Hello All - Need your opinion on my Dexcom G4. I had one for over a year and decided to get a new one just in case the old went to pieces. My question is can I just let this G4 kick back until the other one goes bad? Will there be lithium battery issues even if I'm not using it as far as expiration date of the battery itself? Thanks for any ideas.
I replaced my one year old G4 receiver/transmitter in October 2013. Since my original G4 receiver is working OK (the display is not as bright as the new receiver), I am running the new receiver constantly plugged in to protect the battery's longevity. It's my understanding that lithium-ion rechargeable batteries are good for so many discharge/recharge cycles. If they are kept topped off then the battery should stay fresh.
The reason I'm not placing the new one into primary service is that I like the idea of having a fresh unit sitting at home as a back-up if I ever lose or somehow destroy the one I keep with me. At some point, I will just switch over to the newer one and put the old model on back-up status and try to keep it charged and operational until I can get a newer back-up next year.
NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!! What you are doing, Terry, is the best way to make the life of the LiION battery as short as possible.
LiION battery chemisty like best to be stored at a 50% charge in a cool/cold environment. The Best way to preserve the life of a LiION battery is to put it in the fridge at 50% charge and leave it there.
Constantly topping off a lithium battery and keeping it at full charge while being used will shorten the number of useful charge/discharge cycles by as much as 50% (i.e. cut the useful life of the battery in half).
My advice to anyone with a backup G4 reciever is to fully charge it, then use it until it is at 50% charge. Then, carefully wrap it up in a ziplock and put it in the back of your meat/cheese drawer in the fridge, and leave it there. Use the older one until it fails.
Great, thanks. And do you think the new transmitter is ok left out?