Charging via Computer

[Bosun]

If the Active 10 is plugged in to a USB socket on a computer is it supposed to charge the unit ?

Today,not for the first time,I have had it plugged into my laptop for a good while,showing the "lightening" symbol, then taken it out and it has displayed red in the battery indicator within 15 mins or less.

Charges fine from the mains.

I have looked in the Active 10 manual and the Satsync manual and can't find anything.

Ian

[Squeakyboots]

If you check on the Satmap site under "Software & Support" and follow through to about the third page of User Manuals you will find the user guide for the standard power bundle.

In tnis manual it clearly states that the batteries can be charger via a USB connected to your computer.

One word of caution - I have found that when my computer goes into standby mode after a period of time it seems that the charging is not as effective.

Whenever possible I stick to the mains charger as it guarantees a full charge.

Hope this helps.

[Norm-de-Plume]

I charge mine all the time from either a PC or a USB socket on the front of my printer. There are no problems with the unit getting a full charge, but it does take longer than using a wall charger because the current is limited to 500mA. If your PC is powering down the USB sockets in standby, it should be possible to go into the BIOS (the settings that you can tweak at boot) and configure them to remain on. This isn't for the inexperienced PC user, though.

Just to be sure, you can only charge the LiPo battery pack and you're not going to be able to recharge AA batteries in the Active 10.

You might want to check the connector for the battery pack to make sure that it is still properly seated.

By the way, if people have mini USB cables or already have wall-wart USB and car chargers, you don't need the full accessory pack and can just buy the LiPol battery, saving £20 or so.

[Bosun]

Hmmm.................I am obviously doing someting wrong.The laptop doesn't go into standby or sleep mode so that isn't it.

Will have to have a look into it,thanks for the replies.

ian

[Norm-de-Plume]

Try a different cable or maybe lightly jiggling the cable at both ends.

Try using different sockets as well - if the PC thinks there is a problem, it can shut down sockets and they don't reset until you reboot.

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