I don't have the MS Docking Station. Install BatteryBar and lest us know what the charge rate is. Right now the Pro is half off... 4$ which has logging otherwise you'll have to collect info manually.
Surface 3 Charging
- Thread starter GreyFox7
- Start date
Has anyone tried charge-only cables like these?
http://www.amazon.com/PortaPow-Specialised-Blackberry-Transformer-Charging/dp/B00T0DW3LC/
I'm thinking I could use these cables to charge at home and then use the OEM charging cable that fits more flush to the tablet could be used with an Anker battery pack while in a travel bag.
I can't find any high speed charge-only cable other than the OEM cable that connects parallel to the body of the Surface so it doesn't stick out too far and bend awkwardly when stuffed into a compact travel bag.
http://www.amazon.com/PortaPow-Specialised-Blackberry-Transformer-Charging/dp/B00T0DW3LC/
I'm thinking I could use these cables to charge at home and then use the OEM charging cable that fits more flush to the tablet could be used with an Anker battery pack while in a travel bag.
I can't find any high speed charge-only cable other than the OEM cable that connects parallel to the body of the Surface so it doesn't stick out too far and bend awkwardly when stuffed into a compact travel bag.
Me too. I charge my S3 each night like I do with my phone. It easily last me all day for the amount I use it. I bought an Anker 5 Port chrager which I will take when I travel, otherwise I have no need to carry a charger day t day. There is always a MicroUSB charger at work, in the car or at friends places if I need a top up.
I do have a Goal Zero Sherpa 50 battery pack and solar panel which will easily charge the S3 and phone if I'm away camping, which is rarely these days.
The problem with using any random MicroUSB charger you find is that if it only sharges at the rate of .5w, you really won't get any useful charge unless you power off the Surface and leave it connected for hours.
Not practical unless you are leaving it overnight to charge. You cannot "top up" in any reasonably short period of time unless you have a higher power charger than a typical cell phone charger.
Kind of like "topping up" a Tesla on a 110 outlet.
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I totally hear what you're saying netuser but I have found that my Samsung Tab S and Note 4 charger work perfectly well , as does an iPad charger. I have a few of these at work and most people have tablet chargers at home. I was more meaning that if I'm at a friend's place for the night I can find a charger that will work which for me is more convenient than lugging the SP3 charger around just in case I needed it.
Given the size of the battery in the S3 I never expected a tiny phone charger to fill it up in 1 hour anyway.
Given the size of the battery in the S3 I never expected a tiny phone charger to fill it up in 1 hour anyway.
Hi folks.
Has anyone noticed that the Surface 3 dock only has two connecters: Displayport + Fullsize USB. This begs the question: does it charge via the full size USB 3.0 port? If so can we ramp up the amps via this port? I briefly plugged in an external battery pack to the full size port but no dice.
Thoughts?
P.S. So far I have been happy with the machine except for charging and MS setting the Antimalware executable (Defender) to run in high priority mode.
Thanks
Has anyone noticed that the Surface 3 dock only has two connecters: Displayport + Fullsize USB. This begs the question: does it charge via the full size USB 3.0 port? If so can we ramp up the amps via this port? I briefly plugged in an external battery pack to the full size port but no dice.
Thoughts?
P.S. So far I have been happy with the machine except for charging and MS setting the Antimalware executable (Defender) to run in high priority mode.
Thanks
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malberttoo
Well-Known Member
Welcome to the forum!
lookingforward
New Member
Hey guys, I just received my Surface 3 two days ago from Costco. Wow, I must say the quality of this device is outstanding and it has exceeded my expectations. I would like some advice on how to best care for the battery.
The first evening, I just plugged it in, ran the initial setup, installed the recommended Windows Updates, and let it charge to full over night. Yesterday morning, I unplugged it and used it throughout the day while discovering the "Metro" side of Windows. As the battery drained, I wondered how I should best monitor it. I installed the modern app, BatteyInfo, and purchased BatteryBar Pro for the desktop.
From information I had read in the past, I thought it was good to let the device drain down close to 0% once in a while to help calibrate the battery software, so I let it drain to 9%. But as it was draining, I did some more reading and according to this article linked below, you should try to avoid draining a lithium ion battery below 20%!
http://www.howtogeek.com/169669/debunking-battery-life-myths-for-mobile-phones-tablets-and-laptops/
After reading this information, I immediately plugged in my device and left it alone to charge back up to 100%. While it was charging, BatteryBar Pro still showed 0.0% wear. I don't remember the exact mWh. But when I woke up this morning, with the S3 fully charged, I now have "0.3% wear of 28,443mWh". This is just one day of use, so if I wear down the battery by 0.3% everyday, the battery will be down to nothing before a year is up! Do you think I caused damage by using the device until the battery reached 9%?
I understand heat is another factor, so I will always try to keep the device in cool environments and never let it sit inside a car. But in terms of charging habits, what you think is best for minimizing battery wear?
As I write this post, my capacity is 25,908mWh of 28,348mWh, with a discharge rate of 4,195mW according to BatteryBar Pro.
For those interested, BatteryInfo reports:
System Product Name: Surface 3
BIOS: 1.50310.98
OS Build: 9600.17736.amd64fre.winblue_r9.150322-1500 (<-- Any clue why AMD64 is mentioned here??)
Platform Role: Slate
Report Time: 2015-5-18 14:40:01
Name: P11G8M
Manufacturer: SMP
Chemistry: LION
Design Capacity: 28,443mWh
Full Charge Capacity: 28,348mWh
Cycle Count: 1
The first evening, I just plugged it in, ran the initial setup, installed the recommended Windows Updates, and let it charge to full over night. Yesterday morning, I unplugged it and used it throughout the day while discovering the "Metro" side of Windows. As the battery drained, I wondered how I should best monitor it. I installed the modern app, BatteyInfo, and purchased BatteryBar Pro for the desktop.
From information I had read in the past, I thought it was good to let the device drain down close to 0% once in a while to help calibrate the battery software, so I let it drain to 9%. But as it was draining, I did some more reading and according to this article linked below, you should try to avoid draining a lithium ion battery below 20%!
http://www.howtogeek.com/169669/debunking-battery-life-myths-for-mobile-phones-tablets-and-laptops/
After reading this information, I immediately plugged in my device and left it alone to charge back up to 100%. While it was charging, BatteryBar Pro still showed 0.0% wear. I don't remember the exact mWh. But when I woke up this morning, with the S3 fully charged, I now have "0.3% wear of 28,443mWh". This is just one day of use, so if I wear down the battery by 0.3% everyday, the battery will be down to nothing before a year is up! Do you think I caused damage by using the device until the battery reached 9%?
I understand heat is another factor, so I will always try to keep the device in cool environments and never let it sit inside a car. But in terms of charging habits, what you think is best for minimizing battery wear?
As I write this post, my capacity is 25,908mWh of 28,348mWh, with a discharge rate of 4,195mW according to BatteryBar Pro.
For those interested, BatteryInfo reports:
System Product Name: Surface 3
BIOS: 1.50310.98
OS Build: 9600.17736.amd64fre.winblue_r9.150322-1500 (<-- Any clue why AMD64 is mentioned here??)
Platform Role: Slate
Report Time: 2015-5-18 14:40:01
Name: P11G8M
Manufacturer: SMP
Chemistry: LION
Design Capacity: 28,443mWh
Full Charge Capacity: 28,348mWh
Cycle Count: 1
malberttoo
Well-Known Member
Welcome to the forum!
It takes Battery Bar a couple days at least to get calibrated properly, and even then from time to time mine goes crazy and the SP3 needs to be rebooted.
The advice I've always heard, from good sources close to MS, (where the SP3 is concerned, so I imagine no different here) is to let the battery discharge to at least 10% once a month.
You will go crazy trying to micro-manage your battery charging cycles. Any benefit you could possibly get will be so small compared to the life of the battery. You may gain an extra month or two of overall life of the battery itself, but is it worth it when talking about the life of the S3 itself? Just seems like too much work.
This Anker charger seems to charge well when used with the charging cable that comes with the Surface.
It charges fast enough when used with this that I can charge and use the Surface at the same time, but the best use would be charging the Surface while it's being stored in a bag.
The Surface charging cable is also best because it fits close to the body of the Surface 3 so the micro usb connection won't bend and get damaged in the bag.
It charges fast enough when used with this that I can charge and use the Surface at the same time, but the best use would be charging the Surface while it's being stored in a bag.
The Surface charging cable is also best because it fits close to the body of the Surface 3 so the micro usb connection won't bend and get damaged in the bag.
Attachments
I have a Surface 3. I want an external battery that I can use on an extended airplane flight to operate the S3 when the internal battery runs down. I have an old New Trent power pack Model IMP 1000 with capacity 11.3Ah, 3.7V. Output 5V, 1A. Will this work? Is there a better alternative?
Thank very much for your help.
Thank very much for your help.
