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My XDA is a great device, I've been using it since O2 first released these things (Yes, I was one of the fools who paid the original £500....) and its recently been given a new lease of life by the great work people have done on this forum
My problem is.... obviously its getting on a little now and the connections for charging seem to be dirty/tarnished, if I "wiggle" things it works fine. This seems to happen both with the USB cradle which came with it, or the recently purchased Sync-n-Charge cable.
Does anyone have any tips on how to clean these small, presumably fairly sensitive, connections?
I've tried a squirt of WD-40 and more wiggling, which does seem to have improved things, but if I'm not careful while its in the cradle then it doesn't charge, so I pick it up to go out and it shows less than 100% charge (It once ran flat completely whilst in the cradle with the power connected)
BTW, If anyone's thinking about battery life, I can thoroughly recommend the 1800 ah battery upgrade available for these. Its quite simple to fit and does provide a really good improvement over the original for a modest cost. Its available in the UK from:
http://www.expansys.com/expansys.asp
along with pretty much most things you can get for these devices. One recommendation though is to shop online.... I rang and asked about the high capacity battery only to be told that they didn't sell them.... so i just bought from their website instead....
I never use the cradle, its the cradle that over long term usage causes the problems, instead of WD40 which leaves a residue on the contacts look for something called switch gear or similar, used for electronic components such as stuck on of switches etc.
Has anyone managed to find one yet?
I've tried a number of places (ever since expansys sent me what they thought was a touch pro charger but turned out to be for the old htc phones - new connector on Touch Pro and Diamond)
I hate to get caught with a flat battery.
Erm... The Touch Pro connector is the same as every other HTC phone I've come across (i.e. the Hermes and Kaiser) and is charged by mini USB.
I'm using the car charger I had for an old Motorola V3, it's actually an official Morotola branded charger but it works fine on the Raphael - all usb power is a standard 5V after all, so I knew no harm would come to it!
I've also ordered a solar charger with built in 2000mAh emergency battery too, it came this morning but nobody was in to take delivery, so I've got to go and get it from the royal mail place tomorrow!
looks like I might have been wrong, the connector shape is different, but my old charger still fits...
apologies all
you can use any 5v mini usb car charger. need not be an htc branded charger
My brother had one for his motorola krazr back in the day, it's a wall and car charger in one (you can flip out the different attachments)... He now has a samsung, so I swiped his.
I'm using the original one from HTC, the HTC CC C100.
Since my TyTNII I faced problems that other carchargers didn't provide enough power to load the TyTNII.
The original loader didn't face this problems.
And in Holland it was €20.00 so not much more than an unbranded one.
Now I'm using it with my Touch Pro
twisted-pixel said:
looks like I might have been wrong, the connector shape is different, but my old charger still fits...
apologies all
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Click to collapse
Mogul is same way. You can use regular USB, but modified has other sound features or whatever
OK I received the solar charger I mentioned in post #2 today. It's working now but I had a couple of issues with it! Here's a copy of the e-mail I sent to the company I bought it from:
ukdj78 said:
My solar charger has now arrived. First off I should like to point out that the information on your web site is incorrect as the instructions for my product say that the internal battery is only 1350 mAh not 2000.
Secondly, I could not get the internal battery to charge from my PC's usb port at first. I noticed the led light flickering very faintly so I prised apart the plug which connects to the unit and noticed that it had been soldered in such a way that two of the connections inside the plug were touching each other! I lightly bent them apart and plugged it back in and it works fine now.
Thirdly, I noticed that the product was also shipped with a mains adaptor to charge the internal battery (which I can't use in the UK as it has an American mains plug). My one rattled! Seeing as I wasn't planning to use it anyway, I thought I'd investigate what was causing the rattle and I found a piece of loose metal wire about 3 cm long inside the adaptor! As you would understand this was potentially very dangerous!
I do not wish to return my product as it is now working satisfactorily, but I thought you might like to pass my comments on to the product manufacturer. There was a card in the box that says QC Pass #06. Obviously this quality checker isn't very good at his job considering I found two potential short circuit issues!
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Here is the rather quick response I got:
David from Donba.com said:
Hi, ukdj78:
Luckily we have customers like you who knows about things and understand that ultimately we do not have control of the product's quality as we are only the seller. I have forward your email to our purchaser and we will never order anything from the same manufacturer again. Poor quality products not only make us lose money, but our own company image. And like what you said, a risk for our customers.
As for your order. I will refund you the shipping charge to make it free shipping as a compensation for all the inconveniences you experienced.
Again, we are very much appreciated your understanding and your comments.
David
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By the way, if anyone does like the idea of a solar charged emergency battery there's also this one from Handtec. Looking at the specs and dimensions and the fact that Handtec have added a note saying it's black not silver as pictured makes me think it's the exactly the same product as the one I've got. The only reason I ordered from Donba is that they were cheaper. I didn't realise at the time of ordering that even though Donba have their prices in £'s they're actually based in the US and ship directly from the manufacturer in Hong Kong, so it took quite a while for mine to arrive. Handtec are UK based, so you should get a UK power adaptor (if you get one at all) and it should arrive much quicker, they're reliable too, I bought my Touch Pro from them!
Obviously considering my experience though, it may be wise to find a different model that does the same thing just to be on the safe side!
I'm gonna buy a originally adapter 4 sure!
So I know 4 sure it's working correctly!
I ordered a couple of these Cradles from ClubMac as they had the best price I found on the Web (< $20.00 w/ Free Shipping).
http://www.clubmac.com/clubmac/shop/detail~dpno~7602914.asp
These are the real McCoy, genuine Palm Cradles. They have a very small form factor and look good on the desk. Unfortunately they do not come with any type of cable so you will need to use the cable that came with the phone or purchase one separately. The cradles also come with a mild adhesive bottom that makes the cradle stay put with docking and undocking. Some might not like that feature but I personally think it is great.
For those looking for a Phone + Spare Battery charging cradle there is one here
http://store.treocentral.com/mobi-products-cradle-w-spare-battery-slot/6A39A4337.htm
Since I have no need to charge an extra battery I do not personally care for the look or size of this one. However, it does come with its own cables making it very competitive pricewise.
Happy Charging.
Since AT&T no longer supports the Tilt i can't buy an original car charger from them anymore. The one i have no longer works, and from what i've gathered across the intarwebz is that unless you have a factory original car charger or l33t soldering skills, you don't get to have a car charger anymore. Is this right?
Since i don't own a soldering gun, is there a car charger that will work guaranteed? I checked HTC's site and it looks like they are just selling cheap aftermarket generic car chargers.
ANy help would be appreciated.
Thanx Snow
i just got mine from seidio in a combo bundle, no problems for me
How long have you had yours Gelf? Mine worked great initially, then one day i noticed it wasn't charging at all.
Car Charger
I am using a car charger from a Blackberry. If fact, my wall chrager is also from Blackberry. Had them left over from the old days.
Never have any problems.
http://www.mobilefun.co.uk/product/4072.htm
I have one of these, it's a genuine one and charges as well as a wall charger.
My mini USB connector is knackered after I tried to re-set my phone by jamming the stylus in it, so now I have to wiggle it to get it to charge.
Any mini usb charger will work. depending on the volts it may take longer to charge. I sell them all day at Radio Shack and use it for my tilt. just a generic one will do
Don't go cheap on these -- I had a cheap one that fried a device.
I currently use this Belkin...
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001FB578I
includes a 1-amp quick-charge port and a standard 500mAh port
Im lucky i have a USB port on my stereo and i just use a standard mini usb cable to charge my phone, otherwise i use any motorola USB charger and i have nvr had a problem with any of those.
There are threads around about car chargers for Kaiser - search is always good. The general opinion seems to be that non HTC chargers can be unreliable. I've tried a few that sometimes charged and sometimes didn't. Often they would charge for a few mnutes then stop. Rarely seem to charge with GPS running, they just don't seem able to supply the power needed. However I bought a 'genuine' HTC charger from ebay and it's been working great for months. They're still available for aound $AUS20. I think it's worth trying to find one that states 1 amp output from memory. In fact, think I'll buy another now just in case they disappear! Can't remember exactly who it came from though.
drmc said:
There are threads around about car chargers for Kaiser - search is always good. The general opinion seems to be that non HTC chargers can be unreliable. I've tried a few that sometimes charged and sometimes didn't. Often they would charge for a few mnutes then stop. Rarely seem to charge with GPS running, they just don't seem able to supply the power needed. However I bought a 'genuine' HTC charger from ebay and it's been working great for months. They're still available for aound $AUS20. I think it's worth trying to find one that states 1 amp output from memory. In fact, think I'll buy another now just in case they disappear! Can't remember exactly who it came from though.
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Click to collapse
Yup yup. Go HTC if you want reliability. I had a 'Tesco Value' one that showed it was charging but I could never work out why my battery was dying. I found an app that logs the mA charge or discharge rate and that told it's own story; when the Kaiser is working hard - GPS, bluetooth and a couple of apps running it can be pulling well over 500mA. Spend the money, it's worth it.
I got a phillips car charger from Asda for £5. Has tips for most types of phone including mini-usb. Charges my kaiser fine.
Hi,
I always answer the same when I see this kind of demand: buy the official HTC one, it cost something like 10 euros in the EU (probably 10-15 $), and you'll have no problem (see a previous post here).
I had a cheap one, it was a no-go. ince then it's perfect.
deuzeff said:
Hi,
I always answer the same when I see this kind of demand: buy the official HTC one, it cost something like 10 euros in the EU (probably 10-15 $), and you'll have no problem (see a previous post here).
I had a cheap one, it was a no-go. ince then it's perfect.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agreed. The official charger has worked very well for me. Got mine here. Mailed same day and Priority Mail. Have ordered a number of things from them and highly recommend.
I use a motorola v3x car charger
Thanks for the help with alternate ideas and places to look at for buying an official adapter. I'll look around.
I bought a generic one off of Amazon and that worked for about 3 days and then it stopped charging as well. I hope that i can find a solid alternative.
And for anyone who mentioned that i should use the search or off handedly implied that i did not search. You should really stop with that behaviour. It makes you sound like a pompous clown and doesn't add anything of value to this thread or to this site for that matter. For those that provided valuable input, thank you very much for your time and consideration.
Snowreaper said:
And for anyone who mentioned that i should use the search or off handedly implied that i did not search. You should really stop with that behaviour. It makes you sound like a pompous clown and doesn't add anything of value to this thread or to this site for that matter. For those that provided valuable input, thank you very much for your time and consideration.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Apologies if my comment sounded rude, it was simply meant to alert you to the fact that there are many threads on this topic that may help and you didn't mention that you have searched already. I know the search function on these large boards is less than efficient and can be frustrating. It's a good idea to mention that you've searched as many people don't bother. For starters, the following threads are related to this issue and have more info than this thread:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=406771
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=274665
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=382081
Personally I only reply to questions if I think I can help and because I've had so much help from others, not because I have nothing better to do.
all i have to say is, i'm SURE theres a charging circuit built in that will not allow it to charge at too high of a rate in mA's, the OEM one is fairly high (like 850 or 1a as some have said) although i've had fine luck using pretty much anything, i use a mini-usb cable attached to a computer to charge most of the time, the USB standard will allow a max of 500mAh, so it takes longer, but whatever, i have also used Mot. V3 chargers for a long time with fine luck, really the only one i have that doesnt work is my bluetooth headset charger, and its mini-usb but its rated for an output of 350mA!
I had similar problems with my Kaiser. For almost a year it would charge with car charger then it stopped. It would charge fine on AC and computer USB but not in the car.
If you look inside the USB port on the phone at the bottom are two little tabs/fingers. They need to be lifted up to make contact with the charger. I took a dental tool and slightly lifted them so they make better contact with charger plug.
Also make sure that the plastic inside the usb on the phone is not curved or bent as some of the pins will then not touch then. I straightend out the plastic tab inside the USB with a small screwdriver and then made sure that the little grounding legs were bent up a bit and bingo it works.
I use a Motorola charger as well in the car and it worked fine for Blackberry and other phones I checked so I knew the issue was in the phone.
Buying a new charger may not solve the problem if its in the phone. Thanks to those who posted their findings as after I searched I was able to peice together a few ideas that worked.
go to ur local office supply and get one of those cigarette usb chargers (mine is for an HP Ipaq I used to have) and use your data cable ... it works fine
zelendel said:
Any mini usb charger will work. depending on the volts it may take longer to charge. I sell them all day at Radio Shack and use it for my tilt. just a generic one will do
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hmm Scary!
I am considering purchasing the dock. I don't need HDMI or the audio port etc.
My plan is to use the A500 as a chumby-like device beside me at night time. So, clock, weather, etc. and a quick touch to dim or light it up.
That being said, is the dock worth it? Does it work well? Mostly I'm concerned about the remote, I'm sure I'll be using that a lot.
I have read that it never used to, but now works nicely in 3.2, but I'd like to verify that here before I drop 50 bucks on it.
Thanks.
If that's all you want it for, save yourself the money and just buy a cheap tablet stand...
FloatingFatMan said:
If that's all you want it for, save yourself the money and just buy a cheap tablet stand...
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Click to collapse
And where do I find a remote that will work with it that's small and neat?
Unless you're willing to pay a lot of money just for a remote, I'd have to agree with FloatingFatMan.
While I really want a dock, paying $55 USD for the official Acer dock and another $20 for a power supply (because it doesn't come with one) is crazy, considering the limitations. It's really nothing more than an expensive piece of plastic with a power pass-thru and audio connector.
I think that dock would be good if they droped the price or released a version 2.0 with a power supply, USB, and HDMI (granted, you mentioned you wern't looking for those features).
A simple $5 generic tablet stand and nightstand app will do everything you're looking for... just without the cheap-feeling remote that the Acer dock comes with.
If you really want a remote there are several good Bluetooth versions that will work. I saw some threads with people using a Jabra 3030
Hell, I bent an old coat hanger into a DIY stand and it works great. Not aesthetically pleasing mind you, but it works amazingly for what its worth.
Sent from my DROID X2 using XDA App
I have to agree with the others...
As an owner of the dock, I'm very disappointed. Everything the others say about it is true. A basic tablet stand would likely serve you better. Note that I really don't use the remote, though.
Inexpensive tablet stand
Here's a link to an inexpensive, folding tablet stand. I don't own this, but it has many positive reviews.
http://www.amazon.com/Arkon-Portabl...TAB1/dp/B000CKVOOY/ref=acc_glance_e_ai_ps_t_4
Thanks for the responses. The answer is, yes I really do want the remote. I was only thinking about the dock on behalf of the fact that it would be 2 solutions in 1.
1. I'd get a remote. I haven't been able to source any neat/small bluetooth remotes
The only one I've seen for less than $40 is the PS3 remote and I doubt that's compatible with the A500 in terms of all the relevant functions. There's another, $40 by SMK-Link but again, not sure if it works with the A500 and it's too big anyway.
and...
2. The dock would serve as my charger so I didn't have to fumble for the cord to plug the tablet in every time. I could just drop it on the dock when I'm heading to bed. Afaik the tablet's charger works with the dock, so I wouldn't need to spend another $20, it's not like I need 2 anyway.
The dock isn't absolutely necessary. It just takes a few extra movements to plug it in anyway. I'd gladly save a few bucks on skipping the dock. The remote is the real issue at hand. While I want the tablet to be like a chumby, I also want it to be my music player as mentioned. After I'm done playing with it beside the bed and I've set my alarm, I don't want to have to stretch over to fiddle with it if I don't like the song being played. Likewise, I don't want to have to fiddle with it while manipulating/navigating the netflix app.
If you guys could recommend to me a good bluetooth remote control I'd be happy. I still haven't been able to source a good one. The Jabra 3030 is $60-90 and a bit more than I need but less than I want. I don't need a device to stream music through headphones to me, I already have a great bluetooth speaker system set up in my bedroom. The Street also is missing a directional pad.
I already own the Arkon. That's what I use to dock it now. It serves it's purpose as a dock nicely in terms of leaving it be, but in cases where you need to touch the tablet, it isn't as practical since if you're not careful, touching the tablet ends up fumbling your configuration/angles...even though the hinges are for the most part quite tight.
I'm sad to hear that the dock is disappointing, but for what I want it seems I may not have a choice.
Thanks again for your responses and advice. I look forward to hearing your suggestions. I've searched up and down the net' and haven't been able to find a small, tidy control like the one that comes with the A500 dock.
Gentle Alarm's Night Mode + my 10 dollar Merkury Innovations Stand is more and adequate enough on my dresser, plus it looks sexxy .
The Docks current setup is just not worth the money, unless you need a 50+ dollar remote for the brag factor.
I have that stand it works real nice.
it's definitly not worth it !
i had one for another tab. save ur money, and just take a good case
Dock purely for charging?
So there are no cheaper docks purely for charging?
I know I can get a cheap stand and plug in the power cable, that's what I use now - A $3 business card holder from OfficeWorks and the original charger.
But I want a dock that I can throw my tab at, and have it slide in and start charging.
luke.pell said:
So there are no cheaper docks purely for charging?
I know I can get a cheap stand and plug in the power cable, that's what I use now - A $3 business card holder from OfficeWorks and the original charger.
But I want a dock that I can throw my tab at, and have it slide in and start charging.
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I caved and got the Acer Dock. There are just no alternatives for the remote and being able to just sit the device on something and have it charge is a nice bonus over having to plug it in every time.
Not sure why so many are complaining about it. I half expected it to crumble while using it or that it just wouldn't work the way some owners complained of how cheap it was on Amazon. But I read some of the 4 star reviews and went ahead with the purchase.
But the dock works well, the remote works very well, better than I expected and the dock isn't that 'cheap' to me. Then I again, I don't equate something made of plastic to being cheap so that may just be me.
For what it does, allowing you to sit your tablet down to charge AND coming with the remote control (that I can find no alternatives for), it's well worth it to me...you just have to stomach the $50. If you consider the dock to be 20/25 and the remote to be 25/30 (that's what I did), it doesn't feel like a waste of money. Granted, if you don't want the remote then it would definitely feel like paying too much but I haven't found any charging bases either way, and I don't think you ever will since it's a proprietary slot.
I'm considering getting one of these docks.
Its handy to have an audio connection that doesn't use the 3.5ml jack, preventing the jack from getting worn down whenever you want to play music at home.
Let alone not wearing down the solder for the charging port (I hate the charging port, am really disappointed the tab cant charge over its micro USB, but thats a whole separate rant eheh)
I originally thought I should get a second charger and dock, but since using custom roms my battery life has gotten so good that I can leave my only charger at home on a dock and not have to worry.
My battery is usually on 70% ~ 65% remaining by the time I get home, including daily web usage, 2 hours of video playback, and general fiddling here and there.
If there was a cheaper stand that utilised the Dock port, i'd strongly consider it, but since this is the only one I know of that has the port for audio, remote control and charging. if I could get one for 50 bucks I would be very happy.
unfortunately in Aus they're price point is ****ty (aus retail sucks) so Its probably going to cost me $65~
qwertylesh said:
I'm considering getting one of these docks.
...
Let alone not wearing down the solder for the charging port (I hate the charging port, am really disappointed the tab cant charge over its micro USB, but thats a whole separate rant eheh)
...
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If you could charge via the USB, you would wear it down twice as fast. That's because you can't charge it connected to a PC because its USB port simply cannot supply the needed current to charge the battery. So you would have to plug in a charger and unplug it every time you need to connect to a PC for file transfer. Not to mention that this would make developement of applications with A500a pain in the a## because you will be discharging the battery while connected unless you allow it to go to sleep and have to wake and unlock every time you run your app (which would still discharge the battery but slower).
Acer did not put the extra production effort/cost in having more ports just to make your life miserable
Sent from my A500 using XDA Premium App