Can I buy a cable that will sync AND charge at the same time??

[lethalsvt]

I take my Ique with me alot with my laptop, and hate having to bring along the bulky cradle and charge. I looked around and there seemed to be ONE cable that would charge and sync the Ique (Pocket Solutions seems to make one, for example). Do these work, and if so which one is the best?

[lethalsvt]

I just did some searching and noticed a product called MiniSync at www.Boxwave.com. Sold through palmgear. Anyone have this, or know much about it?

[LeRoux Strydom]

Any UPC (Universal Palm Connector) / USB cable will charge and sync via your laptop's USB port. I use one all the time. I just bought a generic cable at a computer store, but cannot remember the brand. My laptop's USB power supply seems good enough to keep my iQue charged, but your mileage may vary depending on your laptop's USB specs.

LeRoux

[stardancer]

You have this option also..........
http://www.gpscity.com/gps/brados/12261.3.16810567306620176254/iquetravkit.html

[lethalsvt]

There are 2 cables with that....not one. That is what I am trying to avoid. I just want one convienent cable that syncs AND charges

[jonasolof]

Since many people report problems when charging and synching from the same USB port I suggest that you combine two cables. Take the power from one port and let the sync go over another.
It's easy to open USB cables. They only contain four wires.

Some laptops can't give all the power needed for synching and charging. No wonder, since the demand exceeds the USB specifications of 5 V, 500 mA per port.

[apersson850]

I've tried, but with my Sony Vaio laptop, it worked only if the iQue didn't need charging. Otherwise, the current drawn from the USB port was too large, in that it prevented proper operation of the USB communication itself.
Besides, the charging effect was very low.

[jonasolof]

Originally posted by apersson850
I've tried, but with my Sony Vaio laptop, it worked only if the iQue didn't need charging. Otherwise, the current drawn from the USB port was too large, in that it prevented proper operation of the USB communication itself.
Besides, the charging effect was very low.

Did you try taking power from one port and synching from the other?

[apersson850]

My old Sony Vaio has but one USB port, when not connected to the docking station. When it is, it means I'm on my desk, where I have my cradle.

Yes, I new computer will arrive "real soon now"...

[lycestra]

using the Palm charging sync cable (includes a car lighter to usb adaptor too), I can charge and sync using a single USB connection on my PowerBook just fine. Doesn't seem to be much of an issue for my system. Tho I don't recall trying it while the iQue's battery was really low.

[jrose1g]

I just did some searching and noticed a product called MiniSync at www.Boxwave.com. Sold through palmgear. Anyone have this, or know much about it?
I have been using the MiniSync for several months, and have had no problems, though I have only done a sync a couple of times just to figure out how to do it. I use it with the 12v outlet in the car to keep the iQue charged when I don't want to lug the bean bag around, and I use it with my laptop USB port to charge the iQue when traveling. While on a cruise I used a Gilsson antenna attached to the hull outside my stateroom and left the iQue inside on a desktop hooked up to the laptop for power. It stayed charged fully with the GPS constantly on.

[0gopogo]

Lethal,

My cable is probably the same as the one refered to by lycestra, above. Is is called "Palm™ Recharging USB HotSync® Cable", see this page (http://www.palmone.com/us/products/accessories/chargerscablescradles/) and scroll down until you see it listed.

Until I bought a second cradle for the work place I used the cable to charge and sync at work. Worked OK with both Dell Latitude C600 and Precision M60 laptops. But the connector that plugs into the Q loses connection quite easily under motion, such as in a car. Still, charging worked well with some supervision, and a very laid back driving style, in a PT Cruiser rental during vacations. I do not recommend the cable for Cobras and daily driving, though ;).

[lethalsvt]

I'm not looking for one to use in the car. I use the Garmin suction mount/charger/speaker and it's worked great so far.
Just want a more compact sync/charge cable to replace the cradle/charger than came with the Ique.
Basically, something to connect to my laptop when a power source is not available. SO that my laptop synch with the Ique AND charges the Ique at the same time, all with just one cable.
Kind of like the one from boxwave that I was speaking of.

[jonasolof]

Re my idea posted earlier of splitting the USB cable so power is taken from one outlet and the signal from another, I saw a commercial cable the other day that does just that. It's for a small external hard disk drive, which can be powered over the USB port. They even had a through pass on the power connector, but then you obviously can't put something that will draw more power from it. It shouldn't be active whille the HDD is working either.

So you could put a split USB cable in for sync and another split cable in for an external drive, just inverse the cables.


If you feel you need to have something thatt comes wrapped in plastic with printed merry messages on it, I'd go for the Palm sync cable or the Garmin, which has a power jack on it. But then you need to bring the AC adapter also.

[Qyd]

The boxwave minisync works great on my toshiba sattelite, charging and syncing at the same time.
The only problem i had was when i used it at the same time with a wireless mouse, whos transmitter also draws power from the usb port (but it was the mouse that misbehaved in this configuration, the pointer jumping all over the screen).

I recently broke the palm connector on the minisync (while using it outdoor with a battery pack), and ordered two more from boxwave.

[lethalsvt]

What problem did you have with the wireless mouse and boxwave cable? Does it hurt the laptop by drawing its power directly from it?

[Qyd]

I guess there's just not enough power to feed the both of them sumultaneously. Each worked good when they were connected alone, but the mouse would act jumpy if the iQue was connected as well. No problem for the laptop as far as i can tell.

[PrinceMike]

Not only can you get charging and syncing together in one cable, you get a SD card reader as well. All that at the incredible price of $20.

http://www.styluscentral.com/3in1paunusbs.html

I'm not a salesman, just a satisfied customer/ user of this product.

MRH

[lethalsvt]

Looks pretty cool Mike! Have you bought it? Is it compatable with the Ique?

[PrinceMike]

Yes, I purchased this cable at the same time I got my iQue about a year ago. It works great. You of course can't use the card reader at the same time your syncing or chargine...there is a little switch to alternate between the functions.

I highly recommend this product based on my experience with it. Transfering .mp3s and maps is many times faster by dragging and dropping them onto the card then by hotsyncing, and at $20 it's like getting the card reader for free.

MRH

[BoxWave]

Originally posted by lethalsvt
I take my Ique with me alot with my laptop, and hate having to bring along the bulky cradle and charge. I looked around and there seemed to be ONE cable that would charge and sync the Ique (Pocket Solutions seems to make one, for example). Do these work, and if so which one is the best?

Hi lethalsvt and all,

To address your question about a cable that will sync and charge at the same time, no worries: miniSync is here!

We have miniSync available for both the iQue 3200 and iQue 3600 models! Check out the Site: miniSync for iQue (http://boxwave.com/products/minisync/minisync-retractable-cable-garmin.htm)

It will definitely save you the trouble of opening and messing with the USB cables yourself. Hope you find what you need!

If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to PM me or contact customerservice@boxwave.com. We will be happy to assist you!

Cheers, :)
Cho

[lethalsvt]

Mike, do you need the "Palm Universal Connector" or some other attachment to use that 3-1 reader/charger/sync? Or will it plug in directly to my Ique without needing anything else

[jonasolof]

Can't understand that post from Cho/Boxwave.

Boxwave's cable should be fine IF the USB port can handle the load. And if the port can do that, any synching, charging cable can handle the problem.

If the port can't handle it, one might have to open cables to take power from another port. Then I'd rather not have the thinn Boxwave cable.

[PrinceMike]

Originally posted by lethalsvt
Mike, do you need the "Palm Universal Connector" or some other attachment to use that 3-1 reader/charger/sync? Or will it plug in directly to my Ique without needing anything else

You don't need anything else. The connector at the bottom edge of the iQue (the place that interfaces with the cradle) IS the Palm Universal Connector. Just about any Palm accessory you see that say's it's for a handheld with the Palm Universal Connector will work with the iQue. A rare few won't work due to the physical difference in the way a Palm branded heldheld is shapped, but this cable works just fine as is out of the box. :)

MRH

[shiffman]

Uh-oh!

Just got a Sync-Gear 3-in-1 PDA cable from StylusCentral.com. It both charges and alows sync over USB. (Also is a SD card reader.) The iQue does seem to charge and Sync.

BUT, I've had 2 problems:

1. Windows XP warns of a power surge on the USB port and offers to turn it off. Message implies power draw exceeds USB port capabilities

2. After having been inserted in 3-in-1 device, iQue now does not seem to draw power or charge in normal cradle! (Power light not on, no lighting bolt on battery icon.) This is most worrisome.

Any ideas or suggestions?:confused:

[apersson850]

Triple Uh-Oh!

No good idea about what to do now. Have you tried a reset?
Or a hard one, if nothing else helps?
Does plugging the charger in to the little hole with the, even smaller, fragile pin work?

[shiffman]

Humbug!

Turns out that, by coincidence, the AC plug for the cradle had gotten dislodged (restless feet under the desk) just as I was trying out the 3-in-1 gadget. So, charging in cradle is working fine!:rolleyes:

Apologies to all if previous posting was alarming.

Now, about the warning about the capacity of the USB port..... Can I safely ignore it?

[lethalsvt]

Im deciding between the Boxwave MiniSync and the 3-in-1 that you mention sold at styluscentral.com

[Yorglaa]

Originally posted by PrinceMike
Not only can you get charging and syncing together in one cable, you get a SD card reader as well. All that at the incredible price of $20.

http://www.styluscentral.com/3in1paunusbs.html

I'm not a salesman, just a satisfied customer/ user of this product.

MRH
Have just received and tried mine ! WOAW !!!!

fantastic cable... thanks for the advice !!

[Ken in Regina]

I also bought the Sync-Gear cable from StylusCentral based on the tip in here. So far it works fine. It's great to have the option, now, to download the maps from MapSource directly to the card instead of syncing them over. Much faster.

I'm taking a bit of a trip west for a visit with family and it was great to be able to just treat the SD card in the cable reader like a mini disk drive to load some jpegs of my new granddaughter directly onto the card. (Using Resco Viewer for the viewer. It's so much better than any of the free stuff that I thought it was well worth the money to purchase it!)

[rocket666]

anyone try this one?

http://www.eforcity.com/dgariquedat1.html

Their blurb, my emphasis:

Eliminates traveling with a bulky charging cradle! Pack lightly with this HotSync and charging cable.
Compatible with Garmin iQue 3600
HotSync and ReCharge simultaneously
Transfers data between iQue and PC by USB port.
Perfect for road warriors, home, and office users.
Fully compatible with your laptop and desktop.
Protective circuit to prevent overcharging (IC chip)
Meticulously crafted connections to ensure a high data transmission rate.
Lightweight and durable
Type: generic/aftermarket
Cord Length: 65 inches

[shiffman]

Finally had a chance to use the combo USB cable on the road - no go! My PC reports that the power draw exceeds specs and will not allow any sync activity to proceed. I guess different computers/USB ports may have different tolerances, since others here have had more success. So, if you buy this item, check this issue out right away.

[Tyro]

Originally posted by lethalsvt
I just did some searching and noticed a product called MiniSync at www.Boxwave.com. Sold through palmgear. Anyone have this, or know much about it?
Just got the Boxwave connector yesterday and its defective. Can barely force it on the iQue and then it just pops back off.
Any other experiences bad or good?

[jrose1g]

Any other experiences bad or good?
I've been using one for almost a year, and have had generally good performance and no problem with the connection. I did have a problem with the cable reel on the first one I received. It was dealt with very quickly by Boxwave.

[BoxWave]

Tyro,

If you haven't already contacted customerservice@boxwave.com, please do so. They will do their best at taking care of you. As jrose1g mentioned (Thanks!), they'll do it quickly.

Cheers, :)
Cho

[AKlopper]

I have been using a Zip-linq cable since March. When I first got it I thought it was broken as it took me ages plugging it into different USB ports, uninstalling and reinstalling Palm desktop, etc., to get it to synch. Then it would work for a while, stop working, start working again, etc.

Only recently did I realise that it would not synch when the battery level on the iQue was too low, or if the backlight was on too high. It was purely a power issue with the USB port. I have read somewhere that USB ports supply up to 500mA, whereas the iQue needs 1000mA to charge properly (I may be remembering incorrectly).

To sum up, all these cables probably work as long as the iQue isn't sucking too much current from the USB port. If synching doesn't work, try turning off the backlight first, and if that doesn't work, let it charge for a while before trying again.

Charging is definitely slower than with the external power adapter, though.

[apersson850]

My experience suggests that battery-operated laptops often can provide less current through their USB ports than line-powered desktop PC can do. Which seems logical.
So I think there are more cables than the one I tried, that works with some (at least) desktop computers, but not with some (at least) laptops. Which is opposite of what one would like, since charging is usually not a problem where you use the desktop computer.
I've stopped using the charge/sync cable, since it wasn't reliable. Besides, it took for ever to charge. Now I have another laptop, but I haven't tried if the new one is better. But when travelling, I bring the charger, but not the cradle. I also bring a USB sync cable, without any charging. Using the fragile power inlet on the iQue is no problem, if you let it charge over night, for example. It will endure that forever. Breaking the pin is more of a risk if you try to handle the iQue with the charger cord plugged in.