iPAQ 2215/2210 Extended Battery - 3600mah!

[Jason Dunn]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.shopping.hp.com/cgi-bin/hpdirect/shopping/scripts/product_detail/product_detail_view.jsp?BV_SessionID=@@@@0904641211.1069105827@@@@&BV_EngineID=ccehadcjmdjgmjmcfngcfkmdflldfjk.0&product_code=FA197A%23AC3&tab=accessories&browse_link=true&#d' target='_blank'>http://www.shopping.hp.com/cgi-bin/...se_link=true&#d</a><br /><br /></div><img src="http://hpshopping.speedera.net/www.shopping.hp.com/shopping/images/products/fa197a_150.gif" /><br /><br />hpshopping.com has no info on this battery beyond the fact that it's removable and has a capacity of 3600mah. WHOA! 8O That's one BIG battery!

[JonnoB]

Now we know what the holes in the back are for where some speculated it was for a flip-cover.

[Shadowcat]

Actually a FAQ on HP's website said that the holes are for future accessories like a a flip cover. It's a shame I can't seem to find the link anymore.

In the iPAQ forum someone mentioned that it doesn't look well designed since it looks like it will cover the stylus, the speaker, and the soft reset hole. I think I see an even more glaring design flaw. How will a H2210 fit in its cradle with this monster attached?

Edit: I spelled monster wrong! :oops:

[Ed Hansberry]

gimme gimme gimme :drool:

[droppedd]

8O that's 4x the regular battery's capacity... that's well over 24 hours worth of mp3 playback, or enough juice to watch 3 or 4 movies in their entirety. Nice.

[JonnoB]

In the iPAQ forum someone mentioned that it doesn't look well designed since it looks like it will cover the stylus, the speaker, and the soft reset hole. I think I see an even more glaring design flaw. How will a H2210 fit in its cradle with this moster attached?

How will it fit? You will just _have_ buy a new cradle.......

[Covert]

What's that indentation in its side for? It's on the wrong side to be a cut-out for the speaker.

[sgyee]

The notch is for the battery release.

[MikeUnwired]

I have too many questions on how this fits onto the unit to just pony-up the $129 yet. What does it add to the thickness of the unit? Can you still hear the interal speaker? Does it get in the way of the CF card, earphone of stylus access at all? I'd like to see a few photos of how it fits onto the unit. I really like the idea of 3600 mAH, but if I can't access the headphone jack, that would defeat the purpose.

[mpaque]

I think I see an even more glaring design flaw. How will a H2210 fit in its cradle with this monster attached?

My cradle is about twice as deep as my 2210. I'm guessing that's to accommodate this monster battery?

[griph]

My cradle is about twice as deep as my 2210. I'm guessing that's to accommodate this monster battery?
You must have another cradle than the one I have - when my 2210 is in the cradle there is no room for an add on battery on the back. Only a recess in the back unit to take a standard additional removeable battery. I wonder how you charge the mega-battery - unless you have to use the charge lead and adaptor rather than the cradle. I agree that the omission of access to soft reset button is a problem - battery coming off at least once a day for that! Covering speaker will probably be of minimal effect upon the sound level.

[hakeashar]

I don't know what to say. If HP would've offered the battery at the time of the device release, it would have infulenced my decision on which to buy. Geez, 3600mAH is insane! :mrgreen:

[Prevost]

This thing must be heavy.

I agree that the omission of access to soft reset button is a problem - battery coming off at least once a day for that!
That's bad ad for it.
Or does HP need to start thinking in having soft reset buttons in the front???

[Godsongz]

What it covers, how you charge it, and everything else is all just guesswork until someone posts a review and some pictures of what this thing really looks like attached to a 2200.

I came very close to buying it today. I have a trip to Texas coming up in the next couple of months and will be doing a weeks worth of driving around the state while I'm there. I can charge in the car I suppose, but with 3600mah I wouldn't have to, and it would be great for the flight there and back!

[MitchellO]

I wish that HP would offer an extended battery like this on for the 19xx series. Doesn't the 2210/15 have the same 900mah battery as the h19xx? It would be great, and because the h19xx is so small already, it would make it only slightly thicker than the average handheld (hopeful!).

[ppcsurfr]

Guys, I don't think you all have to get that disappointed/surprised/confused about this battery...

First of all look at that notch... That notch aligns with the Battery Latch of the 2210/2215... which means that the battery does NOT reach the ends of the sides of the 2210/2215!

It also looks like it ends exactly where the two accessory holes are and ends at the bottom of the battery door. It's definitely smaller than the 2210/2215 so stop worrying guys... It even might have another notch for the speaker which we can't see. :-)

Mabuhay! ~ Carlo

[ppcsurfr]

This thing must be heavy.

I agree that the omission of access to soft reset button is a problem - battery coming off at least once a day for that!
That's bad ad for it.
Or does HP need to start thinking in having soft reset buttons in the front???

hehehe... The battery seems to about 30% smaller than the 2210/2215... so no need to move that reset button... They worked around it...

Mabuhay! ~ Carlo

[MikeUnwired]

Ok, now I get it. There's a cresent shaped cut-out on the speaker side as well. The only downside now is that it won't fit inside my new Vaja Billfold Case with that hump on its back...

[kagayaki1]

I'm really curious if this solves the CF -> PCMCIA and PCMCIA HDD drive problem from a few months ago. Supposedly, it was a power problem. Hurray if it does! (although, 1GB CF has come so far down since then)

For those that need to read the previous discussion: http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=15322&highlight=pcmcia+2215

[Dazbot]

Its about time, although I kind of expected there would be one.

I hope the external part is not much thicker and heavier than the 900mAh battery.

Is there a UK link to buy it? I can't seem to find any.

[david291]

3600 mAh is not really that much of a monster or insane. The Dell Axim X5 has had an optional 3400 mAh extended battery since day one.

And this is the size that an extended battery should be. Only units with a 3000+ mAh battery option are considered by us for our customers (a couple dozen unit sales per week).

Good job HP. We can now consider buying your products.

[Janak Parekh]

And this is the size that an extended battery should be. Only units with a 3000+ mAh battery option are considered by us for our customers (a couple dozen unit sales per week).
Indeed, I suspect they developed this for a lot of vertical-market customers, for point-of-scale and similar solutions. Those people used to use 3970s with PC+ sleeves with a supplemental battery, and now something similar can be accomplished in a smaller form factor.

--janak

[david291]

Indeed, I suspect they developed this for a lot of vertical-market customers, for point-of-scale and similar solutions. Those people used to use 3970s with PC+ sleeves with a supplemental battery, and now something similar can be accomplished in a smaller form factor.
Exactly. Except the only problem is cost. An iPaq 2215 with extended battery is a whole $200 more expensive than an Axim X5 Basic with extended battery. I know it has more power/memory, but it's stuff we don't need. Nevertheless, another option is welcome.

[MikeUnwired]

I'm really curious if this solves the CF -> PCMCIA and PCMCIA HDD drive problem from a few months ago. Supposedly, it was a power problem. Hurray if it does! (although, 1GB CF has come so far down since then)

For those that need to read the previous discussion: http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=15322&highlight=pcmcia+2215

At PPC Summit, I got a chance to talk to the HP PPC guys. The mentioned the extended battrey at that time. As we chatted, I asked about that power to the CF slot and they thought that the higher power of the extended battery WOULD offer more power to the CF slot. Guess we won't know till someone ponies-up $130 and tries it out...

[droppedd]

3600 mAh is not really that much of a monster or insane. The Dell Axim X5 has had an optional 3400 mAh extended battery since day one.

not to nitpick, but the Axim has a 50% bigger battery to begin with (as i recall, it comes with a 1400 mah vs. the 2210's 900 mah), but doesn't get 50% longer battery life than the 2210... so the 3600 mAH battery will last considerably longer than the axim with extra battery since it's more power-efficient.

and besides, the Axim is big enough to begin with so adding a big battery doesn't seem that weird; an even bigger battery relative to a 2210 really would be a monster :)

[david291]

ok, droppedd, I'll concede your nitpick.

I'm still concerned that there is no large-battery alternative to the X5 Basic at the same price point. I fear the day the X5 gets discontinued if this doesn't change.

$300 for pocket pc with 3000+ mAh battery and CF slot
$350 for pocket pc with 3000+ mAh battery and builtin wireless

Need one or the other, and right now only the Axim X5 Basic qualifies. If anyone knows of another, please correct me.

[Leo the 3rd]

Followup: Ok, I bit and decided to order this battery the other night. Well it's actually a replacement battery which extends outside of the 2215 iPAQ battery door - remove battery door, take out your existing battery and insert this extended battery. It comes with a ROM update on the installation CD so that the iPAQ will see the extended battery. On the side with the large notch that every sees in the picture on HP's website is a recessed hole where the battery can be disconnected. There is another notch that allows the speaker to be heard. The bottom of the iPAQ is still accessible - albeit a bit heavier, and can still have the thumb board connected without any problems. With the extended battery attached, the reset button is still accessible. I'll do some testing of battery life and charging time over the next few days.

The actual software ROM update takes approximately 10 minutes. You ware warned in the README and when running the installation that you should backup your data because the ROM update will erase everything.

Here are some photos you can view of the unit and the iPAQ.

http://homepage.mac.com/bigman606/PhotoAlbum6.html

[spcarso]

Leo the 3rd - you are the man! Thanks for the pictures - it's exactly what I wanted to see and know (thumb keyboard) and all. Job well done. Can't wait to see the results of your battery tests.

BTW - nice home theatre.

[griph]

BTW - nice home theatre.

Awesome!!!!! 8O

[david291]

Leo, the sticker warns to turn off the unit before removing battery, lest you lose memory. Does it really lose memory if the battery is removed with the unit not suspended? Can you confirm this? Thanks.

[Leo the 3rd]

Yes you will lose your data if you don't turn off the device first before removing your data.

Update: Took close to 6-7 hours to fully charge the battery while plugged into the back of my 2215. With the Standby settings at 72 Hours, the battery registers that I have 46 hours of use left.

Oh and thanks for the compliments on the Home Theater. It's a great enjoyment for out movie library. 8)

[david291]

Yes you will lose your data if you don't turn off the device first before removing your battery.
Well that sucks. That rules out this device for our business needs. (sigh)

[Leo the 3rd]

Yes you will lose your data if you don't turn off the device first before removing your battery.
Well that sucks. That rules out this device for our business needs. (sigh)

But even the regular manual says to turn off the unit before changing batteries if I remember correctly.

[david291]

But even the regular manual says to turn off the unit before changing batteries if I remember correctly.
Yup, I remember iPaqs had this limitation, but I figured they would have fixed that by now. The same is not true of units from Dell or Toshiba, for example.

Believe me, our users WILL sometimes remove the battery without first turning off the unit. Losing memory due to such a simple mistake is entirely unacceptable.

[MitchellO]

I have removed the battery cover then the battery on my h1930 while it was turned on. Surely it isn't different for the h2210?

[Fornol]

I performed small test on my 2210. I removed battery while device was turned on then inserted it again. Nothing lost. It worked just like turn off button. Maybe only devices with some certain ROMs are affected? Anyway, everybody with 22xx is able to do that. So, what this is all about?
Just try, people.

Fornol

iPAQ 2210 + CF 512 MB + SD 16 MB

[Leo the 3rd]

Well looks like this may be hit or miss. I tried it about 3 times and the 3rd time required me to restore from backup. The first time I didn't experience any data loss. But the 2nd time it didn't boot. I had to do a soft reset and then when it booted, it had to do a full restore. So take heed to the warning on the sticker - To prevent data loss, turn unit off before removing battery. I do wish it wouldn't lose our data since there's an internal battery as backup.

All restores were done with Sprite Software Pocket Backup Plus

[Fornol]

After Leo's post I did more tests. Battery removed ten times. No data loss or strange behaviour of device were observed. Nothing. So, for me it seems that some devices behave in different way than other. For HP it is safer to write warning than write any explanations of different behaviour of devices. Warning is also standard excuse when supplier do not now what to expect and wants to avoid complaints from customers.

Fornol

iPAQ 2210

[ultraman]

Oh the 3600mah battery can also be used in 4100 series.

http://www.shopping.hp.com/cgi-bin/hpdirect/shopping/scripts/product_detail/product_detail_view.jsp?BV_SessionID=@@@@0904641211.1069105827@@@@&BV_EngineID=ccehadcjmdjgmjmcfngcfkmdflldfjk.0&product_code=FA197A%23AC3&tab=accessories&browse_link=true&#defaul

[JPack]

Oh the 3600mah battery can also be used in 4100 series.

http://www.shopping.hp.com/cgi-bin/hpdirect/shopping/scripts/product_detail/product_detail_view.jsp?BV_SessionID=@@@@0904641211.1069105827@@@@&BV_EngineID=ccehadcjmdjgmjmcfngcfkmdflldfjk.0&product_code=FA197A%23AC3&tab=accessories&browse_link=true&#defaul No, it won't fit the h4100.

Look at the photos.
http://homepage.mac.com/bigman606/PhotoAlbum6.html
http://www.pdagold.com/img/articles/en/large/0000000123_RMX60944.jpg

[ultraman]

But why HP homepang states that it is for 2100 / 4100 series???

[JPack]

HPShopping is known to make mistakes.

Looking at the photos, here's what I notice: -

- The h2200 and corresponding battery pack have 4 electrical contacts. The h4150 and battery have 6.
- The h4150 battery slot is too far off to the left side to fit the extended battery.
- There are 2 plastic "hooks" on the extended battery (same side as the electrical contacts). The h4150 doesn't have holes to accept those.
- Numbers. Extended battery: "Use with hp PE 2050." h4150 number: "PE 2080A."
- The h4150 has a large battery cover. The extended battery doesn't look like it would cover the sides of the h4150.

[Leo the 3rd]

Follow up: Well it's been a while and even with daily usuage (scheduling, data entry), my iPAQ 2215 with the extended battery is still showing 21 hours of standby. Now I didn't use the unit for playing MP3's (I have an iPod for that purpose), but I did use WiFi and Bluetooth (GPRS via a SE T610) and never had to reach for the charger (checking movie times and the weather via pdaportal.us). As for questions about heat and weight, I have a rather large hand and when cupped around the battery, it was actually easy to hold for me. After charging the battery was not hot to my hands. As far as lugging it around, I have a Rhinoskin 2000 pack that holds all my gear and I put my iPAQ in either my front shirt pocket or in my laptop front bag. In the Rhinoskin 2000 pack I can carry the battery, folding keyboard, micro keyboard, D-Link WiFi card, Viking 256MB CF, Pretec CF 56K modem. Let me know if there are any other questions. I'll continue my tests of the battery.

Also when charging the battery with the power cable, the underside (where you see the contacts) there is a flashing amber LED that gives you a status of your charging progress.

[BugDude10]

Well, Leo, two weeks later -- what do you think? (I had the extended battery for my old e740, and was never really bothered by the additional size and weight, except when I had to carry my PDA in my suit coat pocket. For evenings at home using Wi-Fi or weekend running around, the additional battery life was well worth the additional size. I suspect the same would be true for this extended battery with my h2215.)

[Leo the 3rd]

Well after 2 weeks, you're right. I love it. I can go without worrying about recharging frequently. The extra sticking out the back fits nicely in my hands and provides an easy grip. Yeah, it ways a bit more, but you know, having the extra battery-life is worth it. I can easily check the web using GPRS via my T610, I can IM using the micro keyboard. All I could wish for was that it was a bit cheaper, but it's no biggie.

[IIIsynthtaxIII]

Does the unit with the extended battery fit inside the cradle that comes with the 2210?

Does the ROM update change/improve anything else? Has it caused any problems?

Are there any cases available that will fit the unit with the extended battery?

Thanks,

lllsynthtaxlll

[Leo the 3rd]

No, you'll need to use the wall charger to plug in to charge or a USB sync cable to sync.

No, the ROM justs adds the ability to support the extended battery.

Don't know.


Does the unit with the extended battery fit inside the cradle that comes with the 2210?

Does the ROM update change/improve anything else? Has it caused any problems?

Are there any cases available that will fit the unit with the extended battery?

Thanks,

lllsynthtaxlll

[IIIsynthtaxIII]

Thanks.

I might pick one up later on for when I travel. Make all those people with laptops really jealous by watch 5+ movies in a row!

lllsynthtaxlll

[zer0fill]

sorry to bring back and old thread, but I was hoping that Leo (or someone else) could give us the depth of the batt+ipaq (inches or cm). I too am, unfortunately, an e740 owner with the extended battery pack and looking to upgrade to the 2210/15.

I keep the PPC in my pocket all day w/o a case and would like to know how deep the 2210/15+3600mAH is compared to the e740+HiCap. FWIW, the e740+HiCap is 1" deep.

Thanks

[david291]

By the way, we've had experience with several dozen of these extended batteries in the field. We've come to the conclusion it is a bad design. The new battery moves around slightly, and if you're at all rough with it, the power is disrupted. The result is like a brown-out on the unit, which sometimes causes the unit to hang, suspend, and occasionally hard reset. If manhandled enough, it gets looser and the problem gets worse.

[ebeyonder]

I've had some problems with the ROM update and reverted back to the original ROM version. I would like to know if it is possible for the 2210 to support the extended battery WITHOUT the ROM update to v1.10? Does anyone have any experience with this? Thanks :D

[christak]

You have to at least update to ROM 1.01, I think it is... I comes on a CD with the battery -- I don't think the 3600 mAh battery works properly with ROM 1.00
8)

[vodochic]

Can anyone tell me the specs for the ac adapter needed to charge just the battery via it's input jack? Can't find one but I have so many around the house including universal for various other things if I knew the specs I could probably use on of the others. My battery just stopped working one day and I want to try to recharge it this way since it's not doing anything when attatched to the PPC (however the old regular battery works fine so it's not the PPC). By the way, don't buy from Compuvest...still won't hold up there end of the 1 yr warranty since this item is only 3 months old!