Any others with Battery Issues out there?
 

I have the Garmin with the cadence/speed sensor on the chain stay. I was doing a ride a couple weeks ago when the cadence did not work from the start. I rode about 10 miles and stopped at a Walgreens and got a replacement for the cadence sensor. I didn't realize how often I look down at my cadence....... The sensor uses the CR2032 which are the flat circular ones that go in lots of electronic stuff these days. It was cold so what was normally a 2 minute change out took a lot longer due to stiffer fingers and trying to keep chain lube at bay. Plus I had to go back in and get a quarter as I needed one to remove the battery cover. (Reminder to put one in my saddle bag!)

I got the battery replaced and still no cadence. It had really been cold so I wondered if that was affecting the sensor so just jumped back on the bike and completed the ride. When I got home I tried another battery I had stashed at the house and the cadence sensor now works perfectly......I'm 99% sure I put the NEW battery in the sensor at Walgreens.......and not the old, dead one. I didn't look at the date on the Walgreens battery but I've never seen any that weren't dated out at least a couple years. It was a name brand one.......picture a bunny running around.......

I'm pretty sure I've had that happen before.......Just wondering if anyone else has experienced that.

Fortunately I usually only have to replace the batteries in the sensors and heart rate strap about once a year.

I've gotten some bad 2032s. I always check them with a DVM before installation. It's also good to reset the GSC10 by leaving the battery out for a couple of minutes or installing the battery upside down for a few seconds (as recommended by Garmin support). Upside down shorts the devices terminals and speeds the reset process. It does not apply reverse voltage due to the configuration of the battery and terminals.

One of my Garmin cadence sensors is fussy and a new battery did not restart it. I need to try the upside-down battery trick.

Never had that problem (but thanks for the reminder that the sensor needs a battery). I did have problems in November and December with the cadence showing 100+ higher than it should. Re-pairing it didnt solve the problem initially, but the past 3 weeks it has been fine.

Look for comments in Garmin forum. They always have problems, but each specific model varies.

I think each time you replace the battery you need to pair the two units again. I never remember how to do that which is one of the reasons I saved the instructions.

I thought so too but my 705 picked it up without pairing it again. To pair, push the small button on the sensor that lights up and spin the crank. At the same time go to settings/accesories on the Garmin and select/press Sensor to "find it again". I've actually re-paired while riding.

The upside down battery for three second trick has worked for me.

Ah yeah, maybe. I just fooled with my cadence sensor on my Garmin 800 for so long . . . never could get it to work, so I just gave up and it's been collecting dust on the workbench for several months now.

Maybe I should check to see if the new battery I put in was really any good. I just thought, you know, it's a new battery, what could be wrong with it? Will go back and have another try sometime when I've got a free half hour or so.

Rick / OCRR

Mine had problems that I thought were battery issues, so I bought a new one.
Now I'm going to see if the trick mentioned here will rescue my old one (yes, I saved it, I don't know why, but maybe I'll be glad I did.)

Thanks!

Understand that all batteries have working temperature limitations. As the temperature drops, so does the voltage. In some cases a new battery will trigger the low voltage warning on the device, if it's even colder, the voltage crops to near zero.

The temperature/voltage/current curve varies according to the battery's chemistry, but it's something that photographers (among others) are familiar with. Most learn quickly to keep their cameras inside their coats in the winter, removing them only when ready to actually shoot.

Here's a link to a short article discussing the effects of temperature on battery performance. I only did a quick search and I'm sure that if you do a more thorough search you'll find plenty of others, as this is a well researched issue. Maybe you can even find a temperature curve specifically for lithium ion batteries.

Along FB's line .... temperature
wonder if putting it in a warm pocket and only taking it out occasionally will be better?

Don't own any GPS.. I just dont get lost , here...

River to the north, Ocean to the west where the sun sets

The cover on the bicycle computer I use is designed to be opened/close with the new/old battery.

It would apppear that you could do that with the cadence sensor but the slot is a little too big.