cheapo ebay 3500 mah battery fails...any work around?

[Nomad6677#AC]

Okay so i'm fairly new to my new droid x ive had for about 3 weeks now (came from a bb so im not too noobish with the whole smartphone fundamentals) and i bought an el cheapo ebay hong kong knock off 3500 maH battery for my droid x. It works and i dont get the "?" error message but according to the battery indicator its supposed to be dead.

Im guessing that the OS doesn't recognize the extended capacity of this cheapo battery because its still stuck on 5% remaining and ive been blasting away at some emulators for about an hour and it hasnt died at 5% remaining.

Am i correct with this assumtion? Is there any way to get around this and make the system recognize the full capacity of this el cheapo? I know ya get what ya pay for but i figured id post on here if theres a solution at all before i turn this thing into a paper weight. Thanks everyone!

 

[albertdc]

Did it start off showing 100%? With a slow decline to 5% and then it stayed there and kept working? Or did it never register higher?

If it started at 100%, I wonder if it needs a couple of discharge / recharge cycles to calibrate? I would think it would merely be based on voltage, but maybe there is more yo it?

Sorry I couldn't actually help - just throwing an idea out there.

 

[Nomad6677#AC]

It started out showing 5% then rapidly died within about 3-4 hours...while it was stuck on 5% and i was blasting away at it i downloaded the only app i could find on the market place that said it supported third party batteries, and sure enough it showed 68% remaining....

So at this point im guessing that the android OS is just not recognizing the correct capacity? Is there any work around that anyone knows about? Even if it involves rooting?

 

[racinwarrior]

are you rooted?

if so you can wipe the battery stats in clockwork recovery.

 

[Rocko]

non-oem batteries=NEVER.

They are so poorly made that the batt. will likely yield less mah than your stock battery.

 

[albertdc]

It started out showing 5% then rapidly died within about 3-4 hours...while it was stuck on 5% and i was blasting away at it i downloaded the only app i could find on the market place that said it supported third party batteries, and sure enough it showed 68% remaining....

So at this point im guessing that the android OS is just not recognizing the correct capacity? Is there any work around that anyone knows about? Even if it involves rooting?

Wow! I'm surprised that the downloaded app worked. I was under the impression that all the battery meter apps could only relay the info that the phone itself was getting from the battery (thus the inability for any app to actually give single digit percentages without extrapolating).
Has recharging changed anything? Have you rebooted? If so and the problem persists, have you by chance put back the OEM battery to confirm that the meter still works properly with that?
I've always had good luck with cheapo batteries in digital cameras, etc, but I guess a problem was likely to arise at some time...

 

[wildman]

I'm assuming that they are using BatStat Battery Widget and that app isnt really reliable because the system only reads 10% increments and since the app pings the battery regularly there has been issues with faster battery drain... I would disable this app and see how the stock battery app handles the battery.

 

[Super Turtleman]

I have 2 "eBay cheapo" batteries and I rarely need to use them. When I do, however, the battery meter works correctly but they die in 2-4 hours (depends on use). I got them both plus an ac charger off eBay for $10, so I can't really complain...you get what you pay for.

 

[xelhabb]

The stock battery is good for about 8 hours of moderate use. I have a USB cable at my work desk and a car charger. I charge often.

I purchased the Seidio battery (not the extended) and honestly I've gotten about the same performance. Maybe slightly better if at all.

If you play video games, you battery life will absolutely suck. The games make the processor work like a mule on crack, the phone heats, and your battery life will be substantially decreased.

But, its like a pocket computer and the phone is amazing. Until battery technology is enhanced, you must deal with it. I carry an extra charged battery with me when I go out to the parks and take photos/upload. Pretty much cures the problem. But, you can't have a case on the phone or it becomes a long affair to switch out the battery.

Former Blackberry user here...NEVER looking back!

 

[Super Turtleman]

But, you can't have a case on the phone or it becomes a long affair to switch out the battery.

Former Blackberry user here...NEVER looking back!

I have a rubber slip on case that looks great and slips off easily for battery changes. I like the hard cases, but they're a pain to take off, so the slip on works great for this reason...plus this one looks really good on my X.

 

[Charmed Juan]

I have 2 "eBay cheapo" batteries and I rarely need to use them. When I do, however, the battery meter works correctly but they die in 2-4 hours (depends on use). I got them both plus an ac charger off eBay for $10, so I can't really complain...you get what you pay for.

I also got a couple of cheap ebay batterys. They work, they last the same time as my regular batteries but they won't charge in the phone. I get a message the the battery isn't a Motorola battery.

 

[anon(40252)]

Non oem batteries are crap. Seidio does the best job and even their stuff is hit and miss.

Everything else is basically a scam and potentially dangerous.

Do some web searches on batteries and you can find measured approaches as opposed to subjective use.

Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk

 

[anon(40252)]

Also. I highly suggest the moto extended battery for the dx.

Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk

 

[greydarrah]

Also. I highly suggest the moto extended battery for the dx.

Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk

Yes. This is my primary battery now and when I go to bed around mid night I have 40% to 60% battery left...having used the device on and off all day. The only caveat I'll throw out is that I don't spend more than 30 minutes playing games on the phone. I could see that being a big battery drain. I do keep my screen brightness at 80% and the battery set to performance mode at all times. One thing that can really extend your battery is being rooted and running SetCPU to better control your power consumption. Mine is set to go to 300 mhz when the screen is off and to 700 mhz whenever the battery drops below 40%. I'm also overclocked to 1.2 mhz at all other times.

As to a workaround for the cheap non working batteries, without meaning to sound too harsh, the only thing you can do is don't buy them. Better batteries are worth the price.

 

[DXDude]

3000mah

2400mah

Search in - Battery Shop: Nokia Battery, Compatible Battery & More Cell Phone Battery for Sale - DealExtreme

I've used this company in the past, its legit direct from china. Never tried these batteries though, they look too bulky for my taste.

$14-15 bucks plus shipping.