MK Ipilot link remote battery life

[Diesel Pro]

I have the fancy Ipilot link remote with the rechargeable battery rigged new in 2018. Never really gave the battery a second thought but this year I found it to be low on charge so i had to keep it plugged in while running. Previous outing I left it plugged in to charge overnight while the batteries charged. Unplugged the next morning and parked in storage. About 2 weeks passed and decided to get out fishing. This time I knew I wanted to be sure it was working so I snagged it out of the boat and sure enough, dead as a doornail. Would not even fire up unless plugged in so I charged it in the truck on the way to the lake. An hour later still charging so I ran with it plugged in most of the day. Took it with me in the truck and plugged in to top off. Left it sit overnight and still shows full charge. I see that the batteries are available and plenty of reviews so they must be selling a bunch, but 3 years out of a lithium ion battery? That's pretty sad. These units have only been out since 2018 from what I have seen.

Deep down I guess I know that I need to order a replacement, but the fact that it held overnight gives me pause. Do these things play possum or is the writing on the wall and just replace?

[WranglerSS]

I bought one of the micro remotes and battery life is tons better. Downside is you don't have the screen to see what the motor is doing so I use the sidebar view on one of my Solix units to see prop speed and such.

[bobcoy]

2018 on mine. No issues, but it stays plugged in while on the water. Has sat for months and always runs when I use it. I have a spare I bought last year in case. Like phone batteries some keep going and some die young. Minn Kota ipilot link battery 3.0 2390710. On Ebay: https://www.ebay.com/itm/16366668512...QAAOSwnFBhCbcb

[Diesel Pro]

My typical outing has the remote around my neck trolling for hours at a time using Legacy Auto Pilot and Cruise control often. I am frequently nudging the direction arrows for course adjustment.

[MichAngler]

I bought mine in 2017 and use it exclusively

Really I can't use the pedal so I run the motor entirely by remote

I'm still on the same battery

Had to replace the charging cord twice because the plug wears out and falls out

during the season I keep it plugged in on my desk until the night before I'm headed out

during the winter I store it fully charged and don't touch it until next season

Your issue may be the cord and not the battery

[bobcoy]

I use a micro remote almost exclusively for all those corrections. Less touchy and way lighter! Bob

[Jig_Man]

I’m not sure of the proper way to treat the remote but what has worked for me is I keep mine in a holder under my shifter. I turn it on to deploy my Ulterra then let it power down on its own. When I stow the Ulterra I power it up then let move the boat. I’ve never had it to fail. I plug it in and charge it on the way home. Like Bob I use the micro for adjustments while fishing.

[Diesel Pro]

Looks like I'll have one if not 2 extra batteries. Not wanting to miss out I ordered a replacement off Ebay. I also inquired to MK about it. Really should not be seeing much if anything about replacements for a product that is so "young" MK replied that it is a wear item, but as a one time they were going to send a replacement.

Testing: I plugged in and charged fully in the truck. Let it stand overnight and it showed full as expected the next morning. Powered it on for an hour or so (not connected-not charging) and it seemed to hold fine. I forget the exact time but I powered it on again not connected and left it on overnight. Well over 12hrs later it was still on but flashing low battery. Not sure if there is a difference in power consumption when connected or not, but I suspect there is. My plan now is to fully charge then unplug and see how the rate of self discharge is. I'll have spare batteries along on next outing to see what happens. I see what Mich Angler has said about the cord fit. Sure would be nice to have USB-C but I suppose it's a waterproof thing. My cord fit is decent, but when on my lap it does tend to work it's way loose.

As a rule the remote does not leave the boat. Can't forget it that way ;) I am pretty good at disorganization so i set my boat up so that everything has a home and it stays there.

I also have my entire helm station wired on an Aux relay so that I don't have parasitic draw on the main battery while stored.

[Diesel Pro]

I'm going to look into that micro remote. When I motor troll I'm using Auto Pilot to run right on the edge of a contour. My flat lines run deep so if I get to close they bounce off bottom. I've had issues where the ipilot mysteriously gets switched off etc probably from the touch screen which hangs around my neck. I have to be on top of things because if I veer off and into shallow water it's easy to snag and have to pull everything up. I think that if I had a holder I could mount the Link remote at the helm and keep it plugged in while I use the micro to steer and control speed. Pulling up on the graph is an option, but I run a single 12 and I like to have chart and 2d views up so I don't care to take up more real estate than necessary. Eventually I may add a second graph and then it would be easy enough. May even prevent me from shutting the prop off accidentally.

[Jig_Man]

I found a spring loaded pouch at Lowes. It is mounted right next to my driver’s seat.

[Diesel Pro]

My Ranger has corner floor cup holders plus a storage compartment that I normally keep mine in. Right below the USB ports. I use a Ram X cradle on the console for my phone. I might try the bracket from MK or another X mount to get the device up and firmly mounted for quick and easy access. Planning on the micro remote for sure.

https://minnkotamotors.johnsonoutdoo...adle-bluetooth

Looks like Fleet Farm has the micro remote plus the holder for the big BT remote on hand.

[bobcoy]

Thar cradle will hold that touch remote in a Hurricane. I have never had an issue with my charge cord like many do The little 1" ram mount is solid with the small weight the remote has as well. Bob
Forgot to mention the entire touch screen is available to touch so I never need to pull it out of the cradle except to lock it up.

[Diesel Pro]

Well I bought the micro remote and yes I really like it. I also charged the BT remote fully and ran with the original battery. I started it to deploy the motor and left on the entire 6 hr outing and the battery still showed 50% or more. All I can think of is maybe the boat micro drained it. I shut of the power ports via relay but may have left plugged into the USB charge port on the boat. May be a stretch, but these are lighted when operational. Either way I now have a micro remote, a working BT remote and 2 spare batteries that I'll probably forget about of lose before I use them...

[MichAngler]

I bought a second I-Pilot link blue tooth remote as a backup two years ago and I’ve charged it twice at the start of the season in April and other than pairing it when I got it I’ve never turned it on

Yesterday was the first time I’ve ever needed to use it because I forgot the one I normally use at the house

I was worried it wouldn’t have much battery life in it since it’s been 6 months in the boat without a charge

Was amazed it had a full charge and worked all day (8-1/2 hours) and still had plenty of battery left

[bobcoy]

That is one of the plusses of Lithium batteries. Extremely low self discharge. If there is no drain they hold a charge a long time. JMO Bob