Battery Will Not Charge

w1ksz · 02-20-2013, 06:25 PM

I have had the Charger connected to my PocketEdge most of the day. The Green Charging LED blinks on and off like it's charging, but when I try to turn it on, it gets to the second dot and the boot screen and turns off.

I can only assume my battery has gave up the ghost.

Does anyone know where I can get a replacement battery and a procedure for replacing it ?

Thanks, Dick, W1KSZ

exscentric · 02-20-2013, 09:37 PM

Not to question your intelligence, but many of us have plugged the power into the earphone jack :-)

I'd be sure it isn't the charger before you condemn the battery. Do you have or can you borrow a volt meter and check the adapter?

w1ksz · 02-20-2013, 09:58 PM

The Green LED next to the charging connector is flashing when the charger is plugged in and I can run the Edge with the charger plugged in.

I still think it's the battery.

Gunnerp245 · 02-21-2013, 08:17 AM

There is a thread here or in the archives of a dissembled PE. I believe the battery part number and manufacturer are identified, though I do not remember whether a source was found. Search on battery, PE and user: ivanjt.

zuzulous · 03-07-2013, 10:37 AM

Rather than start a new thread, I thought I'd just piggy-back here and see if anyone has any suggestions...

PocketEdge will not charge. LED does not come on unless I press the power cord connector in there really hard and at an angle. Even then, the light just blinks once and that's it.

The PE starts up fine, but of course pretty much immediately tells me to connect the charger.

I removed the cover and unscrewed the board so that I could see if something was loose, but nothing appears off kilter. I connected the power cord, but no better luck than with the cover on. I'm really not comfortable messing about in there.

I don't have a volt meter to check the charger. I assume Radio Shack or Best Buy would have one - if I stopped in, would they test it for me? Assuming that's the problem, would I be able to pick up a compatible universal adapter there? (I know there is another thread regarding universal adapters, so I'll check that out, too.)

Filark · 03-08-2013, 01:21 AM

Is the little pin inside the charging socket still attached? I know some people have had trouble with them falling out.

I wish you luck!

zuzulous · 03-08-2013, 09:48 AM

Filark, yep, it's still attached. One of the first things I did was gently use the end of a small paperclip to "poke around" in both the end of the charger and the socket, thinking perhaps there was some debris keeping it from making a connection.

DustyDisks · 03-08-2013, 09:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by zuzulous

Filark, yep, it's still attached. One of the first things I did was gently use the end of a small paperclip to "poke around" in both the end of the charger and the socket, thinking perhaps there was some debris keeping it from making a connection.

Just a small warning, if you use anything metal to "poke" into the plug end of the charger
otherwise known as a "wall wart" you run the risk of blowing the fuse that is sealed in the charger and generally it is non-replaceable for most people.

If any probing is done make sure everything is unplugged from the wall/mains, so you do not damage the power supply.

froydman · 03-08-2013, 11:54 AM

I had this happen to me this summer, the battery is shot (the not charging, not so much the having to fiddle with the charge socket, though this info may help with that too).

I was able to find a couple of PEs on eBay whose screens weren't working and the guy was unloading them for $25 a pop. I bought a couple and now have some back up batteries. You may want to see what's out there recently...this is bound to happen to me again but I'm hoping I'm a year or three from it. Being tethered to the wall is annoying.

froydman · 03-08-2013, 11:58 AM

Actually, it was this person who sold them this summer too.

All you need to do is pop the back of your android screen off after unscrewing the screws under the pads, unplug old battery, plug in new battery. The batteries should be good from this guy as if the screen doesn't work it's not being used a lot. Just expect the battery you order to be dead, but it holds a charge and has worked great thus far.

Otherwise, I do not think there's a place to order just the batteries...I checked every where I could this summer.

ivanjt · 03-09-2013, 09:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by zuzulous

PocketEdge will not charge. LED does not come on unless I press the power cord connector in there really hard and at an angle. Even then, the light just blinks once and that's it.

The PE starts up fine, but of course pretty much immediately tells me to connect the charger.

I removed the cover and unscrewed the board so that I could see if something was loose, but nothing appears off kilter. I connected the power cord, but no better luck than with the cover on. I'm really not comfortable messing about in there.

I don't have a volt meter to check the charger. I assume Radio Shack or Best Buy would have one - if I stopped in, would they test it for me? Assuming that's the problem, would I be able to pick up a compatible universal adapter there? (I know there is another thread regarding universal adapters, so I'll check that out, too.)

There are two things in your favour.
First, you have got to the circuit board.
Second, your PE does run.

What you need to do is get a magnifying glass and inspect the solder joining the power socket to the circuit board - you are looking for a dark line that can appear anywhere, but normally round the metal of the socket
.
From your description I think you may have a dry solder joint there. If that is the case you will need to resolder the joints so giving you a good contact again.

If you don't feel up to soldering then take your unit along to an electronics repair shop and ask them to do it for you - they can also check the output of your power supply at the same time.

While you have the covers off check the battery connections are not loose.

ivanjt · 03-09-2013, 09:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DustyDisks

Just a small warning, if you use anything metal to "poke" into the plug end of the charger
otherwise known as a "wall wart" you run the risk of blowing the fuse that is sealed in the charger and generally it is non-replaceable for most people.

If any probing is done make sure everything is unplugged from the wall/mains, so you do not damage the power supply.

Your advice is good as far as it goes and only applies if the metal object shorts together both the inner connector and outer barrel. In fact, here in our workshop we have several extensions, made from parts of paper clips, that fit on multimeter probes just for measuring voltage supplied by power supplies with concentric plugs - saves having to get a power socket from the parts department.

ivanjt · 03-09-2013, 09:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by w1ksz

The Green LED next to the charging connector is flashing when the charger is plugged in and I can run the Edge with the charger plugged in.

I still think it's the battery.

From the symptoms you describe you may have a faulty battery and unfortunately, unless you can find a unit that is damaged but having a good battery or you are prepared to buy a thousand of them, there is no hope of getting a new one (at the moment there is no way I can justify ordering such a large number of batteries just to have 99.9% sitting on the shelf).

On the other hand you may find, when you open your PE, that the battery has a loose connection or there may be a dry joint at one of the components between the charging circuit and battery.

zuzulous · 03-12-2013, 09:16 AM

Thank you all for the suggestions. I will look again more closely and check the connections again and the dry solder possibility. If neither of those seems to be the problem, I'll consider that ebay seller.

I'll keep y'all updated.

archiegoodwin · 03-21-2013, 12:45 PM

I'm no expert, but I think zuzulous's problem is different than w1ksz. My PE stopped charging over a year ago, and after some fiddling, it became apparent that the problem was in the socket, not the battery. What I discovered was that the charger plug simply wouldn't maintain a connection properly. After playing around with it I discovered that if I propped up the Edge on its side and inserted the plug vertically (this is no joke) straight down, sometimes all the way, sometimes half-way, it charged OK.

This may sound like a dying PE, but I have been using this method to charge the Edge for over one year, and so far all is well.

archie

02-20-2013, 06:25 PM	#1
w1ksz Connoisseur Posts: 52 Karma: 10 Join Date: Sep 2011 Device: Pocket EdGe	Battery Will Not Charge I have had the Charger connected to my PocketEdge most of the day. The Green Charging LED blinks on and off like it's charging, but when I try to turn it on, it gets to the second dot and the boot screen and turns off. I can only assume my battery has gave up the ghost. Does anyone know where I can get a replacement battery and a procedure for replacing it ? Thanks, Dick, W1KSZ

03-08-2013, 11:54 AM	#9
froydman Member Posts: 14 Karma: 490010 Join Date: May 2011 Device: Pocket eDGe	I had this happen to me this summer, the battery is shot (the not charging, not so much the having to fiddle with the charge socket, though this info may help with that too). I was able to find a couple of PEs on eBay whose screens weren't working and the guy was unloading them for $25 a pop. I bought a couple and now have some back up batteries. You may want to see what's out there recently...this is bound to happen to me again but I'm hoping I'm a year or three from it. Being tethered to the wall is annoying. Last edited by froydman; 03-08-2013 at 12:11 PM.

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02-20-2013, 09:37 PM	#2
exscentric Addict Posts: 379 Karma: 1033424 Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: WY Device: Kindle keyboard	Not to question your intelligence, but many of us have plugged the power into the earphone jack :-) I'd be sure it isn't the charger before you condemn the battery. Do you have or can you borrow a volt meter and check the adapter?

02-20-2013, 09:58 PM	#3
w1ksz Connoisseur Posts: 52 Karma: 10 Join Date: Sep 2011 Device: Pocket EdGe	The Green LED next to the charging connector is flashing when the charger is plugged in and I can run the Edge with the charger plugged in. I still think it's the battery.

02-21-2013, 08:17 AM	#4
Gunnerp245 Gadget Freak Posts: 1,169 Karma: 1043832 Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: US Device: EE, Note 8	There is a thread here or in the archives of a dissembled PE. I believe the battery part number and manufacturer are identified, though I do not remember whether a source was found. Search on battery, PE and user: ivanjt.

03-07-2013, 10:37 AM	#5
zuzulous Member Posts: 16 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jul 2011 Device: pocketeDGe	Rather than start a new thread, I thought I'd just piggy-back here and see if anyone has any suggestions... PocketEdge will not charge. LED does not come on unless I press the power cord connector in there really hard and at an angle. Even then, the light just blinks once and that's it. The PE starts up fine, but of course pretty much immediately tells me to connect the charger. I removed the cover and unscrewed the board so that I could see if something was loose, but nothing appears off kilter. I connected the power cord, but no better luck than with the cover on. I'm really not comfortable messing about in there. I don't have a volt meter to check the charger. I assume Radio Shack or Best Buy would have one - if I stopped in, would they test it for me? Assuming that's the problem, would I be able to pick up a compatible universal adapter there? (I know there is another thread regarding universal adapters, so I'll check that out, too.)

03-08-2013, 01:21 AM	#6
Filark Armed with a smile :) Posts: 1,421 Karma: 2463560 Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: California, USA Device: enTourage eDGe & Pocket eDGe, Samsung Galaxy Note II	Is the little pin inside the charging socket still attached? I know some people have had trouble with them falling out. I wish you luck!

03-08-2013, 09:48 AM	#7
zuzulous Member Posts: 16 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jul 2011 Device: pocketeDGe	Filark, yep, it's still attached. One of the first things I did was gently use the end of a small paperclip to "poke around" in both the end of the charger and the socket, thinking perhaps there was some debris keeping it from making a connection.

03-08-2013, 11:58 AM	#10
froydman Member Posts: 14 Karma: 490010 Join Date: May 2011 Device: Pocket eDGe	Actually, it was this person who sold them this summer too. All you need to do is pop the back of your android screen off after unscrewing the screws under the pads, unplug old battery, plug in new battery. The batteries should be good from this guy as if the screen doesn't work it's not being used a lot. Just expect the battery you order to be dead, but it holds a charge and has worked great thus far. Otherwise, I do not think there's a place to order just the batteries...I checked every where I could this summer.

03-12-2013, 09:16 AM	#14
zuzulous Member Posts: 16 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jul 2011 Device: pocketeDGe	Thank you all for the suggestions. I will look again more closely and check the connections again and the dry solder possibility. If neither of those seems to be the problem, I'll consider that ebay seller. I'll keep y'all updated.

03-21-2013, 12:45 PM	#15
archiegoodwin Member Posts: 16 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jul 2011 Device: Pocket Edge	I'm no expert, but I think zuzulous's problem is different than w1ksz. My PE stopped charging over a year ago, and after some fiddling, it became apparent that the problem was in the socket, not the battery. What I discovered was that the charger plug simply wouldn't maintain a connection properly. After playing around with it I discovered that if I propped up the Edge on its side and inserted the plug vertically (this is no joke) straight down, sometimes all the way, sometimes half-way, it charged OK. This may sound like a dying PE, but I have been using this method to charge the Edge for over one year, and so far all is well. archie