Palm T3 Dead PDA Theory - Why it won't turn on

This is about the Palm Tungsten T3 problem where the screen goes out and it won't turn on. If you do not own one, then you probably don't care, but if you do then read on.

If you own a Palm Tunsten T3 and the screen has ever went blank and the unit would not power up, it can be a real frustrating experience. Knowing whether or not to send it in for repairs is a good question, since Palm charges like $150 to fix any problem on PDA's.

It might be safe to assume it's any of these:

1) Unit has an actual failure of internal system
component(s).
2) LCD has gone bad (sometimes due to dropping unit).
3) Battery connection comes loose.
4) Battery is bad, worn out and needs replacement.

And if so, the unit will never come on, until repaired.
But chances are it is NONE OF THESE!!

In my case, my T3 has died on several occasions,
each after using for only a few minutes at 100% power,
THEN it has TURNED ON,
AFTER connecting to the charger for ONLY 15 seconds.

The most likely cause of a unit that wont power up is
A LACK OF SUFFICENT POWER.

But does that mean the unit eats battery life, the battery
is junk, or the battery life is short? Not necessarily!

Obviously, the device requires a certain amount of power to "boot up".

But the battery may not be bad at all.

SO WHAT ABOUT THIS THEORY?

Perhaps the unit (as built) has an internal communication error
between the software used (Palm OS) and the hardware (battery and charger).

What about a SYSTEM that "THINKS" the battery is dead???
when essentially it is not, so it shuts OFF!

DOES THAT EVEN MAKE SENSE???

Example:

Say, you put the unit on the cradle/charger overnite,
(leaving it showing 100% battery level)
then you use it for an hour,
then turn it off at, showing 85% on the battery meter.
Then a few hours later it WONT TURN ON?

Is it because the battery went dead that quickly?
Not necessarily!

Maybe (just maybe) in this case when you turned it off at
85%, the battery was really at 50%, (and was never fully charged to begin
with), and therefore was below the amount able to boot up by the time it was
turned back on?

In Conclusion:

There is an obvious critical ERROR in reporting and syncronization of the battery power setting in the T3 system.

First, the battery level reading is NOT always what you think it is!!
Second, in the case when it reports at 100% (incorrectly),
the unit does not get charged.

Here's a nice article about Power management, with tips
for best use:

http://www.palmzone.net/modules.php?name=Sections&artid=37