[Metallicorphan is an Ass]

okay,i have a 360 controller...'no shit' i hear you say

i have one of those plug in and play charger packs for it,however i find that i need to charge it quite often,and wondering whether the battery was dying on me,i was close to thinking of getting another

then one night,i forgot to plug my PSP in the wall socket so went back into the room with all the 360 stuff to plug it in,and in the dark there i noticed that the 360 controller was on...wait a minute,it can't be on,the 360 is off and turned off at the plug socket

then i saw that the controller isnt fully on.it kind of has a faint backlight,i took the battery out,and sure enough the faint light went out,i am guessing this is for the controller to act quicker maybe when you press the guide button to turn on the 360..but still it could explain why my controller keeps running out of power so quickly if it is pretty much on fpr 24/7

i now take out the battery when i turn off the 360


so,go ahead,make sure your 360 is off and then go stand in the dark and look at your controller,making sure to take out the battery when looking at the guide button background faint light

so,if anyone else was wondering the same thing,there i reckon is your answer

[SkinToxicated76]

i have recently notice my controller discharges a bit too quick.
I have also notice that it if i leave my controller plugged into the the console when the console is off, the controller discharges itself. i left it plugged in overnight, i went to play the following day, I unplugged the charger and with half an hour i had the spinning light on the controller.

I noticed the plug and play charger appears to charge the batterpack too quickly (eg the light on the plug and play bit goes from red to green after only a short period) but i dont seem to get the battery life i used to, maybe my batter pack is on the way out or maybe i also have this "rogue light" you speak of.
cant say i have notice, as you know my rig is in my bedroom and i have so many standby lights that is look like close encounters in my room at night.

Maybe in this instance Orph, we are not alone.....

[Knick Knack Natra]

I haven't noticed this because I'm using rechargeble batteries in the shells that the controller comes with. But because of what your seeing, I'm taking out the packs as well.

If you do buy rechargebles, don't buy the Rayovac 15 min. brand, they suck. I have old (like 7-8 year rechages) with lower capacity and they last alot longer than these 2600 mamp I bought about 8 months ago. I'm getting about an hour with these and at least 10 on the old units. I even have the rumble turned off most games.

Anyone know a website for rechargeables for a decent price?

[SkinToxicated76]

Orph, you are right, there is a very very dim light, its only on 3 quadrants (the ones that dont light up when you turn the controller on). what is that all about?
I rarely play during the week, so even if they are fully charged on sunday come friday they could near flat again, WTF?

[wnchstr96]

Ok, I had to do this as well, cause I have the plug & play kit, but I get several days without having to recharge. So heres the difference. 1. I don't use the 360 to charge my controller. My computer is closer to me than the 360 so I use a spare USB on my computer. 2. Basically I only charge when I get the green ring of death. (GRoD) haha I think I just coined an acronym. You should only charge stuff once it gets almost dead. It gives it longer battery life. But just to be sure I plugged it into my 360 which is powered off and sure enough a glow. If I jiggle the usb I can get the plug & play charge light to flicker too. But as long as the plug & play kit isn't hooked to the controller I get no light. But it don't suprise me. Electricity is like water, once you connect the piping the water or in this case electricity will flow to the path of least resistance. In other words, since power isn't being applied it creates a drain. This is true with most battery operated devices. For example drill batterys. Go ahead and experiment, unplug your charger and put a battery in like your are going to charge it. It will be dead in a couple of days. My advice don't plug it up unless you need to charge it.

[SkinToxicated76]

wnchstr96, on Nov 15 2008, 12:43 AM, said:

Ok, I had to do this as well, cause I have the plug & play kit, but I get several days without having to recharge. So heres the difference. 1. I don't use the 360 to charge my controller. My computer is closer to me than the 360 so I use a spare USB on my computer. 2. Basically I only charge when I get the green ring of death. (GRoD) haha I think I just coined an acronym. You should only charge stuff once it gets almost dead. It gives it longer battery life. But just to be sure I plugged it into my 360 which is powered off and sure enough a glow. If I jiggle the usb I can get the plug & play charge light to flicker too. But as long as the plug & play kit isn't hooked to the controller I get no light. But it don't suprise me. Electricity is like water, once you connect the piping the water or in this case electricity will flow to the path of least resistance. In other words, since power isn't being applied it creates a drain. This is true with most battery operated devices. For example drill batterys. Go ahead and experiment, unplug your charger and put a battery in like your are going to charge it. It will be dead in a couple of days. My advice don't plug it up unless you need to charge it.

ok, who are you and how did you get wnchstrs' account?
its a dead give away to write an intelligent, informative and coherrent post like that

on a further note i reckons on of my battery packs is fubar, i charge it this morning (on the pc, nice tip chstr) and it said that it was charged (green light) and b4 i had even finished the 1st campaign in Cod, it ran out completly, so i went to my second controller and put the 1st one on charge, and with 5mins the 1st one had the green light saying indicating its charged, so i reckons its fubar. i am blaming you Orph..

[FantasyBarb130]

I have noticed the batteries running out on me also. I have a quick charge kit (charges two batteries at once and plugs into the wall). But I always put the batteries back in the controllers...Dumb me! This is why they are never chaged when I need them.

[Beeble Bobble]

I always unplug the battery pack from my controller and put it on the charger when I'm not playing...

[wnchstr96]

SkinToxicated76, on Nov 15 2008, 01:51 AM, said:

ok, who are you and how did you get wnchstrs' account?
its a dead give away to write an intelligent, informative and coherrent post like that

Ha Ha, Very funny. (I was sober when I wrote it) See I do a lot or remote control helicopter stuff I kinda have learned a few things, those lipo battery packs are finicky (and can explode by the way). I can go into the anode and cathode and how a battery is basically corroding metal plates (think of rusted metal), but that would just be showing off. Most batteries can and will develope a memory. In otherwords if you use it for a couple hrs and charge it, after awhile it will just be a hour, then 30 minutes. This is caused by the formation of crystals which blocks the conductive path between plates. You should always drain a battery pretty low before rechaging. Also keep in mind that batteries don't last forever, eventually either the cathode or is it the anode, hell one of those gets used up and poof no more electricity. Point of all this jibber jabber is that if you want your rechargable battery to last a long time, only charge it when it gets low. This goes for cell phones, ipods, game controllers, whatever. You would be suprised how much longer they will last. This tip brought to you by......................................"The learn something new foundation, expanding your mind one step at a time"

[FantasyBarb130]

I had always heard this about nickel-cadmium (?) batteries but I seem to remember hearing that Lithium ion batteries didn't have the same problem, that's why they were considered better technology. I might have misunderstood that though

[wnchstr96]

FantasyBarb130, on Nov 17 2008, 03:24 PM, said:

I had always heard this about nickel-cadmium (?) batteries but I seem to remember hearing that Lithium ion batteries didn't have the same problem, that's why they were considered better technology. I might have misunderstood that though

You are correct Barb, a memory they don't. However, lithium ion batteries are delicate, and normally have a voltage level that they should not drop below or it ruins them. Plus they don't age well so you may only get a year out of it or so. I think the plug and play is a nickel metal hydride though? Oh man, I need to get out more.