I’m at about 8 months on my transmitter, so am eligible to order a new one. The transmitter is still going strong, so I’m wondering about the storage life of the built-in battery, and if the thing really is “off” while in the original packaging, as the Dexcom instructions imply.
They say to remove the transmitter from its tray in the box, and then wait 10 minutes for it to “turn on” (quotes Dexcom’s, not mine). I haven’t saved the box so I can’t examine it currently to see if there’s some sort of mechanism, magnet, SOMETHING that would act as a switch when the device is removed from its packaging.
If one keeps the box is it a good idea to put the transmitter back in it’s slot while I insert the new sensor? Or if it’s only 10-15 minutes is it not worth it? And if so will I have to wait 10 minutes again? Otherwise what is the point of keeping the box?
4.33 weeks in a month
times 8 months = 34.64 weeks
times 7 days =242.48
times 24 hours =5819.52
times 60 minutes=34971.2 minutes
lets say you change the sensor every 10 days and put it into the box for 15 minutes each time
1/10 of 242.48 equals 24 sensor changes
times 15 = 360 minutes.
I had no idea that returning the transmitter to the box periodically was anything recommended. I kept the first box but just threw away the second one. I wonder if I should dig it out of the trash.
Regardless, I never used the first box after removing the transmitter. It is still in a closet. As noted in another post, my first one lasted perfectly fine for 18 months.
This is the underside of the box it came in, I wondered what that metal disk was but don’t remember reading about it. I wonder if that means it should be kept on the magnet if we aren’t using it?
Just keep in mind that that’s no guarantee it will turn “off” again (unless there’s explicit documentation from Dexcom saying as much).
A magnetic switch can be (and in this case very very likely is) solid state, and depending on the design of the power circuit, “one-way”. In other words, once woken up, it doesn’t turn off again even if that magnetic field is re-applied.
Thanks man! I’ll go ahead and order one, then leave it on the shelf. That works better with the way I function… I like to run things completely out, then replace them. That’s what I did last time, and I was without my CGM for a week. This way, I’ll have the replacement ready to go when the current transmitter goes south.
I talked to tech support about this and another issue yesterday. She said just store the transmitter when not using it in a temperature controlled environment, not clipped back in the original box.
