sidpaul

I purchased a Pelican Sony PSP charger from walmart model M9PL008. when i connect my axim to it, the screen keeps flickering constantly.
What's wrong? Do i have a bad unit?

ericem

Set both your battery and ac brightness to the same. That should fix it.

sidpaul

Originally Posted by ericem

Set both your battery and ac brightness to the same. That should fix it.

BUt will it still charge my axim???

ericem

yup it should as long as the light for charging is on it will charge.

PocketBrain

No, it will not. Read this sticky in the accessories forum:
http://www.aximsite.com/boards/showthread.php?t=64935
Basically, it is flickering because the charger cannot push enough amps to keep its output voltage high enough to charge and operate your Axim. You can switch your Axim off for a few minutes to allow your battery to charge; a higher charge on your battery will reduce the current required to charge it, so charge-and-operate may fly if you put 10%-20% more charge onto your battery.

Note: you can stop the flickering by setting brightness for external power and battery power to the same setting, but that only masks the problem. Like closing your eyes when your lights are switched off, so you can't see that the lights are out. You're still going to have to pony up to the power company to get them switched on.

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sidpaul

Originally Posted by PocketBrain

No, it will not. Read this sticky in the accessories forum: http://www.aximsite.com/boards/showthread.php?t=64935 Basically, it is flickering because the charger cannot push enough amps to keep its output voltage high enough to charge and operate your Axim. You can switch your Axim off for a few minutes to allow your battery to charge; a higher charge on your battery will reduce the current required to charge it, so charge-and-operate may fly if you put 10%-20% more charge onto your battery. Note: you can stop the flickering by setting brightness for external power and battery power to the same setting, but that only masks the problem. Like closing your eyes when your lights are switched off, so you can't see that the lights are out. You're still going to have to pony up to the power company to get them switched on. .

Thought as much. Can u plzz tell me which car charger would work???

madjack

the one i bought from dell works well

PocketBrain

And the link I provided lists some of them via anecdote. It did mention the Gomadic Dell Axim x50/x50v Power Sync Charging USB Cable, as an example. I personally use my own equipment to sync and charge, I made a sync cable with a Gomadic connector kit and a cheap USB retractable cable, and built my own power adapter/external battery. Read the link! I haven't personally done any comparisons with sync/chargers, so I'm no expert in that area. I just know that if your screen is flashing, you are not properly charging.

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ericem

But many people purchases the same charger as u and it worked. But when both ac and battery bright ness is the same does it charge? DO u see the red light on?

PocketBrain

Ericem, with both battery and external power brightness the same, the screen will not flicker, but that is only because the Axim isn't switching screen brightness when it switches between external and internal power.

The reason it switches is because the Axim is drawing more current that the external source can supply. When this happens, the output voltage of the external source drops below the minimum input voltage for charging (in this case, about 4.9 volts). The Axim's power management circuit switches to internal power, ending current drain from the external source. Since there is now no current being drawn from the external source, its terminal voltage rises up to 5.0V (for the USB-supplied power) again. The power management circuit sees that it has sufficient input power to charge, then switches back to external power, causing the current drain, the drop in voltage, and the whole thing cycles like this.

You need to make sure your external source can supply a minimum of 800 mA. Ideally, it should supply 2000 mA. USB ports are typically maxed out at 500 mA.

If your battery is charged either fully or highly, and the Axim itself is not using a lot of current, then it may well indeed be using less than 500 mA, so the USB source may be sufficient to charge and operate your Axim. But switch that backlight to full, turn on your WiFi, or use a processor-intensive application, and current draw will soar. Plug in when your battery is near dead, and it will also draw a lot of current. Best to have a charger that will accomodate higher draws.

Read this, it shows that the stock (1100mAh) battery draws over 600 mA when low, and the 2200 mAH battery draws over 900 mA, and those are powered off:
http://www.aximsite.com/boards/showt...367#post508367

Note that the red light does not necessarily mean that the Axim is charging; it just indicates that an external source is connected.


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Frank_Walton

Pocket brain you are correct I have noticed that when my axim is very low on battery I get the flicker with the usb wall or car charger so I turn it off and charge it up some, or use the cradle charger.

byrnefm

Can the constant changing over from internal to external power (the flickering) damage the Axim? I've an AC -> USB charger and I've noticed the same: if the battery's nearly full, you can have it plugged in and use it but if it isn't, the screen will flicker, as mentioned above.

PocketBrain

Originally Posted by byrnefm

Can the constant changing over from internal to external power (the flickering) damage the Axim? I've an AC -> USB charger and I've noticed the same: if the battery's nearly full, you can have it plugged in and use it but if it isn't, the screen will flicker, as mentioned above.

It can possibly wear out circuitry in your Axim as well as the charger. And the flickering means that you are not charging anyway, so you might as well not do it that way.




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timepilot84

Originally Posted by sidpaul

I purchased a Pelican Sony PSP charger from walmart model M9PL008. when i connect my axim to it, the screen keeps flickering constantly. What's wrong? Do i have a bad unit?

I have the same one and it works just fine even from a really low charge. Most likely, your car will have no problems cranking out the amps to power the Axim, so I'd say, since you bought it at Wal-Mart, take it back and exchange it for a different brand PSP charger. Pelican probably has different OEM hardware providers they buy from and you got a charger from a manufacturer that doesn't put out the recommended 2 Amps for a PSP. You have 30 days to return it to Wal-Mart.