TomTom Via 135 shuts down

[Andrew Skidmore]

Can anyone tell me why my Via 135 sometimes shuts down when connected to my cigar lighter in my car? It gives no warning and has to be re-booteed to start up which is frustrating as it takes a few minutes to find my location.
Thanks in advance.
Andrew

 

[dhn]

Seems either the device is not holding a charge due to a faulty battery or the cig lighter isn't putting out required power. Can you test in another car? Does it appear to charge when connected to the computer? (Leave it connected for a couple of hours -- device doesn't have to be on). How long does the device run without a connection in the car now?

 

[Andrew Skidmore]

Seems either the device is not holding a charge due to a faulty battery or the cig lighter isn't putting out required power. Can you test in another car? Does it appear to charge when connected to the computer? (Leave it connected for a couple of hours -- device doesn't have to be on). How long does the device run without a connection in the car now?

Hi. Thanks for posting your reply. I have run other devices in this car with no problem. The tomtom is charging ok. It seems that when I have it plugged into the car charger and turn my ignition off, the tomtom sometimes turns off when I restart my car. This doesn't always happen. I have changed my in-car USB connector but it still happens.

 

[dhn]

Try a drum reset on the unit by holding the power button about 20 seconds till you hear the drum sounds.

 

[johnwales]

I see a reference to the USB port in the above posts. If your Tom Tom is plugged into a USB port it is only been charged with a 5 volt power source, and not 12v as you would get from the main sockets. If your battery is old, then it is going to shut down as you describe above.

 

[canderson]

@johnwales
You do NOT get 12V from a car adapter. We've had a few users mistakenly try to hardwire 12V to their units, and have experienced the smell of burning parts every time.
No matter what the source (12V to 5V USB car adapter), USB port on a computer, 5V USB wall wart, it's ALL 5V, and ONLY 5V.

Differences DO exist in the current capability of various charging sources, and will impact charging time, or even the ability to charge depending upon the source and device. For example, if the device uses 500mA or more just to operate (and while I don't think his Via fits that category, some TT units do), then plugging into a source capable of only 500mA output (most computer ports, for example) won't provide enough current for charging with the device operating. With the unit off, a 500mA source off a computer will charge the device at just about half the rate of a 1A wall charger or cigarette lighter adapter.

@andrew
You've said "It gives no warning and has to be re-booteed". A reboot would seem to indicate that the battery is completely flat.
You've also said that "The tomtom is charging ok. It seems that when I have it plugged into the car charger and turn my ignition off, the tomtom sometimes turns off when I restart my car." Is your Via set up to shut down with loss of power for battery saving? Tell us how you have it configured to handle power-up and power-down.