Voltage Level for Pro-106 Question

[sfd901]

Pro 106 ac adapter problems

This ac adapter is very strange for many of us. I went to 5 Radio Shack stores and they all said they never offered a 9V, 500ma adapter. Either 300, 800 or 1000ma. No I tried an 800 and wouldn't power on the scanner. I took my Uniden AD-0008 adapter which is 6v, 500ma from my Uniden BC246T scanner and it works fine on my Radio Shack Pro106.. Now the PRo 106 uses 4 AA batteries and the Uniden uses 2 AA batteries. What gives with this? My PRo106 hasn't worked on a radio shack adapter since day one? There either has to be an error in the manual or something else. Any help would be appreciated. Am I going tpo damage the radio with the 6V adapter?

 

[GumbyCT]

I don't think mine did when I used 6V. But I never really confirmed it. Good to know if you have other power packs around

I guess if you charge batteries out of the scanner it prob doesn't matter.

I like to charge mine each nite when I plug it in.

In fact, I don't think the 106 charges when it is plugged in but the scanner is turned OFF. Seems like it needs to be ON which is just another annoyance.

 

[sfd901]

MY radio begins with 002

 

[GumbyCT]

This ac adapter is very strange for many of us. <snip> My PRo106 hasn't worked on a radio shack adapter since day one? There either has to be an error in the manual or something else. Any help would be appreciated.

Your scanner is defective.

 

[sfd901]

I thought that also. Why are there so many of us with same situation. I personally know of 4 of us with same issues. Why does Radio Shack specify a 9V 500ma adapter yet they have no idea where to buy them. If it works on 6V it should work on 9V.

 

[GumbyCT]

If it works on 6V it should work on 9V.

If it was working correctly - it would

 

[TES]

In fact, I don't think the 106 charges when it is plugged in but the scanner is turned OFF. Seems like it needs to be ON which is just another annoyance.

The Pro-106 does charge when it is plugged in with the yellow battery holder and the scanner is turned OFF - continuously.

 

[GumbyCT]

The Pro-106 does charge when it is plugged in with the yellow battery holder and the scanner is turned OFF - continuously.

Sorry friend, I don't believe it does. There is a timer which can't/doesn't start until the power is turned ON.

Likewise, I don't think it will charge when the voltage is less than 9v either.

Anyone have a schematic for this beast?

 

[TES]

Sorry friend, I don't believe it does. There is a timer which can't/doesn't start until the power is turned ON.

Likewise, I don't think it will charge when the voltage is less than 9v either. . .

I suggest you look at the third post in this thread. While it's true that the timer "can't/doesn't start until the power is turned on", the battery can charge continuously when the power is off. I don't think we'll find a more knowledgeable source of information on the inner-workings of GRE-made scanners than Don Starr.

 

[GumbyCT]

Quote:
Originally Posted by GumbyCT
Sorry friend, I don't believe it does. There is a timer which can't/doesn't start until the power is turned ON.

Likewise, I don't think it will charge when the voltage is less than 9v either. . .

I suggest you look at the third post in this thread. While it's true that the timer "can't/doesn't start until the power is turned on", the battery can charge continuously when the power is off. I don't think we'll find a more knowledgeable source of information on the inner-workings of GRE-made scanners than Don Starr.

I hope it is ok to disagree with this thought?

Let me begin by saying "I have NEVER learned anything from someone who always agrees with me". We are just talking here, right? I also hope those with snide, rude comments can refrain from doing so.

If you are prone to get that way, please read no further.
-------------------------------------------------------------------

I can only say that if the timer circuit does work with the scanner off and it charges continuously while the scanner is off - that totally defeats the purpose of the timer, does it not?

That would lead me to believe a unit which did charge that way was defective and one should not expect other units to behave that way.

I can say I also experienced what the poster linked above did.

But after reading the post by Don, I decided to put a meter on it and sure enuff there is 9V applied to the battery terminals even with the switch OFF. This is with my newer replacement unit.

I stand corrected - it is this kind of info exchange that make forums a valuable resource. Sharing experiences so others can learn.

I still say it is silly to have that timer circuit work this way, so I am wondering if there were different revisions of boards? Which often happens after production begins and they discover problems?

I guess my thought to have an LED charge indicator would prove to be worthwhile

For clarity - the reply to the above linked post is -

I withdraw my other post. I did not think the internal charging circuit would be active with the scanner off as the little charging icon does not display. That and the fact that I have tried to charge the batteries in the scanner with it off and the batteries were still dead 2 days later when I went to go portable with my PRO-106. I guess I was doing something wrong. I still prefer to charge the batteries externally, as a personal preference. Thank you for the clarification, Don.

ps. I didn't even know that GRE forum existed

Thank You TES and DonS

Edit: Don I tried to PM you but couldn't

Edit2: out of curiosity, I went into the Glob menu and STOPPED the timer - 9v is still present at the battery terminals. Conclusion (mine) is the timer circuit serves NO useful purpose or this thing in also defective, ha!

 

[redburgundy]

Markdown Alley - Closeout Dealer direct to the customer is still selling the RadioShack 273-1614 10V 850mA adapter for $8.
MarkdownAlley.com - Super Nintendo Super NES 10VDC 850mA Power Adapter 273-1614
see also
Sega Genesis 9VDC 1200mA Power Adapter 273-1612

It comes with three adaptaplug tips that aren't the right ones for the Pro-106, but you can still buy that "C" tip directly from RadioShack.

 

[Gadgetman728]

I'm new to the 106, but will own one shortly. After Looking at Don S. - Win 500 - the voltage settings in his program should tell the scanner all it needs to know.
I don't think there is much QC on the RS tips, they don't even hardly mic out at the same dia.

 

[fourthhorseman]

mine charges pretty well,,in fact the energizers charge better in the 106 than on the energizer OEM charger,,

gets a bit warm though,,

i suppose the 9v spec for the 106 is due to the issue of powering the scanner and charging while on,,

what are you looking for out of the service manual,,ive got it ,,tell me what your looking for and ill
jpeg it from the PDF in nice clean high res..and post it..

you can mssg me here or
kiloechoone@yahoo.com

cheers!

 

[NewSDScanner]

Question. If I buy a Uniden Model AD-0008 6V adapter, will it do any damage to my Pro-106?

 

[JSixpack]

I use the RS 9V, 800 mA unit and works fine. Have learned to shut off scanner before disconnecting or connecting power supply. I get the "low voltage" message (and no activity) if I try either with the unit on.

6V should charge the batteries. NiMH batteries are 1.2V each for a total of 4.8V. Charge rate will probably be slower, but should work.

Have seen other posts about certain PRO 106s not working w/ 9V chargers, but working fine with 6V units. This seems to happen with random scanners.

 

[RickS31]

I posted this awhile ago but this AC adapter works GREAT on my 106. It has multi adapter plugs one of which fit the 106 perfectly. It has a switch on the front which allows you to set multiple voltages including 9 Volts. It is super regulated. In addition, it has a USB plug on it for charging USB devices. Been using it for a month on mine and it has been great. And no, I don't work for the company.

Amazon.com: Power Line 0900-77A 1300-mA AC Adapter with USB Charging Port: Patio, Lawn & Garden: Reviews, Prices & more

One other recommendation. Do not chrge batteries in your scanner. As you have found out, the GRE scanners (incl. the 106) do not ever stop dumping roughly 150 ma of current into the batteries, no matter what. First, it will ultimately destroy the batteries, then ultimately can destroy the scanner. Use an external smart recharger and the black battery carrier in the scanner. That way you can plug in the scanner to an adapter to power it up which also disconnects the internal batteries. When you pull the adapter the unit will go back to internal battery.

PS. Also, as you found, the timer is just a warning alert. It doesn't do anything else including stopping the charge. The only scanners the timer actually stops charging are the Unidens.

 

[NewSDScanner]

I posted this awhile ago but this AC adapter works GREAT on my 106. It has multi adapter plugs one of which fit the 106 perfectly. It has a switch on the front which allows you to set multiple voltages including 9 Volts. It is super regulated. In addition, it has a USB plug on it for charging USB devices. Been using it for a month on mine and it has been great. And no, I don't work for the company.

Amazon.com: Power Line 0900-77A 1300-mA AC Adapter with USB Charging Port: Patio, Lawn & Garden: Reviews, Prices & more

One other recommendation. Do not chrge batteries in your scanner. As you have found out, the GRE scanners (incl. the 106) do not ever stop dumping roughly 150 ma of current into the batteries, no matter what. First, it will ultimately destroy the batteries, then ultimately can destroy the scanner. Use an external smart recharger and the black battery carrier in the scanner. That way you can plug in the scanner to an adapter to power it up which also disconnects the internal batteries. When you pull the adapter the unit will go back to internal battery.

PS. Also, as you found, the timer is just a warning alert. It doesn't do anything else including stopping the charge. The only scanners the timer actually stops charging are the Unidens.

Thanks for the recommendation! So basically, you're saying that I should never plug the AC adapter in while the yellow holder is in my scanner with the batteries? You're saying that it's OK for me to plug that AC Adapter in OR have the yellow battery holder in but not at the same time correct? I ask because I bought my scanner used and while it came in excellent condition, I only received a yellow holder. But your point was that if I had the black holder, it would prevent the batteries from being charged so that I could have batteries in the device at the same time the AC was plugged in, correct?

 

[RickS31]

Correct.

I would try your local Radio Shack store, ask for the manager and have them check the RSU price list for the black battery carrier for the 106. Probably pretty cheap to order. The worst thing you can do to these rechargeables is have them on constant high charge rates. I certainly wouldn't play you bet your expensive scanner on whether the batteries will or won't leak or explode.

Rick

 

[NewSDScanner]

Ok well thanks again. For now, I think I'm just going to use batteries-only and not worry about AC. I happen to have like 12 rechargable NiMHs so I'm good there. I might still buy that adapter soon though, it looks good. Will it do any damage to the scanner to use this adapter on 9v or 6v over time (without the batteries in of course)? I'm familiar with electronics but not with power source issues like that.

 

[fmon]

I would guess the "wrong tip" is being used.

I cannot suggest a "correct tip", as I exclusively use the GRE P/N 100-010 adapter for all of my GRE-made handhelds (except the PRO-92 EDIT: and PRO-107).

Just out of curiosity, has anyone used the GRE adapter from ScannerMaster on the 106?
GRE AC Adapter II

Exactly the same adapter.