Make:

i suppose this hack works. but what i've done is to disassemble the PDA in question, jot down any/all numbers on the dead battery, then google those numbers until I found the right battery equivalent. I suppose I paid more than the author did.

Another alternative is to find an equivalent PDA with something else wrong and cannibalize its battery. But that presupposes a source of equivalent broken PDAs.

Perhaps this approach would be good for a limp-along capability while waiting for the replacement order you've ordered or scrounged. (Of course, you'll install it yourself! You're reading the Make Blog fer crying out loud.)

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I've used this exact method to supplement the internal battery of my Palm Tungsten E, not to replace it. The internal battery used to last me for about 5 hours of continuous use. But now it's less than 4. So the external battery pack lets me go on much longer trips away from the power grid.

Two days ago, I actually replaced the mini power plug with a USB mini B male connector. The difference is that now the external battery pack trickle charges the internal battery, so the current load on the external batteries is much lower. This way, they don't have to be as freshly charged to keep the Palm going.

When I bought this Palm, I specifically liked the fact that it used two standard connectors (power plug and USB mini B), because that meant it was cheaply hackable.

Happy hacking!

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