Xxl 540tm

[alicez]

Just received TomTom XXL 540TM and would like to know how long to charge the unit? And, how do we know when it is fully charged?
(via AC to USB connection.)

 

[dhn]

Welcome to TTF.

A good rule of thumb is to charge it via the usb cable 2-4 hours when it comes out of the box.

If you remove the cable and tap the satellite bars on the screen, you'll see the battery symbol.

But there is no visual or audible indication when it is fully charged.

And make an Explorer, not Home, backup before you do anything else.

If unsure how, see here:
https://www.tomtomforums.com/genera...4-how-backup-contents-your-unit-computer.html

 

[alicez]

Backup

Thank you.
You said "https://www.tomtomforums.com/newreply.php?do=newreply&noquote=1&p=136747"

When I attempted to copy/paste to the new "TomTom Back Up" folder, it mentioned that it would take 67 minutes (over one hour).
Is that correct, or have I done something wrong?
I am new at all of this GPS backing-up; updating maps, registering, etc.
And therefore, your help is greatly appreciated (in easy to understand terminology please).

Alice

 

[dhn]

Your model is what is known as USB 1.1 compliant, meaning it is an older, slower, protocol for the transfer of data. So, yes, that time would not be out of the ordinary.

Most products on the market, including some tomtom models, have the faster USB 2.0 transfer protocol.

In fact the newest is 3.0 but there are not many products, and no GPS brands I'm aware of, that currently have that kind of hardware facility yet.

 

[alicez]

Okay, I will go ahead with the copy/paste.
#1- Is the TomTom XXL 540TM charging while it is doing the transfer?
#2- I notice I am not only copying (and pasting) files, but also Folders. Is that correct?

 

[dhn]

Yes and yes.

 

[alicez]

Over-charging

Is there any possiblity of OVER charging the TomTom XXL540TM (when using AC/USB adapter/charger?
Can it be overcharged which could cause a fire?
Anyoen know?

Does anyone know how to get rid of the Home icon in lower part of screen (taskbar)?

 

[dhn]

You can not overcharge the unit.

You can get rid of the icon by right clicking and select exit.

Also, you can stop Home from starting when you boot up the computer by going into Home's Tools menu, Preferences, General and uncheck the second option 'Start Tomtom Home automatically......'

Instead, create a shortcut to the program and start when needed.

BUT, when you close Home, it'll still reside in the notification area until you do the Right Click, Exit thing.

 

[alicez]

Thank you

Thank you kindly.

Since the TomTom will be used mainly in pedestrian mode, you wouldn't know of a separate battery device that can be used in the street if TomTom's battery gets too low to function?
I've seen these devices in stores that you can attach to your cell phone if your cell phone's battery goes dead while you are traveling. You plug this device into the cell phone and you can continue to use the cell phone until you get home and do regular charge.
Is there any such 'item' for the TomTom?
If you don't know, no need to respond.

 

[ehunter]

There are portable USB charging devices you can buy... like this one from amazon.

I know nothing about which are the best ones but it should get you started on what to start looking at to begin your research.

Amazon.com: EcoSol Powerstick, Portable USB Charger Device, Portable Power Source for Your Mobile Devices - White: Electronics

 

[alicez]

There are portable USB charging devices you can buy... like this one from amazon.

I know nothing about which are the best ones but it should get you started on what to start looking at to begin your research.

Amazon.com: EcoSol Powerstick, Portable USB Charger Device, Portable Power Source for Your Mobile Devices - White: Electronics

Thank you.
Will try to see if any of them will work with the TomTom XXl540TM.
Maybe someone on this forum might be using one of these "power sticks" and can supply some additional info. I'll post a thread asking for some possible help.

 

[canderson]

The Powerstick only supplies 750mAh of current - not a whole lot given what the TomTom will consume. Would recommend something with a bit more oomph, more along these lines -> Amazon.com: New Trent Super-pack IMP500 5000mAh External Battery pack for 3G iPad, iPhone 4 4G, iPhone 3G 3GS, iPod Touch (1G 2G 3G), Motorola Droid , HTC Android Phones, Blackberry (curve, bold, tour, storm) Brand new: Electronics

There are quite a few of these devices out there.

 

[alicez]

#1- Wouldn't the 5000 mah be too much for the TomTom 540MT (which, I believe has 1000 mah)? (And 5V, whatever that means.)
I am completely new at this and would not want to 'burn out" the TT.
#2- If we bought the 750 powerstick, would it work with our TT?
#3- What would be the "downside?" Would it only charge the TT 3/4 of the capacity?

Sorry for the 'stupid' questions, but all of this confuses me no end.

Alice

 

[ehunter]

Mah is the measure of how long the battery pack will go before needing a recharge. It is not directly related to how strong an output current it will supply to your TT device.

It is like buying a gallon of water from the store which will last you longer than a one pint bottle.

So a 5000mAh battery will last for 5x longer than a 1000mAh rated battery.

Your concerned with burning out your TT with too much power output, or as an analogy, how fat the garden hose is (voltage) and, how fast the water shoots out the opening (pressure or amperage) before the unit gets flooded with too much power to where it breaks.

Since the TT car charger is rated for 5V at 1.2Amps(1200mA) I would be cautious about exceeding 1200mA. I personally would not go over by 10%.

The Trent that was just posted gives no amperage output for the rated 5 volts but as long as it is less than 1200mA your ok. Try phoning them to find out.

The Kensington?s you looked at before do supply the output amperage ratings.

 

[canderson]

#1- Wouldn't the 5000 mah be too much for the TomTom 540MT (which, I believe has 1000 mah)? (And 5V, whatever that means.)
I am completely new at this and would not want to 'burn out" the TT.

No - more is better. We're talking capacity here. The greater the mAh, the longer the device will run. You could run your TT on a car battery (a bit of overkill to carry about!) for quite some time if you like!

#2- If we bought the 750 powerstick, would it work with our TT?

Yes, but 750mAh isn't much more than 1/2 the capacity of the pack that is already inside your TomTom (1300mAh), so it won't add much more time than that, either.

#3- What would be the "downside?" Would it only charge the TT 3/4 of the capacity?

The downside is that 750mAh is likely to run your TT for about 70% longer, if that. A 5000mAh pack will give you another 4X the run time.

 

[alicez]

No - more is better. We're talking capacity here. The greater the mAh, the longer the device will run. You could run your TT on a car battery (a bit of overkill to carry about!) for quite some time if you like!

Yes, but 750mAh isn't much more than 1/2 the capacity of the pack that is already inside your TomTom (1300mAh), so it won't add much more time than that, either.

The downside is that 750mAh is likely to run your TT for about 70% longer, if that. A 5000mAh pack will give you another 4X the run time.

Thank you for all the helpful answers. Let me see if I understand this.
#1- Regardless of the mAh I use, the higher, the better. Is that correct? And the higher (say 5000) will not damage my TT XXL540MT? The higher mAh would only mean more capacity and it would hold a 'charge capacity' longer.
#2- The ONLY thing I have to be concerned with (worry about) would be the voltage. Is that correct?
#3- And if I buy a power pack, the highest voltage I should get is 5V. Is that correct. If I bought any higher, it would 'burn out' my TT? Correct?
Hope that I am understanding this better. I remember somewhere that TT stated that we should only buy adapters that were 1A and 5V (and no more). That is what was confusing me when you said I could use 5000 mAh! I thought that was way too high.

====
Add-on:

Saw one charger on ebay which stated:
#1- Standard USB power port (5VDC, 500mA)
#2- Output Voltage: 5VV
Amperage: 1050mAh
Chemistry: Li-Ion

Why is there a difference in mAh? One says 500mA (not mAh) and the other says 1050mAh.
This is really confusing to me. Would this item work for us?
(The AC/USB adapter that came with my TT, that I am using to charge now has the following written on it: Output - 5Vdc. 1A (doesn't that 1A mean 1000 mHa?)

http://cgi.ebay.com/Portable-Pocket...299183?pt=PDA_Accessories&hash=item35ae863aef

 

[ehunter]

Hi Alicez,

mAh = milli-Amps-per-hour of charge capacity and does not relate to any kind of damage that can be inflicted on your unit.

mA = milli-Amps of current output. If this number is too high it CAN damage your unit. Like I posted before, there is the chance you can damage your unit if this number exceeds the amperage rating you see labeled on your car charger. That is, do not exceed 1.2A (or 1200mA). If you saw somewhere that TT stated not to exceed 1A they are being cautious, because again, my car charger has a label that says 1.2A. You should look at yours too.

I would not buy a battery/charger that did not show me a mA output rating. Don?t worry about the Voltage as all USB devices will be rated at 5 Volts.

 

[canderson]

mA = milli-Amps of current output. If this number is too high it CAN damage your unit.

No, no, no. The TomTom (like any device) will draw only the current it requires from the power source. In 115V countries, your wall outlet can typically supply 15 amps if you need it (before blowing a breaker). You can plug a night light into it. The night light draws only the miniscule amount of current that it needs.

The voltage is what is critical here. MUST be 5V (5 volts) which it will/should be if it is designed to supply USB power.

In reverse, you wouldn't want to use a device that couldn't manage the continuous high current draw of the TomTom. Wouldn't hurt the TomTom, but might make the power device unhappy.

I would not buy a battery/charger that did not show me a mA output rating.

Neither would I, but the charger must deliver at LEAST the current required by the TomTom. If it is able to deliver 10 times that (say, 10 amps), there's no trouble at all... except perhaps for the price of a charger with that capacity!!

To the the OP -- select any device you like that will deliver a clean 5 volts to the USB plug, making certain that it will supply at least the nominal 500mA that every USB source must be capable of supplying (like your computer). Something along the lines of 1000mA (1 amp) is better since this will also charge your unit faster. If the thing says it will deliver 5 amps (5000mA), that's just fine. Your TomTom would never use that kind of current, but doesn't hurt a thing. It just means you've got loads of excess current capacity.

Last, get the maximum mAh that you are willing to tote and pay for, understanding that for about every 1300mAh you buy (equal to what's inside your TomTom now), you just added a couple of hours to your TomTom's run time.

 

[ehunter]

I just found information confirming that what you say is correct.

That is, it is ok to buy a power supply having more Amperage than the original unit as long as the voltage is the same.

Sorry for the inaccuracy.

That is good advice you have outlined above for the OP.

 

[alicez]

Thank you

Sorry, I am still a bitl confused, but let me see if I have it right now:

#1- I could get 1A (or 1000 mA), or I could (without problems) get 5A (or 5000mA), and which wouldn't cause a problem to my TT. Is that correct?
Would 1A (1000 mA) be best?

#2- I could get over 1000 mAh with no problems. Even 5000 mAh!
The HIGHER the better, with no possible damage to TT. Is that correct?

#3- The voltage is very important. I should make sure no higher than 5V. I notice some say, "5v - 5.5v or 5v - 12v."
Is that okay?

#4- I could use the EcoSol Powerstick (Capacity 750mAh) with no problems, other than it would not last for 2 hours. Correct?

(mAh is how much current it 'stores', while mA is the max power it can give)
Is the following correct? It seems strange that the higher "A" would give less time!

For example 1500mAh means it can give your TT 1.5 A for one hour before the battery dies. Or 3A for 30 min. Or 6A for 15 min.
How much life would 750 mAh give? Less than one hour?

Can anyone suggest a fairly good portable power stick like the EcoSol Powerstick that would cost less than $50 and have 1000 mAh or higher? Seems like a lot to ask I guess. But then again, my grandson might be able to use it also with his Archos 32 possibly?