USB Charging Cradle For CDMA Touch Pro2

[mxcrowe]

Well, it looks like the charger/cradle from Daydeal does not work correctly either. Yes, the USB plug is in the correct location, but it is not the correct shape. Only the plug on the end of the cable that came with my Verizon TP2 will charge it quickly and fully. All other cables, including the connector on the Daydeal cradle, charge slowly and to not fully charge the battery. However, it does sync correctly and the external battery charger works great. Just wrestling with whether to return this one (would be the second cradle I have returned!) and try my luck with the one from ThinkTouchPro2.

@sanjsrik: No, the old cradle for my old AT&T Fuze will not work for my VZW TP2...completely different shape and the connector is in the wrong location. Hell, I can't even get a cradle designed for my phone and my carrier to work!

[Robodoc82]

The shape doesn't matter. The mini USB fits the HTC usb plug both for PC connections and charging. The HTC plug has an extra pair for earphones/mic for telephony and music. Don't use that anymore since the sprint TP2 has the 3.5 mm jack. There is a difference between usb and wall charging. On the daydeal cradle, the charging is from the wall charger even while connected to the PC and I get charged in an hour max. The extra battery does only charge from the wall charger, but since I leave both plugged in all the time, it doesn't matter. I have never had the problem that mxcrowe describes. USB is slower (lower current capacity from the PC USB bus) but I'll always get to 100%.

[mxcrowe]

I am definitely having problems with all USB cables other than the one that came with the phone. The standard mini-USB (wide at the bottom and narrow at the top) does *not* charge properly for me, no matter what I do. Since this is the type of connector in the DayDeal cradle, I am seeing the same result. Even after 18 hours charging, it doesn't fully charge. With the USB cable from HTC, it charges to 100% in an hour or so.

The HTC USB cable is square with a notch in one corner. This is the only thing I can see that would make the difference, and it is replicated across 3 other cables and the DayDeal charger.

Not also that the ThinkTouchPro2 site specifically states that the charger for VZW is incompatible with Sprint and vice versa. I would have bought that one, but ran out of patience when it was out of stock for many days. It is now, of course, in stock...

Looks like I'm looking at another return with shipping and tax on my bill....sigh.

[Tybalt39]

One possible reason for the long charging cycle...

On an older cradle I had for a long-gone phone, the phone and extra battery wouldn't charge at the same time. I forget which one charged first, but only one device at a time could charge. If left overnight, both the phone and spare battery would be charged.

Perhaps this is what is being observed and could account for what appears to be an exceptionally long charge time, but is (perhaps) in reality just the spare battery being charged first, then the phone.

Just a thought, YMMV.

[mxcrowe]

Originally Posted by Tybalt39

...the phone and extra battery wouldn't charge at the same time. I forget which one charged first, but only one device at a time could charge. If left overnight, both the phone and spare battery would be charged.

Perhaps this is what is being observed and could account for what appears to be an exceptionally long charge time, but is (perhaps) in reality just the spare battery being charged first, then the phone...

Negative. In this case, the spare battery *only* charges via a wall charger, while the phone in the cradle *only* charges via USB. Good thought, but not what's going on in this situation.

Also, I can replicate the slow/low charge scenario without the cradle by using a USB cable other than the one that came with the phone (i.e., plugging a normal USB cable into the wall charger...doesn't charge completely and takes forever.)

[Tybalt39]

Is the phone being charged from a PC via USB, a separate charger via USB, or the same charger as the second battery but via a separate cable/connector?

If everything is coming from the same charger "brick", what is the current rating for this "brick"? I have found that lower current capacity chargers do not work well with the TP2. I have even seen a message on my screen when a really cheap car charger couldn't provide enough current. Also, if I charge the phone via a PC's USB port, charging take a very long time, but if I use the same USB cable with a wall adapter of sufficient current capacity, the phone charges very quickly. Same phone, same cable (standard mini-USB to USB "A"). The difference is the power source.

If there are two separate power sources (as it sounds after re-reading your last post), what are they? What is the current rating?

[mxcrowe]

Good point, Tybalt. With the cradle, the extra battery charges from a wall adapter and the phone has been charging via USB power from the computer. Of course, you need the USB port to sync, but not necessarily to power. In the past, this has worked fine for me, but certainly something to check under the current circumstances. I can just use the TP2 wall charger, but plug the cradle into this vs. using computer USB power. Will test this and see what happens.
Thanks for the idea!

[mxcrowe]

Tybalt, you are right. If I plug the cradle into the TP2 wall charger, it charges the battery fine. Inconvenient, since I have to switch plugs to sync vs. charge, but at least it does work properly this way.

[badb4c]

I have used the dock from my 6700 / apache since January. No problems. Compliments all the time at work.

http://forum.ppcgeeks.com/showthread.php?t=109468

[Tybalt39]

Originally Posted by mxcrowe

... If I plug the cradle into the TP2 wall charger, it charges the battery fine. Inconvenient, since I have to switch plugs to sync vs. charge, but at least it does work properly this way.

Now to test your USB ports. Not all provide the same power. Some are usable only for data.