630 Incomplete Charging

[vanack]

My TT 630 only charges about 3/5ths when connected to my PC but charges completely with the car charger.

Am I overlooking something?

Thanks

 

[dhn]

There is a bug in the latest application such that it makes it appear as if the battery is not fully charged when connected to a pc. That may be the issue.

 

[vanack]

Thanks...hope it's on their list of fixes.

 

[DeliBaker]

My GO630 shows a full battery charge when connected to a PC but when I disconnect I can watch as it drops to @ 75 - 80 % in seconds. When I reconnect it igoes back to 100 %. My issue is that I only get 60-70 minutes of use before having to use the car charger. All this started with the newest app release so there is definitely a problem with the software.

I would suggest the OP try a different usb port preferably one that is not on a usb hub and see if that helps.

 

[mikealder]

Some of us have noticed a distint lack of issues such as flickering backlight and stuttering voices with the latest application, all of these were associated with low battery or an old battery, the new Navcore seems to have a earlier shutdown threshold which prevents the issues whilst appears to shorten battery run time. At the end of the day TomTom supply a charger cable and expect it to be used - Mike

 

[DeliBaker]

I agree with you Mike and I fully believe that app improvements are for the majority of users as it should be. Fortunately for me I didn't experience any of the mentioned problems with prior app versions and my GO never crapped out even on the longest drive. I'm just frustrated that the battery life claims of TomTom for my device of up to 5 hours is so far off the mark now. I've sent email's to TomTom support but haven't heard back yet.

C'est la vie

 

[dhn]

Yeah, those wonderful words, "up to"..............

 

[DeliBaker]

I got a response from Tiffany at TomTom support with the following:

I have included some steps to assist you with the battery life of your device. Below each step, there is a link which will provide you more information. If you are unable to clink on the links, copy and paste them into your internet browser.

1. Perform a soft reset on the device
http://www.tomtom.com/7134

2. Charge the device for 3-4 hours via the computer
http://www.tomtom.com/10327

3. Update the application on the device
http://www.tomotm.com/6218

4. Set battery saving preferences on the device
http://www.tomtom.com/7510

* Please note that the device while in use will only hold a charge for about an hour, the car charger would be strongly recommended for long trips.

Thank you for choosing TomTom for your navigation needs. If you have any further questions or comments, please email or call us at 866-486-6866 Monday through Friday, 8:30 AM until 7:00 PM EST or Saturday, 9:00 AM until 6:00 PM EST. Thanks again for writing. At TomTom we believe in showing you the way the easy way.

With Best Regards,

Tiffany
TomTom Customer Support"

They are admitting that their advertising/marketing material is totally misleading.

 

[dhn]

So now 'up to 5 hours' = one hour. Swell.

 

[mikealder]

At least they are quoting realistic values rather than a device with a properly conditioned battery that has been fully charged with the sound muted, Bluetooth Off (where applicable), not navigating, map not moving and the backlight set to auto off between instructions - In this condition the backlight will never power off as the device isn't doing anything but it would be possible to get around 5 hours from it before the low battery alarm kicked in to shut the device down - Totally unrealistic usage, but its the only way I can see that they would get over three hours - Mike

 

[DeliBaker]

After the initial response from TomTom support I replied to their email with the following:

"I've already done all of your recommendations and TomTom Home shows I have the latest available app. What bothers me now is the statement in your response:

"* Please note that the device while in use will only hold a charge for about an hour, the car charger would be strongly recommended for long trips."

Your web site and marketing material state that battery life is up to 5 hours! As before I've charged my unit for 8 hours with a battery indicator of 100% and when I unplug it from the usb port it immediately drops to 75-80%. How can that be unless there is a software bug or my unit needs warranty replacement.

What are the next steps to take?"

TomTom support has now agreed that there is a problem with my unit and they are replacing it since it's still under warranty. One thing they said was that battery monitoring was not part of the OS application but embedded in the firmware.

We'll see what happens with the refurbished unit.

 

[dhn]

See my first post in this thread about a bug in the latest application.

 

[vanack]

I guess I'm a little confused with the firmware answer as my battery will charge, show and hold a firm charge when connected to the car charger. It never shows a full charge when connected via usb. I would think the firmware would be consistent.

 

[DeliBaker]

Hi dhn,

I spoke with support and purposely brought up the issue as being app related since I only experienced the issue after the latest update. However the two support techs I talked to insisted that battery monitoring is embedded in the firmware and not a function of the software. As per your observation I disagree with their assessment. As a former programmer, firmware will provide data values of various component states but it is the software that will determine the effects of those values. I will let everyone know what happens when I receive the refurbished unit.

 

[DeliBaker]

Hi Vanack,

The car charger will mislead you in that it is both powering the GPS and charging at the same time. Most of the charge is going to run the GPS. As stated from an email from TomTom support:

We recommend charging the device via the computer while it is turned off to ensure that the device is getting a full and complete charge. If you charge the device in the car while it is in use, it may not be receiving a full charge as the power is being used for navigation.

Check the battery charge after removing the car charger and see what the power level is.

HTH

 

[vanack]

Yes you are correct. I charged the unit in the off position from my car charger and it did drop off to about 85% after showing a full charge ( usb never shows a full charge). I am certain however this did not happen before the last app.

Either it is an app or entire batch of GO630's are defective..appreciate your time and look forward to seeing what happens.

 

[mikealder]

One thing they said was that battery monitoring was not part of the OS application but embedded in the firmware.:

They are telling fibs again, the shutdown point can be altered by the application software, unless they are meaning its altered by the bootloader which is a possibility, its a shame if this is the case as rolling back to an earlier Navcore won't fix the issue if its bootloader driven - Mike

 

[vanack]

One more inquiry.

Is this problem relative only to G0630s or other G0 X30 models as well?

 

[mikealder]

All x20 and x30 devices AFAIK, but as the condition of the battery fitted in the device will have a major bearing on this issue some users might not see the problems others will be heavily affected - Mike