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No Solar Charge with 100 000 lux

Prostobzor
over 4 years ago

I tried do charge Fenix 6X Pro Solar outdoor 

But Solar intensity indicator doesn't show me any charge level 

Test Luxometrer software told me about 100 000 LUX. 

How it could be? 

It was with firmware 5.00

I've updated to Beta - 5.77 - Result the same.

 

Have you faced with this problem? 

  • 0 over 2 years ago in reply to C.sco
    "I thought the same for a long time, but others with the Solar model have indicated I was incorrect - that it actually can recharge the battery (albeit slowly) under certain optimal circumstances.

    During normal use, it only slows the drain, but the battery will still drain. This is especially true when you're using GPS. But apparently if you leave it in battery-saver mode, and don't really use the watch, and set it out in direct sunlight for a while, it will (very slowly) bring the battery percentage up. At least a couple of people have tried this and reported that they've gained a few battery % by doing that. So the solar glass is indeed connected to the battery charging circuitry.

    That said, the purpose behind the solar isn't to recharge the battery - functionally speaking, it merely slows the drain, because the watch is meant to be used, not just left out sitting in the sun in battery-saver mode all day. It was never intended to be a watch that could run indefinitely without ever being plugged in."


    Hello everyone new to the forums. Slight smile

    I realize this ls an old thread, but I just wanted to confirm whether the above statement is correct? Garmin said the watch doesn’t recharge the battery even in optimal conditions. 

    I have tried in power saver with WiFi off and BT  off in airplane mode. I had full sun 100 % in solar widget for 4 - 5 hrs, but the battery % did not increase at all. 

    I updated to beta 20.01 and posted in this thread as I wasn’t sure whether it might be software related.

    Any help much appreciated!

  • +1 over 2 years ago in reply to Grainde

    Solar charging will slow your battery drain and improve your battery charge life between charges. You will see the biggest benefits to your battery percentage if your watch is off and in the sun or if you are using your "Battery Saver" feature to disable enough features to enable the solar charge to be more effective.

    - Getting the Most Out of Solar Charging With a Solar Capable Watch

  • 0 over 2 years ago in reply to Garmin - Chris

    Thanks for the reply Chris!

    As yet I have not seen any benefit to solar charging. I tried in powersave mode with no wifi etc in full sun for 5 hrs, but there was no change to the battery. No activities, or GPS were running.

    I also left it charging at approx 65 - 70 % (according to the solar widget), using a fluorescent light source for the last 6 hours. The watch was switched off after I confirmed the light intensity, but in this instance but the battery still didn't charge. Started at 55 % finished at 55 %. 

    I will try again in the morning under full sun with the watch switched off and in a glass of water to act as a heatsink. Without this, the watch will get up around 50°C, which may, or may not, activate the high temp protection, This way I can keep the intensity at 100 % and the temp in the high 30s. (Celsius)

    Im beginning to think that the panels are too inefficient, or there aren't enough of them in series to reach the required charge potential for a single LiPo cell? lf the Fill factor is poor you won't get Isc at the max power point ie the charging current will be low and drop further as the battery potential increases. Perhaps I need to try charging at a lower battery potential ie discharge to eg 10 %, although here admittefly I dont know what potential the low voltage cut off is set to. If the combined Voc is too low then the approx. 6 - 7 cells in series won't have a high enough potential to charge a nearly full Li cell at around 4 V. If the cell is exhausted to eg 3.3 - 3.5 V perhaps they might have a chance? A cell could also be faulty..?

    Anyway I'll try two further tests with the watch switched off;  the first at approx 50 % with full sun for 4 hrs and the second at 10 % for 4 hrs, if the former proves unsuccessful.

    FYI watch is a Fenix 6 pro solar titanium and 3 weeks old running 20.01 beta. 

  • 0 over 2 years ago in reply to Grainde

    I do wonder about Garmin's statements about the solar charging capability of the F6 Sol Pro. For instance this:

    "If your watch is showing an infinity symbol it means the battery should last indefinitely with the current rate of solar charging and battery usage."

    Anybody ever seen the infinity symbol? I certainly haven't. I'm sure thus us a generic statement but it follows on from Chris' link.

    Despite what Garmin say, I do not believe the solar charging ability of the F6 Sol Pro provides enough charge to materially affect the battery level to any noticeable effect. I believe the best you can expect is a reduction in the battery consumption. 

  • 0 over 2 years ago in reply to philipshambrook

    I have not personally seen the infinity symbol on my own Fenix 6X Pro Solar but I have on my Instinct Solar.

    I put my Instinct Solar in Battery Saver mode then put it in an East facing window each morning to get solid sunlight. It took a few weeks and keeping it in Battery Saver mode, but I did eventually reach the infinity symbol.