[NTLK] Newt about to pop!? (email)

[Vladislav Korotnev]

Thanks for your reply, James.

Maybe, by any chance, there is some charging circuitry available on the web that would let me charge the battery pack outside the newton?
Of course from what I know NiCd's and NiMh's are charged simply by supplying the correct volts and amps to the cells since they're not overall as angry as LiIon's and LiPol's.

I will CC Frank Gruendel (since he knows a lot about Newt's electrical part, and, in fact, he built the battery pack, so there is no reason not to trust the pack construction, I think) and NTLK so if anyone knows if such a device is possible to build/acquire they would see this call and be able to reply.

I don't use my Newt daily, but it's very important to me, when I do.
It seems it's time to make a backup, just in case.

~ Vladislav Korotnev
http://vladkorotnev.github.io/
http://vladkorotnev.me
sysop at dakimaker.com
vladkorotnev at gmail.com
2:5020/12000.64






On 09.08.2013, at 12:10, James Fraser <wheresthatistanbul-newtontalk at yahoo.com> wrote:

> 
> email, not posted
> 
> Hello There!
> 
> I read with some alarm your recent description of the problem you had with your MP2100:
> 
>> A couple of hours later, while enjoying some fine J-Core tunes, I noticed some weird clicking 
>> and popping sounds from somewhere in the flat.  After turning down the music and walking around 
>> for a little bit, it was clear to me that my messagepad is making these sounds.  I took it from 
>> the table and heard another pop, moreover, I actually did also feel it a bit with my fingers, 
>> it seemed like it was coming from the battery tray.
> 
> This sounds -vaguely- similar to problems that other people have had recharging Newtons equipped with recelled battery packs: http://marc.info/?l=newtontalk&m=122549663910141&w=2 
> 
> I say "vaguely" because the other Newtons whose owners heard a popping sound from their Newtons ended up with ruined Newtons.  While it sounds like yours is still functional:
> 
>> After letting it cool down I put it back in and it worked, showing 100%.
> 
> ...I'm writing this to suggest that, in future, you might want to think about following Joel Sciamma's suggestion and consider acquiring an AA battery tray and using AAs charged externally (as opposed to an internally-charged battery pack).
> 
> Granted, the recelled battery packs are very convenient to use and the AA battery trays are, let's face it, a pain to acquire.  However, as Mr. Sciamma mentions in his post, charging battery packs internally *might* put a strain on the Newton's aging charging circuit.  I can't say for sure myself and I'm afraid the above is little better than a guess on my part. :(
> 
> With any luck, someone else on the list will have a better idea as to the exact nature of the problem you're facing; judging from your description, I'm guessing the problem you experienced is related to the battery pack itself rather than the Newton's charging circuitry.  It's just that I didn't see a reply to your post and felt compelled to write something in the interests of helping to preserve your MessagePad.
> 
> 
> Best,
> 
> James Fraser