XM30S battery life.

[jon2]

Dear all

I have recently acquired a Pulsar Axion XM30S spotter which I am very impressed with but the battery seems to only last 5 minutes (not literally but it is very short lived).

I would be interested to hear if anyone else has experienced short battery life with this model.

Im assuming the battery is a proprietary design but if not does anyone know of an alternative source?

Many thanks

 

[Chris J]

Ahh. Interesting. I bought one and like you, I'm very pleased with it. I got two batteries and in use I never ran either of them down at all. Then as the nights drew in, I took the unit out to have a look around. Flat. OK popped the second battery in - see, clever I am. Flat. Eh?
I put them both on to charge but one (the one that had been inside the unit originally) simply would not even register with the charger. It wasn't flat; it was dead. I spoke to the supplier who said to leave it in the camera on charge for 24 hours. Nope, nothing at all. Basically it was so flat (dead) that the charger couldn't see it. The supplier could not have been more helpful and replaced the battery with a new one. They did indicate that the battery shouldn't be left in the unit for any real period and the batteries should be kept topped up periodically when not in use. OK slightly inconvenient, but I can live with it.

So both batteries charged to 100%. I was using the imager last week and left it on my desk. A couple of days later, I picked it up and guess what ......

FLAT. So not an answer for you, but maybe something to go on.

 

[Fair Hill]

Friend of mine visited at the weekend and was telling me how he was getting very little life at all from the batteries in his Axion XM30S, he's very unhappy after paying 1750 euro.
I have a Quantam Lite that I picked up secondhand and the batteries last forever in it, he reckons it's a better unit too compared to his one, which he didn't have with him by the way because it got water damaged from him being out in a snow storm and he's still waiting on it to be returned after sending it back under warranty in February.

 

[Chris J]

I have been using an Axion double charger and the unit via a USB. When the charger stops flashing and says it's charged, I put the battery into the camera and it's not fully charged at all. Mid 90% sure, but if you know about batteries you'll know that this isn't the same as 90% capacity / output. I've had no 'in service' issues with battery life at all. However, I have heard people say the desk charger is poor. It certainly does take a VERY long time to charge the batteries up.

 

[imnotrucknut]

Haven't experienced any problems with charging.I get my gear out of the truck and turn on spotter.it runs for about 4 hours before the battery icon starts flashing and expires.put battery 2 in all good. Takes about 2hours to charge back up but I normally forget about it and unplug in morning

 

[Namman]

Haven't experienced any problems with charging.I get my gear out of the truck and turn on spotter.it runs for about 4 hours before the battery icon starts flashing and expires.put battery 2 in all good. Takes about 2hours to charge back up but I normally forget about it and unplug in morning

Mine seems to go flat when not in use.

 

[imnotrucknut]

Mine is in use on a weekly basis so doesn't sit around for very long

 

[DVS1]

From my experience any new electrical battery that can be recharged needs to be stretched for the first few charges and fully discharged for optimal capacity.

I used my 30s this evening after charging batteries last week. Got 3.5hrs from the battery before it died and the temp was hovering around 0° so I did expect a reduced battery output.

It would be nice to see alternative battery options like a 18650 so we can pick and choose batteries.

 

[rob4586]

Are you using Wi-Fi? That seemed to significantly reduce the battery life of mine? Once that was off, I get about 4 hours per battery. Worth a try...

 

[Turkish]

I get about 2.5 hours out of a battery on fully charged. If it gets left in the unit, it will be flat in a day or two. Whether the unit is on or off.

I bought another battery as a spare. It's performance mirrors the first. I too was expecting a little more run time for the money. I have no issues with the desk charger, and have charged both batteries after running fully flat in an hour.

From all of these varying experiences, there does seem to be some inconsistences in the units.

 

[Pellet Pinger]

Charge your batteries on the desk top charger till showing full.
Put them in the unit and attach the charging lead as if you were charging them in the unit itself and turn it on, the battery icon will have a percentage next to it so you’ll see if it’s full from the desk top or not.
I’m sure I’ve read people having issues with the desk top jobbie.

 

[Sikadave84]

They’re lithium ion batteries, the performance will always be degraded in cold weather. Try and warm the batteries up in your hands before going out

 

[DVS1]

Charge your batteries on the desk top charger till showing full.
Put them in the unit and attach the charging lead as if you were charging them in the unit itself and turn it on, the battery icon will have a percentage next to it so you’ll see if it’s full from the desk top or not.
I’m sure I’ve read people having issues with the desk topchhers for this

cheers for this

 

[oowee]

I have had two pulsar batteries that after two years use would fully charge and show normal discharge for the first two hours or so then fail. Both replaced under warranty.

 

[Strongman]

I had a friend who I’m pretty sure has an Axion and also complained about short battery life. He was surprised that I turned the display off on my Quantum, only turning it on when I need to use it and I can get probably 8 hours out of one set it batteries.
Can you turn the display off on an Axion? On a quantum it’s one press of the on / off and same to turn display back on.
Might be worth a try for a comparison if you can and haven’t been?

 

[purdey24]

It is one press on and off on the Axion.
I only have one battery for mine and it is charged in the unit.
It takes a while but when fully charged I would say battery life is ok, certainly a good few hours.
However, my Pard 007, that's a story for another thread.

 

[DVS1]

Used the 30s again last night and night before when temp was just below zero and had 3hrs out of it on both nights so in their bracket of battery life. Would still like to see a retro fit battery option so can carry multpile cheaper batteries like the quantum lite

 

[pimmy]

Had mine since June been fine when moving from diffent stands I put it in standby

 

[billy_boyle_2010]

can't say exactly but I have been really impressed with the life of mine. I would say 2-3 hours of off and on use.

 

[imnotrucknut]

I get about 2.5 hours out of a battery on fully charged. If it gets left in the unit, it will be flat in a day or two. Whether the unit is on or off.

I bought another battery as a spare. It's performance mirrors the first. I too was expecting a little more run time for the money. I have no issues with the desk charger, and have charged both batteries after running fully flat in an hour.

From all of these varying experiences, there does seem to be some inconsistences in the units.

I'd say you have a faulty unit .I keep battery in all week still full from last charge.