Higher Capacity e200 Battery

[JMTX]

I noticed a "new" higher capacity e200 battery listed on eBay.
It is 3.7V, 1300mAh, 4.81Wh - almost 2 times the capacity of "standard" batteries (650 & 750mAh).
Is it possible to double the mAh's without increasing the physical size?

[paulr]

There is a secret method known only to ebay dealers, but I will reveal it here for the first time. They just write a bigger number on the outside of the battery and presto, people pay more for it. No they didn't suddenly invent some whiz-bang special battery technology just for this obsolete player, that beats the energy density of the top batteries found in fancy cell phones which mfgrs spend zillions to optimize.

[skip252]

Originally Posted by paulr

There is a secret method known only to ebay dealers, but I will reveal it here for the first time. They just write a bigger number on the outside of the battery and presto, people pay more for it. No they didn't suddenly invent some whiz-bang special battery technology just for this obsolete player, that beats the energy density of the top batteries found in fancy cell phones which mfgrs spend zillions to optimize.

Seems to be the same secret method that's being used to create those 32 GB microsdhc cards that people are buying for $40. I really can't understand anyone's surprise when they find out an new item being sold at 20% of MSRP if a fake. But there were high capacity batteries for the e2xx Sansas at one time.

At the height of it's popularity there were higher capacity batteries that were made for the Sansa e2xx series. They came with a custom backplate and screws because they were larger than the standard battery. They were also pricey enough coming from reputable dealers that I found it better to just pick up one of the refurbs Woot was dumping out the door at fire sale prices.

I'd stay far away from this item. It's probably been sitting in some warehouse since it was made several years ago. Li-on batteries start to degrade once they're completed. I doubt these are worth it at any price.

[WalkGood]

I wouldn't think twice, pass it's not likely it's real.

[lestatar]

Arrrggghhh!!! I detest scammers with a passion!

Nothing against trying to make a buck...but come on! Whatever happened to stuff like honesty and integrity?

People who do this stuff deserve to have lots of horrible, non-fatal things happen to them constantly throughout their miserable lifetimes...

[JMTX]

Thanks for all the replies. I appreciate your time and expertise.
I decided to take a big gamble and order one - $5.93 including shipping.
I plan on using my Rockboxed e280's for many more years.
That will be possible only if new batteries are available.

I'll post an update on the quality, capacity, etc.
Any advise on testing? (other than giving it a full charge and seeing how long it runs)

[skip252]

There's batteries around. Just got one from eForCity through Amazon a couple of months ago. The way it's performing I should be good for a long time.

If you run a few battery benches it will give you accurate run times. I've read that what you get from the first full charge is what you''ll get in the long run. The problem is that I've also read that it will build capacity after a few charge/discharge cycles. My new one seemed to confirm the second one but I didn't test that. Would you let us know if the runtimes increase across the first few discharge cycles? How much charge it has when it arrives would be nice to know too. Thanks.

Let us know how it works out. If it really is a higher capacity battery I'd be happy to replace mine again at that price.

[JMTX]

I received the new battery. It took about one week.
It looks the same as the photo (dark gray) and is the same quality (if not better) as several OEM batteries I have.

The initial charge is 3.85 volts and 3.51 volts.
I will run Rockbox battery bench utility to determine if the 1300mAh rating is legitimate.

[skip252]

Thanks for the update. Please keep us informed. I've got a few friends I've given the e2xx players to and a couple of them aren't holding a charge well anymore.

[JMTX]

Informal test results of "new 1300mAh" battery

I had trouble with Rockbox battery bench (most likely operator error) so I used the original firmware 01.02.24A on two e200's. One with the new battery and one with a SanDisk OEM battery (unknown age and charge/discharge cycles, but known to be good). Both were fully charged and set to repeat play a group of MP3 files.

OEM 750mAh battery = 15.75 hours
"new" 1300mAh battery = 17.75 hours

Obviously the 1300mAh rating claim is less than truthful or accurate.

[skip252]

Thanks for the follow up report. That's about what I'm getting with the replacement battery I got. Hey, for $6 if it gives you a couple years service I'd still think it was worth the risk. Here's hoping it works out that way.