ok I have it set on 240 seconds for backlight on, and 240 seconds for display on.

I bought the thing 17 days ago and I've had to recharge it three times. I admit the first 10 days or so, I had it on tons (programming, etc.).

But the last couple of days I only used it "normally," and it had to be recharged.

So I'm guessing I have a "bum" NiMH battery.

For average use my RC5000 battery charge last 4 to 5 weeks

Tony,
I would guess the 240/240 settings are longer than most people set. I think mine is set to about 45/45. I'm sure that's what sucking up your batteries. I guess a bum battery is a possibility, but maybe not.

At any rate, I always leave my RC5000 in the docking station unless I'm actually using it. So it's always fully charged. It also keeps me from misplacing the remote.

tony,
pronto/rc5k nimh batteries are rated at 1200 mAH (charge capacity in milliAmp-Hours). i believe the lcd w/ backlight on draws about 300 mA. this means that u should have about 4 hours of usage (in real worls, it is probably more like 3 1/2 hours)

if it is much shorter than that, i think ur batteries may not be charging properly.

In that case, having to recharge every few days (using a backlight time of 240 seconds and a display time of 240 seconds) sounds reasonable, thanks.

So I also assume that most people set their backlights for a much shorter duration than 240 seconds.

fyi... i set mine at 30 sec.

The only warning about setting the backlight to that long: the EL backlight panels used have a defined lifespan, after which they start getting dimmer. Though the lifespan is in the thousands of hours, you stand to suck the life up a lot sooner if you keep the backlight on for minutes longer at a time than you actually need.

If you work it out, say using your remote for 10 things throughout the day, the backlight will be on for 40 minutes a day. It won't take long to eat up that 3 1/2 hour battery life. 4 to 5 days is probably the most you can expect. Drop it down below 60 seconds, and the charge should last up to a month...