HTC Dream/G1 power problems - General Questions and Answers

Hi all,
Recently I purchased the above phone off ebay, and it has worked fine up until the battery dying, and now after charging for an hour or so it will not power up.
it just lets out a single vibration. While it is on charge it displays the red light continuously as it is should. I don't think it is a battery fault as there have been 2 provided and I have tried them both.
I have both a charger and usb cord and have tried them both, and when plugged into the usb port it occasionally displays the "device malfunction" error
When earlier connected to my computer when the phone was powered up and fully functioning it connected to my pc perfectly with no problem
Any idea what the fault is?
Thanks

Is the battery an OEM HTC battery? I've heard some phones and chargers dont agree with aftermarket batteries. Grab one or two OEM ones from eBay. They're dirt cheap. Just make sure its OEM.

Turns out the display ribbon had split.
Ordered a new one and fitted it today, problem now is that my hinge is really stiff. I'm working from the service manual I downloaded from online, theres not much detail in how to make sure the ribbon or anything isnt affecting the hinge.
Other than that my phone works fine and has charged up perfectly

Related

dead SP5m, not charging either

help people....
dropped my SP5m two weeks back and ever since it is not powering ON
ne idea what I could do to check what is wrong?
tried switching on the phone minus the battery, but it does not switch on (correct me if this normal)
I even tried get the voltage checked of the battery, but it also shows zero, maybe there is no left in it.
Checking voltage on the phone four pins in the back also shows no signs of any volatage, even when charger adaptor is connected. (I use Moto razor charger)
any help/idea is welcome....
desihu said:
help people....
dropped my SP5m two weeks back and ever since it is not powering ON
ne idea what I could do to check what is wrong?
tried switching on the phone minus the battery, but it does not switch on (correct me if this normal)
I even tried get the voltage checked of the battery, but it also shows zero, maybe there is no left in it.
Checking voltage on the phone four pins in the back also shows no signs of any volatage, even when charger adaptor is connected. (I use Moto razor charger)
any help/idea is welcome....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have you tried powering up with USB plugged to a PC? Also, try powering up in BootLoader, sort of to make sure the motherboard is responding. Can you get a loaner battery from a friend? Your battery might have just broken internally(seen that happen on other devices).
I don't think it would be a hardware failure though. Trust me, If you only saw what I did to my SDAII, literally squezzed it between the 5th door and frame of my Van. Broke screen lens and LCD, warped housing, broke D-Pad(joystick) and, i pulled out battery, placed battery back, turned on phone, and re-dialed using bluetooth and it was working fine
For one thing, don't use any other charger except the one for the SP5m!! There are several posts in this forum that refer to problems using other chargers. If the battery is more than 50% charged, then your charger might work. Otherwise there isn't enough current output in the Motorola charger to kick-start a dead battery. So test with an OEM charger!!
bipinsen said:
there isn't enough current output in the Motorola charger to kick-start a dead battery
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Click to collapse
Really? My experience is that Motorola chargers will charge HTC devices but that HTC chargers will not charge Motorola devices so I always assumed the Motorola devices drew more power.
Motorola charger have approx. 0,5A when HTC chargers got 1A.

3rd party charger screwing with touch screen?

So I've got a bunch of these cheap ebay USB chargers. I was using them with my HTC Kaiser but now I have my desire - When the phone is on charge using one of these, the touch screen won't work properly. It goes crazy, registering its own "touches" so menus fly about, etc. and if I try touching it, it either doesn't register it, registers the touch about 10 times or in the wrong place!
As soon as I unplug, back to normal!
The HTC charger says output: DC 5v, 1amp
This charger says output: DC 5v+- 0.20v, DC500mA +- 30mA
Does this mean these chargers arent quite powerful enough or something? Could I be damaging my phone by using these? They do charge ok but seem to take longer than the HTC charger.
I had exactly the same problem with the G1 and after a fair amount of time researching that issue, I read, and was told that the voltage on many 3rd party charger are not as well regulated as on HTC charger's or pc's USB ports.
On my G1 the problem stayed even after unplugging the charger.
You'd be much better off with a genuine HTC charger or just using your pc's USB ports.
I have the same problem with my phone .. the problem still remained after unpluging and using my own charger.
Does it go away in some time? is your phone ok now?
Well, on my Dream, the problem wasn't constant, but it was there very often, it seem to occur less when I was swapping with some spare charged batteries.
On my Dream the trick was to turn the screen on and off, and it would work most of the time...
I suggest you try to charge of your computer, the voltage output is regulated properly and I was told several times that the opposite, i.e. cheap chargers, were messing with capacitance screens.
I have been charging my Desire with the HTC charger and my PC and haven't had any issues yet.
Better safe than sorry, I wouldn't have got an upgrade if my Dream didn't have that problem in the first place, and it quickly becomes a massive pain! Especially when you have no keyboard.
Problem didn't go away, so I sent my phone to the waranty service.
Using the original charger and original usb cable everything was ok, the problem appeared when I used an usb extender with my computer. First, windows didn't recognize my device, and then the touchscreen problem appeared.
I had the same problem with charger and usb extender but the problem doesn't stay when I take it out. I Won't be using it again that's for sure...thanks for the heads up
manks said:
I had the same problem with charger and usb extender but the problem doesn't stay when I take it out. I Won't be using it again that's for sure...thanks for the heads up
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i was having screen freezes and stuff with my HD2 HTC desire rom using a 3rd party charger
my guess is , STAY AWAY
I have a JMB branded car charger ([email protected]) with a mini USB connector, but with a Force branded mini USB to micro USB converter. I have no issues whatsoever.
I use a Samsung Micro USB charger and I notice no problems whatsoever, it's like an older version of the charger that comes with the Galaxy S in Europe.
Straight from the plug as it were, it's great, no issues and charges extra fast

[Q] Can't charge, won't charge

Plugged in Transformer last night to charge it up overnight when the battery hit 30%. I updated the firmware yesterday morning and everything was going swimmingly.
Woke it up this morning, and found it was at 9% battery remaining and had a low battery warning. I had a closer look and the battery icon shows no indication that it's charging when it's plugged in.
Right now I've plugged it into a bog-standard USB charger and turned it off, hoping it'll trickle charge (damn the lack of a charge LED!) and that it's a fault with the power adapter rather than the device itself.
Anyone else had this issue?
I had the same problem a few days ago, my charger was plugged in via a multi block and it would not charge.
I even went to the extreme of taking my device back to comet in the hope I could swap the charger out with their demo unit.
Man behind counter plugs my charger into some sort electrical surge protected socket and it starts charging straight away leaving me looking like a right tool standing their. (and they tried to sell me 3 years extended cover)
Brought it home and plugged it into the very socket where it wasn't working and what do you know? It starts working!
Not sure what the issue was but it now works again.
Ok well that's good to know!
On trickle-charge it's now gone up by 2% since I posted.
Looks like the power adapter has its own faults...
Oh, and what do you know... plugged wall charger back in (it's been unplugged for 20mins) and now it's all happy and charging again.
Hooray.
yeah maybe that 20 minute trip to comet fixed mine too..
the USB mains adapter plug has a fatal flaw - the middle part of the usb connection isn't as sturdy as it sould be so it is easy to plug a USB port in the wrong way around and it looks and feels plugged in correctly as the middle part just moves out of the way.
If it isn't charing always check to make sure the USB connection is in the right way around in the plug.
I am bummed about this proprietary power connector; and apparently proprietary USB cable with extra pins (negating the use of USB extension cables). I wish the TF had a standard round power adapter similar to the Acer A500.
Thank God, i thought i was the only one. Had exactly this problem with mine when it arrived a couple of days ago, i am lucky enough to have lots of USB chargers around so i tried and tested various combinations and tried to charge other devices with the asus charger.
The problem lies as far as i can see, entirely with the charger unit. The charger comes in two parts, one is the usb dock and the other the relevant country plug. The way the plug fits onto the face of the charger is the important part. There is a central 'locating pin' made from plastic and two contacts that slot into the charger carrying the live and negative. The construction of this part is very, very poor. The tolerances are not a match for the quality of the plastic, the T shaped plastic locater does not actually locate the bottom pins properly and needs a great deal of force to lock in placce, and here is the best part, it doesnt like STAYING locked. As the plastic is weak, and we are looking at just a couple of mm here, it will snap, that will stop there being a clean contact and no charge. As a remedy, i have secured the face plate to the charger very tightly with a high tech rubber band
I agree, the use of specific power connectors in this day and age is just as dumb a decision as any manufacturer can make, and the rate it recharges at from a USB to PC connection can only be described as comical, a full recharge in 26 hours . Aside from all that its nigh on perfect, but i can see power related alternatives being VERY popular until Asus catches up with the rest of the electronics industry.
havent even had mine an hour and i havent done the update because its not at 50% and it will not charg at all. when i first tried to start it i thought it was doa because it would not turn on. guess ill take you guys advice and leave it unplugged for a while. i hate the charging cable is so small too that definately sucks.
Hmmm... if only a few other people created topics about not charging...

Very strange charging problem!

Ok, first a little background on this issue...
After having my S3 for about 13-14 months I started having charging issues. The charging port was very "loose" and I had to make sure my charger cable was in just right to get my phone to charge. This was annoying, however was out of warranty and didn't want to pay vzw for an insurance claim. This got worse, and eventually I noticed my phone would only charge with 1 specific usb cable, 1 specific wall charger, and 1 specific car charger.
Well, I finally called Samsung and explained the situation to them and they had me chip my phone to them and they would repair it, free of charge. When they had it, they replaced the charging port, the headphone jack, and the screen. I received the phone back after couple weeks, super excited, and immediately charged it up with the cable I had next to my bed. New charging port felt perfect, nice snug fit, etc... Well, after a few days i hooked it up with the original usb cable that came with the phone, nothing happened. So i started messing around and realized that the only usb cables that will charge my phone are Motorola brand cables! At least the 2 cables I have work, and not a single other cable I've tried works! This includes stock Samsung cable, many cheap 3rd party cables, other friend's S3 cables, none work. Also, I have this cheap car charger that is the type you plug a USB cable into that works, however any other car charger I've tried does not work either.
Also, when i say the cables won't charge my phone, it also won't connect the phone to a PC. They do absolutely nothing.
Does anyone have ANY idea why this is happening?!?! It was an issue before Samsung repaired my phone, they replaced the charging port, but I still have this issue!! I can send it back to Samsung for them to look at it again, however my backup phone, a Razr Maxx, just died also. Seems like the battery went dead and now I can't get it to charge, but that's another issue.
So, any ideas?!
JHibinger said:
Ok, first a little background on this issue...
After having my S3 for about 13-14 months I started having charging issues. The charging port was very "loose" and I had to make sure my charger cable was in just right to get my phone to charge. This was annoying, however was out of warranty and didn't want to pay vzw for an insurance claim. This got worse, and eventually I noticed my phone would only charge with 1 specific usb cable, 1 specific wall charger, and 1 specific car charger.
Well, I finally called Samsung and explained the situation to them and they had me chip my phone to them and they would repair it, free of charge. When they had it, they replaced the charging port, the headphone jack, and the screen. I received the phone back after couple weeks, super excited, and immediately charged it up with the cable I had next to my bed. New charging port felt perfect, nice snug fit, etc... Well, after a few days i hooked it up with the original usb cable that came with the phone, nothing happened. So i started messing around and realized that the only usb cables that will charge my phone are Motorola brand cables! At least the 2 cables I have work, and not a single other cable I've tried works! This includes stock Samsung cable, many cheap 3rd party cables, other friend's S3 cables, none work. Also, I have this cheap car charger that is the type you plug a USB cable into that works, however any other car charger I've tried does not work either.
Also, when i say the cables won't charge my phone, it also won't connect the phone to a PC. They do absolutely nothing.
Does anyone have ANY idea why this is happening?!?! It was an issue before Samsung repaired my phone, they replaced the charging port, but I still have this issue!! I can send it back to Samsung for them to look at it again, however my backup phone, a Razr Maxx, just died also. Seems like the battery went dead and now I can't get it to charge, but that's another issue.
So, any ideas?!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What rom/kernal
It doesn't matter. It does this when it is totally stock and rooted. Right now I'm not rooted or anything because it looks like it may be going back to Samsung again.
JHibinger said:
It doesn't matter. It does this when it is totally stock and rooted. Right now I'm not rooted or anything because it looks like it may be going back to Samsung again.
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Click to collapse
I think the smart charging circuit may be messed up
Really? How would that cause the phone to not work with any cable except a certain brand?? I'm just really curious and this is driving me insane!!
JHibinger said:
Really? How would that cause the phone to not work with any cable except a certain brand?? I'm just really curious and this is driving me insane!!
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Click to collapse
I would say you are putting mechanical stress on the charging port. This could be from some misaligned or mis-made cable or somehow pressing or pulling the charge cable when its connected. I've never seen this reported by anyone else, but the mechanical connections are not indestructible. If it were a common symptom with 100 million S3s having been sold, there would be a firestorm of complaints.
I have a similar issue. I'm not sure if it's the device or the ROM (CM nightlies).
Certain cables force the screen to turn back on, which means I get negative charge because the screen burns more than the charger is capable of supplying. Other cables are fine. I'm still looking for the pattern, it's super annoying and causes me to have to turn my phone off completely at times so as not to lose my battery altogether. I'm still trying to solve this, any help would be appreciated.
rgrossie said:
I have a similar issue. I'm not sure if it's the device or the ROM (CM nightlies).
Certain cables force the screen to turn back on, which means I get negative charge because the screen burns more than the charger is capable of supplying. Other cables are fine. I'm still looking for the pattern, it's super annoying and causes me to have to turn my phone off completely at times so as not to lose my battery altogether. I'm still trying to solve this, any help would be appreciated.
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Click to collapse
Further info- it's not the cable, it's the converter at the end. I think it has to do with amperage of the charger- if I use the stock samsung one I'm good, it's putting out 1.0A. If I use others that are fewer amps (like 700 mA) it's unpredictable. I suspect a kernel thing, I might download different kernels to play with it.
rgrossie said:
Further info- it's not the cable, it's the converter at the end. I think it has to do with amperage of the charger- if I use the stock samsung one I'm good, it's putting out 1.0A. If I use others that are fewer amps (like 700 mA) it's unpredictable. I suspect a kernel thing, I might download different kernels to play with it.
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Click to collapse
Always use chargers that is 1 A - 2A the circuit controls most of the charging regulating amps and voltage
Yes, I agree about using good chargers, but my phone wasn't always this way. It used to charge with anything, but no longer.
I enabled fast charge on Imosyen's lean kernel. That might have made a difference, but I'm not positive yet.

Moto G does not charge with car charger

Hello everyone,
Since a google search did not reveal other people having the same problem, decided to ask around here.
Purchased the Moto G a few days ago and only had to charge it once since then. Really happy with the phone as value for money is amazing.
This morning I used it with Navigation and when I got the 14% left of battery notification, connected my old car charger which worked fine with every device until now. To my surprise, the phone did not show any signs of charging and battery kept on discharging.
Got home, tried the cable that came in the box and same results. Connected the phone to a USB port on my PC and it charges. Tested my old phone with car charger and that works just as I knew it would.
Obviously, there's nothing wrong with the car charger which has an output rated at 5V and 500mA (same as USB port).
Asked moto support about this issue and they advised to turn off the phone for at least 5 minutes and try charger again. This time, when connecting the phone, it just turned on as I had left it turned off and after boot still no signs of charging.
The moto support website states that it should work with pretty much any charger.
Any advice besides from testing other car chargers?
mickutz said:
Hello everyone,
Since a google search did not reveal other people having the same problem, decided to ask around here.
Purchased the Moto G a few days ago and only had to charge it once since then. Really happy with the phone as value for money is amazing.
This morning I used it with Navigation and when I got the 14% left of battery notification, connected my old car charger which worked fine with every device until now. To my surprise, the phone did not show any signs of charging and battery kept on discharging.
Got home, tried the cable that came in the box and same results. Connected the phone to a USB port on my PC and it charges. Tested my old phone with car charger and that works just as I knew it would.
Obviously, there's nothing wrong with the car charger which has an output rated at 5V and 500mA (same as USB port).
Asked moto support about this issue and they advised to turn off the phone for at least 5 minutes and try charger again. This time, when connecting the phone, it just turned on as I had left it turned off and after boot still no signs of charging.
The moto support website states that it should work with pretty much any charger.
Any advice besides from testing other car chargers?
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Click to collapse
Hi,
I had the same issue and I ordered a motorola charger from amazon. Now it's working.
JoukeHijlkema said:
Hi,
I had the same issue and I ordered a motorola charger from amazon. Now it's working.
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Click to collapse
Is it Motorola branded or some other brand?
mickutz said:
Is it Motorola branded or some other brand?
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Click to collapse
motorola branded. Around 6€ if I remember correctly
I found an odd youtube clip from an aussie on the road complaining that none of the chergers he kept buying were working, what he eventually did was short out the green and white points in the charger as they apparently are left dead or have resistors on them but you could do the same by splicing a regular cable and twisting the green and white wires to the phone.
tried it earlier and it seems to work, so am adapting a cheapo usb wired charger first then will tinker with some cables.
My Moto G charges on every wall charger except Kobo's, the only 2A one. My generic auto charger has 1A and 2A sockets which both work. I suspect your auto charger is out of spec, 5V +/- 0.25V (USB 1/2). My Walkman didn't like my desktop ports, and support says custom computers may not work.
Wikipedia has a good section on Power (7) in the USB article. Forum won't let me post the link!
sure I have replied to one version of this anyway although a bit late this does come up first in a google.
so the issue is the phone has its floating point thingy locked so it it doesn't work with most in and out chargers even the posh ones only provide power.
so taking a hint from a crazy aussie who was butchering chargers I took a different approach and butchered cables.
the principle is the same the white and green wires in cable or the white and green terminals in the charger need to be bridged or joined together. if you feel the wires are a bit thin to cut into or you like me break them a lot then you can use a USB extension cable and splice that instead.
I chopped off the end off a data cable and patched one directly into a standard micro usb charger where I'd broken the tip and it works a treat as indeed do the other mods.
much easier than hacking the phone IMO.

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