Help What a piece of crap... Must be turned off to charge?

[Pojken]

Called Samsung today and asked about the issue of my 10.1 turning off by itself when reaching full power (or being charged at night). He said that it is designed to be turned off before being charged. Is that true? Or is that just their way of covering their asses due to a flaw?

I really wish I had never bought this thing. It sits on my desk most days without me even using it - in the last month, I may have turned it on only once. It's buggy, the battery life sucks, and there's that damn screen capture key that has taken countless screenshots of my home screen by accident...

Rant over...

Tim

 

[Deleted User]

Called Samsung today and asked about the issue of my 10.1 turning off by itself when reaching full power (or being charged at night). He said that it is designed to be turned off before being charged. Is that true? Or is that just their way of covering their asses due to a flaw?

That's not true at all. I never turn mine off, and the Tab does not turn itself off when it's charged. I charge every couple of days and it hasn't been turned off for 3 weeks (486 hours uptime right now).

Do you have yours in a folio case? If so, check that the power button is not being held down when you close it as some cases are snug and they accidentally touch the power button when closed.

I really wish I had never bought this thing. It sits on my desk most days without me even using it - in the last month, I may have turned it on only once. It's buggy, the battery life sucks, and there's that damn screen capture key that has taken countless screenshots of my home screen by accident...

Rant over...
Tim

Return it or sell it and no more ranting.

I use mine daily, the battery life is great, and I got used to the screen capture key in the taskbar so I don't hit it anymore.

 

[SlyFerret]

No, it doesn't have to be turned off to charge if you use the samsung charger. If you use a regular USB charger it won't charge while powered on.

My unit will sometimes turn off overnight. Not sure why. Its a company device, so I'm not worrying too much. It hasn't ever turned off while in use.

-SF

 

[DC1022]

I haven't had any problems with it. I find the battery to be great actually. I use it heavy when i do use it and i've average a charge per week almost. I love the screen capture it's very handy, not that hard to get used to.

 

[LandLockedPH]

No problems here either. I love mine and have used it constantly since the day it was released.

 

[ckelly33]

Nope.

 

[trankster]

Mine charges fully on or off. Battery life is acceptable; still has 50-80% battery left at the end of an average day. I charge it overnight by habit. I have had none of the problems you describe, in fact it is a very stable device compared to my two Android smartphones. I am sorry you are having trouble, that is not the norm. If your case is not pressing the on button or screen capture key, you may have a lemon and need warranty service or replacement. Go back to where you purchased it. Good luck.

 

[5280Man]

Tim- I'm sorry you are having an issue with your tab but as you can see, your problems are not typical. In fact, they are far from it. The tab is an amazing device in the current lineup of tablets on the market. I understand that a forum can be a place to express your opinion, as you obviously have. I'd like to use my right to express my opinion as well. In all due respect, if you think the tab is a piece of crap you obviously do not know your technology. The tab is far from a piece of crap. It's actually a very nice piece of hardware in today's world. Part of assessing technology is comparing it to what else is out there and in that comparison the tab stands at the top.

On another note, if the tab sits on your desk unused maybe a tablet is not for you. It's not for everyone, some people need a device with faster input like a keyboard and mouse. Some need something super portable and can be used anywhere. I found a use for mine that works quite well. Not all devices are for everyone, hence why we have such a wide variety of different devices in all kinds of configurations. Welcome to the power of Android.

 

[PittCaleb]

I want to emphasize what was alluded to above. If charging using the provided samsung 110 volt adapter and USB cable, it can charge while powered on.

However, strangely, if using a different 110v adapter and/or different usb cable - it will only trickle charge and doing so while powered on is near useless. Powering off and charging overnight will get you some battery back. Wish I understood why this was the case. Burned me bad on vacation recently when I grabbed a different AC/DC adapter from the wall.

PittCaleb

 

[Szadzik]

You simply did not check the Amps output by the charger and it was not powerful enough. Nothing new.

 

[PittCaleb]

You simply did not check the Amps output by the charger and it was not powerful enough. Nothing new.

I *always* thought a USB charger was a USB charger was a USB charger... USB has a standard and I figured all were equal. You just helped me solve my problem:

Samsung Tab Charger - 5v 2a
Radio Shack - 5v 0.5a
Logitech - 5v 1a
Verizon - 5v .8a

This explains a LOT! So my question has morphed from "Why does my Samsung Tablet require the Samsung charger?" to "Why are all USB adapters sending full amperage?"

I presume I am not harming my 800 mA requirement phone wby putting it into a 2A ac/dc adapter - or am I? I'd never do that with a straight power plug (say from Radio Shack)... will it step down safely or not?

Just checked the specs on USB and it's 500-900 mA, so 2 is more than could be expected by a device. This also explains why my Radio Shack one is useless, even for my phone. Question begs why are they selling a 500mA charger that nothing benefits from?

Thanks Szadzik, always thought all USB chargers were the same...

PittCaleb

 

[Deleted User]

I *always* thought a USB charger was a USB charger was a USB charger... USB has a standard and I figured all were equal. You just helped me solve my problem:

Samsung Tab Charger - 5v 2a
Radio Shack - 5v 0.5a
Logitech - 5v 1a
Verizon - 5v .8a

This explains a LOT! So my question has morphed from "Why does my Samsung Tablet require the Samsung charger?" to "Why are all USB adapters sending full amperage?"

I guess you mean NOT sending full amperage. And while the specs call for 500mA, there are ways around that spec. Samsung and some other companies use a higher output spec by using an adaptor that detects the presence of the Tab using one of the normally unused pins in the cable. This way the adaptor can output more amperage using more pins than normal and why only specific chargers will work. Tablets need more output to charge quickly than a phone because they have larger batteries.

I presume I am not harming my 800 mA requirement phone wby putting it into a 2A ac/dc adapter - or am I?

No you won't harm anything as the phone does not have the connections in the pins for more amperage. And devices "draw" the power they need, rather than get pushed more than they need.

This also explains why my Radio Shack one is useless, even for my phone. Question begs why are they selling a 500mA charger that nothing benefits from?

There are many phones that would charge just fine from a 500mA charger. Some of the later smartphones require more current though, like your phone and mine. But many older and less sophisticated phones work fine with 500 or less.

If you want a cheap spare charger, look at ones for the original Samsung Tab 7.0 model that output 2A. The ports are the same and the the chargers can be found for much less since it's not a hot seller now.

 

[SlyFerret]

I think the official USB speck is 5v .5A.

Lots of chargers started being able to supply more than .5A in order to help charge devices faster.

Now, some devices are requiring a 10 watt (5v 2A) charger... iPads and Galaxy Tabs both do this.

Samsung seems to be doing something else a little odd though. I have other USB chargers capable of supplying 2 amps at 5V, but, the galaxy tab acts like it's plugged into a computer unless it's an official samsung charger.

-SF

 

[Szadzik]

I think the official USB speck is 5v .5A.

Lots of chargers started being able to supply more than .5A in order to help charge devices faster.

Now, some devices are requiring a 10 watt (5v 2A) charger... iPads and Galaxy Tabs both do this.

Samsung seems to be doing something else a little odd though. I have other USB chargers capable of supplying 2 amps at 5V, but, the galaxy tab acts like it's plugged into a computer unless it's an official samsung charger.

-SF

They have a different pin layout - the Samsung ccables and chargers I mean.

You need a little adapter that will change that. Available for cheap on dealextreme.com

 

[SlyFerret]

Interesting! Good to know!

-SF

 

[Kendroid Tab]

Okay. I read everything above and my question is this. I've had my tab since July 2011. I've always been able to use it while on the charger. OEM Samsung AC adapter and cable. Last night I plugged it in as normal to charge up while I watched some tube. When I went to use it again I found it had never charged. This is the OEM set up and it will no longer charge for some reason unless it's completely powered down. Why all of a sudden?

 

[Deleted User]

Okay. I read everything above and my question is this. I've had my tab since July 2011. I've always been able to use it while on the charger. OEM Samsung AC adapter and cable. Last night I plugged it in as normal to charge up while I watched some tube. When I went to use it again I found it had never charged. This is the OEM set up and it will no longer charge for some reason unless it's completely powered down. Why all of a sudden?

Check the cable to ensure it is not damaged. One of the wires inside the cable may be broken (they're quite thin) but you can't see that issue so you may need a replacement. Perhaps check it with a cable at a store?

 

[eyecon82]

My beef is that the darn thing turns the LCD on everytime I plug it in, unplug it, or it reaches full charge...and doesn't turn it off.

Its annoying to wake up in the middle of the night to a glowing screen

 

[Deleted User]

My beef is that the darn thing turns the LCD on everytime I plug it in, unplug it, or it reaches full charge...and doesn't turn it off.
Its annoying to wake up in the middle of the night to a glowing screen

That's not normal behaviour. The screen should turn on whenever the device is connected to power or removed, etc., but the screen should only remain on for about 10 seconds or so then turn off again. Something is interfering with the tablets normal function, like a rogue app or something. Have you tried doing a factory reset to wipe the tablet and checking its function before reinstalling apps?

 

[eyecon82]

That's not normal behaviour. The screen should turn on whenever the device is connected to power or removed, etc., but the screen should only remain on for about 10 seconds or so then turn off again. Something is interfering with the tablets normal function, like a rogue app or something. Have you tried doing a factory reset to wipe the tablet and checking its function before reinstalling apps?

Yep. I just did a factory reset 2 weeks ago... I made a different thread about it so I don't hijack this thread

 

[MrDeeJ]

eyecon82: I posted this in your other thread but just in case I will post it here too. After doing a little research I was able to find a solution to the problem. If you go in to Settings/applications/Development. Uncheck the Stay Awake (Screen will never sleep while charging) Box. I did this and then charged up my tablet and when it hit 100 it came on briefly then shut itself off again.

 

[eyecon82]

eyecon82: I posted this in your other thread but just in case I will post it here too. After doing a little research I was able to find a solution to the problem. If you go in to Settings/applications/Development. Uncheck the Stay Awake (Screen will never sleep while charging) Box. I did this and then charged up my tablet and when it hit 100 it came on briefly then shut itself off again.

thanks i saw that! i didn't even realize that option existed, but it is still unchecked and happening. Now at least the screen doesn't stay on indefinetly when not charging randomly