Kameleon battery life?

my Kameleo 6 in 1 appears to have a battery (duracells ) life of about a month...its not in loads of use as well...is this right?!

 

for a kameleon yeah thats about right, the is an option to turn off the motion activated backlight, have a search..

 

mines only used for bedroom system and is the same im afraid

 

if thats the usual, thats really disappointing....

anyone know how to turn off the motion sensor then?

 

Check out this: Kameleon manual on page 3.

My battery only seems to last around 2 weeks! The damn thing comes on with the slightest vibration.

Going to ditch and go for a Pronto...

Mark

 

I tried this on the 6-in-1, but it didnt seem to work. The manual does say its for the 4-in-1, so anyone know if there's another code to disable the motion-sensor for the 6-in-1?

 

Latest Kameleons ( URC 8201, 3, 4 , 6 ) have new technology so that the screen is only activated when it is touched meaning that battery consumption is reduced.
New ' hard key ' functions and updated cases and fascias, plus a few other new features.

Same prices as before.

 

Do rechargable batteries work in these remotes? Some of the new NiMh AA cells pack 2000mAh

 

I have two sets of rechargable batteries for my Kameleon 6 - work fine, in fact they make it less motion sensitive, due to the lower power I guess, so it only comes on when you pick it up, which I think is better. I use one set of 300mAh and another with 600mAh - obviously the better one last longer - about a month, maybe two weeks with the crappy ones, but as it only takes 5 hrs to recharge, I never run out of batteries.

Only prob is that it always dies at a crucial moment, and changing batteries takes a few mins, as you need a screwdriver.

 

Batt life is nightmare, my wife had to take mine off me, when i was going to throw it up a wall as it "died" at just the wrong moment and i missed a recording.

and dont talk to me about Pronto's - i broke mine - it still makes me want to cry

gary

 

The first series Kameleon 6 were notorious for short battery life. The later models, from series 3, fare better and are less sensitive. If you remove the batteries look at the model number underneath and if the last digit is a 1 then contact One For All and they should send a replacement remote as they did for me. If the digit is a 3 then you should not have a problem. Incidentally I stuck three small rubber pads underneath the remote and that helps with sensitivty and it now lights up less often. It also enables me to operate the remote without picking it up!

 

pantages

That's interesting. Can I check that you are talking about versions within the First Generation Kameleons.

The OneForAll site lists a Second Generation Kameleon that looks totally different but I'm not sure whether it is available in the UK - I can't find them anywhere.

Cheers,

Nigel

 

The version (1 or 3) I am referring to is currently on sale in the UK. There does not seem to have been a version 2.

 

They will definitely be available in UK, supposedly next month.

 

Hi

I replied in another forum about this but in case you didn't see it, they are now available in the UK, well, to pre-order at least.

I have ordered mine from http://www.dalepakdirect.com

As for your concerns about battery life, the Second Generation Kameleon 4 and 6 are now rechargeable (the charger is extra, £29.99 i think). That's also available from Dalepak Direct here

Sorry if im repeating in several different threads, but it seemed appropriate!!!

Let me know how you get on!

 

I have now made my order for the new Kameleon! A friend
of mine used Dalepak Direct once before, and said they were good. I've
ordered the charger too - no more battery problems for me in future!

 

I have a first generation Kameleon 6 in 1.

I found the motion sensor too sensitive, heavy on batteries, and I really didn't need it.

I opened up the remote control and desoldered SW1 - job done !!!

The motion sensor is no longer and I can activate the remote EL display by pressing any key of my choice.

 

Kamelions are sheds.

A good example of poor design and implementation of potientially useful technologies.

 

Hi,
in the Kameleon 6 in 1 (2nd Generation) manual, is states that only alkaline batteries can be used, otherwise only the Kameleon charger with batteries should be used. Is that really so, or is it just marketing?

 

its marketing dude, it will take an rechargable.

Gary

 

Gotta learn not to trust the manual!

 

How have you found the 6 in 1 and charger ?

 

No, I don't have the charger. I've had the remote for nearly one month now and it's still on the first battery set.

 

Personally, batteries in my second generation Kameleon 6 last for a month, however, I don't use any of the battery-saving measures, such as lowering the brightness of the display, using the light sensor or reducing the time the display will stay on after a key press, so I guess this must be worst case. One month might seem bad but when you can pick up a pack of 32 Philips alkaline AAs from Toys'R'Us for only £7, I don't really see the problem.

Incidentally, the battery charger available at £30 really is a waste of money - 138 batteries worth. Even if a pair of AAs only lasts 1 month, you'd still need to use the charger for almost 6 years to get your money's worth and that doesn't take into account the electricity you need to supply the charger with.

 

That's true. I see what you're saying about the cost of the charger. Guess it makes it more sellable when sale time comes, and also I'd like to see how long a set of standard rechargeables lasts in the remote.

 

Kamelon
Who did you contact to get the replacement-tried the website but appear to be going round in circles-contact us relates to set up issues
NJ

 

There is an email address on page 16 of the manual.

 

£30 for a dedicated cradle charger is a waste of money unless you really insist on zero downtime.

£10 for a cheap NiMH charger+4 batteries is a different proposition, especially since high capacity NiMH cells last longer in everything I use than alkalines. Who buys a charger for just one device anyway?

 

I rang ther number on page 16 of the manual.
If my remote had been within the guarantee period they would have upgraded it.

They did say to send the remote back to them, and they would "DEACTIVATE" the lighing mechanism, which would then only work when a button was pressed. The address was in Northampton.
NJ

 

I'm sure ive read on another remotes site that the movement tilt mechanism was in fact a simple ball-bearing based sensor, so once
the balls were removed - so to speak - the sensor didnt activate.

It did require a screwdriver, but read like it was relatively easy....