ipaq2210, 303MMF, 401-BT slipper: POWER SAVING

marc2 · Occasional Visitor Joined: Feb 02, 2005 Posts: 3

Hi All,

Can anyone answer my query on power saving...

If you run the 303MMF in a 401-BT slipper with an ipaq2210 PDA with bluetooth link established then if you turn off the ipaq (to save batteries when hiking for example) will the slipper/303mmf go into sleep mode to save batteries?

If the batteries in the slipper did die, then i guess you can use the CF slot on the ipaq to power the gps and still get a fix?

Cheers,
Marc.

semrots · Posted: Thu Feb 03, 2005 9:33 pm Post subject:

Marc,

Can't answer the first part, but yes the Receiver can be used in the CF slot on the 2210, and it will work. Obviously you need to change the settings in your GPS prog, so it knows its looking for a CF GPS and not bluetooth (if its TT I think I'm right in saying its generic CF card, and the 4800 setting not the Haicom setting). Also will it get a good line of sight for sats from wherever the 2210 is mounted in the car? I'm assuming we're talking car use here, but....

I've used a 303E CF card in the 2210 and on batteries it ran both for about 2 hours before I got low battery warnings, but obviously BT was switched off. If its in the car on 'mains' then no problems

Hope this helps, and I too would be interested in the sleep mode of the slipper.

Rod

semrots · Posted: Thu Feb 03, 2005 9:47 pm Post subject:

Marc,

Realised now you're talking hiking, so ignore the cars bit!!

I asked a question a while back, its lower down the forum, on Bluetooth slipper battery life and was told about 7/8 hours. Apparently when it gets low the BT light flashes but there's not enough life to connect.

When on our hols I used 2210 with the CF card on walks (strolls!!) hence my knowledge of the battery life. You can get a battery plug in unit for the 2210 which takes 4x AA batteries. It plugs in the serial port, and it effectively sees it as a mains supply. That should make it run for a long time, esp. if using 2300 rechargeables. I just carried it and only plugged it in when I got the low battery warning.

Not sure whether you're using any cases on the Ipaq when out. I used an Aquapac, but choose the larger PDA one to get the PDA with CF card attached in it. Obviously the normal PDA one is too small when the GPS is in it. There's full measurements on Aquapac's site. However, it wasn't possible to get the 2210, CF card and battery pack in the Aquapac bag, due to length of the serial plug coupled to PDA and CF card receiver.

Another thought is where are your GPS maps? Make sure they are on a SD card if you think you may have to use the CF slot for the GPS at some stage - obvious I know, but its the sort of thing I'd remember in the middle of nowhere when the BT went down!!

Rod

marc2 · Occasional Visitor Joined: Feb 02, 2005 Posts: 3

Thanks for your comments Rod.

I'd like to use bluetooth GPS because I know that the 2210 won't last very long (maybe a couple of hours like you say) when using a CF GPS. Although a point of note here is that i've read that your 'E' card is more power hungary than the 'MMF' one from Haicom - it's all in the chipsets used.

The point is reallly that when I'm out walking I have the PC off most of the time, ofcourse, and only turn in on when I need to navigate (although this means that without a logging GPS i can't see where i've been but i don't really mind that). It would be nice to know if the bluetooth GPS also went to sleep. Haicom tell me their answer is pending (the sales guy is on holiday i think!)

I would that though that the Li-ion high-capacity extended battery you can get for the 2210 would last longer that the AAx4 adapter you talk about? I assume that you *cannot* use alkaline cells otherwise you'll be feeding 1.5*4=6V into the IPaq, when it really want's 5V! (ofcourse NmIH x4 gives you 1.2*4=4.8V which is fine)

I post back here if I ever get an answer on slipper sleep mode...

Chers,
Marc.

semrots · Posted: Tue Feb 08, 2005 9:12 pm Post subject:

Firstly the batteries and the 2210. Yes I do use Nimh. Don't know about the high strength 2210 battery doesn't the larger 2210 battery cause an increase in the 2210's size, or have I dreamt that.

Given when I walk with the PDA I've usually driven there and used the 2210 in a holder in the car, thats probably why I discounted it. Not sure what the capacity of the larger 2210 battery is, but I was using 1800 Nimh , though I also have some 2300's as well if i was going to give some stick.

The 2210 on its own was showing givng warnings at 2 hours, although a quick look at the 'battery meter' indicated another hour to go, not that I risked it. And as you say this was running a 303E. If you were using BT to the slipper I expect the BT would take less than the CF so you'd go for a while longer?

Anyway to your orignal question, as I actually have a Slipper I tried out what you want to do. Using Memory Map I connected to the slipper. After a while I just switched the 2210 off, I did not exit MM. Blue light stayed on slipper for a very short while then flashed again indicating it was looking for a BT link, and then after another while went out. It had gone into sleep mode - switching on the 2210 gave me the BT console screen to connect, but couldn't find the slipper, so it really had gone to sleep.

Mind you to wake it you only have to slide the CF card in and out a fraction, and the MMF locks reasonably quickly (I have one as well) so would this be onerous when you want to check position just switch both on a wait for a lock, even whilst you are still walking. I'm assuming you check reasonably often so you won't have gone miles and miles from where the receiver last got a lock, so it should lock fairly quickly?

Anyway hope this helps

Rod

marc2 · Occasional Visitor Joined: Feb 02, 2005 Posts: 3

Thanks for the test Rod! Yep, that's what I had in mind :-)

Unfortunately I had hoped that the slipper would go into sleep mode as opposed to just turning off. In the senario you describe it sounds like the slipper is just turning off. This isn't much good for walking since I have to find the slipper in my rucksack and mess about with it before I can get a fix.

Interestingly, this page http://www.gpspassion.com/fr/articles.asp?id=55&page=4 suggests something different. It suggests that the slipper goes into sleep mode and then automatically wakes up when you turn the ipaq on again - what do you think - this doesn't seem to reflect what your seeing?

Marc.

semrots · Posted: Fri Feb 11, 2005 1:14 pm Post subject:

Marc, sorry been away on business.

When the slipper goes into sleep mode, it still runs the CF GPS card, its the BT that sleeps. So the card is still getting data so should be on track, but you can only wake up the BT by sliding the card in and out again as far as I know.

I guess in your case you wish it wasn't as you don't want to be rucksack rummaging, just switching on PDA and couple of seconds later knowing where you are?

Best I can suggest is keeping slipper somewhere accessible but...

Hope this clarifies

Rod

	PocketGPS
	Web