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Surge battery won't hold a charge

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‎10-20-2020 18:24 - last edited on ‎09-30-2021 16:53 by Fitbit Moderator

‎10-20-2020 18:24 - last edited on ‎09-30-2021 16:53 by Fitbit Moderator

I just got a FitBit Surge from my sister, but it was sitting unused for a couple of years. I had to order a new charger cable due to it being missing, and it has been charging for the past 5 hours. If I take it off of the charger, it dies. However, the battery icon indicates that it is full, as does the app. I was able to connect everything just fine, but it won't let me do a firmware update. All other functions that I have been able to see are working fine. I have already restarted the device, and have cleaned the pins. I know it was a gift, and it is several years old, but it would be awesome if I could get it working again, because I really cannot afford to get a new one. Can y'all help me, please?

 

Moderator Edit: Clarified subject

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‎10-27-2020 00:55

‎10-27-2020 00:55

Hi, @BlakeIngram it sounds like your battery is dead. If a tracker sits unused for years the battery will slowly deplete, this is why people buying "new" old trackers like Surge or Ones are experiencing dead batteries in many cases. Mine died after 5 years and I purchased a new battery and installed it myself, it's working wonderfully. I've since replaced batteries in about a dozen Surges for others. It's slightly tricky to install as this device wasn't made for servicing but with patience it's doable. The replacement batteries are only 100-120mAh vs the original 160mAh so they get around 75% of the life between charges (like 2-3 days instead of 4-5) but run perfectly. Cheers!

PS. Amazingly, I recently purchased several brand new Fitbit Surges, most all had dead batteries from sitting for years. MOST, but not all. Some were perfectly fine out of the box, so it's just the luck of the draw I'm guessing.

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1 REPLY 1

‎10-27-2020 00:55

‎10-27-2020 00:55

Hi, @BlakeIngram it sounds like your battery is dead. If a tracker sits unused for years the battery will slowly deplete, this is why people buying "new" old trackers like Surge or Ones are experiencing dead batteries in many cases. Mine died after 5 years and I purchased a new battery and installed it myself, it's working wonderfully. I've since replaced batteries in about a dozen Surges for others. It's slightly tricky to install as this device wasn't made for servicing but with patience it's doable. The replacement batteries are only 100-120mAh vs the original 160mAh so they get around 75% of the life between charges (like 2-3 days instead of 4-5) but run perfectly. Cheers!

PS. Amazingly, I recently purchased several brand new Fitbit Surges, most all had dead batteries from sitting for years. MOST, but not all. Some were perfectly fine out of the box, so it's just the luck of the draw I'm guessing.

Best Answer