this post was submitted on 21 Oct 2024
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Electronics

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We maintain a small fleet of RTK GPS systems (Emlid Reach RS+ units or similar). But sometimes they sit too long on the shelf and parasitic drain kicks in. The manufacturer recommends recharging every three months, but ooops, this one went too long. If the batteries are too low, the battery management system (BMS) won't charge the batteries at all when you attach the USB charger cable. In this case, the batteries were testing at 0.9V rather than the desired 3.4V.

Solution: open the device, expose a tiny bit of conductor on the battery harness, and attach 3V worth of alkaline batteries for a short period. Once the lithium batteries are up a little, you can then charge with the normal USB charger again.

The manufacturer does not recommend opening the sealed unit, as it voids the IP67 rating. And this is not a best practice. But it works. The above photos were taken in April and the unit has been trucking along ever since. Saved a few thousand dollars :)

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[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

the manufacturer doesn’t sell replacements

Me reading that: I wonder why they don't sell the replacement battery.

buying another device at $1500 or more

Me: Ohhhhh 😮‍💨

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 weeks ago

Oddly enough, it's probably one of the best and most affordable devices in this sector. You can buy 10-20x units compared to the brand leader (Trimble). So I think they assume that this is how most people will operate.