Clove Technology Cameron Sino Battery Quick Review
July 1st, 2008 by Jon Bradbury
Introduction
Clove Technology, a UK supplier of Eee PCs and accessories, has begun offering a cheap alternative to the (as yet unseen) ASUS extended battery. These are made by the Chinese firm Cameron Sino, and are available in 4-cell 5200mAh and 6600mAh 6-cell variants.
Given the uncertainty over the ASUS UK 900 Eee PC battery upgrade offer, it seemed a good idea to revisit these batteries, and perform some comparative performance tests against the ASUS batteries that come with the 701 and 900 Eee PC variants.
Appearance.
First off, let’s consider the appearance. All the batteries here are suitable for fitting to white Eee PCs. The CS (Cameron Sino) 5200mAh battery has been sprayed with a pearlescent finish that is very close to, but not quite the same colour as, the standard ASUS Pearl White batteries. The difference is quite difficult to capture with a digital camera.
See what I mean? The CS is on the right, but this shot exaggerates the differences somewhat. In practice, you barely notice the difference; it is slightly darker in shade. The CS 6600 mAh battery is a different matter, though, as it is finished in matte white plastic, unpainted, so it is very similar to the finish of the Eee PC 700 (2G) Surf models. Fitted to the 900, it doesn’t really matter that much; all you are missing out on is a bit of pearlescent sheen.
I’ve tried to take a better shot in daylight of all three here (CS 6600mAh on the top, CS5200 bottom left, ASUS 4400 bottom right).
The CS batteries are, of course, available for the Galaxy Black Eee PCs, but I’m not able to compare their colour against a black Eee PC as I don’t have one to hand.
Update : eeeuser forum member GrahamK posted some excellent images here.
Physical dimensions and fit
The CS 5200mAh battery, as has been commented on elsewhere, is a little bit tight fitting, because it is marginally bigger in size when compared to the equivalent ASUS battery. No such problems with the larger 6600mAh CS battery, though; it seems to fit much more easily into the Eee PC’s battery slot. However, because it is a six cell battery, the manufacturers have had to make a decision as to where to put the extra two cells, and they have elected to extend the battery backwards.
There it is, sticking out by around 1cm. The other option would have been to mount the extra cells underneath the battery pack, thus raising the back of the machine. What the CS battery does, therefore, is not alter the height of the rear of the keyboard, but in return you are unable to open the screen as far as you would have done had you opted for the other design. This next picture demonstrates how far back you can push the screen, before the CS battery gets in the way.
Weight-wise there’s not much difference between the three 4-cell batteries - they all come in around 200g on my (admittedly not too accurate) kitchen scales. Understandably, the 6-Cell battery weighs an extra 75g.
Performance
Before I state how much battery life each of the batteries on test yielded, I’ll explain my testing method.
All testing was performed with a 20Gb Linux 900 upgraded to 2Gb of memory. The test comprised of fully charging the battery under test, then (from within a shell window) launching a shell script (click on the link to see it - I posted it in the UK battery thread last week) that writes a timestamp and some battery information into a file, then repeatedly touches the file with a 10 second delay. The Linux “touch” command simply updates the “last altered” timestamp on the file. Then, with the wi-fi turned on and associated with an access point, a compressed AVI file was run in the foreground using SM Player on repeat. The machine was then left alone to run down its battery (at which point it would shutdown automatically). The next time the machine was booted, the file was examined and the in-file timestamp compared with the file’s last modified timestamp (using the command “ls -l <file>”) to derive a run time duration for the battery. This was done for the ASUS 4400mAh battery (supplied with the UK 900), the ASUS 5200 mAh battery (supplied with the UK 701), the CS 5200mAh battery and the CS 6600MAh battery.
The results, then:-
- ASUS 4400mAh : 1 hr 58 minutes
- ASUS 5200mAh : 2 hrs 34 minutes
- Cameron Sino 5200mAh : 2hrs 17 minutes
- Cameron Sino 6600mAh : 4hrs 37 minutes
For some reason the 6600mAh battery is giving much better performance than might otherwise be expected, considering it only has an extra 1400mAh capacity over its smaller sibling. I re-ran the test, thinking that I’d made an error of some sort, and again it yielded 4hrs 39 minutes. Impressive.
Some other things I’ve observed whilst using the 6600 mAh battery:
- With wi-fi off, and watching uncompressed video stream files from a WD Passport LifeDrive (320Gb) USB powered hard drive, I usually manage 1hr 20 mins before getting the first low power warning with the ASUS 5200 mAh battery. With the CS 6600 mAh battery, I can do this for twice the time and still have 60% battery life.
- The CS 6600mAh battery will take around 3 hours 45 mins to recharge from flat.
- Running the standard test without wifi turned on will give you over 5 hours of usage with the 6600mAh battery.
Here’s something else that is interesting. If you divide the rated power of the battery by the number of minutes of life, you get an approximation of the average number of mAh that the life of the battery is reduced by every minute. For all the batteries under test, apart from the CS 6600mAh model, this figure is around 35mAh. The figure for the 6600mAh battery is 23.8, much lower. This is not because the Eee PC is drawing less power from the battery, it is because the battery has more capacity than is stated on its label. Working backwards from a drain of 35mAh / minute for 4 hrs 37 mins (277 minutes) gives you a theoretical capacity of 9695mAh, which is a real surprise.
Please note that I’m not asserting it really does have this capacity. We observe in the test that it is giving uenexpectedly long life, so I’ve used some simple math to try to quantify what that extra capacity might be.
A note about “jump starting”.
Some reviewers have noted that the Cameron Sino batteries suffer from the so called “Jump Starting” problem. This is where you change to a CS battery, but the machine refuses to boot up until you plug it into the mains adapter. Then, on unplugging, the battery continues as normal.
I’m pleased to say that this has not occurred once with these particular batteries.
Prices.
There are many places to get these batteries from, but most of them are overseas eBay sellers. My recommendation would be to leave them and order from a reputable UK source. Thankfully, Clove are offering them at reasonable prices (£29.38 inc. VAT for the 5200mAh variant, and £41.12 inc. VAT for the 6600mAh) and as they have a reputation for top notch after sales service you can buy with confidence.
Conclusion.
I have to recommend the Clove Technology / Cameron Sino 6600mAh battery on performance alone. Sure, it sticks out a little at the back of the machine and interferes with the screen’s normal opening angle, but it lasted much longer than I had any right to expect, and in normal use the extra bulk isn’t such a big deal. That’s why I put my money where my mouth is, and bought one.
So, with this battery, the Eee PC 900 delivers on its promise of portability. Just imagine how much more mileage you’ll get on a 701…
Final note : My thanks to Clove Technology for supplying the two Cameron Sino batteries for testing.
July 1st, 2008 at 9:29 am
Lovely review, I thank you VERY much for taking the time to test and write this up. Now, for those of us cursed to live in the land of Crazy Evil Presidential Types, is there a vendor of these batteries who ships to the US?
July 1st, 2008 at 11:20 am
Haha, I like how you put that. I too am wondering about the US.
July 1st, 2008 at 2:15 pm
Errrr… have you tried Clove Technology (www.clove.co.uk)? Looking at their terms, it appears they will ship outside the EU (and you pay the price exclusive of VAT). I recommend going to their website and using the “Contact Us” link to ask.
July 1st, 2008 at 3:41 pm
Hello,
Very interesting-just one question-what would you get on the 701 4G using the big 66oo
thank you
July 1st, 2008 at 3:45 pm
I ordered the CS 6600mah battery from SuperGPS.co.uk for about £10 more than Clove about 4 weeks ago, first use was on a flight to America I couldn’t believe that this battery delivered 6 hours OpenOffice usage on my 701 4G running Mandriva switched to the Asus 4400 standard and got about 3 hours from similar usage… didn’t make sense to me, but really happy with my CS battery.
July 1st, 2008 at 7:42 pm
Thanks for a very informative post. I always appreciate it when I can get real measured performance data!
One thing to consider about the surprising performance with the 6600 mAh battery - the actual energy delivered from a charged battery depends on how fast it is discharged, relative to its rated capacity C. C is measured with a particular discharge rate, typically C/4. If you discharge it faster than that (say C/2), you will get less energy out of it. So the smaller batteries may actually be delivering less than their rated value, and the current draw may be smaller than you thought. Since the bigger battery has large C (more mAh), it can supply the current without losing capacity.
Anyhow, they are great results - I can’t wait to see how these batteries will work with the Atom-powered 901!
July 1st, 2008 at 8:20 pm
Great review! I’m thinking to get 6600 mAh now as a backup battery. I can get 3-3.5 hours with wi-fi on with my current, original 5800 mAh battery, but having an other one for long flight would be nice..
July 1st, 2008 at 9:26 pm
http://cgi.ebay.de/POWER-AKKU-FUR-ASUS-eeePC-eee-PC-10400-mAh-weiss_W0QQitemZ130234797438QQihZ003QQcategoryZ18547QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
What about 10400mA ? Oo
July 2nd, 2008 at 6:37 am
Claw : My feeling is “beware of eBay sellers offering li-ion batteries”. That’s why I recommend buying it from someone like Clove.
Mark : I did say my math was simple… but an interesting thing came up - someone at clove said a customer opened the battery up and found it was actually a 7800mAh capacity (from reading the ratings on the cells). Disclaimer : YMMV.
I don’t think the battery will fit on a 901, they are said to be different.
ysanbelle : Yes, I should have done the test on a 4G as well, but I didn’t have time. Maybe next weekend…
July 2nd, 2008 at 7:19 am
Just ordered the black 6600mAh battery from Clove for shipment to the US — total price, including shipping, is 48 pounds (35 for the battery, 13 for shipping), or approximately $95.50.
July 2nd, 2008 at 8:04 am
Very interested if it will work with the EEE901 or even if they will bring out a new battery to suit.
July 2nd, 2008 at 8:27 am
[...] Psion, have released for sale two extended batteries for the Asus Eee range, and Eeeuser.com have a full review of them. For just over £40(inc. VAT) for the larger extended battery, Eeeuser gained a lot of [...]
July 2nd, 2008 at 4:07 pm
thanks for the brilliant post, and also well done on securing such a brilliant website at the beginning of the eeepc’s life. you’ve established a brilliant community that I am very proud to be a part of.
You often cover news on new product and i came across these stories, your already proberly on these but i thought id bring them up anyway.
http://www.electronista.com/articles/08/07/01/asus.eee.pc.904.hd/
http://www.electronista.com/articles/08/07/01/eee.monitor.official.shots/
Cheers, UK
July 3rd, 2008 at 1:30 am
That you very much for your efforts testing it..
Im very interested in the 66oomAh one..
But, does it still fit in the neoprene cover?
I really like the cover, and I don’t want to leave my Eee unprotected / have to buy a new (bigger) one.
Thanks
July 3rd, 2008 at 5:27 am
Titan - yes it will still fit in the neoprene cover. It’s actually quite a good fit.
July 4th, 2008 at 11:16 am
Ordered the 6600 from Clove yesterday after reading your review, had it this morning first thing. It’s replacing my 4400 on the 701. Only just finished charging it, but after your review I’m confident it’s going to boost performance significantly. And with my original battery as a back up I’m confident that I can get a good 6 hours work done without being tethered to a power point.
July 4th, 2008 at 3:06 pm
I ordered one from Clove, but they emailed me the next day stating they were waiting for more stock.
July 4th, 2008 at 11:16 pm
yap, the same to me, out of stock
Hopefully we’ll get it soon. Clove should pay some bonus for a good review, he spent quite a time to test batteries..
July 5th, 2008 at 8:31 am
Well lops you should tell them…
July 7th, 2008 at 8:24 am
That’s a definite must have! Thanx!
http://myphillynetwork.com/content/still-love-eee
July 9th, 2008 at 1:31 pm
The same batteries are aso sold via:
http://www.batteryupgrade.com/search.php?searchphrase=eee&laps=true
Good service and no shipping costs
July 10th, 2008 at 11:00 am
On the Asus EEE website I found this:
6 Cells, 4.2 ~ 8 hrs*(Genuine Windows® XP Home)
6 Cells, 4.5 ~6 hrs*(Linux)
This was on the product page of the 901, is it true that the Windows version will have a better battery life, are there any comparisons someone could link me to? And if there is such a difference what is the reason, does the Linux version not support the “Super Hybrid Engine” and thus have a lower battery life?
July 10th, 2008 at 7:05 pm
But that does not even make sense. The Windows version stradles the battery life range of the linux version - it might power the unit for a shorter time as well as longer!
July 16th, 2008 at 10:24 pm
The 6600maH battery in black just arrived from Clove! It’s attached to my 701 and charging, and despite its deeper dimensions. the whole thing fits (albeit snugly) in my CarryMobile EeePC Leather Case http://www.carrymobile.com/scripts/main/viewitem.php?itemid=ASEEEPLCBT1BK&pdaid=EEEP
July 17th, 2008 at 7:59 am
my cell is not enough always for eeepc. The 6600maH is a solution! I got a eeepc leather case from Carrymobile.com too. just fits. thanks clove, carrymobile and asus. sodic.
July 17th, 2008 at 9:07 am
Hi Gord NYC,
I am also waiting on my 6600 MaH battery from clove to come in. How did you get yours by? UPS, Fedex, USPS? Just curious….
Thanks
Vince
July 17th, 2008 at 4:01 pm
I just received mine today and it is brilliant. It’s noticeably heavier, of course, but not to the point of detracting from the eee pc. I like the fact that the battery stops the screen from tipping over. I consider that a bonus.
July 19th, 2008 at 8:24 am
Just got my battery in yesterday. Since I live in Michigan, it arrive by airmail. Found it waiting on my porch. Was in a little box I was surprised, but I shouldn’t be given the size of the eee, but I was just expecting something bigger
Anyway, I charged it up yesterday evening, will run some tests to see how much mileage I get out of this baby on my black 701 G.
I must say the fit and finish matches pretty well to the existing unit. The only noticeable difference is as everyone says, it protrudes out, but it is no big deal in my opinion. Will keep you all posted on the times I can get on this.
Vince
July 21st, 2008 at 1:32 pm
Is this battery discussed in the forums? Can you give a link? Thanks.
July 22nd, 2008 at 11:59 pm
The confusion as to why the larger battery lasts longer can be explained rationally - the faster you discharge a battery, the less effective capacity. There is therefore NOT a linear relationship to capacity. An analogy is this: filling a glass with beer at a rapid rate causes a load of froth and less beer in the glass when the froth has died down. Pour the beer in slowly and you end up with a full glass.
A battery capacity is rated on a constant discharge over a specific period, for example 4 hours. So if for example your battery is rated at 2000mAh for a 4 hour discharge it will provide less than 2000mAh if you discharge it at a faster rate than 500mA. The greater the discharge rate, the less capacity realised.
July 23rd, 2008 at 9:05 am
I received the 6600 battery today, and left it to charge. I got just over 5 hours of ‘normal’ office use out of my 900 running Xandros ‘advanced’. I deliberately left wifi on, but used a usb 3g card for internet connections. During that time I performed normal work-like actions; downloading files, editing them via Openoffice, browsing the web and, just for fun, running Google earth for 1/2 hour.
July 24th, 2008 at 4:43 pm
jut got a clove technology 6600 Cameron Sino Battery from clove technology so far happy with performance about 4hrs 30. However when I do a battery info i get the design capacity reading as 4400mah surely this cannot be right.
thanks in advance
August 12th, 2008 at 4:35 am
My review, results below, not anywhere near as good as stated in the review or comments I am afraid…
Stock battery, Wifi On, Screen 50%, 2hrs:15mins
Stock battery, Wifi off, Screen 10%, 2hrs:40mins
CS Battery, Wifi On, Screen 50%, 3hrs:25mins
CS Battery, Wifi off, Screen 20%, 4hrs:06mins
my posting inthe forum
http://forum.eeeuser.com/viewtopic.php?pid=345652#p345652
duff battery? now shipping with reduced capacity??
September 23rd, 2008 at 7:32 pm
i wonder if this could work as an extra battery in the 1000H for extra-long plane flights and the like? you could probably make it last an entire camping trip…