With the G5ās my clue is usually that the radio signal weakens so I start to miss data points and the voltage drops into the 280s. Perhaps that is the same with the G6.
Also with the G6, I would expect the voltage to decay very slowly to begin and the there will be a rapid drop close to transmitter death. I went back through my old posts where I sort of tracked the decline in voltage and plotted them for the scientific minds in the group.
EDIT: Day 149 and 169 were still flat - drop started just before 185 and transmitter died on day 200.
@mikeb - just speculating here on the G6ā¦ I still am using the G5.
Unfortunately missing data points doesnāt seem like it will be a reliable indicator for my setup. There are some locations where I have poor capture rate even with a new transmitter. I use phone, not watch, as primary collector. I find that some days I get 95% plus realtime capture. But other days that drops to less than 80%, with aggressive restarts plus manual restarts and even power cycling phone multiple times a day needed to reestablish connection. Weekends are better than workdays, but some workdays are much worse than others and I donāt know why (there is a lot of bluetooth noise at work which seems likely culprit).
I believe there is just one CR1632 in the G6. The voltages reported by @Aaron (for the G5, which uses a different battery) are consistent with Energiserās data sheet for the CR1632. This has the same chemistry (Li-MgO2) as the CR1632 from the G6, just a different capacity.
The G6 puts out 1mW of power when transmitting (from the Dexcom G6 User Manual on page 324.) I donāt know how efficient the transmitters are but certainly not 100% and even 100% efficiency would draw 0.3mA from the (3V) power source. That is way above the Energizer 0.19mA continuous draw maximum - the red line in the Energizer data sheet. The Energizer āpulseā current is 6.8mA limited to 2 seconds 12 times a day, but the G6 transmits at least 288 times a day, though possibly for less than 2s each time.
So I believe Voltage A is the no-additional-load voltage in cV (one hundredths of a volt) and Voltage B is the voltage with the maximum transmit load, also in cV.
If Voltage A drops the transmitter has no choice but to terminate operations; it is about to run out of juice. My voltage A is currently at 2.99V, which is just fine according to the Energizer data sheet. My Voltage B is 2.73V which is actually the level Energizer quotes for a non-depleted cell; outputting 6.8mA at 2.7V but may be slightly low as I suspect the pulse load with the G6 must be lower than 6.8mA.
Replying way late on this (but reading ti for the first time!).
I mentioned earlier my experience with the two new transmitters I was given with the free G5 upgrade. I didnāt put them in for around 2 years because my G4 transmitters each lasted a year! So the two transmitters that simply sat in the box were nearly dead on insertion (one lasted one month; the second maybe a week or so).
What is so frustrating about this is that we diabetics are always paranoid about ārunning outāāof insulin, of test strips, of sensors, of transmitters. So I ALWAYS want to have a spare transmitter aroundābut in this case it could be quite costly if it gets such a reduced lifespan.
Wish they could somehow disable bluetooth support (or whatever is draining the battery) until it is activated.
I stayed with G4s specifically due to the longer battery life, thus lower cost. G4s were packaged such that there was minimal discharge until removed from box. G5s are slowly draining from time they are made. I believe G6 are similar to G5.
I use the Dexcom G5 transmitter. The original Dexcom transmitter life varies a lot. Some do last more than the specified 90 days. I have been replacing the original alkaline cells with the 386 Silver Oxide cells. With these cells I get almost one year of life.
@toddbeall - I had the same experience. Got Dexcomās 2-for-1 special price on two G5ās and my G4 Tx lasted longer than expected (some G4ās would last 18 months).
The first G5 Tx worked fine but the other failed within hours of starting. The shipping date was 2 weeks in excess of their 5 month limit so there was no credit (talk about leaving a bad taste in mouth)
Iām new to this forum and have been reading lotsā¦my first question here:
My g6 transmitter is 80 days oldā¦first cgm for me.
Voltage A 299
Voltage B 278
Resistance 1331
Temp 29 C
Iām guessing the battery is failing.
Readings are erraticā¦woken up twice for false lows last night (meter read 112, when cgm was at 65, and 144 when cgm at 58) .
Will Dexcom replace? Itās been behaving poorly for a couple days. I am using xdrip+ as the g6 app still doesnāt support Samsung S10, or S10+ . Will Dexcom have an issue with this? I was using the provided receiver until a few weeks ago.
You can call them and ask. The transmitter is supposed to last for a little longer than 90 days, so you are within the warranty window. I am not sure that your voltage would be enough for them to replace. I donāt think Xdrip+ usage is contraindicated in any way.
I suggest to report the off readings first, rather than the xDrip battery info. Tell them they are so unreliable, that you plan to switch to 2nd transmitter, assuming you got 2 in original order.
With regard to the 80 day readings above, I currently see:
Transmitter days: 62/63.2
Voltage A: 300
Voltage B: 276
Resistance: 1478
So far as I can tell āvoltage Bā is just the lowest registered voltage under load, I suspect it is only interesting to a Dexcom engineer.
I donāt think the xDrip+ voltage readings are related to the sensor accuracy; I see inaccuracies that very much depend on the specific sensor, not the transmitter.
BTW, there is a lot more data in the latest versions of xDrip+, including the latest versions actually report the G6 calibration code and give a āsensor statusā.
Hi I just started using DexcomG6 & Xdrip+ (latest nightly) on my s10+ my resistance reading of :8705 seems astronomical! Im just wondering if any one has any tips or tricks
The battery stats on the G6 really mean nothing in xDrip+. The developer is working on figuring out how to make them make more sense. The stats were developed with the G5.
Hi Docslotnick, thank you for the quick reply & warm welcome im glad my Resistance levels are ok for a Brand newly installed system directly from Dexcom UK, I was being to wonder if it was in effect DOA in terms of reliability of readings etc I look forward to testing out my New Dexcom G6 system with Xdrip+. iām new to using both but have setup a Nightscout website so still learning the ropes. Iām sorry if it was bad form to reply to an old thread like this but being a new user to your Forums i wasnāt sure i could even post a new thread at my current membership level !?
im glad my Resistance levels are ok for a Brand newly installed system directly from Dexcom UK, I was being to wonder if it was in effect DOA in terms of reliability of readings etc I look forward to testing out my New Dexcom G6 system with Xdrip+. iām new to using both but have setup a Nightscout website so still learning the ropes. Iām sorry if it was bad form to reply to an old thread like this but being a new user to your Forums i wasnāt sure i could even post a new thread at my current membership level !?