Battery Drain in Skip1 (2022 version)

[Baptiste]

Hey there,

I have an original Skip 1 from the pre-order days and I seem to be running into battery issues plenty of other users have run into. These issues have been happening since purchase.
My rechargeable batteries last anywhere from 5 days to 10 days tops.
I waited for a long time for a firmware update that would fix it but there doesn't seem to be any in a long time now and it doesn't seem to be clear if there will be another firmware update, though I also only sometimes check the forums so unsure of that. I do see that Jason is still an active member of the community so that's nice to see! 

This post also mentions firmware issues with a potential firmware fix but the link for 4.12.28 seems to be down

Remote Model: Release A05
Firmware: 4.12.12
Skip App: 0.9.993
Windows 10 (ESU enabled)

P.S. Minus the battery issue, it's a 10/10 remote. The weight, feel, ability to control media center with 1 remote, etc.

Edited October 19, 2025 by Baptiste

[Baptiste]

Updated Skip App to 0.9.994-RC from this post:

Seems to be the latest RC I can find. 
Followed guide to attach support docs.

Skip-Support-20251019-0542.zip

[Baptiste]

Read more of the thread above (Battery does not last for more than a day) to try to understand solutions.
Got to this part:

• Close the software
• Unplug the USB-C cable
• Remove the batteries.
• Press and hold the return and center key while you insert the USB-C cable (image attached)
• Start the software

Put the remote in DFU mode and it updated to 4.14.0. 
Happy to hear that, will test for a while and see what happens with new batteries tomorrow. 

2 things:

1. I noticed that updating from Skip App 0.9.993 to 0.9.994 fixed a bug where the remote was constantly unplugging and plugging back in in Windows
2. Updating the firmware changed the remote model from Release A05 to Release A06. Strange?

Edited October 19, 2025 by Baptiste

[Baptiste]

Ok, I fully charged my batteries and left them on the charger for a bit, then removed them and measured their voltage every few hours till it stopped dropping and stayed stable for proper measurement over time (went from ~1.420V to ~1.400V so these batteries seem pretty stable and still in good shape).

As of 7:45PM on Oct 19, these are the voltages when the back of the remote is facing you:
Left compartment: 1.400V
Right compartment: 1.405V

I'll check in a few days and see what the voltage is like.

My typical use case for a weekday is about 1-3 hours of TV usage a day, and I don't channel flip, just use streaming apps. So typically will use the remote for a few minutes and let it sit for 15-30 mins before I need to use it again. So actually very little usage in that time, minus some volume changes or a quick pause here and there. 

Edited October 19, 2025 by Baptiste
Typos

[Baptiste]

Ok back with results.
It's Oct 26 at 3:20PM, making it 7 days (minus a few hours) since I started my test. I'd say my usage this week was lighter than usual but probably enough for a test.
I attached the logs before removing the batteries to test the voltage. If I understand correctly, removing the batteries wipes the on remote logs(?).

Left compartment: 1.363V
Right compartment: 1.367V

That actually seems pretty decent to me, let me do some quick math.
Starting voltage was ~1.400
Current voltage after a week is ~1.365
Means in 1 week we decreased our voltage by 0.035 volts. 
I am going to assume the remote cuts off at 1.2V since it probably has a higher demand than a normal TV remote because of the LEDs and processor, etc. So it has a 0.200V range in this case.
35/200 = 0.175 or 17.5% used. 
So we've used 17.5% total of our power in 1 week, meaning these batteries should last 5.7 weeks total. Almost 6 weeks on rechargeable. A store bought AAA non-rechargeable with a starting voltage of 1.5V should last even longer. 

This is a lot of basic math and assumptions, nobody take this as a proper guide haha. 

If my math and assumptions are correct, that latest firmware I updated to would in-fact have fixed my battery issues. I'll follow back up when the batteries properly die. 

Somethings I would like to know if Jason sees this:
What is the low end cut off voltage?
What is the expected life span of lets say brand new 2 X AAA Duracell batteries? 

Thanks for coming to my TEDx, next week I'll be making gross and over simplified explanations of quantum entanglement. 

Skip-Support-20251026-1912.zip

[Baptiste]

Back after several months with results, which have gone beyond my expectations! 
One revisions I want to make is I use my TV less than I thought, I said 1-3 hours a day before. It's more like 1 - 1.5 hours a day. 
Remember, starting voltage was 1.4V on Oct 19, and today it's April 8, so almost 6 months later!

Current battery voltages (on rechargeable batteries):

Left compartment: 1.276V
Right compartment: 1.266V

I don't believe anyone has changed the batteries in that time, so these have lasted way beyond my expectations. 

I will keep going and wait to see what voltage the remote cuts out.

But I am 100% confident that that firmware update has fixed my issues, and highly recommend it for anyone who has battery drain issues.