Running N800 Without Battery?
 

Hi Everyone,

It occurred to me that the N800 could be very useful as a home device set permanently in place somewhere (e.g. on the wall or on a desk) and always on, running from the mains electricity supply. It would save a lot of messing about, booting up a PC to check email for example or to listen to or view media. Also when Skype arrives for it in the UK it would make a good speakerphone.

Since the battery does not like to be overcharged does anyone know if it's possible to run the N800 from the mains without the battery in the machine? I know I could try it but I've just bought it and I'm too scared of damaging it. :D Has anyone already done it?

Thanks
Biggles

Re: Running N800 Without Battery?
 

Someone (I forget who) told me it won't start up without the battery present.

You could try to remove the battery from a running N800 (after plugging it in first, obviously!), but I'm not going to guineapig that one.

Re: Running N800 Without Battery?
 

Hi Karel,

I don't blame you for not wanting to try it. I suppose I could just accept that the battery life would be shortened (so long as it doesn't catch fire or anything equally nasty). I could always buy another battery if I need it.

Thanks for the reply.

Re: Running N800 Without Battery?
 

We need some kind of dummy battery, maybe...

Re: Running N800 Without Battery?
 

Oh, re your overcharging remark: I don't think it is possible to overcharge LIon batteries in normal circumstances. At least not without things inside the N800 having gone seriously wrong first. I know Nokia writes in the manual that you have to be careful with keeping the N800 plugged in, but that's just lawyer talk combined with general ignorance.

I would suggest getting a cheap copy-battery off eBay and using that for a "plugged-in N800".

Re: Running N800 Without Battery?
 

A dummy battery or a cheap battery both sound good, although I don't think I would have the technical know-how to risk making a dummy one. I've noticed that the prices vary widely for the N800 battery. I will see what I can find.

Thanks
Biggles

Re: Running N800 Without Battery?
 

A powerseller at ebay Germany sells them for EUR 12.90 incl. shipping in Germany.

But then I wonder if it is really a good idea to keep those chinese batteries all the time under power? They may explode or such and then Nokia would say "I told you to use the original batteries".

Nokia makes a big fuss about the originality their batteries.

Re: Running N800 Without Battery?
 

I wouldn't mind using a Nokia battery for peace of mind even though it would cost more. I'm more interested in the "always on" convenience of it. I've seen pictures of the N800 mounted in the headrests of car seats and that's when I thought of mounting it on the wall at home. Of course I would make sure I could remove it easily if I needed to take it with me. :)

Re: Running N800 Without Battery?
 

I don't think a "dummy battery" would do the trick, as the N800 seems to be able to draw more power than the wall wart will provide. I know about a week ago I was playing an internet radio stream, and despite the fact that it was plugged in, the power eventually ran out. At that point, it rebooted into the "charging" screen and proceeded to start recharging.

Though, more tests could certainly be done to figure out where the break-even point is.

Re: Running N800 Without Battery?
 

That's an interesting point. It sounds like the rate going out from the battery is greater than the rate of charge going into the battery. This suggests that the mains power supply doesn't bypass the battery when it's plugged in. I find this a bit odd since you can run the machine from the mains while charging the battery. Maybe when it dropped into charging mode, it just needed to be switched back on? :rolleyes: