Tuesday, March 10, 2015

Extending your Controller Battery

I've seen posts recently about battery packs dying and people wondering how to extend their life, or just get more 'umph' out of them.

1. Let's get the obvious stuff out of the way, when not in use, turn off your controller. Not going to explain why, you should know.

2. Disconnect all accessories. Obviously, if you have a headset or key pad attached, they will drain power. Remove them if they aren't in use.

3. Turn off rumble. It doesn't offer much, and consumes power, turn it off.

4. If you use batteries vs a charge pack, use Lithium. These last between 5x and 7x times longer than alkaline batteries, the downside being they cost about $5 a battery, but again, you'll save in the end.

4A. Why not rechargeables, you ask? They don't last as long, as we established, but they also lose their capacity after awhile (this goes for charge packs too). You'll notice a much shorter charge after a few uses. They also can take hours to charge.

5. If you use rechargeables, replace them after a few months. Got the above reasons, they don't Kat forever and will charge less each time. Sirens the $20 for a new pack.

6. If you have extra you aren't using, refrigerate them. In high temps, or prolonged periods of no use, batteries lose their charge, you can slow that by cooling them. Batteries need to be room tenp before use, so allow them to warm up.

If you're looking for a good brand, check Energizer Advanced Lithium.

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