Using Auto Sleep

Auto-sleep does not put the Edge 520 in a "sleep" mode. It powers the device off automatically when it detects there's no movement for a period of time.

Turn down the brightness to 30% or less. Backlighting the screen chews up the battery.

Auto-sleep does not put the Edge 520 in a "sleep" mode. It powers the device off automatically when it detects there's no movement for a period of time.

Thanks, that's exactly what I needed to know. I have a forerunner 235 and it has a low power mode which after a period of inactivity will put the watch into a low power state without actually shutting it off. I thought auto sleep on the 520 might act the same way. I appreciate the info.

Tom

Turn down the brightness to 30% or less. Backlighting the screen chews up the battery.

Thanks, I'm doing all the obvious things like turning off the brightness, turning off Bluetooth, and using smart recording. I'm going to leave the GPS + Glonass mode on. I'm guessing the unit will be recording for 7 to 8 hours, including rest stops. It should be able to capture an event of that length.

Tom

Auto-sleep will power the unit off if the timer is NOT running and the unit has not been interacted with for 5 minutes. If the timer is running it will not power off.

Thanks, I'm doing all the obvious things like turning off the brightness, turning off Bluetooth, and using smart recording. I'm going to leave the GPS + Glonass mode on. I'm guessing the unit will be recording for 7 to 8 hours, including rest stops. It should be able to capture an event of that length.

Tom

I would recommend not using smart recording. All this does is reduce the number of gps points saved. It doesn't conserve battery. It would conserve storage space the gps track takes up, but you don't need to do that for a 7-8hr ride.

Quick update. Thanks for all the tips. The final tally was 103 miles in 6:50, 6:46 moving time. An elapsed time of 9 hours (don't ask). The 520 had 58% charge left.

Quick update. Thanks for all the tips. The final tally was 103 miles in 6:50, 6:46 moving time. An elapsed time of 9 hours (don't ask). The 520 had 58% charge left.

Follow-up question - I hope you're still reading this Tpcorr. Yesterday I did a ride which was very similar to yours in length: 6:37 moving time, elapsed time of ~8 hours. When I started the battery of my 520 was at 100%, and I turned off the back-light and bluetooth. I only had 4% (!) of battery left at the end, and was really glad I made it.

Obviously there's a big difference here, and I'm trying to figure out what it is. I was following a route all day, and had map view up for most of it. Did you have this too? From the moment I got the 'low battery' warning I switched away from the map view, hoping to save some battery (no idea if this does anything, but constantly refreshing the map must cost energy, right?).

Battery-related questions I have:
- Does changing the recording interval really not help with battery life?
- Does having map-view open cost more energy when following a route, or is simply following a route an extra stress on the battery?
- Does silliness like 'virtual partner' have an influence?
- Can I charge the 520 while a training is running *without interrupting the training*? Say I bring a small battery pack and hook the 520 up while getting some Kaffee und Kuchen?
- Does the Garmin have a power-saving mode? I feel like it must have, because when I got the 'battery low' warning, the battery only had around 16% left. I was only at ~60% of my ride then, so no way I was going to make it to the end I figured. However, like I said, I did make it, and with 4% left. Did the Garming do something to reduce its power requirements?

Edit: I came directly to this thread through Google, and only later did I see that battery issues are a common topic of discussion currently. Will follow the other thread and post more details there later.