Lynx II acting as though batteries are dead; batteries fine

[gbpxl]

I started playing my Lynx which in and of itself is not the easiest of tasks; however, after playing for 5 minutes on fully charged batteries, the screen died and the battery light started flashing and dimming. The odd thing is that the screen wasnt completely gone, just blacked out but the light still seemed to be working.

I popped out all six (!) AA batteries, (3 different brands) and they all had higher voltages than what they said on the batteries themselves. So for one that said 1.2V on the label, its actual voltage was 1.257V

I cant imagine Im putting too much voltage into it? The batteries are rechargeable if that makes a difference. And I cant imagine I would need six batteries of the same brand

[jb143]

I'm going to guess that it's your batteries but I'd try with a fresh set of alkalines just to rule out something wrong with the system. You should be able to get a few hours use out them.

I wouldn't worry about the higher voltages. Most batteries are higher than their rating at first. With NiMH the voltage quickly settles into 1.2V and stays there for most of its life before quickly dropping at the end (as opposed to alkaline batteries which die linearly). Also the voltage you measure across a battery will be different under load.

Now, I've been using the same sets of NiMH rechargeables for about 10 years now and have just started to notice some of them flaking out on me. Fresh off the charger and they only power a Wii remote for 2 minutes before it looses connection, though they still appear to be fully charged. And a Wii remote has nowhere the power requirements as a Lynx. This is why I think it's your batteries.

I've managed to keep mine good for so long by not doing things like mixing brands, because the battery chemistry might be a bit different). But more importantly, always matching the mAh ratings (in use and when charging). The mAh rating determines how long the battery will power something. Now what happens if you mix them, especially in something like a power hungry Lynx which takes 6, is that one(or more) will discharge first and actually start to be charged by the other batteries. The problem with this is that the polarity is wrong for charging and it will shorten the battery life.

[gbpxl]

I swapped out some of the batteries and it works but the power light was flashing the whole time.

[Gameguy]

I swapped out some of the batteries and it works but the power light was flashing the whole time.
It's your batteries. Most of the portable systems from back then really required alkaline batteries and wouldn't work right with rechargeable ones.

Alkaline batteries are 1.5 volts and rechargeables are 1.2 volts. It's not much of a difference with just one or two, but with 6 batteries instead of getting 9 volts you're only getting 7.2 volts at full charge. It's already low and just drops lower with some use.

[jb143]

If you replaced them with fresh alkaline batteries then there could be something wrong with the system. I seem to recall some discussion on here before about a similar problem (battery light blinking with fresh batteries) but I can't seem to find it. All I know is that in my experience, once NiMH batteries start to reach end of life, they start to act real weird.

I've used 1.2V NiMH batteries in a Lynx and Nomad as well and they work fine. They won't last as long as alkalines though, and the 7.2V is probably pushing the min voltage for the regulator, but it worked. Having said that though, now I only use a wall adapter for any of the power hungry portables.

[Niku-Sama]

you've got to consider age and wear though.

yours may be in better electrical shape than theirs and might not need as much juice.
theirs could have different type/brand caps that may or may not be going out or higher resistance that builds up over time requiring a full 9v

[gbpxl]

Im going to get a wall charger, definitely not going to waste that much $/batteries on it