Keyboard issue or battery issue?

413x · 3 Jan 2011 at 11:27

I dont know if its the batteries or the keyboard.

i have a Microsoft 8000 wireless illuminated rechargeable keyboard [almost a year now] and recently the keyboard is failing to charge unless i swap the batteries out and put them in in a different order, then it charges once and wont charge again until the batteries are removed?

what does this point to?

Tealc · 3 Jan 2011 at 12:27

Could be a number of things I suppose. Is it just a dumb charger as in just something which you connect and disconnect as required or is it more something that charges and stops charging by itself?

I'd start with replacing the batteries though and seeing how that goes. Rechargeable batteries don't last forever and sometimes they can discharge so quickly that they need an extra kick to get them going again.

Removing the batteries and handling them can give them a little extra residual voltage that allows the charger to begin charging them.

What happens if you just remove the one battery and put it back in the same order?

413x · 3 Jan 2011 at 13:05

ill have to try, im not sure of the charger type, when i get a red light i just slide the keyboard onto its little charging platform and when its done i get a solid green light, not sure if it stops supplying power when its done

ill have to try the battery out and back in when it dis charges again

this is the charger

Tealc · 3 Jan 2011 at 15:28

Ok. Do you leave it charging for prolonged periods? How long does it take to charge from empty to full? Do the batteries have a mAh rating on them? What type of battery are they (ie NiMH. NiCad, Lithium cell)?

413x · 3 Jan 2011 at 17:32

its usually on the charger if its not in use.. would it be better to leave it off if its full? im not sure how long a full charge takes because i never timed it

batteries are 4 x 2000mAh NiMH

Tealc · 3 Jan 2011 at 20:54

I was only thinking ballpark figure to help determine the charge rate. A 2000 mAh battery would take around five-six hours to charge on a USB current. Leaving this level of current running through the battery for prolonged periods would destroy the battery over time. In your case it seems to have affected their ability to charge from depleted, although normally you'd expect a drastically lower capacity to hold energy and a reduced shelf life.

So bottom line is that you need to get yourself some new batteries.

Check wiki for info on how nimh are affected by constant and trickle charging.

413x · 7 Jan 2011 at 21:54

ive gone and got some 2450mAh ones just to see if the old ones are dead, so far they haven needed a charge so far, the test will come when i go to recharge the new set

thanks for the help