[decreasing battery] while PalmPre is charging via USB

[mbv42]

I noticed that the battery goes down although my Palm Pre is connected via USB to my notebook and battery is charging when BroadCAST Radio is running and some channel is streamed.

Q1: known issue?
Q2: any clue how to fix/circumvent this issue?

[prerequisites]
- WLAN / Bluetooth: OFF
- normal signal strength (3G)
- display turned off

[versions]
- Palm webOS 1.3.1
- BroadCAST Radio 0.2.0

[Mike77]

USB is a very slow trickle charge and (I am not sure on this next part) may be even more so if you are charging off a notebook running on a battery. Is the laptop plugged in or strait off the battery?

USB is a slow charge, you are using more power then you are gaining and there may not be a solution.

[TheGerbilKing]

Is it constantly going down?

Since I don't have a tv or computer, I've been on my charging Pre for the past few hours and have noticed that every once in a while, it'll go down from 100 to 96 or so, and then charge back up to 100. It's done this 2 or 3 times, and I wasn't doing anything more demanding than normal so maybe this is built in?

[mbv42]

The notebook is plugged in, too.

I'll doublecheck at home with charging the Palm via the usual power socket and come back with the result ... thx!

[mbv42]

Originally Posted by TheGerbilKing

Is it constantly going down?

Since I don't have a tv or computer, I've been on my charging Pre for the past few hours and have noticed that every once in a while, it'll go down from 100 to 96 or so, and then charge back up to 100. It's done this 2 or 3 times, and I wasn't doing anything more demanding than normal so maybe this is built in?

Yes - it's constantly going down till it's empty :-(

[PRedwood]

Does it do the same thing if you have the pre plugged in to a wall socket? The wall socket charges at twice the rate compared to charging off a computer.

It could also be that your laptop's USB port limits the milliamps it will feed so the pre charges slower. What happens if you charge the pre without streaming music?

Also, you might install batterymonitor (in the system utilities section of homebrew apps) to see if that provides more info about what's happening.

[trinidon2k]

are you using the original palm usb cable? Some of the after market ones are funny... i got one off ebay for $2 that works fine but others say they have mixed results when it comes to charging/data

[Skribbles505]

I've seen the same thing a couple times on my Pre as well. I think it has more to do with the software for the battery meter then it does with the actual charge. The software is set to show an approximate value not an actual one and it can fluctuate rapidly on occasion. However I also noticed this once with the patch for actual batt % applied as well, and right after seeing the same symptom the OP has I unplugged the Pre and plugged it back in and it started charging but showed the charge increase more rapidly than normal. I've also only seen this happen when using the usb to charge and not the ac adapter. I'm thinking maybe some slight conflict with some other functioning in regards to the usb. Either way I don't know of any resolution other than unplug and reconnect.

[unrealy]

I noticed this too, I think the a computer USB-Port simply hasn't enough power.

[flyin2low]

Originally Posted by unrealy

I noticed this too, I think the a computer USB-Port simply hasn't enough power.

That is correct. The continuous processing power and use of the onboard radios can eat up more power than a USB port can offer. In some cases the Touchstone with the Palm adapter can't keep up. Therefore don't stream all day long.

[mbv42]

Originally Posted by trinidon2k

are you using the original palm usb cable? Some of the after market ones are funny... i got one off ebay for $2 that works fine but others say they have mixed results when it comes to charging/data

yes - I used the original palm usb cable

[mbv42]

No: I just verified, that battery is charged when the Palm is plugged in to a wall socket and
Yes: the battery is charged also without streaming

Conclusion (as also mentioned by users unrealy and flyin2low): the streaming application is just consumnig much power - the lower back from the Palm gets quite warm, too.

[clevin]

upgrade to 1.3.5 first. it fixes signal problem which should in turn lower the batt consumption on streaming.

[Shadavis08]

Originally Posted by mbv42

I noticed that the battery goes down although my Palm Pre is connected via USB to my notebook and battery is charging when BroadCAST Radio is running and some channel is streamed.

Q1: known issue?
Q2: any clue how to fix/circumvent this issue?

[prerequisites]
- WLAN / Bluetooth: OFF
- normal signal strength (3G)
- display turned off

[versions]
- Palm webOS 1.3.1
- BroadCAST Radio 0.2.0

when the newest webos repair utility comes out run it on your phone to check for memory leaks and glitches . It will fix your issue most likely . It probably is a memory leak from a homebrew app or patch and just needs to be deleted and then figure out which app or patch it is and notify the dev. for that app or patch. Hope this helps . On a side note , if your laptop computer is not plugged in it may not charge fully the way it should because of settting on the computer . It will automatically conserve energy .