Battery issues.

[Boom782]

I have an iPaq 1945.

Is it normal for the battery to lose energy when its not in use or is that a sign of a bad battery?

For example: I went on vacation and didn't bring it with me. It was fully charged beforehand, and when I got home a week later the battery was reading around 20%.

[OSUKid7]

Yes, very normal, as it is with all Pocket PCs. That's why you have to keep it charged at all times. If it gets to 0% and the backup battery runs out, your RAM (all of your programs/non-ROM data) will be deleted. RAM requires a small amount of power to keep your data safe, so it's normal for your battery to discharge when it's off.

Note: off on Pocket PCs really means "standby" - the device is still receiving power from the battery.

[Boom782]

Well it also ran down to zero and I lost everything. Fortunetely I have it all backed-up. Does this mean my backup battery is dead and needs replacement?

[OSUKid7]

Well it also ran down to zero and I lost everything. Fortunetely I have it all backed-up. Does this mean my backup battery is dead and needs replacement?
Not 100% sure. AFAIK, Pocket PCs do have backup batteries just in case the main battery goes dead. Maybe someone else knows for sure, but otherwise I'd call HP and see what to do.

[Brad Adrian]

BTW, it does NOT hurt the battery to keep your Pocket PC plugged in all the time, like when you were on vacation.

[Pony99CA]

Well it also ran down to zero and I lost everything. Fortunetely I have it all backed-up. Does this mean my backup battery is dead and needs replacement?
Not 100% sure. AFAIK, Pocket PCs do have backup batteries just in case the main battery goes dead. Maybe someone else knows for sure, but otherwise I'd call HP and see what to do.
Here's what I know (or think I know :-)) about batteries in iPAQs.

First, in iPAQs with non-removable batteries, there is no backup battery. There's not really any need for them.

Second, in iPAQs with removable batteries, the backup batteries are very small -- they are just intended to keep data intact while you replace one main battery with another.

Finally, in all iPAQs, the main battery is also the "backup" battery. The iPAQ will shut off before the battery is completely drained in order to keep your data for a while longer. On later iPAQs (like my 5550), you can actually set how long this reserve time is to give you more safety or longer operating life.

Steve