Help Dash Mount GPS and HEAT

[lorick]

Many people have been complaining about the DX not charging when using the GPS. I did find the same thing. What I did discover by accident is the dash mounted DX being in the sun for long periods will cause the battery to stop charging. It does not matter if you are using the GPS or not. I took a 4hr trip and the DX was in the sun for most of it. The AC was on but the DX still got very hot and DID stop charging. On the way home, it was cloudy and the DX stayed at 100% charge the entire trip.

In conclusion, I believe the problem is in the HEAT and not the GPS.

 

[ghdtpdna]

I think one reason for not charging could be the fact that GPS uses tremendous amount of battery when running and the power from the car charger is only enough to run the GPS but not enough to run the GPS AND charge the battery.

 

[lorick]

As I said... This was NOT a problem when the DX was not in direct sunlight. It kept its charge the entire trip. When the DX WAS in the sun, it started at 100% and by the end of the trip it was down to 60%.

 

[ghdtpdna]

As I said... This was NOT a problem when the DX was not in direct sunlight. It kept its charge the entire trip. When the DX WAS in the sun, it started at 100% and by the end of the trip it was down to 60%.

Oh, I think I misread you.
I will try it out and see when happens.

 

[Rockmaninoff]

I've had the same problem. Recently took a ~10-12 hour trip, with the Droid X in the car dock and being charged through a 1000 mA (!) charger, it still ended up losing battery. The phone would display the charging animation and indicate that it was charging, but still ended up losing battery. Taking the phone out of the dock and placing it in a cooler area (shade) resulted in it charging fine though.

 

[Greavous]

lithium batteries are sensitive to heat and a good charger would monitor the battery temp. so it makes sense that when it gets noticeably hot it would stop charging. I fly a number of RC aircraft which are electric and use multi-cell lithium batteries and from my readings on proper charging the temp. thing always comes up in the discussion.