Just a note, the MX-980 uses the same battery as a few digital cameras. The same battery is used in the Fuji NP-60, Pentax D-LI2, Kodak KLIC-5000, Panasonic CGA-S302A, Olympus LI-20B, HP R07, Samsung SLB-1037 & SLB-1137.

You can find them for pretty cheap on eBay or from other sources.

This battery is also in the MX-810 and MX-880.

Great little fact! I noticed the battery looked familar, sure enough my kodak has the same. Nice!

Thanks dsp81

If you should ever have a reason to return the remote for service, be sure to keep the original URC battery and send it in, otherwise it may not be considered for warranty purposes. Same goes for MX810/880/950 as they all use the same battery.

The battery dying after 4 days off cradle isn't far off from what I initially experienced...

However, like so many others of you MX980 BATTERY NOW DIES AFTER 2 HOURS off cradle.

I purchased from B&M authorized reseller and contacted URC customer support via there website and described my issue. No response as of yet but I fully expect them to replace the battery with a new one.

For those of you buying replacement batteries are you getting the "official" branded replacements from the digicam manufacturers (e.g. Fuji, Pana, Oly, etc) or the unbranded/off-branded versions?

I bought a new MX-980 a few days ago. The first unit drained the battery in 15 minutes. I have no idea if the problem was the remote, or the battery.

I exchanged it for a different one with my dealer. Got home and put the battery in, and curiously the remote didn't boot--I expected some minimal charge in the battery. I put it in the cradle, the remote booted, but the blue LED immediately came on saying it was fully charged. I removed it from the cradle, and the remote instant died as if I had yanked the battery. I left it in the cradle for a few hours, and this made no difference.

As this was the last remote my dealer had, and I didn't want to be DOA, I went to Fry's and bought a new NP-60 battery. Not a name brand. The name is "Digipower", and it's made in China. It claims it is 1050mAh (the one from URC is 1100mAh).

With this new battery the remote works great!

I'm going to call URC tomorrow about getting the battery replaced.

I'm guessing that URC is buying really cheap batteries and doing little/no quality control on them. The two different remotes I had were very different serial numbers, and even different box designs, so I'm guessing it's not a case of just a single bad batch, and perhaps instead an ongoing quality problem. Which is a shame, because the remote is otherwise awesome.

I'm very pleased with the URC support folks. I just called them and told them about the dead battery, and they're putting a new battery in the mail now.

I can take my MX-980 off the cradle fully charged, use a few minutes and then leave it on the coffee table unused. After a couple days, sometime even the next day it will not have a charge. It has been like this ever since I got it. I'm assuming it is a battery issue but I have been too lazy to replace it at the moment. The remote is used for my secondary system and is used only occasionally so it hasn't gotten on my nerves for awhile. I will be getting a replacement battery and see how it goes from there.

Thanks Dale,

I called URC and they shipped a new battery out, it has helped but still can't go for longer than 5 days off the cradle. If this is how the remote is going hold a charge I will just put it on the charger every night. (not a big deal, because otherwise the remote is great) I guess I was just spoiled with my MX-810. Thanks for your help.

Also, I have never had an issue of the remote not properly charging, it fits perfectly in the dock.

Happy New Year Everyone!

--Chris

I believe Dale already stated earlier in this thread that the 980 is designed to be recharged every night.

I know, that is why I put this line in my response:

If this is how the remote is going hold a charge I will just put it on the charger every night.


URC sent me an MX-810 battery, and it holds a charge much better than my original MX-980 battery.

Thanks for your post though.

The MX810, MX880, MX950 & MX980 all use the exact same battery, so you got a MX980 battery...Keep us posted on the life of the replacement please.

Actually I don't believe they do, on my replacement battery it specifically stated this was an MX-810 battery and the MX-810 battery has 1100mAh and the MX-980 battery had 1000mAh.

I also switched my original battery from the MX-810 which can last me almost a month in my remote with casual use, and it only produced the same 4-5 day life span with almost no use. I think to Dale's point the issue is the power drain of the remote not the battery, with the 980 really consuming and the 810 not nearly as much.

I do think there were a bad batch of MX-980 batteries and URC is attempting to get them out of circulation. (just my 2c)

I got my 980 right after they came out and I get 2 days good use before it hits the 40% warning. So I could get 3 evenings if I needed to. But I am a heavy DVR user, and the remote sits on the couch and the backlight pops on eveytime someone moves. I have been happy with the battery life so far. It is good to know that I can easily get replacement batteries though.

This really sucks. I have a 980 on the way. I'm currently using a TX1000 and it goes at 3-6 months on 4 AA's. (costco cheap).

I have a frind with another "high end" remote, his battery lasts for weeks without recharging.

Sounds like URC really missed the boat....

Charging a remote everyday? That's crazy. I don't charge my cell phone, cordless phone or anyting else EVERY DAY for a $600 product, you'd think they could figure out power management.

In this day and age of low power cheap IC's, this is astonishing. It's not like they are powering the back light or anything (while not in use)

URC is still the best price/performance so I will learn to live with it. I hope my experiance is better.

Same here. My beta test unit (now well over a year old) still retains a charge for 2-3 days off the cradle, so I think it's more of a bad battery issue than a design one.

Regarding the battery type, it's true that the MX-950, 810, 880 and 980 all use the same battery. There are some variations in mAh rating, but using one with 1050 mAh or higher will work fine.

Mike