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How long do the batteries on the Surface Pro 3 pen last?

Jordi32

Member
I have had my Surface Pro 3 for about a month. I already had to replace the AAAA battery because the pen would often stop working for a few seconds and then work again. Has anyone else had to replace the batteries yet?

Thank you in advance.

Best regards,

Jordi
 

bluegrass

Well-Known Member
Does MS give an estimate. I would think the AAAA should last about a year. You may have gotten a defective battery. Wait and see how long your new battery you purchased from the store lasts. Frankly I've been liking and use my $10 HTC pen I bought from Amazon as a backup most of the time.
 

qwertyy

Member
This battery is only for the buttons right? the Pen still working even with out battery?!

I doubt that the pen will continue to work after the battery is dead. It's bluetooth based so once the battery dies, the pen completely dies. Also, speaking of 'buttons', there is actually one more battery at the back so you have 2 batteries in total.
 

Aurelio

Member
I doubt that the pen will continue to work after the battery is dead. It's bluetooth based so once the battery dies, the pen completely dies. Also, speaking of 'buttons', there is actually one more battery at the back so you have 2 batteries in total.

That's new!!! and I didn't saw in the manual about this second battery, so maybe it's one battery that hold for a LONG and LONG time???
 

bluegrass

Well-Known Member
Actually 3 batteries. There are two button batteries for the top push button to work via Bluetooth plus the AAAA battery for writing. If the AAAA goes dead, you can't ink anymore.
 

Moonsurface

Super Moderator
Staff member
Actually 3 batteries. There are two button batteries for the top push button to work via Bluetooth plus the AAAA battery for writing. If the AAAA goes dead, you can't ink anymore.
As far as I understand it.. and I could be wrong. The inking isn't bluetooth, it's an active interaction with the actual screen. .. but I guess to test try turning off bluetooth on the SP3 and see if you can still ink ;-)
 

Aurelio

Member
As far as I understand it.. and I could be wrong. The inking isn't bluetooth, it's an active interaction with the actual screen. .. but I guess to test try turning off bluetooth on the SP3 and see if you can still ink ;-)

I tried here, put my SP3 in Airplane mode, got the pen and I can INK no problem, and one thing that's weird..... the button to erase work also!!!! how??? eahheaheaehaha
 

Moonsurface

Super Moderator
Staff member
The pen is active and it's signals are picked up by the digitiser on the surface, it reduces the layers that the screen has to have - as with a passive pen there has to be another layer which detects the position of the pen. This is how the screen stack is so thin on the SP3 and therefore helps the ink appear to come from right underneath the pen tip.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Active_pen
 
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