X50V - flickering screen when connected via a USB cable?

[axim_wannabe]

hi guys...

i was just wondering is why when i connect my x50v Axim (WM2003SE) to my office desktop via a USB cable (like those Boxwave's) through Softick Card Export PPC (to make it act as an external drive); my screen keeps on flickering.

well, not all the time when i do connect, but a majority of it...

any explanation on why this may be happening?

thanks!!!

:approve:

[Ticonderoga]

Do you have different brightness settings for battery and external power? If your cable is one of those sync/charge ones then your Axim would think that it is on external power everytime you plug into a USB port; Activesync does not need to be installed for this. Flickring happens when the USB port cannot supply enough current so that the Axim keeps switching between battery mode and external power mode.

hi guys...

i was just wondering is why when i connect my x50v Axim (WM2003SE) to my office desktop via a USB cable (like those Boxwave's) through Softick Card Export PPC (to make it act as an external drive); my screen keeps on flickering.

well, not all the time when i do connect, but a majority of it...

any explanation on why this may be happening?

thanks!!!

:approve:

I had this problem once, and it turned out to be the battery status indicator I was using. I forget which one I used, but I remember it placed two 1 pixel lines across the top of the screen to show how much battery and how much memory was available.

Once I reset the unit to unload that app, the problem went away. I also noticed that the line was constantly being redrawn when viewing videos in TCMP in landscape full screen mode.

Remember to remove any shortcuts in your startup folder that auto run installed programs before you reset.

[GJIsh]

Does your screen actually "flicker" or do you get kind of a "refresh" type of a blink. I noticed my X50v doing that in the cradle. Doesn't seem to hurt anything. I just chalked it up to something running in the background.

Does your screen actually "flicker" or do you get kind of a "refresh" type of a blink. I noticed my X50v doing that in the cradle. Doesn't seem to hurt anything. I just chalked it up to something running in the background.

I thought it was because the USB cable was not powerful enough to charge the Axim and use it at the same time. I could be wrong.

[netsyd]

I thought it was because the USB cable was not powerful enough to charge the Axim and use it at the same time. I could be wrong.

That's exactly the problem I was having at work with my Belkin cable. The power draw appears to be too much for it to sync and charge at the same time.

I let mine charge off the cable for about 1/2 hour and then it usually works fine again.

[axim_wannabe]

hey guys. thanks for the replies, it would now give me some direction on how to figure this out.

--- to just reply...

yes, i have different brightness settings for my Axim when using external power, and battery power. ill try to make them similar, and try it once again.

as for the flickering, no it is not a kind of "refresh" stuff - it is more like the brightness level changing a couple of notches up and down.

[SC93LX]

Mine does that with a Belkin cable when the wifi is enabled. It must pull too much power with wifi on.

I just turn it off and all is fine.

[JakeRich]

hey guys. thanks for the replies, it would now give me some direction on how to figure this out.

--- to just reply...

yes, i have different brightness settings for my Axim when using external power, and battery power. ill try to make them similar, and try it once again.

as for the flickering, no it is not a kind of "refresh" stuff - it is more like the brightness level changing a couple of notches up and down.

Doing that will hide the symptom but not cure the problem. The typical USB port cannot provide sufficient power to run and charge the unit at the same time. By continuing to do that, despite the warning signs, you will stress the power circuits in the Axim and your desktop. One or both may fail eventually. Dell knew that the power demands of the Axim are far beyond the designed supply from a USB port, so their cables won't let you charge and run at the same time. Third party vendors bypass the Dell protections by coupling the USB power supply to the mains power input, which will allow you to run and charge, if the supply is good enough. If it's not, then it cycles between using and not using the supply, resulting in the flicker between mains and battery brightness. As a result, if you now continue to use the cable and just mask the symptoms you are making demands on the USB port that it cannot meet. If the protective circuits in the desktop are not robust enough, you might fry the motherboard.

[GJIsh]

I thought it was because the USB cable was not powerful enough to charge the Axim and use it at the same time. I could be wrong.

Well, that might be true but my Axim is in the cradle with the power cord attached. But I don't think I am having the problem described here. Actually it isn't a problem. It seems to "refresh" when siting idle. Could be SPB Weather refreshing too. So I guess my "flicker/refresh" isn't the same as what is going on here. Hope you figure it out.

I bought a usb cable & car adapter to use my x50v at work & gps in my truck. the screen will flicker like Axim Wannabe expland. but when I use it in my truck it's fine. why?

[byrnefm]

I have this problem too - haven't been able to figure it out yet, either!

[aust]

I bought a usb cable & car adapter to use my x50v at work & gps in my truck. the screen will flicker like Axim Wannabe expland. but when I use it in my truck it's fine. why?

Could it be that when using in the car you get plenty power from the car?

It's the USB port that can't deliver enough power.

[orgaelin]

I have had the same problem but it's gone away.

I also noticed that if I switch off the wi-fi then the problem goes away, as well as certain other problems involving activesync when wi-fi is enabled.

From what I have read, the problem is that the latest version of Activesync uses the ip/network drivers to make the connection. You may have seen the standard network connecting icon in your systray when you first plug in your pda. The problem, then, is that the two sets of network drivers (wi-fi and a-sync) interfere with each other, and microsoft do actually reccommend switching the wifi off.

I have finally made the upgrade to wm5 and the problem with flashing goes away, but instead it won't connect to a-sync at all. Then I switch off the wi-fi and it connects.

~ Org.

[dave37]

I have the same problem and simply leave the unit off when charging via usb, but have also noticed something else interesting. If my battery gets below 80 % then I can't activesync connect using usb, I have to let it charge up and then I can connect.