Varia RTL515 - impact on Head Unit battery life
- grt046
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Varia RTL515 - impact on Head Unit battery life
Postby grt046 » Wed Jun 28, 2023 9:11 am
However I have noticed a marked reduction in battery life of the head unit ..... typical ride yesterday 47 km battery level at start 98% and at finish 48%. Ride about 2 hrs
Backlight set at 50% and Traffic iQ app off.
Ride started at 0500 so passing traffic not heavy.
Is this normal?
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Re: Varia RTL515 - impact on Head Unit battery life
Postby warthog1 » Wed Jun 28, 2023 10:35 am
I had a garmin edge 1000 (which I still have in a drawer) when I got my varia. Yes it seemed to chew a bit of battery.grt046 wrote: ↑Wed Jun 28, 2023 9:11 amI have recently installed a Varia paired to my Garmin 520 plus which I am pleased with overall.
However I have noticed a marked reduction in battery life of the head unit ..... typical ride yesterday 47 km battery level at start 98% and at finish 48%. Ride about 2 hrs
Backlight set at 50% and Traffic iQ app off.
Ride started at 0500 so passing traffic not heavy.
Is this normal?
The 1000 was also getting old and I started using mapping at a similar time (gravel).
I got a refurbished 1030 + and it is no longer a concern. Less than 3% per hour.
Sorry I can't say I noticed how much extra it used on the old head unit, but it did seem to shorten battery duration a bit.
I turned the lighting alert on the head unit off. Just set to beep when a car is detected and the dot moves up the right side of the screen.
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Re: Varia RTL515 - impact on Head Unit battery life
Postby Arbuckle23 » Wed Jun 28, 2023 11:15 am
I run tracking (so my wife can find my body) as well, that also affects battery life.
The more extra functions you run, the more battery consumed.
- Comedian
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Re: Varia RTL515 - impact on Head Unit battery life
Postby Comedian » Wed Jun 28, 2023 12:35 pm
I'd still use one though. Worth it.
- grt046
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Re: Varia RTL515 - impact on Head Unit battery life
Postby grt046 » Wed Jun 28, 2023 4:13 pm
I notice on the current user manual it indicates compatibility with 130, 530, 830, 1030 and up although research prior to purchase indicated from 520 plus and up.
Unit paired and works fine except what appears to be excessive battery drain.
However I can live with that for the time being.
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Re: Varia RTL515 - impact on Head Unit battery life
Postby queequeg » Wed Jun 28, 2023 4:17 pm
With it being winter, I also run with the display backlight on (10% Brightness) and while that does drain the battery a bit, it's not by much.
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Re: Varia RTL515 - impact on Head Unit battery life
Postby warthog1 » Wed Jun 28, 2023 5:34 pm
https://support.garmin.com/en-US/?faq=H ... e%20device.
I selected the edge 1000 and 520 and it said 20% for them too.
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Re: Varia RTL515 - impact on Head Unit battery life
Postby grt046 » Wed Jun 28, 2023 5:56 pm
Thanks for that.warthog1 wrote: ↑Wed Jun 28, 2023 5:34 pmGarmin states for the edge 1030 it decreases battery life by about 20%
https://support.garmin.com/en-US/?faq=H ... e%20device.
I selected the edge 1000 and 520 and it said 20% for them too.
520 plus is getting on a bit (nearly 5 yrs old) so battery is probably loosing a bit of holding capacity as well. 540 might make a nice Christmas present
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Re: Varia RTL515 - impact on Head Unit battery life
Postby Arbuckle23 » Wed Jun 28, 2023 6:12 pm
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Re: Varia RTL515 - impact on Head Unit battery life
Postby caneye » Thu Jun 29, 2023 10:48 am
I think it's the radar notification volume that's draining most of the battery. The alert is currently set to be quite loud. Someone riding in front and behind me can probably hear the notification too (possibly a good thing for them?). I'm hoping to turn down the volume to see if it helps with the battery life.
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Re: Varia RTL515 - impact on Head Unit battery life
Postby Comedian » Thu Jun 29, 2023 11:36 am
Please report.caneye wrote: ↑Thu Jun 29, 2023 10:48 amI've got the Varia RTC715 paired to my 530. In a 10 hour ride, say a 200km ride, I'll be down to 30% at the end of it. I also have mobile, HRM and power meter paired with the 530.
I think it's the radar notification volume that's draining most of the battery. The alert is currently set to be quite loud. Someone riding in front and behind me can probably hear the notification too (possibly a good thing for them?). I'm hoping to turn down the volume to see if it helps with the battery life.
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Re: Varia RTL515 - impact on Head Unit battery life
Postby nickobec » Fri Jun 30, 2023 12:01 am
Never noticed the impact on battery life of a head unit with a paired radar. The 510 battery life is poor but it is old and well used. It is also paired to mobile, HRM, power meter. The 935 battery goes south rapidly with GPS, so a few extra paired devices don't really matter. The Bolt V2 and Magene C406pro are new and seem to last.
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Re: Varia RTL515 - impact on Head Unit battery life
Postby queequeg » Fri Jun 30, 2023 11:53 pm
I run my Varia with Visual Alerts only. The constant beeping is annoying when on busy roads. With my out front Garmin Mount though, I always see the sidebar because the whole display flashes red when something is picked up. As noted above, I don't notice any extra battery drain when using it like this, so you might be onto something with the sound causing the extra drain.caneye wrote: ↑Thu Jun 29, 2023 10:48 amI've got the Varia RTC715 paired to my 530. In a 10 hour ride, say a 200km ride, I'll be down to 30% at the end of it. I also have mobile, HRM and power meter paired with the 530.
I think it's the radar notification volume that's draining most of the battery. The alert is currently set to be quite loud. Someone riding in front and behind me can probably hear the notification too (possibly a good thing for them?). I'm hoping to turn down the volume to see if it helps with the battery life.
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Re: Varia RTL515 - impact on Head Unit battery life
Postby warthog1 » Sat Jul 01, 2023 7:03 am
I just have the single beep and the dot on the side of the screen. I am on rural roads with lower traffic density however.
As per the Garmin link yes it does use battery life.
However if you have a head unit with good battery capacity it is harder to notice.
My 1030+ uses less than 3% per hour with varia, HR, power and mapping going. Not an issue.
The 1000 was down to maybe 8 hrs total battery life with all of that going.
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Re: Varia RTL515 - impact on Head Unit battery life
Postby warthog1 » Sat Jul 01, 2023 9:35 am
Then discovered it was due to my backlight settings. Turn the backlight timeout to the minimum setting - uses far less power with each Alert from the Varia
https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/t/gar ... tery/55904
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Re: Varia RTL515 - impact on Head Unit battery life
Postby caneye » Mon Jul 03, 2023 2:03 pm
warthog1 wrote: ↑Sat Jul 01, 2023 9:35 amI had experienced significant head unit battery life loss from the Varia. So much so that I got rid of my 520Plus and got the 530 for the extra life.
Then discovered it was due to my backlight settings. Turn the backlight timeout to the minimum setting - uses far less power with each Alert from the Varia
https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/t/gar ... tery/55904
thanks for that. every little bit helps i guess. I've also switch the alert to a single tone. will see if there's any improvement
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