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<DIV><FONT face=Arial>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>Thanks folks for all the response to my question on PDA
battery life.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>I did a pitch raise yesterday and used up half my battery
(I did it real slow because it was the first time I used my PDA-Verituner
software). I plugged it in for the tuning and it charged up to 100%. Then I
did a pitch raise and a tuning on a second piano and used up 45% of my
battery. So maybe things are not as bleak as I thought - although, that is still
much more consumption than I am used to. If a second PR + tuning used up another
45% on that charge, I don't think that would be good to run the battery down so
low like that.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>And it's against my principles to plug in a battery-powered device! (Hey,
and there may not always be a plug around - or if it is, you know exactly where
it will be - right in the middle in the back of grandma's old
upright.....)</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>The stator on my motorcycle doesn't put out much juice, plus where am I
going to put my PDA on my motorbike while I'm riding and it's charging? IMHO,
charging while riding is not an option.</DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>So...........</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>I just ordered 10 NiMH batteries to make up a 26.4
watt-hour (12V, 2.2 Ah) external battery pack for my PDA. The battery in the
unit is only 4.4 watt-hours, so the external pack should last longer than my
arm. I'm going to make it flat (about 3"x4"x1/2") and put a
nice mark-free rubber pad on the bottom. The pack will serve as a base to
set the PDA on so that I don't scratch a piano finish. I'll also try to rig
up some sort of attachment method so I can mount the pack directly onto the PDA
cradle so that when I want to use the tuning pin mount, I can move the pack and
PDA as one unit. The pack will also have an LED voltage monitor so
that I can always be aware of how much juice I have. This pack should have way
more than enough power for a very full day - hey, maybe I can even turn the
screen brightness up! Maybe I can listen to some Black Sabbath and watch
You-Tube videos while I tune!!!</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>I'll post my rig on the pianotech list in the next
week or two after I get it all together. Watch for it!</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>Terry Farrell</FONT></DIV></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
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<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>I will be taking a first run on my new HP ipaq 111 PDA
w/ Verituner software (been using a VT100 for a few years) this
afternoon. Just got the software installed last night. Was curious how
long the battery lasts, so I left the unit on while I walked my dogs this
morning and the darn thing chewed up 55% of my battery in 90 minutes just
sitting there with the display lit up. That's going to put a severe cramp on
my tuning business.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>Anyone else care to share their experience with the
battery life of these units? I believe the Cybertuner software is often run on
similar/same PDAs. My battery is 1.2 Ah capacity. Do I need to head out
in the morning with a separate battery for each pitch raise and tuning? Is
there a way to minimize the power drain? If I am tuning, I can't have the
thing going to sleep every three minutes - I mean, I'm using it!</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>I can't believe anyone is using these things if you
can only get one or two tunings out of the darn thing before it goes
dead.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial>Terry Farrell</FONT></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML>