GO 730 plugged into vehicle USB, boots up, runs. If no input: shutdown now? Yes:No? then... OFF!

[daveyjane]

Have preferences set for 'keep screen on always'. (battery saving preferences) turn off when external power lost? NO. Yet this GO 730 turns off after a few minutes of no touching the screen. Keep the touchscreen alive, touch frequently, no problems. Long stretch of road and while driving, its annoying to reboot just to see where the next turn is. What am I missing that will keep these 730's on and running, forever, with the 5volt wire charging them constantly, the green light lit, the boot up complete..., Satellites found, road and turns on the screen, after a few minutes a warning appears, (very short warning) saying 'do you really want to shutdown?, then all is dark quicker than one can touch "NO". Requiring yet another reboot. reset tried.
5.3 volts on the usb connection for power. Settings i've missed somewhere.? Make 'No' the default answer? Avoid the shutdown now question? change the timer length from minutes to hours? Keep the screen alive with a workaround. DhN, do you know what's going on here?. Longtime member, daveyjane in pennsylvania. usa

 

[dhn]

Not clear here. Are you saying the device is plugged into a usb port in the car? If so, don't. Those ports do NOT emit 5 volts of power, not even close. More like .5A power. Use the car charger that came with the device.

 

[canderson]

To clarify, they do provide 5 volts, but as David says, typically only about 500mA (.5A), not really enough to power your device.
The exception are cars with charging-only ports that can provide a higher current.

What would be interesting to know is when your device shuts down, what the status of the battery is if you disconnect the device from the USB and check it. Probably very low.

 

[Arno]

Also, may be my mis-interpretation but, make it YES when external power is lost so the device shuts down.

 

[daveyjane]

Not clear here. Are you saying the device is plugged into a usb port in the car? If so, don't. Those ports do NOT emit 5 volts of power, not even close. More like .5A power. Use the car charger that came with the device.

Thank you DhN for the quick reply. I have switched to the GO car charger 1.2A, (e13= model?) brandname GO product came with the gps.. straight, not coiled, black wire from a cigarette lighter plug to my car's cigarette 13.5v. power-supply. It lights the light just like the car's usb charger,( which is labeled in my electric vehicle as 5 volts, 2.1 amps.) And measures 5.3 volts with items plugged in. At any rate after charging for many hours, the go730's green light lit, the go730 battery indicator is green and 90 some percent full according to the battery graphic in the upper corner, just like before. Unit no longer powers off after a few minutes until I switch back to usb charging when it asks "do you want to connect to a computer? I say no. And it starts timing the three minutes to shutdown once again. Guessing this is how it is supposed to be, to charge it faster when off. But i would like it to run forever, while driving, while charging with USB. Hoping for a software solution to keep it ON and with usb as the power source just bcs i have it distributed everywhere . Your substitution of Power.Supply however does work by changing the boundary conditions hence the software no longer asks if i'd like to connect to a PC.. so thank you DHN in toronto for that.

 

[daveyjane]

To clarify, they do provide 5 volts, but as David says, typically only about 500mA (.5A), not really enough to power your device.
The exception are cars with charging-only ports that can provide a higher current.

What would be interesting to know is when your device shuts down, what the status of the battery is if you disconnect the device from the USB and check it. Probably very low.

Thank you Canderson for the reply. Yes, I think I might be the exception, 2015 fully electric vehicle with charging ports. The battery indicator, green, is near 90%, and it runs without any charger but i don't have the patience to find out how long it runs without the power cord (usb), ... If i return and its OFF I won't know for how long. Have now tried an official PS, cigarette lighter, (car does have one), and that works too. AND fixes the prob. [THANKS goes to DHN for that workaround] by altering the software. (no longer asks if i'd like to connect to a computer (usb wire uses four pins, cigarette lighter has only two.) Its this usb charger that then incorporates the software subroutine that uses a timer, (for unknown purpose) to shutdown the unit [3 minutes] when there is no input (touch input) or (computer input) or (gps iinstruction input). Just guessing it is supposed to be this way as per some engineer's interpretation during software writing. Thanks Canderson for justifying my approach, in this case, for the high powered usb charging. My car in particular measures at 5.3v and 1.2 or 2.1 amps. either choice available.
As to your battery question, on the unit still possessing an internal battery, it would be low as its a poor battery, and i haven't upgraded it to another. Hence the constant wire for power. I'm using the internal battery only as a 'uninterruptible power source' functional only when the car would be off for a few minutes, like during a car reboot which turns off the power to accessories for a full minute while the dash and other functions reinitialize. Can be done while driving. No interference with important functions.
The other go730 has an external lithium cylindrical battery setup all across the back cover... runs for 8-10 hours, and is good for removal from the car, as on foot or bike. Finds the car itself if out in the wilderness or a bigger city, "where did I park?"
Interestingly as soon as its on usb power its behavior changes to requiring input or insisting on "do you really want to shut down" with 'Yes' as the default answer.

 

[canderson]

Especially with a dodgy battery, you're going to need to supply all of the current that the device requires from external power.
The fact that your device keeps thinking that it is connecting to a computer when plugged into the USB port tells me that it is NOT a charging-only port, but rather, also a data port interface to the vehicle, and hence, most likely limited to 500mA. Again, that isn't going to get the job done. I have one of the few vehicles with both. The USB port at the base of the center console of the dash wouldn't keep your 730 running, either. It's the data interface for the vehicle, and limited by the current provided by the USB interface chip. However, there's a port for rear seat passengers behind the center arm rest that is not a data port, just 5V USB power, that provides 2A.

 

[daveyjane]

Especially with a dodgy battery, you're going to need to supply all of the current that the device requires from external power.
The fact that your device keeps thinking that it is connecting to a computer when plugged into the USB port tells me that it is NOT a charging-only port, but rather, also a data port interface to the vehicle, and hence, most likely limited to 500mA. Again, that isn't going to get the job done. I have one of the few vehicles with both. The USB port at the base of the center console of the dash wouldn't keep your 730 running, either. It's the data interface for the vehicle, and limited by the current provided by the USB interface chip. However, there's a port for rear seat passengers behind the center arm rest that is not a data port, just 5V USB power, that provides 2A.


I will be looking into this. That's a fine description, and truly a21st c. vehicle, [what kind and model is it?] I too have two ports, likely different. so will ascertain which is which and which supplies power only and not data. thanks for that alert. Dave in Pennsylvania.

 

[canderson]

Am presently driving a Kia Sorento SXL. Even has a 120VAC outlet for rear seat passenger connections for notebooks, etc. Enjoying it.

If you find a port that does NOT cause the device to believe it's being connected to a USB host system, that's likely a better candidate, though no guarantees. Even a charge-only port might not be sufficient for concurrent charging and device use. Depends upon what the manufacturer chose for their spec for those outlets.

 

[daveyjane]

specs for usb ports in my vehicle:
closest USB port to the driver’s seat is rated at 2.1 amps while the port directly next to it – call it the passenger side USB port – is rated at 1 amp.
The driver's side usb port removes the transmission of data when a device is plugged into USB power thereby allowing the device to receive a charge at a much faster rate, and up to the power limits of the port itself 2.1A.

Nice vehicle you have, C., I looked up the pics for it. Beautiful. Nice distribution of electricity and charging possibilities as you describe them.


Thanks to all for the advice. A., D., & C., Will follow it, where possible, especially with using the original PS in 13.5 volt distribution system [thanks DHN, ] and make the most of the tomtom gps (on the 3000km

loop trip) as a supplement to my EV's navigation, which has some drawbacks, and could use the additional features of the TT design. This May's trip is all in the North East. ... Little chance for a detour to Colorado this season. But planning a south-western trip feb-apr of 2019, there's a K-T layer of geologic deposits accessible in colorado that my wife and i would like to find. Dave and Sue, from their one-room-schoolhouse in Pennsylvania.

 

[Arno]

Are your Waypoints between Hamilton, ON and the junction of the 401 - 35/115 special interest point for you, like the Scarborough Bluffs? If not there will be a little boring traffic on that stretch.

I used to go to Train Mountain in Chiloquin, OR for the Triennials (on this year, but wife refuses). That is an 8,300 km straight return run but with little detours like Vancouver Island and El Paso or the Beartooth Hwy and San Antonio for the River Walk those trips usually ended up at around 15,000 km.

 

[daveyjane]

direction is SW as the trip is counterclockwise, the bowmansville waypoints are for the motorsport racetrack. We were there in 1970 for the music festival that followed in the wake of Woodstock, one year later, with many of the same music groups (minus Janis Joplin who had died by then.) So we wanted to see the place so many years later.
The other waypoints are just killing time as we are a day ahead, at this pre memorial day [ 28th ] time of May (26 or 27) . does Canada even do a Memorial day? Thanks for the idea Arno of Scarborough Bluffs. We could only find the suggestion of the festival express, 1969, [ the train route from Toronto to Calgary,] on which were the same and more musicians. Hence the waypoints in H. and Miss. are those crossing the tracks repeatedly. We have time in the area in question if you have other suggestions. The triennial train event looks interesting, do you have an engine, cars and caboose in your yard? Our EV vehicle cares not for the wasting of gas as it has none onboard. And we have spare hours as well, setting the scene for 'anything goes'. Our NYC and Montreal hotel visits are centered around Leonard Cohen and his activities, a Canada resident in his day and fan of ours. Many of the other nights of the 18 day trip are aimed at lithium battery chargers where the signs are likely to say, "no overnight parking except for electric vehicle charging." Our favorite sign. The model ' S' has what Tesla refers to as 'camping mode'. The mode we are in for the trip, bikes on the roof, telescope onboard. Self driving will take care of that "boring traffic" on 401 if that is where you suggest it will be. Dave and Sue, and the go730's, old and out of date tho they are, they are working just fine now on Non-data power.
Thanks for your interest and followup Arno.

 

[Arno]

No, I have nothing in the backyard as I am living in a Condo now. But then, my little 1/16th scale 3.5" track width loco is not happy with a radius of less than 40 feet.
The Province of Newfoundland and Labrador, which joined Canada in 1949 celeb5rates Memorial Day on the 1stof July. The rest of Canada celebrates November 11th, Remembrance Day in the British tradition.

Coming down from Mossport, plan a compulsory stop off the 401 on Brock Rd in Pickering where there is a two month old nearly vacant 10 spot Tesla charging station. 30 steps from the liquor store. 43.846456, -79.072869 Right next to a slightly upscale Supermarket that will make sandwiches to order form their deli counter. A five minute walk is a McDonald, Walmart and some other restaurants including an all you can eat Chinese Mandarin.