Replacement batteries

[st3vet]

This is still good advice.  Thank you FTT

[piglet22]

Wretched thing.

I have a couple of new BT HD Voice digital phones that came with the new Smart 2 router.

I don't know what the model number is and I don't seem to have any instruction.

What is noticeable with this phone is just how quickly, compared to other cordless phones, the batteries run down.

So I thought I would open up the battery compartment to see what was inside.

There are three dots/bumps on the back of the phone on an obvious compartment lid.

I struggled for a while, pressing on the dots, tried sliding the lid, absolutely wouldn't budge. It came close to the big screwdriver and club hammer method.

Then, by luck, it came open.

The technique, reproducible, was for righthanded folk, hold the phone face down in your left hand so that you have your thumb along the left side and four fingers along the right side.

Use the side of the index finger of your right hand, and thumb for support, press down on the three dots while applying force to slide towards the base of the phone.

Click, it comes apart.

You can see why if's difficult because there is a substantial tab on the lid that needs a good press down to release it.

There is a label that describes it as Essential Digital Home Phone, Item number 090257.

The batteries are 850-mA (two off) AAA size.

That's half the morning gone.

[gg30340]

Out of interest prior to opening it what did you think you would find in the "battery compartment"?

[piglet22]

Well, it certainly wasn't the wining lottery number.

Of course, I didn't know what was what was going to be inside it, but with a few years experience of these things, I naturally assumed there might be batteries inside, but until I could get the lid off, it was all guesswork.

If it said battery compartment, and press and slide here, it wouldn't have been a problem.

The fact that I made it here after some frustrating time trying not to damage the thing, tells me that I probably aren't the only one who has had problems.

But it was all worthwhile, I can now easily open it up, I know what type and capacity the batteries are, and probably have the reason why it needs charging more frequently that other cordless phones I have had.

As an ex-industrial equipment designer, I would probably have used a screw to secure the lid.

This is the second day I have had trouble with battery compartments.

I tried to open up a new "smart" WiFi touch switch to fit the unsupplied CR2032 cells.

That was worse than the phone. There was a screwdriver blade slot, but it was a close call between snapping the plastic and releasing the tabs. That was with the luxury of having it in my hand. The mind boggles how someone might get on when the thing is stuck, yes, self adhesive, on the wall.

[gg30340]

You didn't say which model of Digital Phone you have so these links might be of use to you.

BT-Essential-Digital-Home-Phone-UserGuide.pdf

see page 33 of the guide.

BT Essential Digital Home Phone | BT Help

BT-Advanced-Digital-Home-Phone-User-Guide.pdf

See page 35 of the guide.

BT Advanced Digital Home Phone | BT Help

[piglet22]

Thanks

That's interesting.

Both phones arrived arrived in the same package as the Hub, plus one disc.

On the outside, they look the same, but get into them, they are different.

The compartment lid has a different release tab, the sticker inside is different, the AAA batteries are higher capacity in one  (900mA hr instead of 830mA hr). There are differences in the inner plastic mouldings and information imprinted is different.

Both are described as Essential Digital Home Phone, one is Type A, the other is type B.

70-mA hr difference might not seem a lot, but it might explain the shorter life off the charger.

To my mind when whoever puts these packages together, you might reasonably expect to get two identical phones, but clearly not.

As long as they work, I guess it's OK.

[barnpiece]

See: Solved: Re: Digital Voice Essentials Home Phone 1.0 - Type... - BT Community

for more about the difference.

Richard

[piglet22]

Thanks for that additional information.

I still find it odd that they send out mixtures of phones.

I must correct one bit of information.

In the excitement of removing the compartment lid, I gave a bit of duff information (failing eyesight)

The type A handset has 800mA hr batteries and the type B has 850-mA hr batteries.

The off charger performance is nowhere as good as the Siemens Gigaset E49H DECT phone it replaced

[ilmostro]

Use a plastic bottle, worked well for me, just push down gently and the back cover should pull off easily:

Plastic Bottle Phone Opener!