Garmin Edge 820 Battery Life

[jesusbuiltmycar]

I think the battery on my 6 month old Edge 820 is starting to die. Can anyone confirm how long they can ride for / use it for without charging?

Mine appears to only last 3.5 hours of normal use (no maps) from a full charge before it needs to switch to battery saving mode. I have no idea how long it would last with maps enabled but as I bought it with the intention of using the mapping feature for some longer rides (100miles plus). If battery only lasts for 3-4 hours it makes the mapping feature pretty useless...

[esuuv]

How long do you have the backlight set on for?

Mine can do about 4 hours with the backlight on constantly using navigation - after 4 hours without the backlight (10 second timeout I think) I'm about 70% so would get about 12 hours - both are with my phone connected to the Bluetooth and HRM / Power connected ant+

[Pot Odds]

I get roughly the same as esuuv - typically around the 4-5 hour mark running maps with backlight on (typically set to 70%). This works pretty well for most of my rides - for anything over 4-5 hours I use a small rechargeable usb battery pack to plug into the 820 on the go (this has happily had me covering 100 milers). Recharging on the go would be a bit of a problem in the wet though as the charging port would be exposed. I have a small crossbar bag that sits just behind the headset that gets used for these longer rides to stash jellybabies and the battery pack. I also like to run a go pro session on the handlebars if its an event and also use the battery pack to boost the battery life on this.

Edited by Pot Odds on Monday 27th February 22:49

[yellowjack]

Pot Odds said:

I get roughly the same as esuuv - typically around the 4-5 hour mark running maps with backlight on (typically set to 70%). This works pretty well for most of my rides - for anything over 4-5 hours I use a small rechargeable usb battery pack to plug into the 820 on the go (this has happily had me covering 100 milers). Recharging on the go would be a bit of a problem in the wet though as the charging port would be exposed. I have a small crossbar bag that sits just behind the headset that gets used for these longer rides to stash jellybabies and the battery pack. I also like to run a go pro session on the handlebars if its an event and also use the battery pack to boost the battery life on this.

Edited by Pot Odds on Monday 27th February 22:49

Mr Pot Odds, sir? Which usb battery pack do you use please? I might well be needing one for a camping/MTB race trip I've got coming up, where I probably won't have access to either a usb port or 240v ac sockets. How much additional power (duration) does such a thing give to a Garmin? I have an Edge 500, and can run it without the backlight or navigation to extend the battery life, but I'm not sure how long I can run the unit for before it's out of power. Somewhere between 12 and 18 hours I'd imagine. I once had a little over 12 hours (elapsed time) out of it with the breadcrumb navigation running, but can't remember now whether that was with or without the backlight and 'alerts' on...

[Pot Odds]

yellowjack said:

Mr Pot Odds, sir? Which usb battery pack do you use please? I might well be needing one for a camping/MTB race trip I've got coming up, where I probably won't have access to either a usb port or 240v ac sockets. How much additional power (duration) does such a thing give to a Garmin? I have an Edge 500, and can run it without the backlight or navigation to extend the battery life, but I'm not sure how long I can run the unit for before it's out of power. Somewhere between 12 and 18 hours I'd imagine. I once had a little over 12 hours (elapsed time) out of it with the breadcrumb navigation running, but can't remember now whether that was with or without the backlight and 'alerts' on...

I have a 'kit' branded usb power bank which is the shape of a short cigar. It has an output of 5v/1A and a capacity of 2000mAh. It fully charges a garmin 820 or a go pro session. Theres a little power left at the end but not much. I seem to recall picking it up for a tenner or so on sale in somewhere like tesco or sainsburys. I think its this one: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Kit-Universal-Emergency-C... - mine is approx 10cm long and 2.2cm diameter. I will probably buy a beefier battery pack with 2 or 3 USB outlets for my c2c later this year to help power the Garmin and 2 go pro sessions. Up until buying my boardman sis last year my on bike tech was worth more than my bike !! There's plenty of rechargable power banks to choose from or you can buy a battery based charger where you stick in a couple of AA's although I haven't tried one of those.

[yellowjack]

Thanks for the info, Mr Pot Odds!

I was under the impression that they were more expensive for some reason. And that to charge the Garmin while using it you needed a specific cable with a particular pin missing?

My boy has just got a job at a local PoundWorld, and he bought a usb battery thingy at work (for his phone), so I might try giving that a go. He's not tested it yet though, so no idea of it's efficacy yet. For the price I reckon, and presuming it works, I could carry two or three and solve a weekend's worth of remote charging issues. Ultimately there is the in-car charging option, but the car is a DPF diesel so probably not a good idea to have it sat idling for hours to charge tech, especially in a campsite where others are trying to sleep or even breathe!