TomTom BT GPS Car Charging Issues

Wobbly

A while back I posted the following topic:

' Car Charging issues with TomTom Bluetooth GPS '

Moving on from that, I have further problems...

I have a T3 with the TT car kit, TT Navigator for Palm (vers 4.1) and a TomTom Bluetooth GPS unit.

I have had the GPS unit plugged into the cigarette lighter adaptor via
1. the lead from the TomTom car mount and
2. with the GPS unit mounted on the docking station which itself was connected to the cigarette lighter via the lead from the TomTom car mount.

Both configurations lead to the GPS unit using its internal battery up, then stopping to work whilst it charges from the car battery. I checked during its use that the power was still coming through OK and it was because the light on the PDA (in the TomTom car mount) was lit at all times.

Needless to say this has left me in the lurch on both occasions (once for each configuration)! I am most concerned because I have a trip abroad coming up and so if the GPS unit fails, I will be in big trouble / seriously lost.

Since these initial problems, I've been trying to investigate further and have plugged a partially drained GPS Unit into the mains at home (ie been using it for 3-4 hrs in the car with it plugged into the cigarette lighter adaptor as above) and it will not charge (red light does not show) - also have switched off the GPS unit and left it wired to car battery through cigarette lighter and it doesn't charge either ; which I thought was good (suggests that the unit is using car power and staying charged itself) - but then after a couple more hours use in the car on a later occasion, it stops working (red light comes on to show charging) and I'm left without SatNav again...

I also have a Ford Puma - the power (from the car battery) seems to stay on even with the ignition off. With the curved dash, its better to mount the car mount on the righthand side, so have used a maplins extender to stop the cables stretching across my speedometer etc. (see Maplins.co.uk, and search on 'car battery protector'). Note though that the PDA light is always on, so power is getting through.

Any suggestions?

W.

andrewh · Posted: Wed Jul 28, 2004 3:47 pm Post subject:

A couple of questions:

1. Do you leave the GPS unit running when the car is switched off?
2. Do you try to power up the unit a few minutes after charging has started when the unit has previously discharged?

The reason for the first question is that it might appear that the green light is on in you cradle at all times, wven when the car is switched off, but you might be fooled into thinking this. In my car (Audi A6 '02), the green light is on when I leave the car and it is on when I sit back in the next morning but the GPS unit is dead. Why? Because the cigar lighter socket appears to have a time out of about one hour from when the ignition is switched off. When I open the car with the remote control the circuit switches back on (Therefore I do not see the time when the unit is off).

I am not sure that I am correct but I will do more tests now that I see you have the problem.

The second question is simpy because I sometimes did not get it to switch back on after a completely flat battery. Two minutes of charging and it was fine.

HTH
Andrew

Wobbly · Posted: Wed Jul 28, 2004 4:20 pm Post subject: TomTom in the Car

Hi Andrew,

In response to your first question - the answer is sometimes - I generally switch it off, but have left it on also. HOWEVER, the problem I had yesterday was after driving in the car for over 6 hrs, so I don't think this is directly relevant - although in future (given what you say) I will make sure it is switched off. When I have switched it off previously, it doesn't charge - unless completely flat.

For the second question - I need to check - and will get back to you in a couple of days once have had a chance to run battery down and then charge and re-start as you suggest.

Thanks,

W.

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