Only computer USB can consistently charge Apache
 

I've been having this problem for awhile where external power connections will not be recognized unless they're computer USB connections.


The only way I know to fix this is shut off the PPC and turn it on WITH the power connector inserted into it.

I then get a battery error when WM boots saying I have no battery power... If I look at the battery control panel it says "unknown"... this goes away after about 5 to 10 minutes of use and it shows "charging".


It's very annoying, does anyone know how to fix this without having to turn the whole device off and on again everytime I want to use external power?

Are you using the stock Apache cradle and stock ac adapter ?

This is exactly what I was talking about here:
http://forum.ppcgeeks.com/showthread.php?t=8176

So it looks like *charging* is now a process which requires software on both sides to talk to each other!

I'm using the standard sprint car/plug charger...


I'll say again... it works if I turn the device OFF and power it on with the charger connected to it. It then works fine.


Furthermore, this same charger works on all sorts of other products that take USB power.


Is there anyway to fix this issue as it's clearly software based? It detects properly during boot up but :typically" won't after boot. It has worked a few times after boot but it's not consistent. Typically it works well if it was not removed from outlet power for more then an hour previously.

I've found that if I plug my Apache into one my AC adapters while it is on (screen is on, etc) 9 times out of 10 it won't recognize and won't charge... However, if I turn it off and plug it in, everytime it starts charging...

Long story short, try turning your phone off before plugging it in...

Good luck

i second that.. the same happens on one of my old kinda xp work computer.. it said the usb device is not recognisable.. n all.. 9 out of 10 times n then we had to change the port n all n wud sumtimes work.. or wait for it for 5 -10 mins ..but as soon as i turned the top switch off n put it to the comp it always showed up a charging light n went on to sync perfectly.. so the trick for now is to off the switch n charge it..
but my normal charger never showed this problem.. am using wm6 with a v1.00 bootloader. n voice command 1.6 on a reliance ph in india..

Chances are the power supply doesn't support the Amps needed... I think the Apache draws as much as 2.6 amps when turned on but only a fraction of that when off... Most of the car chargers I've seen only support about .5 amps... You MIGHT be able to charge it with less amps than it is rated for, but you risk damaging the battery and the device...

I've learned this the hard way... Old Toshiba laptops always used the same power plug. The voltage requirement was the same, but the amp requirement kept going up... When I started using my older power supplies regularly with the new laptop, I ruined two batteries until I found out what was wrong...

No, the amps certainly is not what causes the problem:
I can have my 6700 plugged into the same USB port of the same machine, and depending on which OS is running (Linux or XP), the problem will exist in one case but not in the other.
Too bad we don't have a USB analyzer here at my new job like we used to at the old one... would be really interesting to see what it is the damn thing wants in order to charge...

Having said that, if your device ever tries to draw 2.6 amps, you can surely claim it defective. The USB spec is very explicit about the current limit a device may draw: it's 0.5A. The same goes the other way, too (the charger MUST give at least 0.5A), so all those worries about current should be in the past with USB. Oh yes, there are these "unpowered sockets" but they usually say so on them.

This thread seems dead, but I'm having similar problems and was wondering if there were any updates to this problem.

My xv6700 always works when plugged into any PC usb port, and 9 times out of 10 it will work with the stock AC charger. But, in the car is where I have most of my problems. In the car I have an OEM audiovox 6700 charger, and a 12 volt USB adapter that you can plug a standard USB cable into. Both of these chargers behave similarly to how you guys are saying, if I just plug it in, nothing, but if I plug it in and soft reset it will usually charge. However sometimes, it will show the cable connected icon on the battery, but the orange LED wont come on. And the battery meter will say unknown.

I also have an old generic motorola mini usb charger that does the same thing. The weird thing is, the generic moto charger is the only thing that will actually charge the razr. The 6700 charger, or the standard USB cable makes the razr say Unable to Charge.

The other day I bought an iGo charger, with tip number A53 and it works perfectly on my 6700, and doesnt work with the razr. I would love to know whats going on here, what the difference is in these 4 car chargers. I would really like to be able to only have to use 1 of them to charge my 6700 and my razr. The 12volt to USB power adapter would be nice because then I could also just swap the cable and charge my Zune or my iPod. Plus the cable is extra long and not coiled like the iGo cable.

Oh yeah, and iGo calls for different mini-usb adapter tips for the razr and the 6700. Seems kinda strange to me. USB is supposed to be UNIVERSAL serial bus, not unviversal serial bus, except for when its proprietary serial bus.

Anyways, can anyone shed any more light onto this subject?

I had exactly the same problem with my 6700. At first I thought my wall charger was going bad, but USB from my PC always worked.

My phone does the same thing. When I use a wall charger at work the phone will not recognize the connection. But when I plug in a USB cable and plug it in, the phone immediately displays the charging icon.

I'm not worried about it because both of my docks work (they also charge my second battery), but I just assumed that it was a fluke. As long as I can charge the phone I'm not worried...

Never had this problem with my XV6700. Any of 3 different ones.

I had this happen with my vz6700. I ended up replacing it and the problem was not there for the new one. If I remember right I actually had to do this twice, both times it worked fine for all chargers at first, then after a few months would only charge from the desk charger (the car definitely didn't work, not sure about pc powered usb). My current phone (3rd one) hasn't had this issue yet (knock on wood).

It doesn't draw that kind of amperage normally, but when it does, it makes up the difference by pulling power from the battery instead of charging it... (Only really happens when you are in a fringe area...)

For what it's worth, the dock charger that came with my unit is rated for 1A with is fine 99% of the time... It think the issue is that the data connection and the bluetooth and maybe the screen is active if one is in the car... The typical car charger just can't handle the load... Normally, if you are hooked up to a PC, your data and bluetooth connections on the PDA are inactive, and the screen is off, so the power draw is less... (Plus the fact that the 0.5A USB spec for the supply side is a minimum as you said earlier... Most are actually more like 1A...)


The real test would be talking to someone who uses their 6700 as a internet modem for their laptop using just the USB tether for power... Could someone who does this comment on their power issues, if any?

My 6700 is going to catch a CTD because i'll charge it with just about any mini-usb plug i can find :p

i have one on my ps3; my computer; my bluetooth charger; my oem phone charger; about 4 different ones at work (rat shack); crap laying around at friends' houses etc

My plug that came with the phone no longer charges my phone but it work for my wifes rzr and her rzr charger does charges my phone. And Yes, i can tell them apart. The USB charges it just fine. But i can use any other mini usb but the one that came with the phone. i have even used the one that came with my canon camera.