Best Chargers for Lithium Ion Rechargeables?

[Mitch470]

I purchased a Garmin Nuvi 750 GPS unit which has a Lithium Ion Battery attached. The battery is rechargeable and non-replaceable. It cannot be removed. It is now charged by connection to an AC outlet or to a PC with a USB connection. It takes about 4 hours to charge and only gets 3 to 7 hours of discharge.

The first time I gave it a full charge it only lasted about 3 hours until simulation of routes had it power off. I assume the charge had been drained too low.

The manual recommends that one discharge it completely and then give it a full charge to have its 5 bar meter properly reflect its capacity.

What chargers are out there for this type of battery? Which are the best?

 

[SilverFox]

Hello Mitch,

It seems you may have to make do with what Garmin has provided. You seem to have 3 options, AC, 12 volt, and USB charging. Since the battery is not removable, I would be hesitant to use anything else.

I am not sure what climate you live in, but keep in mind that charging Li-Ion cells at temperatures below 32 F is not recommended. It appears that Garmin has provided a high temperature cut off for charging, and I hope they did the same for low temperatures.

Tom

 

[Mitch470]

Hello Mitch,

It seems you may have to make do with what Garmin has provided. You seem to have 3 options, AC, 12 volt, and USB charging. Since the battery is not removable, I would be hesitant to use anything else.

I am not sure what climate you live in, but keep in mind that charging Li-Ion cells at temperatures below 32 F is not recommended. It appears that Garmin has provided a high temperature cut off for charging, and I hope they did the same for low temperatures.

Tom

Tom,

They did. It will not charge and the GPS will not even run at under 32 degrees Fahrenheit. Thus, during cold, winter days, it will just stay at home and be used as GPS SIMULATOR. Printed maps from my DeLorme Street Map program will be the only option at that time of year.

 

[Mitch470]

Hello Mitch,

It seems you may have to make do with what Garmin has provided. You seem to have 3 options, AC, 12 volt, and USB charging. Since the battery is not removable, I would be hesitant to use anything else.

I am not sure what climate you live in, but keep in mind that charging Li-Ion cells at temperatures below 32 F is not recommended. It appears that Garmin has provided a high temperature cut off for charging, and I hope they did the same for low temperatures.

Tom

Tom,

They did. It will not charge and the GPS will not even run at under 32 degrees Fahrenheit. Thus, during cold, winter days, it will just stay at home and be used as GPS SIMULATOR. Printed maps from my DeLorme Street Map program will be the only option at that time of year.

 

[SilverFox]

Hello Mitch,

Interesting...

You should send them a note informing them that it is OK to use Li-Ion cells down to very low temperatures, and that you appreciate that they have disabled the charging function at temperatures below 32 F.

Perhaps they will take another look at this and upgrade the firmware to allow low temperature use.

Tom

 

[Fallingwater]

If you're not interested about keeping the warranty you could crack it open and solder some charging leads... maybe even a whole external battery to let you run the things for ages.