Cowon J3 battery problem - please help!

[Pipps]

I received my new J3 today. I have no reason to think that it is anything other than brand new, as the retail packaging seemed unopened and the factory screen protector film was mint.

I charged it for the recommended 3.5 hours this afternoon, as per the user manual. In fact, I charged it for 5 hours. I knew it was charging because the icon appeared on screen and the I was using a reliable USB charger plug.

Immediately upon disconnecting the J3 from the charger, I then begin using it for the first time.

But within 10 minutes, I was told that the battery was low and the unit then switched itself off automatically. It did this several times consecutively until it then refused too switch on.

Incidentally, when is turn the J3 on the battery icon at the top displays that it is full. Within 30 seconds the icon then changes to empty.

What on earth could be the problem with this brand new J3?

[musichound]

Seems to be it's battery related. When you plugged in the USB cable, did you make sure it was inserted correctly? There are known instances where people think the cable is plugged in properly, only to find out that extra force is needed for a proper insert.

[Pipps]

Good point - I did encounter that stiff connection problem with the proprietary USB cable. But I overcame it and made sure it was firmly connected. Thanks for the suggestion though.

Any other ideas?

[musichound]

Originally Posted by Pipps

Good point - I did encounter that stiff connection problem with the proprietary USB cable. But I overcame it and made sure it was firmly connected. Thanks for the suggestion though.

Any other ideas?

The only other thing I can think of is that maybe it needs to be charged/discharged several times for proper operation. Other than that, it's most probably a bad battery.

[WalkGood]

If it does turn out to be a bad battery, it's good to know that you can always get Cowon to replace it in the first year (in the USA). Outside of USA many countries have up to 2 years warranty.

[DSperber]

The battery charge icon... did it show FULL or is it essentially "empty"?

There's a large icon available on the Smart Widget desktop, but the system information bar at the top of the screen (e.g. when playing music) always has a tiny version of that icon.

What does it show?

[Pipps]

The smart desktop battery meter widget is essentially empty.

The same problem happened again this morning. The J3 turned itself off due to a reported 'low battery' after only 5 hours of play following a 3.5hr AC charge.

I immediately switched the J3 back on, and the battery meter contradictorily displayed itself as full again. It has since continued playing for another hour now - despite the battery meter now perpetually showing as empty again.

What could this problem be, and is it likely to get better with time?

[afraaa]

just dont know why ppl didnt know that they should charge j3 with ac adaptor for 8 hour first time to reach great battery life

USE AC CHARGER .. NOT USB i tested it

i made mistake on my zen x-fi 2 and didnt made it again in j3 , and now i charged it and using it like 3 day

[afraaa]

and do first charge three time and dont connect it to computer , use sd card to listen music

after 3 time charge(for 8 hour ) and de charge your have better battery , trust me , i know cuz i tested it

[Pipps]

This problem gets even stranger...

I give the J3 its fifth full overnight charge, after week-long playback from its fourth charge. (So far, so good.)

Upon waking up in the morning, I switch on the fully charged J3. Within 15 seconds of being switched on, I receive the 'Battery Empty' message, and it turns itself off.

So I wait until the evening and charge it overnight again for the sixth time. The next morning, I turn it on and it works OK.

I know what you're probably thinking - he didn't actually charge it on the fifth overnight charge. Well, I did. The USB cable was fully plugged-in, and I checked to make sure that the 'Battery Charging' message was displayed before I went to bed.

So there is something very strange going on with the battery of my 32GB J3.

Does anyone have any ideas?

[sompie]

I noticed if you let the cable in when starting up the J3 thinks he is empty and shutsdown. So the cable still inside the MP3-player but out of the charger

[Pipps]

I have an update.

I returned this J3 to the retailer. I obtained a refund.

I bought a brand new J3 from a supplier in my own country. It was shipped with the latest firmware already installed.

This new J3 has worked perfectly since day-one.

No further problems to report.

Thank you.