920 Battery life

[spud]

My battery in my 920 is absolutely CRAP.

Im lucky if it lasts 2 hours from being fully charged to dying if not connected to an external power source.

Is this what everyone else is finding?

 

[Timon]

That's about right. It's primary use is in the car not handheld.

 

[cputrdoc]

That's about right. It's primary use is in the car not handheld.

Right. There are battery saver features to turn off the screen if you're biking or hiking with it and need it to last longer.

 

[spud]

Right. There are battery saver features to turn off the screen if you're biking or hiking with it and need it to last longer.

I just currently dont have a cig lighter outlet in my car, and the unit goes off after 3 mins of being inactive when i connect it to the USB port in my car stereo.

 

[cputrdoc]

I just currently dont have a cig lighter outlet in my car, and the unit goes off after 3 mins of being inactive when i connect it to the USB port in my car stereo.

Hmmm; Preferences menu #7 (or thereabouts), Battery saving preferences, select Never turn off screen.

That's all I can suggest. You might not be getting enough juice from your stereo's USB port; not all ports are created equal (or some are more equal than others ).

 

[dedhamfoodie]

Call yourself lucky that you have at least 120 minutess of battery life.

I just bought a brand new 920T and it shuts down after between 60 and 90 minutes of battery use each time.

This TomTom GPS 920T is therefore unusable for long trips, which means for most US buyers.

In Europe they may get away with this poor battery due to on average shorter travel distances there, but not here.

Now I am forced to have the lighter of my old car fixed (a few hundred dollars) just to make the TomTom 920T work with the lighter charger.

That way the price of the TomTom GPS 920T is way higher than that of its competitors.

The advertised 5 hours battery life is simply untrue.

 

[cnynctry]

Few hundred dollors??? Get real. You can buy a "12VDC Car Power Accessory Outlet" at radio shack for whopping cost fo $6.99.
Model: 270-1556
Catalog #: 270-1556

 

[PiotrJot]

(...)
I just bought a brand new 920T

Maybe this is a reason as it is brand new? Give it a chance, and make few full-charging cyckles - this can improve the battery performance.

and it shuts down after between 60 and 90 minutes of battery use each time.

I manage with mine 90 to 240 minutes, depending on the temperature, number of route changes (as each time it has to be recalculated), and the number of phone calls made or received during the trip.
Of course, the best results are achieved with the connectivity shut off- the disadventage is that the pilot does not work either.

This TomTom GPS 920T is therefore unusable for long trips, which means for most US buyers.

And that's why it is delivered with the car lighter charger

In Europe they may get away with this poor battery due to on average shorter travel distances there, but not here.

Yhhmm..... Don't know what to say here...
Does it mean that I use my GPS when go to the store 15 minutes away? Believe me, in that case I know the road

Now I am forced to have the lighter of my old car fixed (a few hundred dollars) just to make the TomTom 920T work with the lighter charger.
That way the price of the TomTom GPS 920T is way higher than that of its competitors.

Oh yeah! And imagine this: somebody had bought a competitors' system without having a car. Terrified he finds he can't use it more then 120/ 240/ 360 minutes (depends on advertisement), and he needs to buy a car to charge it while in use! And that makes it cost at least few thousand dollars more! So you are still better off with repairing your lighter
And just BTW- I am sure you can get it done cheaper then that

The advertised 5 hours battery life is simply untrue.

100% you are right! But before I'd believe the technical specs, I would rather ask the question on users' forum, just to find out the truth and avoid disappointment. Based on my experience, the specs state such facts based on labratory conditions, and differ a lot from the daily usage.

Cheers from Poland
Piotr

 

[equlizer]

but doesnt the manual say 5 hours?

 

[PiotrJot]

but doesnt the manual say 5 hours?

Yes - and so the technical specs...

But in the past I have been suprised by such occasion as well. And now I don't trust such information, but check with the users.
Last year I wanted to change my mobile phone, and battery life was one of the criterion. Based on the users opinion I discarded the N73, and chose k800i. But again, had I need for the advantages of Symbian OS, I would have chosen N73 without expecting it to be charged every 350 hours (two weeks!!!), according to the specs.

Best regards,
Piotr

 

[Continental Drifter]

Oh yeah! And imagine this: somebody had bought a competitors' system without having a car. Terrified he finds he can't use it more then 120/ 240/ 360 minutes (depends on advertisement), and he needs to buy a car to charge it while in use! And that makes it cost at least few thousand dollars more! So you are still better off with repairing your lighter
And just BTW- I am sure you can get it done cheaper then that
Cheers from Poland
Piotr

Piotr:

LOL LOL That was too funny. Thats why I like this forum. Lots of good info and fun too!!

 

[bclark1000]

Tech Support Suggestions

I just talked to tech support. They had me reset and reboot my 920 three times. They then said to recharge fully.

They also suggested:
http://www.tomtom.com/support/index.php?FID=7510&Lid=4

I was getting 90 minutes.

I'll repost after I try this.

 

[bclark1000]

Tech Support Suggestions

I just talked to tech support. They had me reset and reboot my 920 three times. They then said to recharge fully.

They also suggested:
http://www.tomtom.com/support/index.php?FID=7510&Lid=4

I was getting 90 minutes.

I'll repost after I try this.

After resetting the battery, I got 2 hours 15 minutes. Not the 5 hours they claim, but better than 90 minutes.

 

[r028806]

Call yourself lucky that you have at least 120 minutess of battery life.

I just bought a brand new 920T and it shuts down after between 60 and 90 minutes of battery use each time.

This TomTom GPS 920T is therefore unusable for long trips, which means for most US buyers.

In Europe they may get away with this poor battery due to on average shorter travel distances there, but not here.

Now I am forced to have the lighter of my old car fixed (a few hundred dollars) just to make the TomTom 920T work with the lighter charger.

That way the price of the TomTom GPS 920T is way higher than that of its competitors.

The advertised 5 hours battery life is simply untrue.

The battery life is 5 hrs with all bat. saving features on. You must charge the unit w/USB or AC for 4 hrs to give the battery a full charge. it will not overcharge. If you charge it overnite, you may have to reset the unit since the batt. protection curcuitry will require this. Most people have a working CLA in their cars, so don't knock the product for your problem with this.
You got taken if you spent a few hundred $ to fix the CLA.

 

[bclark1000]

The battery life is 5 hrs with all bat. saving features on. You must charge the unit w/USB or AC for 4 hrs to give the battery a full charge. it will not overcharge. If you charge it overnite, you may have to reset the unit since the batt. protection curcuitry will require this. Most people have a working CLA in their cars, so don't knock the product for your problem with this.
You got taken if you spent a few hundred $ to fix the CLA.

The only way to get 5 hour is to not turn the unit on. Kind of defeats the purpose. I get 2:15 with all battery saving features active except for tuning the screen off between turns. I bought it so that I could see the screen while driving.

 

[BCWoodbury]

Go 920 Battery Life

My battery only lasts about 10 min after it is taken off the AC power. What is wrong with this? Documentation states 5 hours...

 

[canderson]

My battery only lasts about 10 min after it is taken off the AC power. What is wrong with this? Documentation states 5 hours...

How old is your unit? All battery chemistry dies with age, and requires replacement. As has been noted elsewhere, 5 hours is overly optimistic, even for a new pack. 3 hours is doing very well. 10 minutes indicates that your unit isn't exactly new.

We have sources for batteries and instructions here.