Question : Problem: iPAQ 5555: Extended Battery Fault

I have an iPAQ 5555 that I have been using off and on for a couple years now.  One of the nice things about it, is it has an extdended sleve with a PCMIA Verizon wireless card and extra battery pack.  Previously, I have been able to surf the web using this device.  

Recently I have started using the PDA more and also decided to try the wireless access.  The wireless is not working, but there is an error that I think needs to be resolved first.  When I put the PDA in the sleve I am presented with this error:

"Your Extended Battery has become critically low.  The expansion pack will be powered off. To continue using this expansion pack, you will need to charge it."

Since it says the expansion pack is powered off, the wireless card is unavailable.  At first I thought that the battery really was low since I can't remember the last time I used it.  So I charged it over night by leaving the PDA in the sleve and hooked to AC power.  Everything seemed fine the next day: it found the network card and read that the external battery was at 100%.  But as soon as I took it of AC power, the error popped up again.  So at this point the error always pops up when the PDA is put into the sleve (off AC power), or when the PDA is in the sleve and taken of AC.  I've tried two hard resets plus many soft resets with no sucess.    I've also removed the extra battery and attached it again. There is also a quick error message that disappears when the sleve is in - something about unrecognized socket... Help!!

Answer : Problem: iPAQ 5555: Extended Battery Fault

You may want to consider either a new device or for something more cost effective, you can mod the sleeve yourself by opening it up and disconnecting the battery inside and replacing it.  Once you open up the sleeve, the process of replacing the battery should be relatively simple.  There are 2 wires going to the battery.  Once is a positive and the other is a negative.  Just get another li-ion battery with similar output and you will be able to use the sleeve again.  The newer PPC units on the market handle wireless better and can also extend battery life from older units.  If you need something with the best possible browsing experience, I would recommend an OQO 01+ since it is Windows XP based and is extremely portable.