Motion mini tech question

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Imax1
Imax1
QLD
4963 posts
QLD, 4963 posts
15 Jul 2026 5:27pm
I have two Motion Minis. One I use and a new one still in the packet as a spare. ( sorry , not for sale ) .
My question is , with the new one , should I use it every now and then and drain the battery some ,then charge it , or just top the battery up every few months. Trying to keep the battery in top nic. I may not need it for years.
John340
John340
QLD
3438 posts
QLD, 3438 posts
15 Jul 2026 6:23pm
I'm not an expert, but I think the life of a battery is defined by the number of charge / drain cycles. I'd fully charge the GPS, then use once a quarter, then recharge and store for another quarter, then repeat.

This is what I do with my Mini. My current go to GPS is a Garmin 255, so my Mini is my spare.
mathew
mathew
QLD
2182 posts
QLD, 2182 posts
15 Jul 2026 9:57pm
All batteries - lithium included - will have some self-discharge. This is an artefact of chemistry and of construction. We do see come batteries marketed as "long life" - their self-discharge will be small, lasting 10yrs or more. All rechargable batteries are considered to be *not* long life - lithium cells are quoted asa 1% per month / 10% per year. Importantly, if a lithium discharges below a certain threshold - 2v per cell - then they are considered to be unsafe to be recharged.

Thus a typical suggestion is to charge them at least once per year or two.

Some manufactures stipulate more often - for example, DJI drone batteries have a self-regulation mechanism which discharges sooner, so need to be charged about once per 6 months.

Note - new gadgets dont often come with full-charge in their batteries. This is primarily for safety reasons, because charged battery can let out the magic if it gets bumped a bit hard. And during the manufacture of the battery it wont get charged up completely, and the manufacturer of the gadget also wont charge the battery. So you will want to do it sooner, rather than later.
powersloshin
powersloshin
NSW
1858 posts
NSW, 1858 posts
16 Jul 2026 10:01am
Put very simply you dont need to discharge and recharge, just need to keep it charged. Keep in mind that when you put it on the charger it might detect more voltage and show 3 green flashes, but in reality the battery is not fully charged.
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