iPAQ Sync and Charge cable problems?

[Jason Dunn]

I haven't seen this problem myself, but it certainly sounds like it could be common enough to affect many of your systems. David Topps had a message I thought was worth passing along:<br /><br /><i>"We have had a lot of trouble trying to get USB charge &amp; sync cables to work with our iPAQs and some laptops. We have tried cables from several different manufacturers with same results in each case. The problem only seems to plague certain laptops but is absent for most - Toshiba and some Dell laptops seem to be most affected. The cable makers deny problems when they have done testing. It has been a very frustrating situation, especially since many of our traveling staff would dearly love not to lug cradles and power bricks for the iPAQ with them on the road."</i>&lt;!><br /><br />"I think I figured out what the problem is! What happens is that under certain circumstances, (most often when first connecting) there is a mild power surge and the iPAQ demands too much current from the USB port. As a protective response, the laptop disables the USB port and takes it off the list of available hardware devices. This is why uninstalling and reinstalling the USB port temporarily fixes the problem. Because the operating system thinks the USB port is no longer there, it fairly messes things up for other apps. However, the charge light still goes on for the iPAQ because Windows is not capable of physically shutting down that part of USB functionality.<br /><br />This also explains why the cable works at first but then not after a few attempts and it explains why it only happens for some laptops. Some are more tolerant of the current drain on the USB port while others are not. Although the Charge n Sync was working at first, it would just have been a matter of time before it would have triggered such an action i.e. it was not specific to any particular cable or device connecting. Interestingly under Windows XP, the error messages are much more informative and give you the choice of disabling that port or not.<br /><br />If you always turn off the backlight prior to connecting the iPAQ to the cable, this might help to some degree but I have found that even if I turn the backlight off, sometimes it turns back on again when ActiveSync first fires up. I reckon that this little problem has been troubling a few people out there so I thought that this might be worth posting."

[lee337]

I guess its not just me!

I have this problem with my Toshiba SatellitePro 6000 and my iPaq 3635.

The sync/charge cable works fine however with the HP Omnibook XE3 I use at work.

Lee J.

[carphead]

Had exactly the same problem with a Tecra 8100 and a H3630 but I also had the same problem using a Ericsson Phone and the same laptop.

But I don't have the same problem with the replacement IBM T23 laptop.

[johnm]

Mine has been working fine with my Compaq Presario laptop. My guess is that some of the laptop manufacturers have skimped on the power output for their USB devices.

[charlie]

a few people who have done the ipaq cradle usb power mod have emailed me about the same problem. blame it on the usb port. for desktop use you could always get a usb hub with an external power supply but that would defeat the whole point of not carrying around extra stuff.

charlie

[mvoosten]

Toshiba 8000's have the problem with 3630.
Ipaq 3850 works fine though

[JonnoB]

It is not a cable problem... it is a problem with the USB port not carrying full power.

[Sven Johannsen]

It is not a cable problem... it is a problem with the USB port not carrying full power.

I'm not sure it is a matter of it not carrying full power. Isn't the power spec for a USB port 500ma? That is .5A. What does a PPC with backlight on, playing MP3s at full blast and tryng to charge a 10% battery draw? There is probably a reason the chargers are rated about 2A.

I think it is more that some laptop manufacturers are giving more than required.

[JonnoB]

It is not a cable problem... it is a problem with the USB port not carrying full power.

I'm not sure it is a matter of it not carrying full power. Isn't the power spec for a USB port 500ma? That is .5A. What does a PPC with backlight on, playing MP3s at full blast and tryng to charge a 10% battery draw? There is probably a reason the chargers are rated about 2A.

I think it is more that some laptop manufacturers are giving more than required.

Some have 'shared' power... so if you are using a webcam, scanner, modem, or something else that is not self-powered but draws significant juice, you will often find problems with subsequent devices. If however, you plug in a fall-over hub that is per-port powered, all of the devices work off the same master that failed. Anyway, there is really nothing that can be done from the cable manufacturer standpoint.

[ChrisD]

I've seen this as well. I suspect that it's a power problem.

Yes the USB definition is for 500 mA and some units do provide more than 500 mA.

So if you go into the Control Panel - System on the PC and look at the USB host, you can see the power draw of the devices attached via usb.

My personal experience is that my Fiva MPC-206e notebook won't charge my iPAQ however my Intel 815EEAL motherboard will if I plug it in direct. If I use a USB keyboard with a hub, I can't plug in the iPAQ to charge into it.

[MovilPRO]

My 38xx and all works very well with a Toshiba Portege 7010CT.

The belkin cable have a switch to change from Sync to charge and viceversa.

I hope this can help you.

Hector Hernandez
www.movilpro.com

[Gordo]

I have an HP Pavilion N5495 and usually experience the power surge and then things won't work. I find that if I connect everything up before starting the computer, leaving my iPAQ off. Power on the computer and then power on the iPAQ it will work sometimes. I would like to see a solution to this problem. It worked on my Compaq laptop at my last job, but since becoming self employed and buying my new laptop, I have been lugging the cradle around. :cry:

[gglazer]

I have a Toshiba SatellitePro 6000 with an IPAQ 3650 and a IPAQ 3850. I have tried many cables and noe work. My symptoms are the same in the original message at the top.

[hbcollins]

I discovered the same issue when I upgraded from a Dell Inspiron 7000 to a Latitude C400, using the Audiovox USB power/sync cable to my Toshiba e570. I agree with the assertion that power drain is the culprit, because I can completely avert the problem by plugging the e570 in to the AC adapter or my external battery pack, using the same USB cable. I hope this problem is considered when laptop makers start incorporating USB 2.0 ports!!!

[madbart]

My cable has only stop charging since i did the ROM upgrade.
I test the cable on a friends ipaq prior to doing the upgrade and it did work. After the ROM upgrade it failed to work on both my desktop pc and my notebook.

[Ravenswing]

I have a Toshiba Satellite Pro 4600 and an iPAQ 3630 and I can't charge my iPAQ from the Tosh. So the USB charge cable gets used to power my iPAQ at work from an HP ePC desktop, which works flawlessly.

That said, the desktops I've used this on all behave a little strangely. Technically, the USB port isn't supposed to get power if the machine is turned off, but the charge light comes on even with the machine switched off.

For charging while travelling, I picked up a travel adapter from Widget Electronics. It's reasonably compact and you can swap the plug head for UK, US, and European pins.

[gglazer]

I tried the suggestion above in the original message and after 8 months and 5 cables i can now charge my IPAQ via the sync cable. Turn off your backlight before plugging it into the sync cable. I've tried is 4 times today and it's worked everytime. I am a happy man. Thanks for the help.

[hbcollins]

Just tried the 'no lights' approach with my e570 and USB charge-synch cable... it did not work for me.