Axim stays on when activated on cradle

nsgibson · 05-16-06, 01:07 PM

When an outlook reminder pops up when the axim is on its cradle, it comes on and stays on, until the battery runs down. This is very annoying when it happens when I'm away from my desk and unable to manually turn it off.

Is there a setting to change so it will have an auto-off on the cradle?

thanks

thedakr · 05-16-06, 07:52 PM

Absolutely. The only thing you need to do is make it so your axim turns off in the 'Power' settings, after a certiain amount of time. If the cradle is charging the Axim, then you need to change the setting in the option when you have it on external power. But, as it sounds like you AREN'T charging while in the cradel (no ac adapter) you should change the setting marked as 'on battery power'

Here is how to get there:
Start > Settings > System Tab > Power > Advanced Tab

Once in there, you should have a box to check that says 'on battery power' and after you check it then select a time from the pull-down menu.

You should be good to go with that.

Let me know if not (i'll keep an eye on the thread)

chocophile · 05-17-06, 06:05 PM

I think nsgibson has found a "blind spot" in the power settings. The Axim assumes it is charging if it is on the cradle, even if the AC adapter isn't in the loop. Notice that the orange light behind the power button is on. This leads me to believe that the Axim thinks it is charging, by virtue of being on the cradle. In my experience, this happens even if an alarm/reminder isn't triggered. All this to say, I don't think the power settings suggestion from thedakr isn't going to help.

I think the solution would be to turn off the device after a few minutes of inactivity even when on external power.

thedakr · 05-17-06, 06:39 PM

Um, 'Notice that the orange light behind the power button is on'? Where did that come from? He didn't say that at all (and I just tested it, and the light doesn't come on). Either way, the fix I suggested should work (as long as he both areas to turn off after a certain amount of time - at least when away from his desk - he should be good).

Setting both would ensure that all is well...

The other, and perhaps even more beneficial solution I went with was to purchase an additional AC adapter from Dell. Now I have multiple AC adapters and multiple cradles, this NEVER happens to me :)

chocophile · 05-19-06, 10:24 AM

The "notice the orange light" sentence is from my own observation, not from nsgibson's post.

Here's my situation: I have my charging cable at home, and I recharge every night. My sync (USB) cable is at work. I don't have a cradle. When I am connected to the sync cable, the orange light is on, as if the Axim is charging. And, like nsgibson, my Axim would stay on when connected to the sync cable, until I changed the external power setting. To the best of my knowledge, Axims charge on USB only when turned off. The orange light leads you to believe it's charging, but it's not, unless (1) the cable or cradle is connected to AC, or (2) the device is turned off.

To put it another way, the "on battery power" setting is ignored when the Axim is connected to a computer. It thinks it's on external power, but it may not be. To prevent battery drainage, nsgibson needs to change the "on external power" setting. When the device is powered down, it will recharge.

thedakr · 05-19-06, 11:17 AM

Gotcha, I was a little confused on that. I noticed something interesting, my x50v would charge (on and off) when connected via USB, but my x51v doesn't...how knows? :)

nsgibson · 05-22-06, 02:58 PM

ok i'll throw in my $0.02.

When the X30 is in the cradle, not on AC power, it will charge to full if turned off. However if turned on and left in the cradle, the orange light is not on and the battery will eventually run out. Now, here's the crucial part. Both power setting boxes (battery and A/C power) are set to turn off the device after 1 minute. However, I agree that this must be some sort of "blind spot", because apparently being on while in the cradle isn't classified as either "battery" or "a/c" because it doesn't turn the device off even with both of those options checked. Also, I just confirmed that if the device is removed from the cradle while on, that is when the timer starts. It turns off exactly one minute after being removed from the cradle. Looks like my options are 1) Convince the software designer to add a third option to the power settings menu or 2) Buy a second AC adapter!

any other suggestions?
thanks

Diego · 05-23-06, 12:52 AM

If the Axim is in the cradle and connected to a PC (over ActiveSync) then it will not power off.

chocophile · 05-23-06, 01:59 PM

nsg, you've got it right. I was wrong when I said the orange light is on. The orange light is on only if the axim is cradled and off (when AC is not plugged in). nsg is also right about the power settings not applying when in the cradle. I think the only part I got right was calling it a blind spot in the settings...

Sorry for the confusion.