Palm universal charging [Archive]

opusxcigars

08-04-2003, 09:45 AM

I don't have a Palm device previously but now that I have the iQUE I was wondering if anyone had any luck with using a Palm certified universal car charger designed for the m5xx series.

I am assuming that the m5xx series chargers should fit the iQUE connector? In the pictures they basically look identical. I just don't want to wait for the Garmin charger.

demiller9

08-04-2003, 10:47 AM

I wouldn't want to risk my iQue by plugging in a charger with too high a voltage on it. I haven't seen any formal specs (even in the manuals) for the charger voltage, the only 'spec' is the label on the supplied charger (5v, 1000mA).

My temporary solution has been to carry the desktop charger in the car, and plug it into an inverter.

Don

Moose Man

08-04-2003, 11:41 AM

The Tungsten T Charger is rated at 5.0v 1.0A which is the same as 1,000mA. It is actually manufactured by Motorola - according to the sticker. The desktop charger is rated as 1,000mA and it's made by some company called MEI - both of which were actually made in China.

The Universal Connector being used by the iQue should be identical to that on all the Palm's that use it.

Check the voltage and amperage on the iQue's cradle charger and if it's 5.0 volts and either 1,000 mA or 1.0A then most definitely the Palm travel charger will work.

Hairy Potter

08-04-2003, 11:55 AM

What alternatives are there for battery power away from a vehicle. I saw an earlier post when talked about the Palm Power to go, but that would block use of the GPS antenna. Are there any manufacturers of battery power? I used to have one for my Clie which used AA batteries.

Garv

08-04-2003, 12:20 PM

There are a bunch of companies that offer battery recharge solutions. You basically connect a 9v battery to the universal connector via their product.

Here's one for about $20...

http://www.seidioonline.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=SEI2

Not sure about two things:
1. Can it be plugged in to charge while using the PDA
2. Will it work for the iQue

opusxcigars

08-04-2003, 12:53 PM

That's what I though Moose Man. I'll check it out tonight. Thanks!

Here's another alternative I just found on eBay that may work.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3038939165&category=29850

Hairy Potter

08-04-2003, 01:09 PM

I sent an email to Seidio to ask if their unit will work with the Garmin iQue 3600. If I get an answer, I will post it for all. This would help those people who want to use the PDA for hiking, sailing, golfing, etc.

jkoslacz

08-04-2003, 04:32 PM

Originally posted by Garv
There are a bunch of companies that offer battery recharge solutions. You basically connect a 9v battery to the universal connector via their product.

Here's one for about $20...

http://www.seidioonline.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=SEI2

Thanks for the info ! I was considering building my own voltage regulator that could be used with AA/D cells or 12V car power but this one appears to be much better than anything I could put together. I'll probably attach a 9V battery connector to a 6xAA or 6xD battery holder to get a "high capacity" battery pack.

Not sure about two things:
1. Can it be plugged in to charge while using the PDA

I suppose so. Even if not there should be a way to fool iQue into thinking that it's hooked up to an auto nav kit.

2. Will it work for the iQue

If it connects through the Universal Palm Connector it should work.

Jan

Moose Man

08-04-2003, 11:50 PM

demiller9 is credited with opening my eyes in another post with regards to this picture

http://www.gpscity.com/g/i/l/iquebot.jpg

With the separate AC plug in - I'd bet that most of the Universal Connector accessories common to Palm's that supply either power - probably won't work. I hope that I'm wrong but we would now need an engineer and the blueprints to be certain that the "wiring" is the same within the iQue, as compared to a Palm device.

Sho-Bud

08-05-2003, 01:05 AM

I believe that the manual states that when the Ique is in the craddle, power is provided through the Universal Connector.

jkoslacz

08-05-2003, 06:49 AM

Originally posted by Moose Man
With the separate AC plug in - I'd bet that most of the Universal Connector accessories common to Palm's that supply either power - probably won't work

I'm pretty sure that you can charge iQue either through the Universal Connector or through the barrel-and-pin type plug in. Anyway, the Seidio gadget seems to be available with the latter too, and it would be even more convenient for me than the UC - it's smaller :)

Jan

opusxcigars

08-05-2003, 06:56 AM

It can be charged both ways via either the AC adapter plug OR the Palm universal connector.

jkoslacz

08-06-2003, 06:44 AM

Got an answer from Seidio:

"1) Is the AC adaptor inlet DC Jack type ? if yes, what is the size ? 2.5 mm, 4.0 mm
2) the voltage 5.0 V is right voltage for our power package."

Does anyone know what's the correct answer for 1) ?

Yurs_Truly

08-06-2003, 08:59 PM

Looking on the Ique picture, it looks like a 4.0 plug basically a standard size hole for a typical charger. I did compare it to my Nokia cell fone which has a 2.5mm for earphone plug and a 4.0 for a charger. btw i still dont have my ique so the picture might be "deceiving"..

philchung

08-06-2003, 10:58 PM

innopocket.com cable (http://www.palminfocenter.com/view_story.asp?ID=5478)
Has anyone looked at this 3-in-one sync/charge/sd reader cable? I've emailed them to ask for voltage and current specs and I'm optimistic that the Universal Connector will allow me to use this. The article also refers to a car2usb adapter for the road.

opusxcigars

08-07-2003, 07:20 AM

I got this

http://www.jandr.com/JRProductPage.process?Product_Id=3657225

Bought it at Best Buy for 20.00

The iQUE demands 5v and 1000mA. The Jensen has a selectable voltage output to set at 5v and offers the 1000mA and a replaceable fuse.

Works great with the iQUE!!! I have always used Jensen and find their adapters are high quality. I highly doubt it is any less quality that the one Garmin will stamp their name on. I already have a Jensen car adapter for my Rio Mp3 player and it has lasted a solid 2 years already without a hitch.

Also any Palm Universal charger will fit this device. Just make sure the connector is not made specifically for one unit. The Belkin(shit) has a plastic piece on the connector that only allows it to click into a m500 series.

appelm

08-08-2003, 12:17 PM

rwsmith123

08-09-2003, 07:16 PM

Originally posted by appelm

Has anyone tried this yet? This seems like a fairly good option.

What I wonder is how much of a charge can the Ique get off one 9v battery (<1 or x times?) and how long does it take for a whole charge.

By itself it doesn't seem to be a viable option. I was looking around and the lithium ion batteris that pda's use seem to be in the 1200 to 1600 mAh range. Lets assume that the ique's battery is 1600 mAh since it's power hungry. The best ni-mh 9v battery I've seen is 220 mAh, so it will only supply 14% of what the ique's battery requires to be fully charged.

However, if you hook it up to 8 AA batteries using this: http://www.radioshack.com/product.asp?catalog%5Fname=CTLG&category%5Fname=CTLG%5F011%5F002%5F001%5F000&product%5Fid=270%2D407
and load it up with high capacity ni-mh batteries (2200 mAh) each, you would get a total of 17,600 mAh which would allow you to fully charge the ique 11 times!

If that's not good enough you could make an 8 D cell battery pack and load it up with high capacity ni-mh batteries (11,000 mAh each) for a total of 88,000 mAh which would allow you to charge it 55 times!!

PdL59

08-10-2003, 02:57 PM

Originally posted by rwsmith123

However, if you hook it up to 8 AA batteries using this: http://www.radioshack.com/product.asp?catalog%5Fname=CTLG&category%5Fname=CTLG%5F011%5F002%5F001%5F000&product%5Fid=270%2D407
and load it up with high capacity ni-mh batteries (2200 mAh) each, you would get a total of 17,600 mAh which would allow you to fully charge the ique 11 times!

If that's not good enough you could make an 8 D cell battery pack and load it up with high capacity ni-mh batteries (11,000 mAh each) for a total of 88,000 mAh which would allow you to charge it 55 times!!

I am no expert in batteries, but if I remember correct you make some errors in your calculations. The AA and D cells are 1.2 V if you use ni-mh rechargeables. The 2200 mAh AA-cell can provide a 1.2 V with 2.2 A current during 1 hour. Alternativly it can provide 1.2 V with 1.1 A current during 2 hours. The resistance of the eqipment connected to the battery would decide how large current that will drain the battery.

The iQue can not be charged at 1.2 V. We know that the Garmin charger is stated to give 5V and can provid up to 1 A (that current should be enough to operate and charge). If you use 4 AA cells in serial connection we would get 4.8 V which I expect is close enough to make the iQue work. If the 4 cells had been in parallell than we still would have 1.2 V and than they could have delivered 8800 mAh at 1.2 V (could have been used as 8 hours of 1.1 A). If you connect the cells in serial the produces 4.8 V but still only 2200 mAh. The total energy (voltage*current*time) is the same for the 4 cells but you get it different if you make parallell or serial.

Does anyone know what tollerance there is on the voltage to the iQue? Will it work 4.5 - 5.5 V or can it handle a broader range? How precise is the eqiupment that could use the 9V battery?

kennedan

08-13-2003, 01:32 PM

Here are some more external charging solutions - I would be very interested if anybody has experience with any of these.

http://gadgetgamer.com/~tcl/catalog.html

tecman

08-13-2003, 07:16 PM

On another thread, there is news that a RadioShack 25-979, for $ 19.99, plugs right in and works like a champ.

I bought one and confirm it is a great car solution.

paul

easyrider

08-13-2003, 07:49 PM

This solution is a little more expensive, but I bought one on holidays to run my laptop so I could play DVD's for the kids. Using my old method with the power inverter and using the standard AC supply for the laptop made it impossible to jack in to an aux input on my car stereo for the audio. It had so much noise I could barely hear the audio on the DVD.

I then picked up the Juice from igo http://www.igo.com/mapfiles/juice.asp

It is smart enough to use AC or DC input power, it went into straight DC to DC conversion and I didn't need to use the AC converter. The noise on the audio cleared up and I was able to put the kids into a buzz watching movies while we travelled in the truck.

I realize I am off topic a bit. However the Juice unit also has a secondary output for handhelds, I have asked them about compatibility with the ique3600. For me I already have the unit, and would just need to get the handheld adapter part. For others it is an expensive solution, but it works great, is very small and portable, supports tons of products, and runs much cooler than my standard laptop power supply.

kennedan

08-13-2003, 08:51 PM

What I am looking for, in paticular, is a solution which would allow me to go on a hiking trip for 3-4 days.

Haven't quite found a battery based charger solution that works out of the box.

I would be interested in any solutions that people have come up with. :)

easyrider

08-13-2003, 11:43 PM

Originally posted by kennedan
What I am looking for, in paticular, is a solution which would allow me to go on a hiking trip for 3-4 days.

Haven't quite found a battery based charger solution that works out of the box.

I would be interested in any solutions that people have come up with. :)

Even with my Garmin Etrex Vista that is designed for hiking I would not be able to leave it on during the day for 3-4 days, 1 day max. It would have to be used periodically for dropping waypoints and checking bearings. I am sure you could use your ique3600 in the same fashion: turn it on, wait for a lock assuming you are not covered under trees, then drop a waypoint and get your bearing, then shut it off.

However I realize that is not what you want. If you do find the answer please post the details and where you got it.

thanks,

Dale

Sho-Bud

08-14-2003, 07:28 AM

Kennedan,

try to find the Kirrio 5 in 1 charger. It fits all Palms with UC so probably fits the Ique fine.
http://www.the-gadgeteer.com/kirrio-5-in-1-charger-review.html

OWG

08-14-2003, 08:28 AM

Yesterday I got in my car and accidently plugged my Samsung A500 phone in to the IQue power and vice versa. They have the same connector it appears. I freaked and quickly unplugged them, but seemed to notice that they were both powered and charging. I will look further into their specs and see. May be an easier solution for car charging than the inverter I am currently using.

OWG:eek:

kennedan

08-14-2003, 08:44 AM

Sho-Bud, thank you for you post. I took a look at the Kirrio but it is a heavier than it should for backpacking use - and I already have 4 out of five of its charging mechanisms covered. :)

I did, however, run into two more possibilities:

http://www.hslight.com/products/p.html

and

http://pc-mobile.net/p500.htm - please scroll down to "AA Battery extender Box."

The latter for 12 bucks is definitely 'speaking to me' but there is very little detail, so I will keep looking. Specifically, it would be nice to have a cue when charging was done, and some more specific electrical specs.

opusxcigars

08-14-2003, 08:51 AM

Kennedan

Check this out. Can't beat the price.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3040651899&category=29850

Hairy Potter

08-14-2003, 09:51 AM

I purchased and have received one of these units. It uses 4 AA batteries and is a good solution for charging. It uses the Palm universal connector to charge. I haven't completely discharged the iQue to see how quickly it recharges.

Hairy Potter

08-14-2003, 09:51 AM

kennedan

08-14-2003, 10:47 AM

opusxcigars, hairy potter, thank you for your posts. I took the plunge and just purchased one.

The voltage reglation claims turn out to be a good selling point. My only remaining concern is that it will turn out to be a brick weightwise. :)

I am playing with the idea of getting a solar charger as well but that may be more about geek-gadget-hunger than real practicality. :)

There are some pretty reasonably priced solar AA battery chargers out there:

here's one I like because it does a bunch of different battery form-factors: http://www.baproducts.com/sm698.htm

edog96

08-14-2003, 08:58 PM

This also works...

http://store.palm.com/product/index.jsp?productId=1230125&srccode=cii_1013502&cpncode=7819903

Just needed to bend the metal tabs a little to ensure a snug fit.

Only CDN$29.99 from Compusmart.

scarypat2001

08-14-2003, 09:28 PM

Just so you know...

The DC plug is very small - quite smaller than the earphone connection. It looks very flimsy!

I bought a M500 series car charger that use the universal connector, and it works great, so here you go! although I bought the car nav kit, I needed that for my regualr business travels in europe, where I will definitely not carry the car nav kit (unless it is very very small and does not take too much space in my luggage).

Now, I do need to find a synch cable to work with this baby - my M500 synch cable does not seem to work...

smartphone

08-17-2003, 07:31 PM

Originally posted by edog96
This also works...

http://store.palm.com/product/index.jsp?productId=1230125&srccode=cii_1013502&cpncode=7819903

Just needed to bend the metal tabs a little to ensure a snug fit.

Only CDN$29.99 from Compusmart.

Does this also sync? I am thinking of getting one of those retractable USB
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3041262874&category=29850

Has anyone tried this? I have one for my treo and it works great. I figure I already have the AC adapter and Cigarette adapter for the USB end as well, so if this works for the iQue then I'm good.

So bottom line, do the adapters and cables for teh Palm M515 work for the iQue?

kamwu

08-17-2003, 08:03 PM

Has any one tried this car charger made by iConcepts?
http://www.kcusa.com/pam5.html
It sells for $10.72 including ground shipping.

DeWat

08-18-2003, 08:48 AM

Originally posted by edog96
This also works...

http://store.palm.com/product/index.jsp?productId=1230125&srccode=cii_1013502&cpncode=7819903

Just needed to bend the metal tabs a little to ensure a snug fit.

Only CDN$29.99 from Compusmart.

Hey edog,

Will this sync as well? If it does, I really like the full featured model at:

http://store.palm.com/product/index.jsp?productId=1257863&cp=1170719.1214570

This one is an AC, mobile, overseas, and airline kit. I just don't want to pay the $70.00 for the charger only if it does not sync.

DeWat

Bruce

08-18-2003, 10:10 AM

The DC Charger from Radio shack 25-979 works.
http://www.radioshack.com/product.asp?catalog%5Fname=CTLG&category%5Fname=CTLG%5F004%5F009%5F005%5F000&product%5Fid=25%2D979

I just pick it up and it works good.
Its alot better to get a charger that uses the universial connector, instead of the little pin connector just waiting to break.
I was real careful with it and it has not broke. This morning is the last time I will use that to charge it. When I charge it at home, I will use the cradle with the power hooked up to it.

jckellynewyork

08-18-2003, 11:45 AM

Hi - Yes I only had my for two tays and went on vacation - I had a generic carge - the Jenson oneand my the pin in the charge broke off - I was so upset and did not know what to do because I was so far from home- I bought the Palm HotSync Car Charger and it works great - I am so happy now.

Warning - please get the Palm charger - do not use the little pin hole charger it will probably break.

edog96

08-18-2003, 10:06 PM

Yes, Hot Sync does work. Just need to ensure good connection and press the HotSync button just like the cradle.

EDog

ToolkiT

08-19-2003, 03:17 AM

dragonfly

09-05-2003, 07:24 PM

Now that I got my auto kit, I no longer have any use for the charger from RadioShack (http://www.radioshack.com/product.asp?catalog%5Fname=CTLG&category%5Fname=CTLG%5F004%5F009%5F005%5F000&product%5Fid=25%2D979). Barely used it twice in the car. If anyone interest it, I am getting rid of it for $8 shipped. If interested, email me at kippy95@yahoo.com . This is a good alternative charger if you're not planning to get the Garmin auto kit.

Robertp366

09-06-2003, 03:24 AM

The pin on the Garmin auto charger (lighter socket) is 2.5 mm. Looks like a standard.

The voltage is 5.2 - 5.4 volts. BTW this is the standard USB power voltage.

The Garmine USB cradle powers the iQue 3600 via (1) the ground connectors - those large metal spring tabs on each side of the Palm Universal connector; they are longer than the 16 flex wire connectors in the center of the connector so that ground connection is made BEFORE a power connection, in order to protect the circuiitry; (2) the right most wire is +5.2 Volts, from the "5.4 Volt" Power supply brick.

USB standard is 500 mA @ 5.4 V for each USB device. Few devices actually use this much power - even those LED lights don't, and my flyfan uses less than 100mA . Your PC provides the spec power at each of the typically 2 USB connectors, which is why many devices that need higher current want you to plug into the computer directly. Most UNpowered USB hubs DO NOT provide anything near this power, often sharing less than 100 mA to itself and each of the four connectors. A lot of the smaller Powered USB hubs do not do much better either. Only the Belkin F5U027 seven-port hub, with its 4.0 A power brick (and possibly their 4-port model) gurrantees 500 mA for each port. (Well, there may be a few others: I know of a commercial grade USB hub that does 12 ports@ 10A & $140). This probably why Garmin connects the AC brick to a connector near the USB connector on its sync cradle, especially if it needs the 1.0A power to charge and run the iQue simultaneously.

robertp366