Hi, Can anyone help?
I plugged my XDA 2 into my home pc's USB port using its cradle. I noticed it began to over heat, now the the top righthand power recharge light stays on (active) all the time even when it is not in its cradle, in addition to this that battery dies very very quickly e.g 15mins.
I have not been able to find any fault codes relating to the yellow light ( this should normally show only when the phone is charging.) I have tried updating the ROM and also a new battery but the problem remains.
I'd be really gratful for some advice.
thx
If it overheated it is either a short on the cradle, a short in the pda connector, a short in the battery or too much voltage. I would suspect the first three, sounds like the battery is now cooked. This is a warranty issue I think.
Do you think I could repair this my self maybe a blewn fuse or somthing ?
REGULATOR/ZENER DIODE PROBLEM.
QUITE COMMON IN OLD 9110s (screen inverter zener).
YGPM MAKHAN
I got my xda 2 a while back, about 2-3 months, never noticed this before, but, it seems when its in the cradle, and the cradle is plugged into both USB and the DC adapter, the whole phone becomes live, i've had a few (minor) shocks off it, seems there must be some earth leakage somewhere. Anyone had any issues like this? I think its also causing the XDA to hard reset when being dropped into the cradle, its done it a few times, but its gotten really bad latley. anyone any ideas? I dident get it from o2 so i dont know what they'd be like on the RMA, i dont mind paying for a repair if necessary. or will it be easier to buy a new cradle and adapter?
Cheers
Joel
Probably easier and cheaper to buy a new cradle. Strange though, I thought the cradle case was plastic (mine's at home, so can't check). What happens if you use just the dc plug with the push-in convertor? Sure you haven't got a bit of scarf stuck in the xda's pins that's connecting up to the case when you push it home?
rgds,
Alex.
yeh, thets what im thinking, it seems ok if the cradle isnt plugged into usb, i'll try it on a different computer, i have had problems with my laptop and shorting before :/
Well I'd definitely advise against using it in the laptop anymore until you track it down. If current is being passed through the wrong channels, you're running the risk of frying your device. I'm sure you know that
Having just said don't use it on that laptop anymore, how about trying different USB ports to see if you have a port or a mobo problem? Shorts can be very difficult to track down, good luck.
rgds,
Alex.
It should charge without the power if you have usb plugged in, or so I have been told. If you ring O2 service centre on 08081003427 they will ask you how long you have had it, I was not asked who supplied it, I told them I had it less than 3 months and they sent me a cardboard carton to put it in and a bag to send it back, then fixed it and sent it back.
Well its started being really weird now, it seems to randomly hard reset, and it also comes up with backup battery low, but on the battery screen it says is full, does the backup battery recharge itself or is it none rechargeable?
All,
I'm looking for a company which is able to clean and repair my HERM300 device.
It got wet and now when I want to charge it the led turns red.....
When I leave my device on a warm radiator it works and I can use the device...
But it seems to fail when it gets colder....
Any suggestions?
Cheers and thanks,
Hellejoep
hellejoep said:
All,
I'm looking for a company which is able to clean and repair my HERM300 device.
It got wet and now when I want to charge it the led turns red.....
When I leave my device on a warm radiator it works and I can use the device...
But it seems to fail when it gets colder....
Any suggestions?
Cheers and thanks,
Hellejoep
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can you say a bit more on "fail when it gets colder...."
I ask because soon maybe tonight I'm going to make a post on the charging and Red light problem but I'm just wondering exactly what you mean by "fail"
Cheers
Mike
mikechannon said:
Can you say a bit more on "fail when it gets colder...."
I ask because soon maybe tonight I'm going to make a post on the charging and Red light problem but I'm just wondering exactly what you mean by "fail"
Cheers
Mike
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It blacks out as soon as I connect it to my activesync via USB....
Is it a short circuit?
Or something else?
Cheers,
Hellejoep
mikechannon said:
Can you say a bit more on "fail when it gets colder...."
I ask because soon maybe tonight I'm going to make a post on the charging and Red light problem but I'm just wondering exactly what you mean by "fail"
Cheers
Mike
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would like to add something, may be you already know, to red led knowledge. I have a car charger (just plain chinese USB charger with usb cable) When I connect my HERMES I could have 3 conditions: orange (charging) Nothing (not charging) or RED (?). If I soft reset, with charger connected, I ALWAYS have orange, after Windows Mobile screen, But if I disconnect and reconect I have ALWAYS No Light
connecting hermes to charger without battery also enables red light.
Charging Problems - Red Light of Death (RLOD)
Battery Charging Problems, in particular the RLOD so called because the phone refuses to charge and the red LED shows, indicating that the battery is NOT charging.
Background
Problems with charging are not HTC or Windows Mobile specific. Similar if not identical problems are reported across many models and platforms. The issues centre around the state of charge of the battery and the interpretive circuitry in the device and charger. Typically a device will show a Red light rather than an Amber charging light. (NB: RED LED always shows when battery is absent or fails to charge). see also http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=1076879&postcount=28
Getting the battery to start charging once this light is shown is not always straightforward and is as unpredictable and temperamental as priming a water pump (those that have done this will know what is meant). In other words, and to put it crudely, you need to kick start the system. Unfortunately those that have managed to do this have usually tried lots of things before it starts working again. This makes it hard to be absolutely certain about the solution other than perhaps the last 4 or 5 actions taken.
Those that have managed to recommence charging have not reported that the problem recurs on a frequent basis. (possible exception of in-car charging issue). This issue requires patience and time, (time maybe critical, it is possible the issue would resolve itself perhaps as charges dissipate within battery and circuitry involved). However the following points seem probable solutions and were thought to work by some who resolved the problem.
Failure to Charge (Red LED Lit when charger connected)
Causes of this problem are unclear, but in practical terms events leading up to this issue have included:
1
Leaving the phone on charge overnight (possibly but not necessarily with certain programmes or connections running) It seems a fault occurs in the charging system, which causes the battery charge to drain rather than increase. Resulting battery charge is very low. (Another Blog will be added concerning an Active Sync issue which can cause the battery to drain over-night through repeated connection attempts)
2
Through heavy use or not re-charging often enough so that the battery is permitted to reach a sub 10% charge (not precisely known but likely to be very low)
Possible Solutions:
A
1.) Remove battery
2.) Connect the phone to the charger or USB
3.) Insert the battery while connected to charger
4.) Red light should turn Amber
5.) Soft Reset
If this does not work immediately it is suggested that the battery be removed from the phone for around 1 hour and the above steps repeated.
OR
B
It has been found with some phones charging can be re-started by:
1 ) Remove battery
2 ) Connect charger (Optional. I would try this potential solution without the charger connected the first time I try this. If it fails to work then I would repeat the steps with the charger connected)
3 ) Holding the battery, line it up wiith the phone's battery contacts.
4 ) Move the battery rapidly on and off the contacts
6 ) Repeat the above until the Amber charging light comes on. So after perhaps connecting/disconnecting 20 times, insert the battery properly and give it a few seconds to see if the LED turns Amber.
7.) Soft Reset
NB: I have seen two reports where those attempting this report a fairly loud "pop" sound following which the phone began to charge. However in one case the person reported that they then had subsequent problems of signal reception on the phone and thought the popping sound may have been related to this.
OR
C
If your problems remain after trying this a few times you could always try the following to manually charge the battery a little (enough to let the phone charger circuit detect the battery is present when you put it back in)
1) Remove the battery from the phone!
2) Take 3 fresh AAA batteries in series (total 3 x 1.5V = 4.5V)
3) Connected the (+) wire to (+) on the battery
4) Connected the (-) wire to (-) on the battery
5) Hold this in place for 60 seconds.(possibly longer you are trying to charge it enough for charging circuitry to recognise there is a battery installed.
6) Put the battery in your phone
7) Switch on phone and start charging (via USB)
Hopefully you will get the Amber charging light.It may be worth repeating this a few times if not successful on the first try.
The electrical contacts are all important, poor contacts will render this a worthless exercise.
I leave it to you to decide how you connect the wires. If you have no other means you could enlist the help of someone to hold the batteries and wires together while you connect to the phone battery! Warning - Do not connect a mains based transformer to the battery with an incorrect charge rate (mAh) and voltage (V). Any attempt to force charge using mains transformers could be extremely hazardous (explosive). Only a qualified/competent person should attempt to charge the battery in this way. Similarly, even if you are using batteries to do this task, do not leave them connected for more than a few minutes and stop immediately if either set of batteries become warm.If the problem persists:The final resort - a new battery.
Mike
╤
Very good article Mike, I linked it on the Hermes problems wiki page
i just want to add my 2 cents to this, there was an earlier post on here that mentioned the car charger deal where it wont charge unless you turn the phone off, plug it in, then turn the phone.. right now i am on my 2nd 8525 and it has done this, but its not only the car charger (cheap belkin car charger) but it sometimes does this with usb cradle i got from ebay, i have opened the cradle and there isnt anything different, its a straight usb connection, hmm except now that i think about it there is a blue LED, but it shouldnt be drawing enough current to cause this. Also i have a motorola charger in my office that i used with my wizard (i believe output is slightly different, if i remember correctly its a .5 amp where as the HTC charger is 1 amp) but it also behaves in the same manner... the only 2 methods that work constantly and consistantly of plugging in without turning off is either the factory charger, or a regular usb cable on the pc..
just seems weird since all of these problematic situations worked fine on the wizard and i believe they both have the power requirements...
let me toss another idea in the fire here on this, something that just occured to me... i wonder if this somehow could be related to the factory installed driver for this. what made me think of this is how the battery meter only goes by 10%.. could this funky driver be the source of the problem?
shogunmark said:
right now i am on my 2nd 8525 and it has done this, but its not only the car charger (cheap belkin car charger) but it sometimes does this with usb cradle i got from ebay
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If your cradle is not connected to your PC, or if your PC is off while you see the behaviour you described, then the likely reason is that pin 4 of the Mini USB connector isn't grounded on both your car charger and cradle. See here for more details.
Cheers
Daniel
pof said:
Very good article Mike, I linked it on the Hermes problems wiki page
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Cheers pof.
Some of the type sizes are a bit strange (but readable!) serves me right for copying and pasting from Word formatting!
Tadzio's link is good/informative and I edited in a link to it in my post - though it's on this page anyway.
Mike
tadzio said:
If your cradle is not connected to your PC, or if your PC is off while you see the behaviour you described, then the likely reason is that pin 4 of the Mini USB connector isn't grounded on both your car charger and cradle. See here for more details.
Cheers
Daniel
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
cradle is connected to pc at all times, and i will deal with the car charger for now cause my HTC one should be arriving any week now, but thanks for the tip!
8525 (hermes) Charging may be voltage sensitive
I have noticed with my new 8525 (USA Cingular model of phone) that it came with a 5.5V charger. Whenever I connect to a 5.0 V USB source charging the phone is very "iffy". Given that the standard for USB is 5.0 V (4.75 - 5.25) there is a problem with the design. My question for the HTC crowd is can this be fixed via a ROM change or are we stuck with a bad design?
hellejoep said:
All,
I'm looking for a company which is able to clean and repair my HERM300 device.
It got wet and now when I want to charge it the led turns red.....
When I leave my device on a warm radiator it works and I can use the device...
But it seems to fail when it gets colder....
Any suggestions?
Cheers and thanks,
Hellejoep
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://www.america.htc.com/support/service-repairs.html
Since you got it wet, it is most likely not covered by the warranty, these and the numbers for out of warranty repair if you live in the U.S. I know that for cingular, you have to ship it to them yourself, and they will charge you a $28 diagnostic fee, before telling you how much is costs to fix the problem (if they even can)
heh here almost the same, providers are charging ~$29.5 USD as diagnostic fee but they are more polite, they first tell estimated costs, and only ask for the sum if you (usually) don't order the repair but need back your phone
Hellejoep:
if you are willing to send it abroad (inside EU) and you are either not need "overnight return" or such nonsense or cover the extra costs such operations really need, you may contact me. no diagnostics fee or anything such (though you will have a small loss.
about the charging problem:
the same issue occurs also in Wizard/Prophet, and Charmer (compactII) as well. though not in Magician, even so that they share the exactly same battery.
I believe it must have something to do with the charging controller. I don't have a disassembled unit at home with me now, but I suppose it should be a crap companion chip from Texas, to be interfaced with the ever-worst TI OMAP platform
(sorry, no hard feelings, pals, but someone using such one as an actual everyday phone must have some sorta mental problem )
strange battery issue
Hi all,
I've a similar issue with any charger.
It happened first with car charger (one cradle with an usb output): sometimes it charged, most of all it charged only when power was off.
Now I cannot charge with any method. (those described here: battery charging problems)
Usb cable (it's not original), original power supply, even with the y cable.
When i try to charge, it drain battery (i tried with a new one) and amber led blinks slowly instead to be firmly light.
There's anything I can do?
It's a SPV M3100 buyed two months ago on ebay.
I tried also with two roms WM6 official release ITA ver and Schap's 3.54b ITA ROM WM6
radio 1.48
Any suggestions?
Herm200/tytn problems
hi to all,
i read most of your post on possible problems with this PDA (HERM200/HTC TYTN).
i'll try to spent some few words to explain the story around my pda.
i live in italy and i bought the TYTN on december 2006 and for 6 months with his software problems i used it day by day in my business activity, untill one day, it falled down the ground from my and with all the leather cover (bundled with the pda, an hard black belt cover); then i took it and picked up a telephone number from my addres book and then putted it in charge for all the night; when, late in the morning, i took it, i noted that there was still the red light of the battery indicator and then PDA didn't turned on.
i tried to make soft/hard reset but nothing.
I carried to the italian warranty service of HTC and after 7 days they deliver to me the PDA in the same state that i carried; on the technical report there was: pcb damaged, battery connector pinouts damaged, pda not Repairable - out of warranty.
i thought: "i have had a lot of care for this PDA that still look like as new one"
and now i have a 700€ of unusefull PDA.
Last day i finally decided to open my PDA to find broken pieces and more.... but nothing.... i observed really well: NOTHING of wrong.
Now i will to know if somebody of you, can suggest me something to revive my PDA or suggest me any service center (affidable) in europe (not like the italian one) where to send it for maintenance: I DONT WANT TO THROW OUT MY PDA!
Thank you in advance for your attention and patience.
ps: sorry for my english, i hope it will be comprehensive.
therock-htc said:
Now i will to know if somebody of you, can suggest me something to revive my PDA or suggest me any service center (affidable) in europe (not like the italian one) where to send it for maintenance: I DONT WANT TO THROW OUT MY PDA!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If I understood you correctly, your TyTN still works - it just cannot charge the battery, right?
Then, probably one of the cheapest (although not perfect) solutions is to get a cradle that can charge a battery outside the TyTN (like this one on eBay). You will have to power down your TyTN, remove the battery and put it in the cradle every other night or so, so it's not very convenient. But it's cheap. Maybe you'll want to keep this as "plan B" in your mind while you look for a more perfect solution.
Cheers
tadzio
elehcimo said:
Hi all,
I've a similar issue with any charger.
It happened first with car charger (one cradle with an usb output): sometimes it charged, most of all it charged only when power was off.
Now I cannot charge with any method. (those described here: battery charging problems)
Usb cable (it's not original), original power supply, even with the y cable.
When i try to charge, it drain battery (i tried with a new one) and amber led blinks slowly instead to be firmly light.
There's anything I can do?
It's a SPV M3100 buyed two months ago on ebay.
I tried also with two roms WM6 official release ITA ver and Schap's 3.54b ITA ROM WM6
radio 1.48
Any suggestions?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hello!
I had also a battery charging problems with my MDA Vario II (TyTN; Hermes; HERM300):
1. Charging from the AC mains supply with the original miniUSB 5V charger: no problems.
2. Charging in the car with the non-original car lighter miniUSB 5V charger: it was charged only when the phone was OFF; no charging when the phone was ON.
3. Charging with the USB-miniUSB 5V cable connected to the notebook: it is charging only when the phone is OFF; no charging when the phone is ON.
So I asked myself: what is the difference between all these three cases? They are all miniUSB 5V power sources... And I found out an answer: It should be a matter of the USB current amperage.
Original AC miniUSB 5V charger delivered with the phone is 5V/ 1A. When I have bought the car 5V miniUSB charger with the 1A (one amper) amperage - there is no problem with car battery charging anymore... ;-) The phone is charged either way: ON or OFF.
But is it possible to charge the battery correctly from the notebook? I think not, because I have no influence on the current value from the 5V notebook USB.
Previously I had MDA Vario (Wizard): in this phone there were no battery charging problems... I wonder why the are some with the Hermes...
Take care,
Przemo
Przemo_55 said:
And I found out an answer: It should be a matter of the USB current amperage.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is not correct. The problem is well understood and has been discussed several times.
The key is that your device tries to sense what it is connected to:
- if there is USB data traffic, it concludes that it is connected to a computer. It will then negotiate the current (power) it can draw from the USB port with that computer.
- otherwise, your device checks if pin 4 of the connector is pulled to ground. If yes, it concludes that is is connected to a dedicated USB charger, and starts charging, consuming as much power as it needs. This mechanism seems to work only if the device is on - and sometimes not even then (bug?). I guess the mechanism is implemented in software, so it can't function when it is off.
- otherwise, it doesn't know what it's connected to. Could be a computer in stand-by that didn't power off its USB ports or something. Your device concludes it may be unwise to start charging (could, for example, drain the other device's battery).
The cheap after-market chargers do not connect pin 4 to ground (pin 5), so your device doesn't charge. If you are really good with a soldering iron, try connecting pins 4 and 5 of the charger's USB connector, and you'll see that your device will start charging with it.
Cheers
tadzio
tadzio said:
If I understood you correctly, your TyTN still works - it just cannot charge the battery, right?
Then, probably one of the cheapest (although not perfect) solutions is to get a cradle that can charge a battery outside the TyTN (like this one on eBay). You will have to power down your TyTN, remove the battery and put it in the cradle every other night or so, so it's not very convenient. But it's cheap. Maybe you'll want to keep this as "plan B" in your mind while you look for a more perfect solution.
Cheers
tadzio
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank youu Tadzio,
but my PDA is DEAD !
I still don't try to charge the battery separetly.
The reason is that when i carried the PDA to service i leaved the PDA and Battery: i dont wanto to believe that service dont check the battery !??!?
However , i will try to charge the battery separetly and then i will know you the outcome.
Thanx and Cheers
Therock-htc
Hello Gentlemen,
I have charging problem with mu Wizard Qtek 9100... its not battery issue I have 2 working batteries...
The phone starts only when the charger is not pluged in..
Otherwise RED light is shown and the phone refuse to start so I need to remove the charger and the battery and then put the battery back so I can start the phone...
When the devise has started already I can plug the charger but the Windows is not showing ORANGE light and is not showing charging....
The device acts very wired and is turning off with no reason...
This happened when my charger burned up while charging my device...
Now I have no sound,the device is SIM locked and is turning off sometimes for no reason....
I believe it is a hardware problem I guess I need new mainboard?
Please advice if this could be a software issue....
The device is G4 IPL/SPL 2.26.0001
Please advice,
Thank a lot...
Regards,
Mitko B.
Battery problem
Hi,
I know old post, but it may help somebody.
It is possible that your windows has switch off the battery charging circuit for some reason.
You MAY be able to get it working with the following trick:-
You need 3 x 1.5 volt AA batteries, some wire and 2 pins
You need to join the batteries together in series (i.e. end to end)
Next make a negative lead from the negative of the battery pack to one of the pins.
The make a positive lead in the same way.
Open the battery cover of your Wizard.
Connect the USB charging cable.
Put the negative pin you have just made into the gap between the battery and the charging pins in the Wizard - MAKE SURE YOU ONLY CONNECT IT TO THE PIN NEAREST TO THE USB PORT.
Now comes the tricky bit - take the positive pin you have just made and touch it on the charging pin which is NEAREST to the power on switch.
If all goes well the charging light on your Wizard should turn orange indicating that it is charging.
You might have to try this a few times, I was never sure if you had to keep the external battry connection on for any length of time or just a quick connection would do the trick. I suppose it depends on the state of the Wizards battery.
This is NOT my work! I do not want to take credit for something that is already documented on this site as it helped me get my battery working again.
Regards,
John
thanks a lot!
saved my wifes phone. Is this problem (happend twice already) something that I can address with a new rom, anyone knows?
I also have the remove the battery go back to Feb2006 issue. Device is off warranty by a few good years. Is it something an experienced electronics person could try (without destroying the phone that is...)
Cheers
V.
Worked for me too
I had just bought a new battery for my Qtek 9100.
This one:
sku.23974 at dealextreme.com
My 9100 had been dead since 2006 (because the battery was dead ...)
And i got a new phone.
but i tought it was to good to throw away, so i bought the new battery.
But i did let it run out of battery, and it would not take the charge.
but this trick did the job
Thanks
Hi all,
Just wanted to sign up to say thank-you - I chanced upon this forum while seeking a solution to the same problem.
I'm happy to report that the 'jump-start' works perfectly!!
I actually used the slightly different method, described in another thread on this forum:
Take a USB-to-Mini B cable. One that you won't need ever again.
Cut the Mini B end off and strip back the outer casing. Inside is a wire mesh and within that a foil lining. Pull these both back.
Now find and strip the black and red wires. The wires are thin and this is a fiddly job, especially if you have large hands, so this works best if you screw the exposed wire strands up into little balls.
Remove the battery from your Qtek 9100 (or whichever model it is). Pay attention to which pin goes to which contact and so identify which ones are the positive and negative contacts on the battery - It is described above in Heinkeljb's post.
Now, plug the USB into your PC (which should be switched on and running) and connect the black wire to the negative (and red to positive) contact on your battery.
Hold for a good 30 seconds.
Now reinsert the battery into the phone and attempt to charge.
You may need to 'jump' your battery a few times....
Once again, many thanks to teh lovely people here for saving my beloved Qtek 9100!!!!!
As of last night my A500 will not charge. I left the device overnight and unfortunately now have Zero charge.
- My charger makes a noise, I think it always did, so I'm assuming the charger is OK.
Can anyone confirm that the chargers give off a kind of electrical buzz when working?
- I get no light at all on my A500. If the charger is OK I'm thinking something has gone within the tab, be that circuit or battery.
Any ideas or tips here?
- Sadly I do not have a multi-meter to test either the charger or the tab, no friends with a similar device, I've lost my proof or purchase (which is painful and rules out warranty), and am a bit stuck what to do.
Any ideas?
- I've heard/read that allowing the power to drop too low can cause a problem. Obviously Zero is bad in this case.
Can anyone confirm this rumour or suggest a fix?
- I did try entering recovery and resetting the battery stats - whether this made things worse or not is unclear - it certainly did not help.
ANY HELP OR IDEAS WELCOME (bear in mind that I have spent quite some time searching and trying other peoples' ideas already though.
Thanks,
ta-wan said:
As of last night my A500 will not charge. I left the device overnight and unfortunately now have Zero charge.
- My charger makes a noise, I think it always did, so I'm assuming the charger is OK.
Can anyone confirm that the chargers give off a kind of electrical buzz when working?
- I get no light at all on my A500. If the charger is OK I'm thinking something has gone within the tab, be that circuit or battery.
Any ideas or tips here?
- Sadly I do not have a multi-meter to test either the charger or the tab, no friends with a similar device, I've lost my proof or purchase (which is painful and rules out warranty), and am a bit stuck what to do.
Any ideas?
- I've heard/read that allowing the power to drop too low can cause a problem. Obviously Zero is bad in this case. Y
Can anyone confirm this rumour or suggest a fix?
- I did try entering recovery and resetting the battery stats - whether this made things worse or not is unclear - it certainly did not help.
ANY HELP OR IDEAS WELCOME (bear in mind that I have spent quite some time searching and trying other peoples' ideas already though.
Thanks,
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Quit guessing and get the charger checked
In reply to myself and to help those with a similar issue.
Yes a charger my buzz when good OR bad. The trick to seeing whether it is working or not (aside from it charging the pad) is to see if it gets warm -- no warmth, probably broken.
As for measuring with a multimeter the trick is to insert a paper clip into the small hole in the plug and measure the voltage between the outer plug (negative) and the paperclip (linked to the positive). Few multimeters have pins that will fit inside the super tiny plug on the A500 charger so the paperclip is your way in - obviously be sure not to short circuit the thing!
There are many chargers available out there. In Australia Jay-Car and **** Smith both have perfect chargers, the correct type, voltage, amps etc, they even come with multiple pins -- sadly none fit the A500!
My solution was to go to Infinity who are a provider of Acer spare parts. They have the correct charger and are easy to deal with BUT -- It's not cheap! They want $40 for the charger and a further $30 for the little bit on the end that gives the plug its nationality. In most cases we do not need this though as we can reuse our old one, but hey, not cheap all the same.
Still, it works and I'd rather be ripped off than get the wrong thing and blow the mother board.
NOTE: if you do get a charger from anyone other than Acer or a supplier of theirs - be sure to match every detail of your current charger - especially polarity.
I had problems with charging on my A500. When I plugged in the charger the power button would turn orange for a few seconds and then start flashing white.
I took the back cover off and found that the wire to the centre pin of the power connector on the tablet had almost broken off. I touched it lightly and it came away. Re-soldering the wire fixed the problem, it now charges as expected.
After fixing it I measured the charge current. It starts at a small value for a few seconds and then jumps to full charge rate. It seems there was enough of a connection to handle the small current but as soon as it switched to full charge current the voltage drop across the remains of the connection was too much and charging stopped.
Charging problem
I too just experienced the no charging problem. I looked up how to open up the tablet and tried to trouble shoot the problem myself. My problem turned out to be a very easy fix. The Posative lead on the back of the charger port had come loose, a simple touch of the soldering iron and its fixed. I thought since I had it open I might as well go ahead and change the battery too since it was 4 years old. Its an old tablet and time to turn it into a hand me down for a lucky niece or nephew