For lack of a better forum...

Hello everyone, I'm new and signed up to ask a question that's been bugging me for weeks now. Before I begin, let me say that I have researched extensively on the internet without any luck, and this seemed like the best place to go to ask my question.

I took electronics courses throughout highschool, and some in college, but I didn't complete college- point being, I have a small general knowledge of electronics and circuits, etc.

Now to the good stuff.

If I leave my cell phone in my locker at work, my battery dies in a matter of hours- less than 12. I work 12 hour shifts and my phone will be completely charged before work, but nevertheless my batter is dead at the end of the day. Simple solution- Turn it off! Nope. The battery still dies. Go figure. Now when I'm not at work, or if I keep the phone in my pocket, the batter acts normal- that is, it lasts a couple of days. I thought maybe somehow it could be shorting out, so I flipped the phone over onto it's face, and that didn't work either. So- any ideas why? I don't really need to 'fix' this issue, I'm just do curious about it. A little more info:

- The lockers are, I believe, steel. They are painted both inside and out.
- I get no service 'inside' the locker, but outside I do (I thought maybe if the phone was constantly searching for a signal that could be the cause, but like I said, even when it is turned off the battery will still go dead).
- My provider is Cingular, my phone an LG CU500, and I am in northern New Jersey.
- I put the phone in vibrate mode, but, once again, have tried turning it off, so I think this is irrelivant.
- As far as I know, there is nothing magentic nearby (though I don't know what is in the lockers next to mine), no machinery, etc.
- The room is kept at, well, room temperature.
- Battery specs: Model LGLP-GAJM/Li-Ion Polymer/3.7v (I don't see anything about milliamp-hours)

Well... there it is. If anyone can offer help or suggest an experement, please do! Sorry if I'm not in the right forum, thats why I went to the off-topic group. This is driving me nuts!

Mathow said:

I get no service 'inside' the locker, but outside I do (I thought maybe if the phone was constantly searching for a signal that could be the cause, but like I said, even when it is turned off the battery will still go dead).

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That was my first thought. But if you are powering it all the way down I don't think it should still be searching for service. Just to be sure, what happens if you remove the battery from the phone, yet leave both in the locker?

Sounds more like you need a new battery?, with the phone turned OFF it shouldn't be drawing any current (or at least far too low to matter).

how long does the phone last, not inside the metal locker?

The battery is A-OK. The phone itself is only about 3 months old; when it isn't in my locker, i.e. at home, in the car, etc. it usually lasts about 3 days before it needs a charge. I am infact at work right now, with the phone in my pocket (as opposed to the locker, and shhh because that's a no-no around here =P ) and it still has a full charge from this morning. Tomorrow night I will try what Andy1845c suggested and remove the battery and let them both sit in the locker over my shift. I'll make sure the contacts don't touch anything conductive, so I don't get faulty results, and will post my findings here. Thanks again everyone!

Hiya Mathow,
Well mate do you have your locker locked ! and has your phonebill been out of the ordinary. There's one though here maybe someone knows your phone is left alone and ringing osama to let him know where that hemmeriod of a bloke bush is day to day

Nigel Goodwin said:

Sounds more like you need a new battery?, with the phone turned OFF it shouldn't be drawing any current (or at least far too low to matter).

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X2 on bad battery. Get a new one.

It probably gets very weak reception in the locker and steps up its transmit power to max each time it is addressed. High transmit power for it to say "I'm here and I'm turned on" takes a lot of battery power.

In your pocket it rings and you answer it immediately. In your locker it rings and rings which drains the battery.

A battery that goes dead quickly in a phone that is turned off indicates a bad battery or a bad phone.

Audioguru isvery correct in concept-
but how a battery- if it is declared BAD as it discharges evenwhen the phone is switched off? ( i only wonder whether the switching OFF is done effectively--with due regards to the O.Psexperience in managing the cell)

afterall a working phone consumes little more power than when switched off-- can itbe related to temperature of surroundings in the lockers in addition to Audioguru's concept of using more power by TX section.

when in pocket and used by him, it is at nearbody temperature.

The first thing I'd try is a simple experiment to narrow it down: since you say your battery dies even when the phone is turned off in the locker, try putting the phone in the locker for a day with the battery completely removed. If it the battery is still charged after that, that would mean your phone is using way too much power when it's supposed to be 'off'. If the battery ends up discharged anyway, well then you know your battery is crap.

Thanks again for all the replies.

My locker is locked, and I'm the only one with a key to it. I know that someone isn't using it without permission. I realize that was most likely a joke, but just for argument's sake that isn't it. Trust me when I tell you the battery is not faulty- I'm not troubleshooting the phone. At home, when my phone isn't in a metal box for 12 hours, it works perfectly normal, whether on, off, whatever. It's only in my locker at work. I took the battery out, with the terminals facing up so as to not create a circuit between the two, and left it there. It's now been in my locker for eight hours; I put the battery in, turned on the phone, and it is still full from earlier tonight when I charged it before work. So, there can't be anything wrong with the battery internally, otherwise wouldn't it have discharged anyway?
Also,the phone doesn't consume insane amounts of power when turned off, because when I go to bed (at home), I turn the phone off. It will be off for a minimum of eight hours, sometimes more, and this doesn't affect the battery at all. It remains at the same level it was when I shut it off. I don't think anyone will have an answer for me, but thanks anyway. Any more suggestions, please, I'd love to hear them!

From what you've done so far it seems obvious the phone is taking excessive power when turned OFF, but perhaps only in the locker at work?.

Try putting the phone in a metal box at home and see what happens?.

I imagine the phone isn't really turned OFF, and it's transmitting at full power to try and locate a cell?.

Right, only at work. That was my idea also, try putting it in a metal container at home and see what happens. Why would the phone try to locate a tower when it is off though? If I understand correctly, you mean it may be more of a 'standby' mode than actually powering down, like one would think? I suppose that makes sense, but it's a dumb idea on the company's part to have it like that. What I will try next week when I return to work (I am off for the next four days) is taking one of my old phones, leaving that off also, and see if it happens with that phone too. I guess I should figure out if it's the phone or the locker that is at fault here. This just has me so baffled!

If it turns out that it is transmitting when off, what would be the legal situation if it interfered with aircraft/medical equipment?

What make/model is the phone?

Mike.

I would think audioguru is right, it probably sees a very weak non-existent signal so it steps up the power on the amplifier a notch.

Pommie said:

If it turns out that it is transmitting when off, what would be the legal situation if it interfered with aircraft/medical equipment?

What make/model is the phone?

Mike.

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Hi Pommie,
the op has indicated already--i quote

My provider is Cingular, my phone an LG CU500, and I am in northern New Jersey.

Battery specs: Model LGLP-GAJM/Li-Ion Polymer/3.7v

I looked up his phone on the Cingular website. He has a top of the line unit.

Battery is 1,100 mAh Li-ion. Standby time appox 10 days, talk time (GSM) 5 hours; 3.5 hrs (UMTS)

When you say the phone is OFF, do you mean the ringer, or the whole phone?

If you open the phone when it's OFF, does the display light up?

Oh, I'm not that technology illiterate! The phone is entirely off, so therefore, no, the display doesn't light up when it's opened. Thanks for all the time everyone has put into this, but I think I am at a dead end, so I'm giving up. Thanks anyway!

Sorry, we're thinking outside the box. When the phone is 'off' why does it drain the battery? Easiest answer is that it says 'off' and is not telling the truth.