disable drivers for the Express, you should be able to charge it w/o the Express sycing with the computer, allowing you to use its’ functions. It’s almost like how the Motorola phones can be charged via USB on computers. (Vista does not seem to do this)

*Taking apart the Express will void warranty.

Message Edited by SkyL on 09-26-2007 05:36 PM

Message Edited by SkyL on 09-26-2007 05:37 PM

Would it be better, worse, or the same for me to charge the player each day (and leave it plugged in; usually overnight while I sleep) instead of waiting until it runs completely out of power?

I know that it is not good for Li-ion batteries to get over charge them, but do not let it die too.

Do not buy the Express.  I’m on my third replacement less than a year.  I loved this little devil, but if you use the firmware updater, the device dies.  Maybe even if you don’t use the updater it will brick.

I just can’t recommend it.

Jimwise is correct - Sansa Express must be on, before connecting to a wall charger, otherwise it will NOT charge.

I tried turning it on and then plugging it in…doesnt seem to charge…it just shuts it off…its quite strange does it with two seperate chargers of two different brands…this bites

Does the device turn on , and then turn off?  —> try putting a MicroSD card into it… that should fix it… or else the forum rumor is wrong

or does it turn on, show low batt, and then turn off? —>  This one can be fixed by recharging.

Message Edited by Bleach_FAN on 10-20-2007 06:56 PM

What battery model is used by Sansa Express 2 GB? My battery drains in a day without use, and I want to replace it with a new one.