Pin This: Always Charge In Low-Power Mode :)

[skeezix]

I'm getting a lot of questions over this one still --

When charging, _yes_, the Pandora will be on (many devices are like this; they often show a different screen while powering, but are still 'on', if in lesser-functional-mode; we don't have that in the Pandora firmware yet, it just goes 'full on' while charging, from an off-state.)

When charging, you can still go to low power mode!

Low power mode is when you do a quick hit to the power slider-switch; the device will appear to go 'off'-ish; screen will turn off, wireless network will drop off, the CPU speed goes to a minimal amount; your batteries will go a long time in this mode, and when charging, you will charge up much faster since very little is being drained from the battery. (Normally, in full power mode while charging, the Pandora is drawing from the battery while the battery is also being charged, hence low power mode allows more overall charging to occur.)

Closing the device lid is not low power mode; that is 'screen off' mode, since you might be doing streaming audio, or playing mp3s, or whatever.

--

So, to charge fastest:

1) Be sure to be patched up with latest hotfixes or firmware version

2) Plug in the pandora; if not already on, it will turn on and boot up.

3) Hit the power switch to go to low power mode

4) Close the lid if you like. * on older hotfixes, closing lid and low power mode at the same time made things a little wonky, but should be okay now.

jeff

 

[God Ginrai]

I'm getting a lot of questions over this one still --

When charging, _yes_, the Pandora will be on (many devices are like this; they often show a different screen while powering, but are still 'on', if in lesser-functional-mode; we don't have that in the Pandora firmware yet, it just goes 'full on' while charging, from an off-state.)

When charging, you can still go to low power mode!

Low power mode is when you do a quick hit to the power slider-switch; the device will appear to go 'off'-ish; screen will turn off, wireless network will drop off, the CPU speed goes to a minimal amount; your batteries will go a long time in this mode, and when charging, you will charge up much faster since very little is being drained from the battery. (Normally, in full power mode while charging, the Pandora is drawing from the battery while the battery is also being charged, hence low power mode allows more overall charging to occur.)

Closing the device lid is not low power mode; that is 'screen off' mode, since you might be doing streaming audio, or playing mp3s, or whatever.

--

So, to charge fastest:

1) Be sure to be patched up with latest hotfixes or firmware version

2) Plug in the pandora; if not already on, it will turn on and boot up.

3) Hit the power switch to go to low power mode

4) Close the lid if you like. * on older hotfixes, closing lid and low power mode at the same time made things a little wonky, but should be okay now.

jeff

http://www.gp32x.de/board/index.php?/topic/54006-my-pandora-review/page__view__findpost__p__867278

The Pandora does not run off the battery while plugged in. (Unless maybe the load is so powerful (due to overclock or such) that the Pandora needs more energy than the adapter supplies) See above link for a post that quotes MWeston.

-God Ginrai

 

[WizardStan]

I'm not entirely convinced that you're interpreting MWeston correctly, or that he isn't just "dumbing down" the truth. I'm almost absolutely certain he once explained it as the chip charging the battery, and the system leaching off the battery, with the chip locking down to a trickle charge as the battery gets full. This is the way I've always understood it and how every electrical device I've worked with does it; it's much more complex to do it the other way for no real gain.
Consider: when you pull the charger, there is no interruption in power. Either the Pandora is being fed by the battery which is constantly being charged, or the charging circuit is so accurate that it handles the momentary loss of power and reroutes faster enough that the CPU doesn't even notice. While the latter is doable, it is far easier to do the former. Instead, it is pulling the battery which causes a blip in the system. Seems very strange if the battery isn't acting as a buffer.

 

[Mr.Confuzed]

[snip] or the charging circuit is so accurate that it handles the momentary loss of power and reroutes faster enough that the CPU doesn't even notice. While the latter is doable, it is far easier to do the former. Instead, it is pulling the battery which causes a blip in the system. Seems very strange if the battery isn't acting as a buffer.

You may very well be correct. I think they would actually be connected in parallel; however, if there is a switching circuit, it would be simple enough to add a capacitor, would it not?

 

[God Ginrai]

I'm not entirely convinced that you're interpreting MWeston correctly, or that he isn't just "dumbing down" the truth. I'm almost absolutely certain he once explained it as the chip charging the battery, and the system leaching off the battery, with the chip locking down to a trickle charge as the battery gets full. This is the way I've always understood it and how every electrical device I've worked with does it; it's much more complex to do it the other way for no real gain.
Consider: when you pull the charger, there is no interruption in power. Either the Pandora is being fed by the battery which is constantly being charged, or the charging circuit is so accurate that it handles the momentary loss of power and reroutes faster enough that the CPU doesn't even notice. While the latter is doable, it is far easier to do the former. Instead, it is pulling the battery which causes a blip in the system. Seems very strange if the battery isn't acting as a buffer.

When you dumb something down, you explain the truth while leaving out more complicated details. You don't say something contrary to the truth. I'm interpreting MWeston the way he wrote it. I would understand the concern if we were trying to interpret craigix, considering how vague his posts are, but MWeston is a different matter.

-God Ginrai

 

[Bosbeetle]

I "always" do it like this, well actually both times I charged it

 

[fusion_power]

Makes sense this Method and is not that bad at all. Maybe a little bit manual work is required compared to other Devices.

The best would be auto-charging so plugin the charger when Pandora is off-> Pandora goes on but only in "charge mode" and if you have it fully charged or pull the charger while in charge mode, the Pandora AUTOMATICLY goes off (My Mobile Phone works like this)
Of course, you also can turn the Device "really" on during charging.

I hope this will be included into the Firmware .

 

[God Ginrai]

Makes sense this Method and is not that bad at all. Maybe a little bit manual work is required compared to other Devices.

The best would be auto-charging so plugin the charger when Pandora is off-> Pandora goes on but only in "charge mode" and if you have it fully charged or pull the charger while in charge mode, the Pandora AUTOMATICLY goes off (My Mobile Phone works like this)
Of course, you also can turn the Device "really" on during charging.

I hope this will be included into the Firmware .

Skeezix said in his post that we don't have it in the firmware yet. This means that they are at least looking into it. I would bet that they are planning on it, but have been working on the bugs in the current firmware first.

-God Ginrai

 

[Spirit]

While we are at this topic: What is the recommended way to charge? Plug it in whenever I can or let it go until it says "recharge me now"?

 

[mali]

^ Something in between. Charge often and don't let it run down till it dies, except for calibration of the gauge every few months, or so.