[kalazano]

I see an ad on Ebay for a Treo 600 Cradle which charges the 600 via. the USB port ( apparently w/o need of an external power supply ). I am in the market for 2 Treo 600 Cradles with the capacity to also charge my Treo.

I wonder has anybody any experience with this cradle which utilizes only USB voltage to charge the 600?

I have read that there are issues re. battery recharging etc. of the Treo 600 and I want something that works.

Thanks,

kalazano@pobox.com

[IamVincent]

I don't know if it's just my experience, but if the battery gets really low and I use a combination charge and sync usb cable (no ac adapter) the Treo beeps and complains that it's charging and then not charging... it's a nightmare and I have to plug in the AC adapter or use the car adapter. Then everything's fine : )

[icedivr]

This has never worked as well as I would like it to. My treo syncs to a laptop, which may not be able to push as much current as a desktop computer. When my battery is below 75% and I plug it in, I'll get a warning from my PC that the USB device has exceeded the maximum allowable current, which I recall to be 500mA.

So in practice, I plug in every day and try to keep the battery topped off. If it gets down, I have the old wallwart charger sitting in the corner. I'll charge the phone for an hour or so, and then hook it to my laptop.

[javzar]

I always charge my treo with the sync/charge cable. No problem so far. (1 year) I use my desktop. No experience with laptops.

[anoetic]

I believe only usb 2.0 has enough power to charge through the cable. This similiar to what firewire is able to do. The new iPods are able to be charged through usb 2.0 and firewire.

[rb6719]

Once I received my Treo600 I was able to use the same charge/sync cables I used with my Treo270 (one at work, the other at home). Both Macs using USB-1.0

Very convenient though not as always as visible as when in a cradle.

[halfred]

I travel with my laptop (HP nc6000) and my Treo 600 and the retractable USB charge cord I bought here from TreoCentral. It works fine for charging me up at night. I usual check email/work/sync up at night, leave it plugged in to the USB jack and I'm ready to roll the next day.

When I am home at my desk I dock in the cradle that came with it.

Very glad to only carry the little cable while I'm on the road.

[mansouan]

I use my laptop to charge up my Treo all the time. It does have 2.0 ports though. Also, I used to use an aftermarket cable but the pins kept getting destroyed. I now use the OEM sync/charge cable and although the pins are no longer getting messed up, I cannot say that I see any other performance gains on the charge or sync sides.

[tarin0268]

When I plug the 2in1 cable into my laptop it charges for a split-second, then it stops. I can however, plug the 2in 1 into my desktop which had USB2 and it works just fine. I don't think my Toshiba P3 has enough juice running through the usb port to charge the treo. Anyone had succsess in charging using USB 2 on a laptop? do laptops even come with USB2?

[tarin0268]

Sorry, I should have read the previous post. I should ask, has anyone had luck charging with the 2in1 using a laptop and USB 1.0???

[mikec]

USB sync and charge cables will work (i.e. charge) the Treo using:

- a dedicated USB port (either 1.1 or 2.0) on either a desktop or laptop.

I have tested and works fine.

However, it you split that usb connection (via a hub, for example), and it is not powered, the charge portion will not work properly.

USB ports on , on laptops in particular, that note "current exceeds..." are likely defective. Dell has a lot of issues with this for some reason.

[mlohmeyer]

The specification for USB 1.1 and 2.0 is 500 mA max. Note, however, that some USB ports may only provide 100 mA as there is provision in the USB spec to allow for a lower current. USB devices are supposed to tell the USB port they want the high power state before they are allowed to draw up to 500 mA. As the Treo is not normally expected to charge from the USB port (otherwise, Palmone/Handspring would have supplied USB charging cables), I doubt that the Treo requests the 500 mA power level when plugged in. One of the reasons we don't get USB charging cables with the Treo is probably for exactly this reason. Too much inconsistency in USB ports not providing enough power to charge a Treo - especially a Treo 600.

[ericdfairchild]

Been using the USB Synch/Charge cable for almost a year with no issues, using both USB 1 and 2.

I do remember reading that, if you have totally killed your Treo battery, then the USB doesn't cut it in terms of charging it back up. Never been there, tho...

[Beryl]

I don't know if it's just my experience, but if the battery gets really low and I use a combination charge and sync usb cable (no ac adapter) the Treo beeps and complains that it's charging and then not charging... it's a nightmare and I have to plug in the AC adapter or use the car adapter. Then everything's fine : )

Ditto. As long as the battery is over, ~25%, the USB charging works fine.

[ArcBody]

I see an ad on Ebay for a Treo 600 Cradle which charges the 600 via. the USB port ( apparently w/o need of an external power supply ). I am in the market for 2 Treo 600 Cradles with the capacity to also charge my Treo.

I wonder has anybody any experience with this cradle which utilizes only USB voltage to charge the 600?

I have read that there are issues re. battery recharging etc. of the Treo 600 and I want something that works.

Thanks,

kalazano@pobox.com

Kalazano ~

The specifics on this have been covered adnausium on this forum.

So I'll get to the point and give you the bottom line.

• The Treo 600 Internal and External Batteries are Li-Ion 4.2 Volt Batteries.
• The Charging circuit is a "CONSTANT VOLTAGE", self-regulating, somewhat sophisticated design - requiring 4.7 Volts be supplied to the Treo 600.
• If you do not deliver 4.7 volts to the Treo 600 the Charging LED will never turn from RED to GREEN - as this is the true indicator of a fully charged battery.
• This is because you will not be providing the needed 4.2 Volts to the battery. ergo the CONSTANT VOLTAGE circuit can not do its job.
• When your meter shows "100% Charging" you are still on the asymptotic curve.
• Only when the LED changes from RED to GREEN is your Treo 600 Battery charged fully.
• Reduced amperage increases the "surge" portion of the charge cycle - this charging time increase is marginal.
• However, if you use your Treo 600 a great deal, while charging, then the available amperage becomes relevant.

Note: Handspring's OEM USB Cable is only 24" long.

Voltage drop from using a longer cable, voltage drop at the connector interface is a fact of life.

I have 3 Treo 600s that alternate between USB, 12v DC and 110V AC.

All methods work just fine.

[But I have only deployed the OEM USB S/C Cable]

An yes, the 3 Treo 600s are charged with the OEM USB Cable in our cradles.

Carl (aka ArcBody)

[jhaglund]

[jhaglund]

I charge with a portable 90% of the time for almost a year. No issues.
But you might want to turn the phone off while charging if you need it faster.
If you use it as a modem as I do, the recharging will take hours longer.
Also, the portable USB only provides power when the portable is on; so you might not like that part. For me it is no issue/

[mlohmeyer]

Interesting part about the 4.7V. By spec, a USB port may be as low as 4.4 V (I think that's through a hub though). Chances are, most USB ports will drive more than 4.7V, but another reason why Treo's may have some trouble charging via a USB port may be simply because the voltage supplied may be below 4.7V, which could happen without violating USB specs.

In practice, though, you should only rarely see issues charging a Treo via a USB port, and probably only on certain laptops, or maybe via a USB hub based on the 4.7V requirement.

[drrjv]

Charging cable works great for me (Apple PowerBook)

[ArcBody]

• jhaglund
• mlohmeyer
• drrjv

Correct - Useful Info for all.

Can you relate the spicific USB Charge / Sync Cable you use?

For those who have experienced problems , please post:

• USC Charge / Sync Cable Used
• Computer Make
• Couputer Model

Thanks ~ Carl (aka ArcBody)