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Garmin Heart rate monitor Battery

theBlob

Bokeh master
Sep 28, 2011
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Does the edge 800 heart rate strap have a battery in it?

I can't see anywhere in the manual where it says it does.
I'm hoping it does and it is the cause of the absurd readings that I am now geting from my heart rate monitor. It has been getting worse and worse of late. Now it has me riding around at 220bpm everywhere I go.:cool:
 
Does the edge 800 heart rate strap have a battery in it?

I can't see anywhere in the manual where it says it does.
I'm hoping it does and it is the cause of the absurd readings that I am now geting from my heart rate monitor. It has been getting worse and worse of late. Now it has me riding around at 220bpm everywhere I go.:cool:

On my Polar unit the hard plastic bit snaps off and on the back there is a round door you turn to remove the battery.

Looking on line I found this pic....

Garmin-Heart-Rate-Battery-Replace.jpg


Showing the back of the Garmin HRM

On important point mentioned is that when you remove the old battery wait a full minute before you install the new battery.

I hope this helps!
 
it doesn't look like that. But I pulled it apart anyway and there is a big battery in there, So I guess I'll drop into Bic camera tomorrow... Hopefully that will fix it.

But then it is a garmin so probably not. While it has some cool features it is basically very badly made. Erratic and un-reliable. I never know what is not going to work properly next.
 
It sounds like you are not getting a good connection. The strap should be fairly snug and connectivity is aided but a glob of spit or chamois cream on the contacts. Especially if you have a hairy chest.
In summer, usually not needed as sweat does the job!
 
My Cat Eye HRM has a problem with my iPhone, it makes it record crazy data, if I leave the iPhone on airplane mode, all is fine.
 
Yeah I do that, and have had no trouble up until recently. When for no apparant reason it started giving wack read outs.
 
4.5 years of use eh, Ive got all of 4 months till the thing stops working. Although I suspect it isn't the battery as it picks up the signal the entire time, just gets it wrong.
 
There are several reasons for dodgy readings from the HR transmitter straps.

It might be the battery.

It might be due to a build-up of sweat/salt on the strap. Wash and dry with only a very mild soap, gently, every day. No wringing-out or spin-drying. Just pat-dry with a towel or drip-dry.

Depending how violently it has been treated/washed the electrodes might have dodgy connections. Be gentle.
 
My Garmin HR strap is funky like this when the battery is low. It seems I have to change out the battery at least every 3 or 4 mo. Also, get a tube of electrode gel to use on the sensor pads - it will vastly improve the consistency of the signals - especially if you don't sweat alot 'there'.
 
I think the chest strap might get activated when you wear it or it gets moist enough to have some flow of current between the electrodes. Do not store it rolled up and moist.
I have used mine for a year and a half without replacing the batteries.
 
I always ride my straps hard and put them away wet.
 
Does the edge 800 heart rate strap have a battery in it?

I can't see anywhere in the manual where it says it does.
I'm hoping it does and it is the cause of the absurd readings that I am now geting from my heart rate monitor. It has been getting worse and worse of late. Now it has me riding around at 220bpm everywhere I go.:cool:

Are you wearing a base layer made with a high Polyester % such as uniqlo brands etc?

The reason I ask is that they can produce high amounts of static electricity that can either bridge the north and south contacts on the heart rate monitor when sweaty and produce strange readings or actually polarize the unit.

If you are still getting strange readings after changing the battery this is something you might want to look at.

Also do you wash the sensor with warm soapy water as well after use? As dried sweat in between the sensors can also affect readings.

The use of electrobe gel is good - but I also find that hand sanitiser gel works just as well and keeps the unit nice and clean :D
 
I always ride my straps hard and put them away wet.

That could be why your battery only lasts about 4 months - if the sensor unit is wet then you have a bridge across the sensor which will drain the battery.
 
For flawless operation, I always just wet the contacts with a little tap water when putting the HR strap on, and give it a quick rinse in the shower when taking it off. I change my battery once a year, but only out of routine, not due to any battery issues. My HR strap still looks and operates like new.
 
Are you wearing a base layer made with a high Polyester % such as uniqlo brands etc?

The reason I ask is that they can produce high amounts of static electricity that can either bridge the north and south contacts on the heart rate monitor when sweaty and produce strange readings or actually polarize the unit.

If you are still getting strange readings after changing the battery this is something you might want to look at.

Also do you wash the sensor with warm soapy water as well after use? As dried sweat in between the sensors can also affect readings.

The use of electrobe gel is good - but I also find that hand sanitiser gel works just as well and keeps the unit nice and clean :D

Interesting, Basically I have been wearing nothing new or doing anything new from the time when it worked perfectly. But I must say .... :eek: .... I have not been too regular in my washing of the thing, So i guess that might be a good place to start....:eek:
 
Interesting, Basically I have been wearing nothing new or doing anything new from the time when it worked perfectly. But I must say .... :eek: .... I have not been too regular in my washing of the thing, So i guess that might be a good place to start....:eek:

Yeah, if you haven't been rinsing it regularly, aside from the hygienic concerns, it's likely you may not be getting good reliable contact between the strap and the transmitter. Pay close attention to the two points where the transmitter snaps into the strap.
 
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