• Registered: 2010-11-29
  • Posts: 3

Topic: FujiFilm Battery and Infocast 3.5"

Hello, I'm the proud owner of a $70 Chumby One / Infocast 3.5" as of two days ago.

I've found in the wiki that the Chumby One supports a rechargeable battery pack:

"Optional lithium ion battery, Fujifilm NP-120 or equivalent , 3.7V @ 1800mAh. Beware knock-offs that lack embedded battery safety circuitry or sub-par quality batteries. "

Does the Chumby / Infocast 3.5" charge the battery until it's unplugged or do I need an external charger?

Are there any reports on about how much time I can expect my Chumby to work on only battery power?  I see again from the wiki that a Chumby doing 'normal' activities consumes about 3W.  Also the FujiFilm battery provides 3.7V @ 1800mAh. 

Sorry for the basic electronics question but what is the math required to figure out a general timeline for this battery?

Thanks for reading.  I'm excited about the device.

  • Registered: 2009-11-26
  • Posts: 140

Re: FujiFilm Battery and Infocast 3.5"

I can't speak about the Infocast 3.5, but the C1 charges the battery itself.  I get about 1.5 hrs on a 2000 mAh battery streaming Pandora, which I presume kills the battery faster than if you were just using a clock or something.

  • Duane
  • Duane
  • Blue Octy
  • Offline
  • From: San Diego, CA
  • Registered: 2006-08-24
  • Posts: 8,197

Re: FujiFilm Battery and Infocast 3.5"

The Infocast 3.5" does not support a battery, only the Chumby One.

While they share the a very similar circuit board (including the power management), Insignia chose not to include the receptacle and connectors for the battery in their industrial design.

Duane's Website

4 Reply by BoloMKXXVIII (edited by BoloMKXXVIII 2010-11-30 04:25:22)

  • From: Somewhere on or near Earth
  • Registered: 2009-12-16
  • Posts: 774

Re: FujiFilm Battery and Infocast 3.5"

Duane wrote:

The Infocast 3.5" does not support a battery, only the Chumby One.

While they share the a very similar circuit board (including the power management), Insignia chose not to include the receptacle and connectors for the battery in their industrial design.


Read the above as a very polite way of saying Insignia dumped the hardware necessary for the battery in order to make production cheaper.

I have a Chumby one and have the Fuji battery in it. For me it is very worth while to have the battery. It is nice to be able to move the Chumby around while streaming music. Without the battery you have to unplug and move, replug and wait for it to reload the software. Not exactly ideal for keeping up "the mood" when you want music in the bathroom while showering with a friend. smile

PS: Sorry if that is TMI.

Tar, feathers, congress. Some assembly required.

BoloMKXXVIII's Website

  • Registered: 2010-11-29
  • Posts: 3

Re: FujiFilm Battery and Infocast 3.5"

I completely agree!  Is there anything I can do to get it going on the Infocast 3.5"?

I originally noticed this sale because of the blog post at http://www.bunniestudios.com/blog/?p=1435

From looking at the shots of the motherboard it shows that it is a 'Falconwing' motherboard.  Is this the same as the Chumby One?  Would it be possible to solder a battery connector onto the board and if I did would it be recognized by the Chumby software and charge correctly?

Thanks again!

6 Reply by codex24 (edited by codex24 2010-12-02 14:32:28)

  • From: Austin, TX US
  • Registered: 2010-12-02
  • Posts: 9

Re: FujiFilm Battery and Infocast 3.5"

Duane wrote:

The Infocast 3.5" does not support a battery, only the Chumby One.
While they share the a very similar circuit board (including the power management), Insignia chose not to include the receptacle and connectors for the battery in their industrial design.

So are you saying that the charging circuit and controller are present on the NS-DP3CH board, but just the connector is lacking? That should be easy to remedy. I too am a recent new owner of the Insignia Infocast 3.5" Internet Media Display Model: NS-DP3CH from BestBuy (currently on sale for $50), and I bought it knowing there was no battery support but assuming that it would be easy to hack. I haven't yet "voided the warranty" (opened the case), but I would love to hear from someone more experienced if this is possible.

BTW, I am interesting in adding a battery for backup power, not as a primary power source. Even my old-skool alarm clock has a battery in it so I don't miss an alarm and over-sleep, the omission of a battery from a device billed as an internet-connected alarm clock seems a huge mistake.

codex24's Website

  • Registered: 2010-12-29
  • Posts: 2

Re: FujiFilm Battery and Infocast 3.5"

I as well am interested in adding battery to the infocast 3.5.  if the connector is added will it work?  From another post sounds like it might be missing a couple components..?

Thanks,
-G