Excellent videos! Don't be put off replacing the battery yourself because it will save you a fortune. If you don't feel confident find a friend who is DIY-oriented and point them towards the videos.
As an engineer, I have replaced batteries on all sorts of 'sealed' devices. Apart from the activity of replacing the battery itself, go for the highest capacity you can find (obviously making sure the dimensions are ok).
To most of the people out there the internet can show you how to strip and replace a tomtom battery, even down to the do's and don'ts. Just remember .it is not in the manufactuers interest to make a device that lasts for ever like in the past, its a trade off between long life and cheaper shorter life batteries to try keep the costs down to also the consumer but also THEIR PROFITS they make.So just remember if you handy with a screw driver and surf the net you just may be able to sort the problem yourself.
Lithium batteries can be dangerous, they can even EXPLODE if you short out the terminals!
If you are fitting a new battery that has a plug it is unlikely that you will do much harm, but if you obtain a battery that has bare leads and requires either direct soldering to the device or having the old plug removed and refitted to the new battery then be VERY careful.
As said earlier, if in any doubt whatsoever let someone who is used to DIY electronics do the job for you.
Does anyone recognize the the LIVE function is lost when running on battery only ? For me this is reason to keep TomTom connected to the car plug at all times.
The more "thinking" the gps has to do the more power it needs, therefore the battery life w many people are correct though the life span will decrease (along with capacity) the more charge cycles it endures
Being an electrician i wouldnt advise Matthews trick!! Id just stick to using the in car charger when driving and plug it into a power socket at home when not driving!
lol.
Surely it can't be that hard to open the unit and replace the battery. Mine is still ok but will be doing just that when it fails. Have replaced heaps of batteries in other types of gear with no problem....try replacing a battery in a laptop to know how hard it can be but still possible
As was mentioned above, it can be dangerous. That's why. Lithium batteries can catch fire. Lithium, if exposed to air combusts. That's why, as a metal, it is stored in liquid.
I've read of people who have tried to replace the battery on a TomTom 720 and have ended up with it burning in front of their eyes, as TomTom decided to stick it to the PCB with industrial double sided.
I just got mine, a Start, and it was a freebie - so I'm not complaining.
I came here looking for advice on how to show the current battery level. Maybe I haven't completely read the instructions properly yet.
However, am I correct in stating that these devices charge up via the mini-USB socket (I must be correct - how else)? If so, then simply leave it connected to your PC and don't allow the PC to connect to it. It will gain it's charge via the PCs USB output EVEN IF THE PC IS TURNED OFF.
USB voltage is available on the PC whether or not you turn it on - unless you turn it off via the computer PSUs rocker switch, removing the kettle plug, or the wall socket's plug. The same basic idea works for laptops too.
So always remove from the car and keep it charged at all times, to preserve battery life. Then when you're using it in earnest you shouldn't have much trouble for a few years, at least. Even computer mainboards - which have a meagre little battery for what they do - generally last 5 or 6 years.
Battery life on all TomToms seems to be an issue. After using mine for half a year, it couldn't do without the car charger. Once decoupled, it indicated an empty battery almost immediately. Going back and forth with TomTom support basically meant you needed to pay yourself for a new unit/battery as all the checks they do when you send it in are NOT on the battery lifetime. They just check if it charges properly and keeps working, that's all.