Flaky 5450 Power Connector

[ChristopherTD]

I think my power/sync connector on my 5450 might be faulty. I noticed when I plugged in my mini-sync cable that the backflight flashed on and off as though power was intermittent.

I wiggled the cable a bit and it settled down, but was sensitive to bumps. I didn't think much of it because the mini-sync is not a robust cable.

But I noticed when I tried to cradle the iPaq the same thing happened. This may have been the fact that it was in the HP ThumbBoard jacket at the time. It seemed alright when I took it out of the jacket.

Is it likely that the iPaq itself is developing a fault, or is it more likely that I just failed to make a good connection each time?

[ChristopherTD]

Further to this - it suddenly started to flash the backlight on and off while connected to the standard AC adapter plugged directly into the iPaq.

Does this sound like anything anyone else has seen?

[tsaxton]

My 8 month old iPaq 5450 is doing the same sort of thing -- I have tried with two cradles, and three of those little power plugs that you use to connect directly to an AC or auto adapter, and two Belkin sync cables: The power only goes through if a little pressure is put on the connector in a certain (upwards) direction. :(

I'm going to have to get it looked at by HP...

[ChristopherTD]

I have a CarePaq for the 5450 but I can't find the details of what it covers, but I think it prudent to have it looked at anyway.

[piperpilot]

It may be the sync port of your device. I started noticing small problems like this and they gradually became worse until I could no longer get my 5455 to sync in its cradle. I sent the device back to HP and got it back in two days with a new sync port. I have not had any of these problems since.

[socrguy74]

I am experiencing similar problems with USB synchronization. I can't do it. The only way I can get my iPaq to connect to either my desktop or my laptop is to connect via the serial connection. I was starting to think that it was the cables, but since I am using both a cradle and a travel sync cable, I'm changing my opinion to the sync port on the bottom of the iPaq. Hopefully, HP will fix it...

[ChristopherTD]

This is turning out to be a comic saga.

Despite having purchased a Carepaq, registered it online, and sent the cardboard mailer with the same details to HP they have no record of it. But wait, when pressed further they discover some sort of Carepaq attached to my iPaq, but they can't tell what sort of Carepaq it is. Nor do they have any way of looking up their database except by iPaq serial number or Carepaq number (which I don't have to hand, it is at home somewhere). They can't look up my name or postcode to locate the carepaq.

This is from a technology company????

Trying to locate anything useful about Carepaqs online is futile as the pages are a mass of broken links and incorrect telephone numbers.

So they promise vaguely to get back to me sometime in the next day.

Fortunately it is a non-fatal fault, so I can await their pleasure.

Doesn't fill one with confidence though.

[piperpilot]

In my case, it was a very gradual progression. At first, it was the AC adapter that just stopped working. I bought another and it worked just fine for a couple of months, then it mysteriously stopped working. I bought yet another and it worked fine too . . . for a while, then again, it stopped working. Then I couldn't get my thumb keyboard or my Stowaway keyboard to work. All the while, however, I didn't suspect the sync port because the iPAQ would still sync in its cradle. Then one day, I couldn't get it to sync and that's when I called HP and arranged to have the unit shipped back for repair, and as it turns out, it was the sync port the whole time.

[piperpilot]

One way of telling if it is the sync port is to gently wiggle your USB cable when it's plugged into the device. If it seems loose and can be wiggled easily, then it's probably the sync port that's broken.

[ChristopherTD]

Several days later I am no closer getting this repaired by HP. They have no record of my Carepaq registration and keep passing me to some other department. The common thread is that they all say "they can't access the database". So chaos reigns at HP and my "next-day" Carepaq looks like a next week or even next month service.

By contrast whenever I have had dealings with IBM for my Thinkpads they have been extremely efficient - and that was just standard warranty service. I paid extra to be messed around by HP.

All of my dealings with HP over this iPaq have been with much aggravation. It is almost enough to make one buy a Palm!