darkSpyro

Anyone know of a good brand of batteries that work for this thing that lasts longer than a few hours. An 8 hot work shift lasts longer than batteries in this portal. I have no idea why they didnt make a car charger or even wall charger for this portal. I've never changed the batteries in the controller since release day but I've put new batteries in the portal over 10 times. There has to be a better option. Even the so called lithium expensive electronic batteries seem to get eaten up in no time. Anyone have the same issue and have any advice?

Maybe try rechargeable batteries!? Not sure if they still sell them, but they worked great in my game gear, nomad, turbo express, NG pocket, game boy, and lynx growing up!!

I'd probably suggest some NiMH rechargables. They'll run you about $10, and you might be able to score a pack bundled with a charger for about the same price, but they are completely worth it.

I have about a dozen AA's from mixed brands, mostly Energizer and Rayovac, that I've collected over the years, and they are definitely worth their weight in gold.


I was actually pretty big into the whole "Rechargable Alkaline" idea back in the late 90s. Those didn't hold a charge very well when used for frequent full draining (lots of GameBoy games), but these newer NiMH batteries have a tendency of physically breaking (even then, only the ones I've had for several years now are doing this) before they even go completely bad.

Realistically, if you are opting for LO2 disposable you are probably going go get a better worth out of the NiMH rechargable for often about the same price.

Why not get one of the lantern batteries and take off the plastic top? They run for about $6 and have ~30 AA batteries inside

Apologies for raising up an old thread, but as it pertains directly to what I am doing, I felt it was acceptable.

We got the tablet version due to the incredible deal at Amazon even though I was aware of the battery issue on the portal. I figured that I might be able to modify it with an internal lithium battery that pretty much every bluetooth gadget should have standard. If you are anything like me, you probably have a desk drawer full of old cell phones, electronic gizmos, and other knick-knacks that might be salvaged for a project like this.

Upon opening up the portal, I discovered that the controller takes up most of the empty space in it. Also, the main board has a lot of convenient test points that are clearly labelled for people smarter than me, (the battery compartment has holes that allow a debug unit to connect without even opening the case).

I was successful in transplanting the innards from an old Kindle Fire extended battery case: http://www.amazon.com/NYKO-Kin...04R1DCM2R0RW8SA. This thing has a very low profile battery, (~3 or 4 mm), which I stuck in front of the label you see when you look in to the controller cavity. It does cause a tiny bit of bulge but it is hardly noticeable. Charger port changed to a mini-usb female, (a bit more sturdy for the 5yo), and the rest of it was stuck in the gap between the controller and the tablet holder. Another possible option could be the AmazonBasics External battery currently on sale: http://www.amazon.com/AmazonBa...&qid=1422242470

Unfortunately, the only testing I am willing to do at the moment is to press the button and watch the lights, as TT is meant to be a birthday present (end of March). We just picked up SSA over the summer and are working through it with the figures he got for Christmas. I will report back later regarding battery life, RFID interference, etc. once we start playing with it.

EDIT: Had the unfortunate side effect of activating the demo on my tablet. I hope my son didn't notice as he replayed the first level again. Still can't figure how to turn the portal off; the red light in front keeps blinking, no matter how long I hold the button down.

I'm still scratching my head after the disastrous battery life scenario that played out in SSA why they didn't make a power conscious design form the get go, or at least allow owners to make a decision for how power would be used and/or offer a source of power.

I read somewhere that rechargeable batteries in a children's toy posed safety concerns. It might have been a cost issue as well, considering the controller is already designed in to it. It would have been nice to at least incorporate a wall wart DC-in option, much like USB hubs that come with them yet never come with a plug.