Sena SMH10, how long should the battery last?

[bscrive]

I have a set of SMH10. One will last over 14 hours, but the other one will shutoff after 9 hours. I have always charged both for the same amount of time, and always together.

What is the average time that these will go after a full charge?

They used to last about the same amount of time, but one now seems to be prematurely failing. I have only had them for less than two years.

 

[Highwayman2013]

Sounds like the battery is weak. Someone on here said you can change them but I haven't tried yet our SMH-10's are still working fine.

 

[jaherbst]

I have my Garmin 665 volume up to 100% and my Sena 10'S up to full volume. I use foam earplugs when underway and no passenger. I am lucky to get 6 hours. I think your doing fine.

Jack

 

[cuznjohn]

call them, i have the 10c and told them it wasn't lasting very long, and they sent me a new unit. but i only had the unit for a couple of months

 

[JayBros]

Sena just replaced my SMH10 under warranty after I complained about getting only seven hours out of a charge. I routinely charged it after each ride but far less than the "hundreds" of times Sena claims it would last. I am now going to run it way down before charging based on watching the battery indicator light blinks when I turn it on.

 

[bscrive]

Sena just replaced my SMH10 under warranty after I complained about getting only seven hours out of a charge. I routinely charged it after each ride but far less than the "hundreds" of times Sena claims it would last. I am now going to run it way down before charging based on watching the battery indicator light blinks when I turn it on.

That is what I am doing now. I will leave them on until they are completely discharged, and then charge them up fully. I will see if that helps.

 

[JayBros]

A friend reminded me about battery charging signatures that I assumed had been solved years ago since I've been retired so long and not paying any attention to the industry.

 

[finless]

Some info for you all....

The batteries used in these are Li-Po's. They do not have memory charging issues like NiCad's etc.
Thus you do not need to worry about not discharging them all the way. In fact a Li-Po should never be discharged below 3.2V per cell.
The unit has protection from that and will shut down before that happens.
When brand new you should cycle the battery fully 2-3 times. That is all that is needed and even then much debate if you even have to do that!

But that does not mean they last for ever. They can loose charge life over time.
HEAT is a killer of Li-Po's!!!! Do not leave them in direct sunlight for extended periods of time.

Yes the batteries can be replaced but finding the replacement pack may not be easy and you usually have to order them from Ali Express in China.

Here is some and chit chat about replacing the SMH-10 battery.

http://support.sena.com/entries/20448542-Does-SMH10-support-battery-replacement-

You can find it on Ebay by searching "602248 battery"

Soldering is required. If you are not able to do the soldering work, I would be willing to do it for you free.
Just order the battery and send me the unit. Contact me if you would like me to do this for you.

Bob

 

[finless]

One more comment.... I happen to know a lot about these type of batteries due to RC Helicopters. We use them extensively.

One thing about these Li-Po cells out of China which is where they are made and which there are only about 4 companies that make them.
The can vary a lot in performance!!!!!
You can get one cell that has awesome life and performance and in the same shipment get a cell that is 1/3rd or worse performance.
Sena has no control over this and is in the same "China boat" of mixed quality control from these companies.
I could tell you bad stories about this all day long!
Trust me, not just Sena but any BT vendor will have these differences in cell performance.

So, just because one SMH-10 lasts longer than another does not mean the battery is going bad. It's just the way the dice roll.
The cell could be going bad but if they are new units and you have a time difference, chances are it's not a bad cell.
You could replace the cell and be in the same boat if the new cell is not on the right of the quality control bell curve.

Bob

 

[Motorcycledave]

Just though of this...

I have had my SMH10 sets for 4 years or so
when on a trip to Salt Lake City from San Francisco
mine were going dead at about 10 hours of being on
listening to podcasts, I just pulled into a rest stop got out
the 12 volt charger cord and pluged it in and charged them
up while riding and listening.
Dave

I have a set of SMH10. One will last over 14 hours, but the other one will shutoff after 9 hours. I have always charged both for the same amount of time, and always together.

What is the average time that these will go after a full charge?

They used to last about the same amount of time, but one now seems to be prematurely failing. I have only had them for less than two years.

 

[WA5VHU]

Charge While Using

On our last trip the wife's Sena 20 battery died about 1/2 hour from our destination. We both pulled over and I got out one of those small USB battery pack chargers, put it in her high inside jacket pocket, plugged the lightweight micro-USB wire into her Sena, she turned her Sena back on and we were good to go, finished our trip no problem. I always carry a couple of those battery pack chargers when we ryde.

Charles

 

[bscrive]

Thanks guys for the great information. It looks like I will be putting on some USB chargers on our bikes. :clap:

 

[finless]

Thanks guys for the great information. It looks like I will be putting on some USB chargers on our bikes. :clap:

If your up to replacing the battery yourself, see the info I posted.
If your not up to it, I would be willing to replace it for you free. You just buy the $9 battery and pay shipping.

Bob

 

[Jim&Teresa]

I will be changing my batteries on the SMH10 Headsets

I've used mine for over 2 years and my unit is discharging (from a full charge) in about 6-7 hours.....so I have to charge it on the road once in awhile when doing a long day trip.

I reported this to the Sena Tech and he stated to send me info with purchase confirmation data and they would replace the unit/battery. Well...he stated I was "out of warranty" by 2 months (it's a 2 year warranty) and they would not do anything for me! WOW - great customer service! So he suggested I throw away my units and buy new ones - right?! This "costly" item should not be a throw away and should have an easy way to replace an item like a battery (similar to the cell phones today).

Anyway, I appreciate the information from Bob on how to order the battery...it will be a winter project to replace the batteries on both headsets. My wife's headset is used less and still holds a charge a few hours longer than mine.

Good luck all with your Sena headsets....overall, I have to say they do everything I want them to as we use them all the time and work well. We use them with the dongle transmitter to listen to the Spyder radio, Ipod, etc. along with pairing to our cell phones....great overall, just disappointed in the battery life and how to replace it.

 

[Lin]

I have had a couple of issues with my SMH10's and contacted Sena. I find their support to be very good. If yours are still within the warranty period, I'd recommend contacting Sena directly and submitting a request.

Lin

 

[pegasus1300]

I do like Charles does,I have a couple of spare battery packs and a cord long enough to reach the highest pocket on our jackets. Works great and just re charge all in the motel room that night

 

[bscrive]

If your up to replacing the battery yourself, see the info I posted.
If your not up to it, I would be willing to replace it for you free. You just buy the $9 battery and pay shipping.

Bob

Thanks Bob,

I read your post, and appreciate the offer. But, I think we will just put on some USB chargers. Like you said. We might get a battery that is worst.

 

[MikeinGA]

Like new

Our SMH10s we have for over 4 years and never had the battery run out. One time I forget to charge them after 10 hours of use and the next day used them for another 7+ hours. When the units sit for more then 10 days I put them on charge.


Mike