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Battery Charger/Adapter Won't Keep Up on 3Gs when using GPS

Scooterman1

Scooterman1

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
May 15, 2008
939
12
Houston, Tx
The Battery Charger Won't Keep Up when using G-Map and the GPS is tracking.
I have a couple Xtreme Mac Car Chargers for the 1st iPhone.
I purchased an iPhone 3GS.
I have G-Map West with the Windshield mount.
When using the G-Map Application, with the GPS tracking, my Car Charger lets my iPhone slowly discharge. In other words, the iPhone seems to be using more current than the Charger/Adapter can supply.
I have emailed Xtreme Mac about this with NO answer from them. I have thought of breaking apart one of the adapters to see if I could play with a resistor change to address more current flow but am afraid the casing may not disassemble easily.
What I'm wondering is, did the manufacturers of the different Adapters allow for more current usage when the iPhone 3G, or 3Gs was released.

Does anyone else have any experience along these same lines, and what charger did you find that works now. I'm only interested in replies that have had earlier adapters that didn't work, and have now found one that actually charges instead of discharging.

I did a search and found nothing so sorry if this Has already been addressed.
 
To change your thread title, click new posts, find your thread, then double click your thread title like you're changing a song name in iTunes, and edit it, then click away from it.
 
Thanks everyone for the Editing Info. I couldn't get the double click to work in Firefox or Explorer on Windows as it kept opening the link, but the Advanced worked. I had been wondering how to edit the title before. Great info.
 
I have seen this too, I am hoping the Tom Tom Dock will charge your phone since it will use it's own GPS equipment in the dock, therefore not drawing more current than the phone will take to charge. We just have to wait and see since it is taking FOEVER for this to come to market.
 
The same issue was prevelant with the 3G. As I remember, if the heat can't escape through the back of the phone, the phone stops charging (as that creates more heat). People were having the problem with cases, so don;t have it in a case, otherwise the mount may be preventing the heat discharge.
 
This is totally exactly like what my friend faced the last time. He was using those little mini battery pack shaped like the previous iPod Shuffle which was one of those first in the market battery pack for the iPhone.

In this case, the discharge rate is higher than the recharge rate. Thus, recharge is not happening and I believe this is normal.
 
bbotte said:
I have seen this too, I am hoping the Tom Tom Dock will charge your phone since it will use it's own GPS equipment in the dock, therefore not drawing more current than the phone will take to charge. We just have to wait and see since it is taking FOEVER for this to come to market.
Click to expand...

Another possibility exists. Is it the Adapter, OR the iPhone which is limiting current for charging when using the GPS. A lot of other Adapters for other products (other than the iPhone) will blow a fuse in the Adapter if it has too much current flow. So, if these Adapters are built the same way, Apple could have slipped up on their design.
 
Scooterman1 said:
Another possibility exists. Is it the Adapter, OR the iPhone which is limiting current for charging when using the GPS. A lot of other Adapters for other products (other than the iPhone) will blow a fuse in the Adapter if it has too much current flow. So, if these Adapters are built the same way, Apple could have slipped up on their design.
Click to expand...

I would have to think the phone picks the current, My MacBook Air has an increased voltage so it can run the Optional DVD drive. My phone does not charge faster on the MacBook Air.
 
ibbieta said:
The same issue was prevelant with the 3G. As I remember, if the heat can't escape through the back of the phone, the phone stops charging (as that creates more heat). People were having the problem with cases, so don;t have it in a case, otherwise the mount may be preventing the heat discharge.
Click to expand...

what they said ^^^^^

when i first bought the navigon app i used it in the car (obviously) and it wasn't charging as much as i thought, it actually stayed on the same % for 20 minutes, i took it out of the cradle and noticed it was very hot.

since then i've mounted it (with the griffin window seat) directly above one of the fans and turned the fan onto the 3gs. since then it's stayed nice and cool and has charged properly even when i've had navigon running with the ipod playing.
 
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