Post
by Slothful1 » April 7th, 2019, 4:09 am
I was also surprised with how my rower's PM5 was chewing through batteries. I can't remember exact % details, but the batteries that came with the PM5 lasted from Aug 2017 to the end of June 2018. The next set lasted until early Jan 2019, and I remember seeing a reading below 20% before I changed them. A couple of times a workout didn't save to memory, so it's probably worth changing above that level.
The current set is still showing as 100%, but I've been regularly leaving the PM5 plugged into a USB phone charger (but switching the monitor off when not in use). I was doing a lot of intervals in 2018, so I suspect the idle time during rests might have been draining the batteries (PM5 staying on, but no power being generated from the flywheel). I use ErgData while rowing, so that might also contribute to the power draw.
The PM5 on my BikeErg had batteries showing just under 60% when I got it in Aug 2018, which worried me, but those batteries are currently still showing 52%. There has been a lot of continuous non-interval use, but maybe it's also because the PM5 is one of the newer hardware models (with the green C2 logo). Not sure if there was an improvement in power usage between versions, or more efficient power generation from the BikeErg.
Dave
