C-Pen battery care and term-break storage

A C-Pen battery lasts longest when it is kept cool, never run completely flat and stored half-charged over long breaks. Heat is the biggest risk in Australia: temperatures above 35°C can permanently reduce battery capacity, so never leave a pen in a car or a hot storeroom. Before the summer holidays, charge each pen to about 50%, switch it off and store it somewhere cool and dry.

Everyday charging

• Charge pens at the end of the school day, so they start each day full. A full charge lasts a school day, and the Reader 3 lasts 8 hours or more.
• Don't let the battery run completely flat.
• Unplug the pen once it is fully charged. Don't leave it on the charger for days.
• Use the right cable: USB-C for the Reader 3, micro USB for the Reader 2 and Exam Reader 2.

Temperature

In practice: keep pens out of cars, off sunny windowsills, and away from storerooms that heat up when the school is closed.

Make a charge last longer

• On the Reader 3, turn off Wi-Fi and Bluetooth when you're not using them.
• Set the screen to turn off automatically.
• Set the pen to switch itself off after a period of no use.

Storing pens over the holidays

For any break of several weeks, and especially over summer:

1. Charge each pen to about 50%. Don't store it full or flat.
2. Switch it off.
3. Store it somewhere cool and dry, below 32°C.
4. For breaks longer than three months, top it up to 50 to 70% every three months.

At the start of term, charge the pens fully, check each one turns on, and check for firmware updates (see updating firmware).

Class set routine

• One charging point, with each pen and cable labelled.
• A sign-out sheet, so every pen comes back to be charged.
• An end-of-term check: charge to 50%, switch off, store cool.

For more on running a class set, see our guide to reading pens in the classroom.

If a pen won't turn on

Charge it for at least two hours, then try a hard reset (see resetting a C-Pen).

Frequently asked questions