I am finally entering the 21st century. Switching over to use my Ipod for my show music. My previous system was custom mixed CDs with an RF remote.

My question is, is there an external battery that can work on the Ipod. I have an Ipod 2 and the Ijet remote.

Thanks. (PS: is there some way to turn off the Ipod? Or does it just go to sleep by itself?)

Jim

To turn off your IPod hold down the "Play/Pause" button for about 3 seconds.

Black & Decker makes a reallt nice USB Rechargable Power Supply. It's small and inexpensive.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Black-Decker-Power-t......294%3A50

You can buy a USB plug for the iPod and plug it into the wall. Something like this:

http://tiny.cc/SLLrs

You can find it at Wal-Mart or just about anywhere that sells iPod accessories.

If you hold the play/pause button for 3 seconds, it will go to sleep.

Just remember that when an iPod is "sleeping" it's not totally off. It's still using a little bit of the battery's charge so it can "wake up" quickly when you press a button. This means that if you don't remember to check its charge level because you left it in a drawer or pocket for a few days, the battery could be dead and need a charge.

When you hold down the "Play/Pause" button on an Ipod it does not go to sleep. It turns it off. Believe me guys. I sell and repair Ipods.

I know it's no big deal, but take a look at this link:

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1605?viewlocale=en_US

Is the Apple support page wrong?

I agree it's no big deal. I think the support page verbage is a little confusing. I still think if you hold the "Play/Pause " button down it powers down the IPod.

I just looked in the owners manual and it says "To turn off IPod, press and hold the Play/Pause button.

Again, it's no big deal put Jim needs to know.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it. LOL

Eldon,

Sorry, but Apple doesn't agree with you on this. See this page:

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1726

Scroll down to "Charging" where it says:

"iPod fast-charges the battery to 80 percent of capacity in an hour. However, it can take 4 hours to fully recharge the battery. Even in sleep, iPod uses a small amount of current, and the battery slowly empties. Stored at optimal storage temperature, the battery will empty in 14 to 28 days."

What does Apple know. They just build it. (LOL) OK guys, I concede. Jeff is right. He usually is.

Jim, don't let all this confuse you. You still shut down your IPod by holding down the "Play/Pause" button.

I'm glad we worked that out in a civil way. I wish my ex and I could be that civilized! Congrats, guys! The rest of the Café should learn from your example in civility.

The slow draining of the battery reminds me of how Toshiba laptops work. I believe the IBM Thinkpad does not draw from the battery like the Toshiba and when it's off, it really is off. Why do people design these devices to be in deep deep sleep during which they are drawing power rather than just totally off?

James, that's an easy one. Apple wants the iPod to respond to you instantly and I'm sure they found that people would rather charge the battery more frequently, instead of having to wait for it to turn on each time you use it. Based on the way people are attached to their iPods, I think this is right...it's instant gratification. Click! It's on and you're listening to music. Not waiting 20 whole seconds before you hear your tunes.

As long as you're aware of this you're OK. A performer who's looking at the iPod as a device in their show and isn't necessarily using it every day could get an unpleasant surprise if they expected it to be charged up and it was dead. That's all I wanted people to know about.

I think if you're plugging an iPod into your computer to swap music onto it every few days, you won't notice that the battery does this, because it gets charged when it's connected up.

Jim,

Also in some IPODS's the battery indicator might be a little off.

Also #2, Eventually the charging and decharging will impact the battery life of the IPOD. The battery gets fragmented.

But its a better solution than a box box with IR extender.

G

Gothike,
You remembered what system I used to use!!

Anyway, my instincts about wanting an external battery for the Ipod seem correct. I cannot risk having a dead Ipod in the middle of the 3rd show in a day! My agent's ipod's battery is always dead. The voice amp she uses allows the ipod to attach to it and provide power to the ipod.

I think the ideal external battery would be a small unit that uses disposable batteries so I can make sure there is always a fresh source of power.

Any other suggestions on such an external battery for Ipod 2?

Jim

Like these?

http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2006/03/22/......er_ipod/

http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/ipod/batteryreplacement/

http://ipodmarket.com.au/ipod-news/juice......d-touch/

http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/portable-medi......0568.php

http://www.amazon.com/Griffin-TuneJuice-......00IN022K

Looks like this is a good choice, too:
http://www.amazon.com/Turbo-Charge-Porta......00R1C42O

James,

I saw your act at the MagicCastle, what is impressive is that you have worked with Gazzo. That guy is brilliant.

The thing you have to look for in a IPOD remote is that it has a "pass through" in the remote control receiver.

The pass through lets you connect other accessories--such as a charging dock, battery pack or sync cable--to the iPod without disconnecting the remote control receiver.

This I belive have that feature.
http://www.abtech2.com/iJetBottomDock.htm

G

Gothike!
I didn't know you saw me at the castle! I was there a few months ago and I'm going to work the WC Fields bar in May. Hope we run into each other. Thanks for the link and all your past expert help.

Jim

It does indeed. I use the pass through in the Ijet receiver to connect my iPod to an AC adapter. I then plug my iPod (with the attached Ijet) into the same electrical source that's powering my Passport.

(Props to Rich B. for turning me on to this setup via his many posts here at the Café!)