Solved battery & charging problems.

recycledelectron · 12-19-2007, 11:44 PM

FIRST PROBLEM: I solved that pesky "will not charge from USB" problem. (The Sony PRS-505 Reader will not charge from all USB ports when connected by a USB cable. I'm not sure why this is.)

FIRST SOLUTION: To charge your PRS-505 on any USB port that does not want to charge it through a USB A to Mini-B cable, buy a USB A to PSP charging cable. This plugs into the port on the bottom labeled "5.2V." The red LED comes on, the battery shows it is fully charged (incorrectly) and there is a lightning bolt next to the battery indicator. You can even keep using the PRS-505 while it charges.

SECOND PROBLEM: The MP3 player sucks the battery dry in a few hours.

SECOND SOLUTION: Since you can charge the PRS-500 through the PSP cable, from any USB port, you can recharge it from any USB power source. That means a USB charger in your car, a wall wort USB charger, or a battery powered USB charger.

COST: These cables are available on eBay, and many other places. I got one with a car adapter for $8, shipped.

SUGGESTION: Given the dissatisfaction with the PRS-505s inability to charge from many USB ports, the annoyance over the battery life when playing MP3s, and the fact that the battery life is nowhere near the 7500 pages advertised, I think Sony should start including USB A to PSP charging cables with every PRS-505, and mail them free to everyone who already bought one. It might avoid a recall over the mis-stated battery life.

Andy

KlondikeGeoff · 12-20-2007, 10:10 AM

Quote:

SUGGESTION: Given the dissatisfaction with the PRS-505s inability to charge from many USB ports, the annoyance over the battery life when playing MP3s, and the fact that the battery life is nowhere near the 7500 pages advertised, I think Sony should start including USB A to PSP charging cables with every PRS-505, and mail them free to everyone who already bought one. It might avoid a recall over the mis-stated battery life. Andy

HaHaHa, that's funny. I'm sure Sony will jump right on that, their customer relations are so wonderful.

Thanks, Andy, for the info you posted, it will be very helpful to many I'm sure. As for me, I'm keeping the 500 as don't see enough advantage in going to the 505. Will probably get the Cybook Gen3 and let my wife have the 500.

HarryT · 12-25-2007, 09:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by recycledelectron

It might avoid a recall over the mis-stated battery life.

Andy

Strictly speaking, the battery life is not "mis-stated". Fully charge your Reader, then click the "Next Page" button as fast as you can until the battery is flat. You will achieve (or close to) the stated 7500 page turns. That's what the stated life means. It's just an advertising claim, like the fuel consumption figures for a car - ie something achieved in highly artificial test conditions.

The battery is used for things OTHER than page turns, however, such as powering the CPU and memory. This power drain is pretty constant, regardless of whether the Reader is on or off.

JSWolf · 01-02-2008, 10:18 AM

Actually, if the 500 & 505 are actually OFF then there is virtually no drain on the battery. But, if the 500/505 are in suspend mode, then yes there is a constant battery drain however slight. So if you have a 500 install the power off hack and if you have a 505, t has an option to turn it off. I would suggest turning off the reader if you are not going to be reading from it for at least 2 days.

stustaff · 01-02-2008, 01:27 PM

hmm turn it off is that via the switch on top? do you hold it down for longer to do that or?

shen · 01-02-2008, 08:41 PM

The 505 can only be switched of by using the settings menu. Using the power switch just clears the display and sets the 505 to standby state, which consumes power.
I'm switching the device off each day after reading which gives me a much longer battery life now.
Too sad, that this can not be configured so that using the power switch will completely shut the device down ... wayting for hack ;-)

Stefan

Amalthia · 01-04-2008, 02:28 PM

not sure if my battery is having problems or not. I'm currently using the PRS-505. I added books to my reader last night and before I started the battery indicator was at 1 bar. It was plugged into my computer via usb cable for at least 30 minutes but no more than 1 hour.

When I finished and unplugged from the computer the battery indicator is back showing it's full. Which doesn't make sense to me because normally charging with the adapator that came with my PRS-500 it took at least 3 hours to fully charge. So i'm not sure if something is wrong with my battery indicator or if the usb charges faster now?

Penforhire · 01-06-2008, 12:00 AM

I can verify that my wife's Motorola phone charger will not charge her 505, though it appears to think it is plugged into a USB line. Odd. Oh well, we'll have to try a PSP charger, as noted elsewhere.

Kolenka · 01-14-2008, 06:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by recycledelectron

FIRST PROBLEM: I solved that pesky "will not charge from USB" problem. (The Sony PRS-505 Reader will not charge from all USB ports when connected by a USB cable. I'm not sure why this is.)

Unfortunately, not all USB ports are created equal. There are high and low-power USB ports. Low power ports are spec'd to provide about 50-100mA of power, while high-power ports are spec'd to provide up to 500mA of power.

If you connect the Sony to a low-power port, it might not trigger the charging. But if it doesn't need more than ~100mA provided by a low-power port, then the PSP cable will still work. If it /thinks/ it can't draw enough power to charge, it probably won't. It could be a bug both on the Sony and elsewhere. But I haven't had any issues charging via USB using a AC->USB charger, or my laptop, even on battery power.

Quote:

Originally Posted by recycledelectron

SECOND PROBLEM: The MP3 player sucks the battery dry in a few hours.

This doesn't suprise me in the least. Playing an MP3 generates more screen refreshes, consumes CPU/Flash power constantly (meaning you can't put anything to sleep at any point), and generally just drains the battery faster than reading ever would. I personally wouldn't dare to use my Sony reader as an MP3 player because of how different the power consumption profiles are between eBooks (which the Sony is optimized for) and music playback.

Quote:

Originally Posted by recycledelectron

SUGGESTION: Given the dissatisfaction with the PRS-505s inability to charge from many USB ports, the annoyance over the battery life when playing MP3s, and the fact that the battery life is nowhere near the 7500 pages advertised, I think Sony should start including USB A to PSP charging cables with every PRS-505, and mail them free to everyone who already bought one. It might avoid a recall over the mis-stated battery life.

7500 pages means not playing music, and includes you paging about in menus and the like. The fact that mine has lasted at least a week of normal usage (reading a few chapters every night) while only plugging in maybe 5 minutes a day to copy content and getting a slight recharge that way has made me quite happy. Especially since I am still staring at a full battery indicator. Better than my Kindle which dies every night, even if I don't touch it and let it sleep.

AnemicOak · 01-14-2008, 06:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kolenka

Unfortunately, not all USB ports are created equal. There are high and low-power USB ports. Low power ports are spec'd to provide about 50-100mA of power, while high-power ports are spec'd to provide up to 500mA of power.

Also some ports, especially on cheaper build or older machines, are actually a version of an unpowered USB hub and not full USB ports at all.

FWIW I've never had a problem charging via USB on any of the four machines I've tried it on.

Penforhire · 01-22-2008, 12:52 PM

I've got yet another charger suggestion. I happen to have a Nyko charger for Sony PS3 controllers, designed to charge any two controllers not attached to a PS3. It has two short mini-USB-terminated cables running from a "wall-wart" box.

I tried it on a lark and it works great for two 505's. It says it delivers 800 mA at 5 V so it is probably a fast charger too!

Bhunter1955 · 10-24-2009, 06:49 PM

Sony store guy sold me a wall power supply that had 2 USB ports on it when he was out of the wall charger for my 505. Well, like everyone else it flatlined my ereader. However, my son was finally of some use to me as his PSP wall charger is doing quite nicely. I hope it resucitates my battery! I will use the menu to shut down the ereader, didn't know about that.

Bill

DrMoze · 10-25-2009, 03:36 PM

The PSP charger will work best on the Readers. A wall usb charger will drain it. This info has been covered EXTENSIVELY here in the forums, over the past 2+ years. You should get a refund on that Sony usb charger.

12-19-2007, 11:44 PM	#1
recycledelectron Groupie Posts: 152 Karma: 854 Join Date: Dec 2007 Device: Lifebook T5010	Solved battery & charging problems. FIRST PROBLEM: I solved that pesky "will not charge from USB" problem. (The Sony PRS-505 Reader will not charge from all USB ports when connected by a USB cable. I'm not sure why this is.) FIRST SOLUTION: To charge your PRS-505 on any USB port that does not want to charge it through a USB A to Mini-B cable, buy a USB A to PSP charging cable. This plugs into the port on the bottom labeled "5.2V." The red LED comes on, the battery shows it is fully charged (incorrectly) and there is a lightning bolt next to the battery indicator. You can even keep using the PRS-505 while it charges. SECOND PROBLEM: The MP3 player sucks the battery dry in a few hours. SECOND SOLUTION: Since you can charge the PRS-500 through the PSP cable, from any USB port, you can recharge it from any USB power source. That means a USB charger in your car, a wall wort USB charger, or a battery powered USB charger. COST: These cables are available on eBay, and many other places. I got one with a car adapter for $8, shipped. SUGGESTION: Given the dissatisfaction with the PRS-505s inability to charge from many USB ports, the annoyance over the battery life when playing MP3s, and the fact that the battery life is nowhere near the 7500 pages advertised, I think Sony should start including USB A to PSP charging cables with every PRS-505, and mail them free to everyone who already bought one. It might avoid a recall over the mis-stated battery life. Andy Last edited by recycledelectron; 12-19-2007 at 11:52 PM.

10-24-2009, 06:49 PM	#12
Bhunter1955 Junior Member Posts: 1 Karma: 10 Join Date: Oct 2009 Device: Sony 505	Thanks Sony store guy sold me a wall power supply that had 2 USB ports on it when he was out of the wall charger for my 505. Well, like everyone else it flatlined my ereader. However, my son was finally of some use to me as his PSP wall charger is doing quite nicely. I hope it resucitates my battery! I will use the menu to shut down the ereader, didn't know about that. Bill

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01-02-2008, 10:18 AM	#4
JSWolf Resident Curmudgeon Posts: 73,887 Karma: 128597114 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Roslindale, Massachusetts Device: Kobo Libra 2, Kobo Aura H2O, PRS-650, PRS-T1, nook STR, PW3	Actually, if the 500 & 505 are actually OFF then there is virtually no drain on the battery. But, if the 500/505 are in suspend mode, then yes there is a constant battery drain however slight. So if you have a 500 install the power off hack and if you have a 505, t has an option to turn it off. I would suggest turning off the reader if you are not going to be reading from it for at least 2 days.

01-02-2008, 01:27 PM	#5
stustaff Wizard Posts: 1,055 Karma: 2110 Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Derbyshire UK Device: sony reader PRS505 and 600	hmm turn it off is that via the switch on top? do you hold it down for longer to do that or?

01-02-2008, 08:41 PM	#6
shen Member Posts: 20 Karma: 46 Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Germany Device: Sony PRS-505	The 505 can only be switched of by using the settings menu. Using the power switch just clears the display and sets the 505 to standby state, which consumes power. I'm switching the device off each day after reading which gives me a much longer battery life now. Too sad, that this can not be configured so that using the power switch will completely shut the device down ... wayting for hack ;-) Stefan

01-04-2008, 02:28 PM	#7
Amalthia Wizard Posts: 1,158 Karma: 32196 Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Anchorage, AK Device: Sony Reader PRS-505, PRS-650, PRS-T3, Pocketbook HD2	not sure if my battery is having problems or not. I'm currently using the PRS-505. I added books to my reader last night and before I started the battery indicator was at 1 bar. It was plugged into my computer via usb cable for at least 30 minutes but no more than 1 hour. When I finished and unplugged from the computer the battery indicator is back showing it's full. Which doesn't make sense to me because normally charging with the adapator that came with my PRS-500 it took at least 3 hours to fully charge. So i'm not sure if something is wrong with my battery indicator or if the usb charges faster now?

01-06-2008, 12:00 AM	#8
Penforhire Wizard Posts: 2,230 Karma: 7145404 Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Southern California Device: Kindle Voyage & iPhone 7+	I can verify that my wife's Motorola phone charger will not charge her 505, though it appears to think it is plugged into a USB line. Odd. Oh well, we'll have to try a PSP charger, as noted elsewhere.

01-22-2008, 12:52 PM	#11
Penforhire Wizard Posts: 2,230 Karma: 7145404 Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Southern California Device: Kindle Voyage & iPhone 7+	I've got yet another charger suggestion. I happen to have a Nyko charger for Sony PS3 controllers, designed to charge any two controllers not attached to a PS3. It has two short mini-USB-terminated cables running from a "wall-wart" box. I tried it on a lark and it works great for two 505's. It says it delivers 800 mA at 5 V so it is probably a fast charger too!

10-25-2009, 03:36 PM	#13
DrMoze Booknut Posts: 858 Karma: 2852 Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: West Palm Beach, Florida! Device: Sony Reader 500/505/300/350, Nook Glowlight Plus (6")	The PSP charger will work best on the Readers. A wall usb charger will drain it. This info has been covered EXTENSIVELY here in the forums, over the past 2+ years. You should get a refund on that Sony usb charger.