x50v docking problem

[capo]

My out-of-warranty x50v no longer docks reliably. It would seem to be an issue with the PDA itself as I have a spare dock and the problem, though not identical, is similar with both. I'm going to guess that the contacts in the base of the Axim are worn - when I seat the device in one cradle it either doesn't make a connection to the PC at all or loses it very quickly. Same problem on the other cradle, plus on that one it loses the recharge connection too. If I monkey with it, hold it at just the right angle I can sometimes get a connection, but that's not a good solution, for obvious reasons. Anybody have any thoughts about this? If I got a charge/sync cable would I be likely to have the same issue? I'm assuming I would, but hope springs eternal, ya know?

[francesymark]

I started experiencing the same problem a few weeks ago with my charge/sync cable. The problem is now occurring on the both of my cradles, so I wouldn't recommend buying a cable.

My research on aximsite finds that the connector may be loose at the motherboard.

One guy reported that he sent his x50 to pocketpctechs and they repaired it for <$60. I emailed them and they told me that they did not replace the connector, but maybe they repaired it??? If you send it to them, please post your results.

Another user reported that he fixed the loose solder connection himself. I don't think I'll try this.

Yet another suggested syncing wirelessly. Pretty good option with WM2003SE which I might resort to if all else fails. I'll have to buy a bt adapter for work.

Someone also suggested buying a replacement motherboard on ebay for $80. They do have some.

Right now I'm taking the rabbit ears approach until it gets worse.

Good luck

[capo]

Thanks for the reply. I did manage to get BT sync to work after much trouble. It was a little slow but worked for a while - then the Axim crashed. Not sure what caused it since it's never needed a hard reset to bring it back to life before. Now my BT sync is gone and I haven't collected the stamina to get it going again. I may do battle with that dragon again, or I may try WiFi sync... or I may just continue to use it as a glorified pocket calendar and forget about syncing altogether. I'm kind of scouting around for something else but nothing is really catching my eye.

[capo]

The only thing I'd consider to replace my x50v with currently is an x51v but they're a little too much for my rapidly depleting checkbook. While I wait for a great deal from Dell I decided to gamble $45 on PocketPCTechs and see what they may be able to do for my Axim. I just shipped it out this afternoon and will keep you posted, good or bad. <fingers crossed>

[capo]

My PPCTechs gamble paid off. I got my repaired x50v back via FedEx just now. Eight days including shipping to and from, a weekend and a major holiday in between - I'd say they're quick. I won't get a chance to do any serious work with the unit until I get home, but I have verified that it can sync and charge again, so all is probably well. They aren't cheap - in addition to the $45 diagnostic fee there was $10 for return shipping and an additional $15 for 'misc repair: sync connector resolder + 1 jumper installed', but it was much less than buying a replacement and the work is beyond my capabilities. My only complaint is that I wasn't contacted before the extra charge work was done, but then $15 wouldn't have been a deal-breaker and it was probably quicker to just fix it and ship it back. All in all, I give them a thumbs-up and won't hesitate to send them any future repairs/mods of this kind.