Discharging battery on PM4

[shooters]

Hi,

I bought a C2 Model D (PM4) at the end of August and rowed approximately 60K with it, and the PM4 tells me the battery is less than 5% full and that it needs to be recharged. When I go to More Options -> Utilities -> Battery, the battery is very low, but when I plug it to my computer, it immediately jumps to half-charged and charging... Moreover when I unplug the USB cable, it goes back to very low. Also, when I go to the battery screen without the USB cable and I start rowing, the battery charges. I don't understand why the battery discharged so fast. I was wondering if anyone had seen this problem before and how long/hard should I row to keep the battery fully charged.

Also, how many states are there in the battery utilities screen, I charged the battery using a USB cable all night long and it appears to be 90% charged (there is still a little triangle not filled on that screen, is that normal?)

Thanks

[PaulS]

Hi,

I bought a C2 Model D (PM4) at the end of August and rowed approximately 60K with it, and the PM4 tells me the battery is less than 5% full and that it needs to be recharged. When I go to More Options -> Utilities -> Battery, the battery is very low, but when I plug it to my computer, it immediately jumps to half-charged and charging... Moreover when I unplug the USB cable, it goes back to very low. Also, when I go to the battery screen without the USB cable and I start rowing, the battery charges. I don't understand why the battery discharged so fast. I was wondering if anyone had seen this problem before and how long/hard should I row to keep the battery fully charged.

Also, how many states are there in the battery utilities screen, I charged the battery using a USB cable all night long and it appears to be 90% charged (there is still a little triangle not filled on that screen, is that normal?)

Thanks

I was under the impression that the Mod D was not capable of charging the battery in the PM4 (I've heard it stated both ways and don't have a Mod D set up that way to verify for myself). While rowing, the PM4 (or PM3) is completely powered by the power being generated and the battery status will go right to 100% (or close) and remain there for a few minutes after rowing has stopped. The Battery level indicator does not have very fine resolution and my PM4/E combination (almost never being plugged to a USB port) has stayed pretty much steady at what looks like 50% for at least the last 6 months, probably longer, though I only check it about once a month.

[ckaiserca]

This might be a firmware issue. What firmware is your PM4 running?

If you bought your Model D directly from Concept 2 at the end of August, it should have shipped with firmware 16. But if you bought it used, it is possible that it has firmware 14 and that firmware has known issues with battery life. Firmware 19 (current release) has improved battery life and charging features.

[shooters]

I have firmware 16, I'll try updating to 19... Thanks

[ckaiserca]

I was under the impression that the Mod D was not capable of charging the battery in the PM4 (I've heard it stated both ways and don't have a Mod D set up that way to verify for myself).

According to Concpet 2, either a Model D or Model E will charge the battery while rowing. See the PM3/PM4 Comparison for details. I do recall reading somewhere that a Model E will recharge the battery faster than a Model D.

[Citroen]

I have firmware 16, I'll try updating to 19... Thanks

Recharge the battery using Concept2’s PM3/PM4 AC Adapter or the USB port on a computer (leaving the monitor plugged in overnight should charge the battery fully) every few months or as needed.