I read a lot of discussion about battery life and the effects
of a PCMCIA card on that life since I first logged on here, and
since some of the suggestions and statements were contradictory
I resolved to run my own tests which I finally got to this weekend.

The following are the results;


     State                              Curr(ma)
 Off  No Card     App Mgr                   0.37
 On   No Card     App Mgr                  24    
 On   No Card     Dos (serial on)          30
 On   No Card     Dos (CPU Active)         60-70

 On   Modem Card  App Mgr                  65
 On   Modem Card  Data Com Command Mode   134
 On   Modem Card  Data Com OffHook        354
 On   Modem Card  Data Com OnLine         390 +-10
 On   Modem Card  CC3144 after connect     65
 On   Modem Card  XJ1144 after connect    135

     (Add 5ma for same in Dos)
     
     following in DOS with serial port "on"

 On   Flash Card  Card Init?               60
 On   Flash Card  Inactive                 31
 On   Flash Card  Copy to Flash Card      265 * 13.0sec =3.445 amp/sec 
 On   Flash Card  Copy from Flash Card    190-70 * 4sec ~ .520 amp/sec
 
 On   RAM Card    Inactive                 31
 On   Ram Card    Copy to Ram Card         60 *  3.5sec = .210 amp/sec
 On   Ram Card    Copy from Ram Card       60 *  3.5sec = .210 amp/sec
 

Details;

All measurements were made with with the LX200 powered by
it's NiCad internal batteries only.

Readings (except power off reading) were taken with a
3.5 digit a digital vom set in 2amp range.

The connection to the battery compartment was made by leaving
the batteries in place and slipping two wires with spade
connectors on either side of the center battery compartment
divider, then sliding a thin strip of stiff mylar between one
of the connectors and the metal strip on the divider.

Two different Megahertz 14,400 baud PCMCIA modems were used in
duplicate tests.  They were a model CC3144 and an XJ1144

The Flash ROM card was an uncompressed 15mb IBM (Sun) card
containing about 3mb of data.

The RAM card was a 1mb Verbatim RAM card containing no files.

Flash and RAM card copy tests were made with a 500k balanced file.

===================================================

Findings;

It appears that when the CPU is active, it increases the battery
demand by about 30-40ma.

The Modem Cards tested did not draw in Off State, but does more
than double the current draw when installed with the LX ON and
not using the PCMCIA Comm port.

While the PCMCIA modems showed similar current demands in use,
it was significant to note that the XJ1144 did not completely
shut down following comm sessions.  With the XJ1144, following
a com session, current draw was 5-6 TIMES HIGHER leaving the 
modem in the LX than with the modem removed.

The comparison between total battery demand between Flash and RAM
cards is significant.

When time is figured into the equation, the Flash ROM card consumed
16.4 times as much power than the RAM card when WRITING the same
data to the card.

File READS from a Flash Card consumed 2-3 times as much power but
took approximately the same amount of power.

In general, if you are not using a card other than a memory card
and do not have specific information on the LX's current when
that card is installed, you should probably remove it when the
card is not needed.

Also, remembering the story of the coin that made it's way into
one user's PCMCIA slot and having had a similar experience with
business card, I keep the plastic dummy card that shipped with
the unit in place any time I remove a card.

 Hope this helps extend a few battery lives.
 Beverly Howard


Note... this text has also been uploaded as LXBAT.TXT in hopes
that it will stay available for reference.

