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Author Topic: problems with re-charging the battery, or indicator drops fast in idle mode  (Read 20510 times)

WiFi

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I’m having problems with re-charging the battery. ... more exactly, keeping the charge, or indicating charge state, or voltage level...!
 
After leaving the phone off, while in charge-mode, and finally seeing the GREEN light indicating CHARGE DONE, when I power-up the phone, the Battery indicator says 74% full, and I have to let it charge while ON, for another 15 to 20 minutes for it to go all the way to 100% full. (calibrated)
 
Then, after several minutes in idle, not talking, the battery indicator starts to drop in large increments … to 85% then lower quickly, to 74%, and and again lower, while it’s still in idle mode, staying for a while at 58%, then quick drop to 34% and works for a while longer like that, then drops to 22% then 15%, then 5%, and I get the music the battery is LOW.  All this within several minutes (30 to 40 minutes in all) The phone will continue to operate like this for about 40 minutes, or so, longer, all the time the music of LOW BATTERY plays during operation, until at 2% it shuts the phone down.
 
I took the battery out and measured it (the two outer pins of the 4) and it shows 3.76v, at this 2% level.  When it was fully charged, it showed 3.85v, so I'm wondering if the phone is charging it when it's not needing a charge!?!   If the batteries sent to me as replacements were good, maybe the phone is killing them, overcharging it, and overheating it inside.
 
D-link keeps saying the battery is bad, and sent me two(2) replacements already, within a 9 month time-frame, but I still have this problem, including the original that came with the phone when purchased last year (October 2008) … for a total of three(3) batteries doing this.
 
I was going to send it back to them, but now decided not to, seeing all the problems others are having with the indicator not even working at all, staying at 100% until the phone cut-off, .. :-/ .. and some saying their mic wasn't working, or other problems mentioned in reviews on the Internet, and I was afraid I'd get a replacement worse than the one being sent back.  D-Link doesn't fix the one sent, they replace it.
 
Other than the battery charge issues, the phone worked well and gave good sound quality, and I was happy with it.  This problem didn't show right after getting the new battery replacement.  It would take several weeks to several months to show, and I didn't use the phone for all that time.  Maybe a total of 5 weeks out of the 3 to 4 month it took for the problem to show again, so it's not like I gave the batteries heavy usage at all... it was mostly in idle mode most of the time it was used, and OFF totally all the rest of the time.
 
Now I hear, from online reviews, D-Link didn’t actually make the phone, it was made OEM for them by an Asian Engineering Company.  No wonder the Engineers there couldn’t tell me what battery charging chip was in there and if it’s faulty. … WOW!! … hey D-Link, don’t you make your OWN products anymore?  :o
 
I think the battery charging chip, that also has the battery monitor, may be the problem, or an associated part attached to it, not giving the OS inside the phone proper info of charge level, or the Firmware may need updating, if it's not reading the signals from that chip properly.
 
It's very frustrating.  The phone is now discontinued by many retail stores, both online and on the street, and I'm assuming D-Link will no longer update the Firmware.  Additionally, the batteries aren't available anywhere other than from D-Link, and the last battery replacement sent to me had to be taken from a phone they had on their shelves, and not separate stock.
 
This has all been a waste of money and time for me, not to mention stressful being unable to fully use my SIP service as needed.  ???

One additional note:  I also tried fully discharging the battery several times, as per request of TECH support, but it didn't help, and may have made it worse, making the indicator drop faster and more often.

anyone else with this battery issue?
any thoughts on what to do?
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WiFi

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Some NEW informaion, about the power chip
« Reply #1 on: July 23, 2009, 03:10:55 PM »

I have an update to this....

I checked the battery voltage when it was fully charged. (going by the GREEN LED indicator of FULL Charge)

Voltage across the outer pins was 4.10 volts.

After fully charging, it was in the phone for about 3 to 4 minutes while pressing the Tools/battery check option several times during this period, and I saw it went down to ~75% ... on the battery indicator of the phone.

Taking the battery out again, measuring the outer pins (- +), it was only down 0.05volts, to ~4.05volts.

How can the phone see it drop ~25% ... ??? ... something's not linear with the measurment  ::) DUH!  :P

It's either the chip, or associated parts, measuring the battery, or, the operating system not reading the chip properly.

I wish I had more info on the Firmware.  I'd really like to update it myself, since D-Link isn't bothering too.

I DO have info on the chip being used to power the device and charge / monitor the battery voltage.

It's a Philips CF50603



Shown on an Asian IC sellers website, pictured above ^
http://www.techgsm.com/IC_Ingela_CF50603_T230_K300_K700_original_,45485.html.

You can't see it on the Philips site, but can see the PDF data sheet, at this hyper-link...
http://www.alldatasheet.com/datasheet-pdf/pdf/82911/PHILIPS/PCF50603HN.html.

Some other interesting chips inside the phone... more on this later  8) :-X ;)
(one little tease ... the phone's controller chip supports a camera  :o  among other goodies not used by the firmware, now)

anyway, back to the battery.

there are 4 pins on it ... labeled ... - T D + ... (minus - "T" - "D" - Plus)

the full voltage of the battery is across the minus and plus pins
then measuring from the Plus to the "T" pin gives ~0.01 less volts reading
and, measuring from the Plus to the "D" pins gives another ~0.01v drop in voltage

My guess is, the chip uses the voltage drops on these pins to get an idea of charge, and drain to / from the battery, but may actually deal with the voltage at the outer pins (- +) to monitor voltage left,  I'll have to read the datasheet carefully to be sure how this power chip works.

So, ... if the battery seems good here, not really going down much in voltage reading from 4.10v, or even to ~25% less voltage (guessing from the range of 4.10v to 3.10v - 'cause the circuitry works down to ~3.00v or slightly less) ... it's got to be the power chip / or other associated part to the chip, dealing with battery monitoring, or Firmware reading the chip.

I'm looking into making an external Li-Ion charger, using the MAXIM 1501
http://www.maxim-ic.com/quick_view2.cfm/qv_pk/3809
to test all the batteries, for confirmation they're actually OK.. but.. Logic indicates, they could be good.
« Last Edit: July 28, 2009, 12:40:29 AM by WiFi »
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WiFi

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Hacks ARE Possible - LOOK HERE
« Reply #2 on: July 25, 2009, 04:48:53 PM »

http://www.voip-info.org/wiki/index.php?page_id=3085

The above link talks about the Linksys WIP300, look at the picture on that phones screen ...

Look familiar?   :)



if you look at the Linksys site, about the WIP300 phone, there seems to be an OPEN GPL code download.
I'm wondering ... is this for playing with the actual firmware?

To see the phones page at Linksys = http://www.linksysbycisco.com/US/en/support/WIP300/download
The OPEN GPL Code link page is here = http://www.linksysbycisco.com/US/en/supportgplcode?gplsku=#WIP300

The actual direct link to the ZIP file (around 256Megs) is = http://downloads.linksysbycisco.com/downloads/WIP300_v1.00.09.zip

The voip-info.org link mentions and links to the site with the actual linux OS being used
http://www.uclinux.org/
We need some Linux GEEKS and GURU's here for programming questions.

maybe we, or they ::) , can update the firmware for us to fix the bugs and add features. 
I'm not fluent in Linux. ... didn't know that's what they used in it.  :-\

It's also interesting their Firmware stops at 1.00.09 but has the same boot firmware code version, 1.00.06 with a different date than ours. (don't actually know if the code is identical, but may be 'cause the hardware is the same Broadcom chipset.)

The link at the voip-info.org site, states the phone has hidden features already, and shows some,
http://www.voip-info.org/wiki/view/Linksys+WIP300#UndocumentedFeatures

... also shows how to change the screens for new pictures, and audio sounds,
... but, caution with this ... you have to match the files size and types or you could brick your phone.

Some of the links there don't work any longer, like the original GPL code link, but the one I posted above does still work.

I did find some interesting info, regarding our phones, and the battery indicator.
When it did show ~75% less battery charge, mentioned in the post before this,
if I rebooted the phone (option 8 in the TOOLS screen) the battery indicator showed more "juice" at ~89%
Still not really linear, but it may indicate it's just the phones firmware messing up, .. I still have to make some tests to the hardware to be sure it's not one or the other, or both messing up.

It would be NICE if the kind D-Link TECHs here can get us the actual schematic for the DPH-541/(540)
Maybe if we ask nicely, or stroke their heads a bit  ::) ... something could be worked out  :P :-* :D ;D

Oh well..! .. I can dream can't I..?

EDITED...
I just realized something, you all must have signed a NDA (Non-Disclosure Agreement) and can't release the schematic on your own ... could you ask upper management? ... ha ha .. yeah, like that'll happen.
« Last Edit: July 28, 2009, 12:44:33 AM by WiFi »
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WiFi

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Interesting development
« Reply #3 on: July 26, 2009, 03:54:51 PM »

there seems to be a back-door into the phones account Web interface, that can't be deleted.

using the info from the link, posted in the last message, it's called ...

sadmin/sadmin

when logging into it, and trying to change the password, it won't let you!

so, if you're using this on any OPEN links, anyone and their grandmother can get into your phones settings.

just to let you know... encrypt your own connections , and if you set it to log into any open links, you'll be open to hacking your own phones settings by that routers owner.

why am I the only one posting to this forums section? .. so many others reading, but no one posting!
I can't be the only one with this phone here, am I...?  :-\


one good point, regarding our D-Link branded phone, over the Linksys WIP300,
we seem to have a newer Firmware version (1.01.01)  ... the linksys is just 1.00.09
who knows, maybe it's really the same one with different numbering  ::)
« Last Edit: August 10, 2009, 10:38:12 PM by WiFi »
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Always Trying To Improve