I290

[TPnX]

Im on my second I290. It appears to me you cannot leave this phone plugged into a (always on) 12v lighter syle adapter for very long. At least while running the accutrack app(?) Again two phones, various adapters including a motorola brand mini usb/lighter.

Right now I have a lighter style female adater wired directly to the battery. The phone is using a motorola mini usb to lighter and it did make it through the days staying charged.

So what to do. What I want is a phone thats in the vehicle 24/7 always on.

[Guest]

correction it did NOT make it through the day

[hutch109]

Always on, 24/7, USB, Motorola - its not a great combination...

Eric

[Guest]

Always on, 24/7, USB, Motorola - its not a great combination...

Eric

Obviously.

always on = non swiched power so we can remove it from the equation.

USB = mini USB connection on the phone. Nothing I can do about that. so remove it too.

that leaves 24/7 Motorola?

I surprised the phone will not run this app set a five min intervals a whole day plugged in to the non switched 12v adapter. Should it or is there something else at play. I did read where the 12v charget will not fully charge the battery so I'm guessing its a trickle charge issue.

So Im thinking now, if I hook up a 12v inverter to the vehicle. Plug the I290 AC adapter into it. Perhaps it will provide enough charge to keep the battery level up through the day.

But then I guess I'm going to drain the car battery at night.

[hutch109]

I was not removing anything from the equation - I was just stating that this combination of things is not real good. There are lots of variables that go in to play, and using an inverter will NOT solve your problem - only create new ones - like you said, by allowing to car battery to go dead...

Several of the iDEN versions have known issues with being always plugged in - and continuing to work. The 290 is no exception - and they are sensative to heat/cold also - if you have not seen that yet.

Some of the lines, like the i425 (which the 290 is inside, just a different outside basically...) will allow the GPS to go into a lockout state - and the only way to reset it - is to remove the charger, and the battery - for a total cold restart... Software alone is unable to do it.

I can say some phones seem to work better than others, so you could try another 290, from another lot - but don't get too excited - most are not much better.

We have tested thousands of these, and I feel pretty safe with my information...

To do what you want, the best way will be a product like we offer; one that will embedd a computer controller inside the unit, and control all the external aspects, that is needed to make it work properly - as a tracker.

Remember, these were made as phones, and not always on trackers... I don't think Motorola envisioned plugging a portable phone, into USB power, for weeks on end... Not something most people do...

Eric

[Guest]

the little inverter I have plugs into a lighter adapter. I has a fan. So Im pretty sure that fan always running would be about like a dome light left on. Which as we all know will drain a car battery.

Some inverters I've seen don't use a fan rather a heatsink of some sort. I wonder if an inverter draws power from the 12v just by being attached. In otherwords when the phone battery reaches 100% will this continue to draw from the car battery.

I appreciate your help. I understand you have a product for this. From my perspective I didn't see this coming. I spent a certain amount of time reading the info available and from that it seemed clear to me that if you want to run this app for any amount of time you need to have it pluged in to a 12v supply.

I did that and it still wont stay charged even during the day. Hell if I have to pull the phone and charge it night fine. But it wont make it through the day even.

To be fair email me a price on your device. I need to move on. This for a service vehicle. I didnt marry a pole dancer.

[hutch109]

Yes I do have a solution for this, but I answer questions, weather a person is interested in our product or not - as knowledge is key.

Service truck or a pole dancer, the GPS tracks the same...

Yes, an inverter will still use power, even when the phone is charged - and in your case, there will be NO difference if you have it in a cig lighter into the phone, or you use an inverter to the wall charger, to the phone - identical in theory... The inverter is converting DC to AC, and the charger AC back to DC - very inefficient - that route will take far more power from the car, than the cig lighter charger to the phone direct.

Its a flaw in the design of the phone itself, or I guess its not a flaw if its used as a phone as it was intended... And yes, you could put it in the car and charge it everynight - you will get about 8 or 10 hours before it goes dead - so if that fits your time frame of the fleet vehicle - then that is an option...

Eric

[Guest]

I guess Im even more confused now but 1st I'd like to clarify something.

After talking to tech support about my situation I did walk away with this.

YOU SHOULD be able to take a properly working I290 plug it into a non switched 12v power outlet and it stay charged 100% while running the accutracking app.

In other words there is no immediate need to buy some seismic sensing device like is being promoted here. As a matter of fact I surprised they let you get away with misleading people as a way of promoting somthing.

I dont mind you promoting your device but in this situation. Im trying to figure out why something isn't working the way it should and end being mislead into thinking that my phone while plugged to 12v will not stay charged while running the app is normal.
Not so.

The reason hutch I thought perhaps an inverter might work is because I can let the phone sit all day running the app plugged into a ac outlet and stays at 100%. When I plug it into a 12v adapter it will not.

Given that I tried several known working mini usb adapters I was wondering if the cig lighter was different that the ac adpapter. Trickle charge maybe less volts or something.

So by chance I was digging through my stash of cables and adapters I found another cig lighter to mini USB. So grabbed it. I took the phone out of the service truck and put it in my truck. I've had it with me for over a day now using this adapter that I found and it's holding at 100%.

I know the other adapters are good. So suspect something else is at play here. The 1st thing that comes to mind is heat. Using it on the service truck I installed under the hood. Towards the firewall. I put the phone in a plastic bag and slip the bag into a very thin long neck style koosy. Reception is fine but it's been 100+ here for weeks. Maybe that drains the battery. I don't know.

But hutch thanks for your...help. I suspect your trolling for business but I could be wrong.

[hutch109]

YOU SHOULD be able to take a properly working I290 plug it into a non switched 12v power outlet and it stay charged 100% while running the accutracking app.

Yes, you SHOULD be able to, but not all Motorola phones work that way, so you WON'T be able to...

In other words there is no immediate need to buy some seismic sensing device like is being promoted here. As a matter of fact I surprised they let you get away with misleading people as a way of promoting somthing.

Nothing I said was misleading. I was trying to answer your questions, and help you out, since you were unable to figure it out on your own - you asked for help, I did not randomly ask you if you needed help... And there is no IMMEDIATE need to buy anything. There is always the option of charging the phone every 8 hours, put it back under the hood, and drive away. Always a work-around...

So by chance I was digging through my stash of cables and adapters I found another cig lighter to mini USB. So grabbed it. I took the phone out of the service truck and put it in my truck. I've had it with me for over a day now using this adapter that I found and it's holding at 100%.

You right, there are several variations, and QUALITY, of USB cables out there. Motorola even has their own "special" version - and without an OEM Motorola cable, the full power, and functionality, can not be obtained from the charging unit. There are two way communications with the phone/host, and the charger/client.

I know the other adapters are good. So suspect something else is at play here. The 1st thing that comes to mind is heat. Using it on the service truck I installed under the hood. Towards the firewall. I put the phone in a plastic bag and slip the bag into a very thin long neck style koosy. Reception is fine but it's been 100+ here for weeks. Maybe that drains the battery. I don't know.

There could be a lot at play. Heat will not drain the battery, but may open the power protection module - causing zero volts in, or out - and forcing the phone to shut off. If its engine heat related, the outdoor temp. won't matter much, as its well over a hundred year round under the hood - even in snowy states...

But hutch thanks for your...help. I suspect your trolling for business but I could be wrong.

You could be wrong, and you are. I don't need to troll for business - there are plenty of people out there, who have a need for our product - so many in-fact that if you call AccuTracking asking for help needing longer battery life - they have you call us. That's because our product works - and allow their customers to get what they need. Sometimes software can't fix everything, and there is a need for hardware. I don't really like that accusation, if you can't tell.

If you are comfortable that you have "solved your problem" with your 24 hour test, then great,

Let me know after 30/60/90 days of continuous operation, how its working out for you... If it is great, you will be the first person I have run into that can power the phone for months on end from a USB cig. lighter plug...

[Guest]

well 30/60/90 other points of failure is a completely different situation all together. To the extent your basically changing the subject.

Im trying to figure out why a new i290 won't run for a day plugged into a charger and you thought it necessary to insinuate that it is an inherent problem with motorola usb iden phone.

you look at it however you want. Of course I appreciate anyones help but yours however is not only counterintuitive its also clearly and intentionally self serving. [Edited by moderator]