iSport Battery Life

Q&A for all things iSport
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fakehips
Posts: 2
Joined: Sun Jan 17, 2010 9:13 pm

iSport Battery Life

Post by fakehips »

I've had an iSport since earlier this year (GenIII with software version 4.17). I've delayed the upgrade to iAero/Pro primarily because of poor battery life. Recently, I've experienced only a few hours worth of good battery life on the unit. What I observe is wildly fluctuating temperature readings corresponding to the LCD becoming dimmer and battery voltage decreasing below 275 within only an hour or so of new battery use. I've observed temperature of 170-180 F on rides in the sunshine (black unit) where the ambient temp is only 60-70F. When my power readings become erratic, I find that the battery power is also below 275 and the temp is reading very high and erratic. After the ride ends, I power down the unit on the battery page and check the voltage and it's normally recovered to above 275. If not, I replace the battery (again). This has occurred 5-6 times. Is this a software glitch on my unit? I've noticed a large number of battery life complaints in the forum pages and I'm avoiding an upgrade based on this issue alone. I love the unit when it's functioning properly and I"ve mastered the very difficult interface and menu structure. As a retired fighter pilot skilled in assessing lots of data on various cockpit displays, I would humbly suggest that you need someone skilled in the art of "pilot-vehicle interface" to get the iSport menu structure cleaned up.....
Velocomp
Velocomp CEO
Posts: 7793
Joined: Fri Jan 11, 2008 8:43 am

Re: iSport Battery Life

Post by Velocomp »

All of your symptoms are characteristic of low battery voltage.

As we've reported many times, in summer weather you'll get between 30-50 hours of battery life. Battery life is longer with a wireless mount.

You're supposed to change the battery when voltage drops below 275, and most certainly to change it whenever strange behavior begins.

If your battery is draining too quickly, please send your iBike to us and we'll take a look at it.

If you've gotten your iBike up and working properly, then the only thing you need to do after changing batteries is go into the User sequence to update time and date.

We agree with you that the many features available in the iBike require a lot of setup screens. The way we tried to minimize the difficulty is by organizing them into three sequences. The Fast Start sequence needs to be done only once per bike; the User sequence infrequently (such as a battery change or Fitness Test) and the Racer sequence rarely to never. Items that need to be checked regularly (such as Cal Wind) are done automatically.

All that said, if you're looking for the "ultimate" simplicity in a user interface, check out the new iBike Dash.
John Hamann
fakehips
Posts: 2
Joined: Sun Jan 17, 2010 9:13 pm

Re: iSport Battery Life

Post by fakehips »

John - thanks for the quick reply on a weekend. Your customer focus is outstanding. Your comment that this is indicative of low battery voltage has me concerned as I experienced the problem on a number of occassions with fresh batteries. If I need to send you the unit for a look-over, what is the procedures (address, etc)?
Velocomp
Velocomp CEO
Posts: 7793
Joined: Fri Jan 11, 2008 8:43 am

Re: iSport Battery Life

Post by Velocomp »

Velocomp
1747 Avenida del Sol
Boca Raton, FL 33432

Make sure to include a note describing your problems, and your return address (you'd be amazed how many people forget to do one or the other, or both!) :D
John Hamann
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