PS3 Controller Battery Life

[Pushki]

I have two PS3 controllers (genuine Sony) that I bought separately from the machine.
The batteries in both of them give me barely half an hours use before I get the message on-screen to recharge.
I could be in the middle of a fire-fight and suddenly the buttons stop working.

The original controller that came with the Playstation I have no problem with and will last for hours.

I found a re-set procedure on-line which didn't cure the problem.
Does anyone else have this problem?

I see they sell after-market batteries on eBay for a few quid each.
Has anyone tried these and did they work?

[judderod]

Maybe fakes?

Mine last weeks at a time but I don't play much. Maybe 24hrs total gaming between charges? And they're about 2 years old.

[JayJay]

My PS3 controller has just died after 3 years use, loses charge right after it's disconnected. Was about to buy some new ones (genuine sony @ £35 each! :O) but I'm interested in this battery idea?

[Pushki]

I'm convinced they're not fakes.
They both came from different sources and the build quality is what you would expect from Sony.

Maybe you could be a guinea pig for me JayJay.

[bennyboy]

I cant imagine it'd be difficult to get them apart and source a new battery yourself, even from Maplins or similar. I just had to do the same with an old Dreamcast machine. What are they? NiMH?

[RattyMcClelland]

Batteries dont last forever and ideally need charging to full from empty.
Mine last 30hours ish.

[JayJay]

Batteries dont last forever and ideally need charging to full from empty.
Mine last 30hours ish.

Yeah, batteries should ideally be fully charged, removed as soon as fully charged, fully depleted then charged again. A full cycle. Otherwise I think they lose their "zero point" I've read, and it cannot charge properly? Not sure how true that is, maybe it's just laptop batteries

Maybe you could be a guinea pig for me JayJay.

You buy 'em, I test 'em

[Pushki]

Both controller's batteries have never lasted long since I've had them.
I know about fully charging and depleting rechargeable batteries.
It sounds like nobody else has had this same issue. Maybe I just got unlucky.

What I'll do is buy one of the eBay batteries and report back. They're cheap enough!

[JayJay]

Let me know! I was very impressed with the fact that my single controller lasted 3 years of use. If the battery does work it'll save me lot of money buying another one!

[Pushki]

*UPDATE*

I've just taken all three of my controllers apart including the good working one.

I'm now convinced that the two with the dodgy batteries are FAKE!
They have completely different internals and the batteries are smaller and have no text on them. They are also soldered to the PCB whereas the original has a connector.

I'm going to order a couple of the cheap Chinese batteries from eBay and solder them in place of the old ones.
These

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If you're after replacing the original battery, here are the specifications (taken from the original Sony battery);

• Model: LIP1359 Li-ion
  3.7v 570mAh/2.1Wh
  Maximum Charge - Current 0.4A
  Maximum Charge - Voltage 4.2v
  (Typ. 610mAh)

I found some of these on eBay. They're after-market as Sony don't sell them AFAIK, and they're a lot more expensive than the ones I'm going to buy. They have the correct model number and spec' from what I can tell.
These

I'll update with my results when the new batteries are fitted and have been road tested.