Pro-668 Battery / Power Icon Behavior

[buddrousa]

All I can say the scanner was 1 week old local RS called support for me and this was kinda how that went.
1.RS Does the scanner work and hear when hooked up to a usb port. My answer yes.
2.RS Does the scanner work and hear with batteries in it. My answer yes but not as long as it should.
RS it seams that your scanner is operating normal and is not defective thanks for calling RS support.
I have over $4000.00 in RS scanners bought at their release dates right now I am not very happy. Now I find out as great as this scanner is it has a major design flaw it uses more power than can be supplied to it. I was looking to add the 1095 or RS equivalent which looks to never happen now so I will content with keeping my $500.00 plus dollars in my pocket.

 

[DonS]

to only run the battery down while it is plugged up to a charger

If connected to external power, the scanner does not "run the battery down". The scanner is powered by the 5V supply on the USB port.

it uses more power than can be supplied to it

No, it doesn't. USB supplies a maximum of 500mA. The scanner draws less than that.

My post above said that if audio is umuted AND the battery charging is active, then the scanner can draw more than 500mA. That's why the charger is turned off while audio is unmuted - so that the draw from the USB supply stays under 500mA.

 

[buddrousa]

Don I respect you a lot but MINE DOES SORRY I CAN PLACE FULLY CHARGED 2500 MIL BATTERIES FRESH OUT OF THE CHARGER PLUG UP MY SCANNER TURN DOWN THE VOLUME ALL THE WAY GO TO BED GET UP AND HAVE 3/4 BATTERY SHOWING. i CAN PUT THE SAME BATTERIES IN MY CHARGER CHARGE THEM LEAVE THEM OVER NIGHT OUT OF THE SCANNER PUT IN THE BATTERIES FROM THE NIGHT BEFORE THAT WERE CHARGED AND THE SCANNER SHOWS FULL BATTERY. NOW WHERE IS THE BATTERY CHARGE GOING. No backlight no led no alert tone all these are turned off. Sorry but I have played with this for over 3 months.

 

[AtlasFBG2]

If you got it set to record everything i can see why the batteries would only last 4.5 hours.

In this post you say your scanner is getting 8 hours on the batteries and still showing 3/4 charge. http://forums.radioreference.com/2321345-post22.html

 

[buddrousa]

Atlas I never said I get 8 hours I just stated that my first was compared to the pro-18 set up with the same talkgroups and channels I had problems before I started using the record feature . And if the scanner will not charge and run at the same time due to the 500 mil limit it is a design flaw. I can turn record off no lights vol at 15 and only get 4.5 hours with the batteries fresh out of the charger and that was with no digital traffic in a town of 10,000 people 6 city police cars and 4 county sheriff cars. So now it sits on my desk all the time as a $500.00 data logger.

 

[AtlasFBG2]

Maybe your usb power source is not putting out enough power. What are you using to power it with?

 

[buddrousa]

And that was the only time it did that was the day it was new then I got home it updated and the problems started. I am 57 years old I have had scanners for the day they were 1 channel dial tuned in the 70's to the very first 4 - 6 thin scan. But the point is this mine has problems there is no RS support Whistler says RS is responsible for the scanner and they will not work on it so I think I have a right to be ill. Atlas I did tell you I was sorry did you see that.
I have used 4 different even the one that I used on the pro-18 and the bcd436hp my samsung galaxy 5
I also graduated from electronic school have worked tin a two way radio shop and co support our local 800 trunking system so I have done all the trouble shooting.

 

[AtlasFBG2]

So what is the output power rating of these usb power supplies you are using?

You say the problem started when you updated it. have you tried to apply the update again?

 

[buddrousa]

Atlas I still have all these scanners that are in my tag and am still using them they all have a different purpose I bought the 2 x36's after the filling so I would have a current supported scanner. I should be sorry for yelling at Don but I have spent 3 months trying to find the best use for this scanner and what it is being used for is not the reason I spent $485.00 with tax. I did not plan on spending $500.00 for the bcd436hp but I wanted a handheld that I could use in the field the 536 was added as a base for the new phase 2 that just started a little over a week ago,

 

[buddrousa]

2 @ 5V 1AMP and 2 @ 5V 500MIL

 

[buddrousa]

This is my AA charger MAHA MH-C801D

 

[buddrousa]

The 668 is a great scanner but mine will not live very long on batteries thats my only problem

 

[AtlasFBG2]

If the batteries lasted you over 8 hours then you updated the firmware and now it only gets 4.5 hours i would try to update it again. Might be worth a try cant hurt anything.

 

[buddrousa]

1. To Don I am sorry for yelling at you but tell me what the scanner should do and me seeing what the scanner is doing in real life is two different things. I am one that likes and takes pride in solving my own problems and have tried every option to make my 668 act better with my power issue.
2. I have been dealing with this scanner for over 3 months after I was told it was normal by support with out bashing RS.
3. This is a great scanner I just got one that acts different on the power issue.
4. Atlas thankyou I will try the firmware update after wiping the scanner like you said it can not hurt.
5. The 668 is firmware driven there may be more options to the power and charging issue. I hope we have not seen the last of support for this scanner.
6. I am only recording 2 trunking TG's and 4 conventional channels.

 

[garysauctions]

I believe the 668 is known for 'eating batteries' regardless of the firmware version.

When I first fired one up and put alkaline in it, I learned this .... before I did any updating.

In fact I had not even installed the software for it at that point.

I immediately went to nimh rechargeable.

My issue is not the short battery life.

My issue is now with this new power management scheme the batteries inside the charger are NOT CHARGING when audio is not muted.

Under the old power management scheme this was not the case.

So now when I disconnect from the external power source and walk off ...... the batteries may be even weaker than before I hooked up ..... depending on receive activity.

With niMh batteries installed the thing should play and charge at some level simultaneously.

 

[garysauctions]

If connected to external power, the scanner does not "run the battery down". The scanner is powered by the 5V supply on the USB port.


No, it doesn't. USB supplies a maximum of 500mA. The scanner draws less than that.

My post above said that if audio is umuted AND the battery charging is active, then the scanner can draw more than 500mA. That's why the charger is turned off while audio is unmuted - so that the draw from the USB supply stays under 500mA.

I am fairly new here but you seem to have contradicted yourself here ......

You said the following in this order .......

1) USB supplies a maximum of 500mA. The scanner draws less than that.

2) if audio is umuted AND the battery charging is active, then the scanner can draw more than 500mA.


I have a USB battery bank with dual outputs.

It can supply 1 amp from one and 2 amps from the second for a total of just over 3 amps total.

 

[buddrousa]

Gary if you did not know DonS is Don Starr the Software and Firmware writer for the GRE Whistler RS scanners.

 

[DonS]

I am fairly new here but you seem to have contradicted yourself here ......

You said the following in this order .......

1) USB supplies a maximum of 500mA. The scanner draws less than that.

2) if audio is umuted AND the battery charging is active, then the scanner can draw more than 500mA.

My intent was to explain why the charger turns off (icon changes from "charging" to "power cord") when audio is unmuted. Turning the charger off keeps current draw below 500mA. If the charger was left on while audio was unmuted, then the scanner could draw more than 500mA - this is prohibited by the USB specification.

I have a USB battery bank with dual outputs.

It can supply 1 amp from one and 2 amps from the second for a total of just over 3 amps total.

The USB specification limits devices connected to 1.x and 2.0 ports to 500mA each. Your "USB battery bank" may well supply more current (I have several USB "chargers" that can supply 1A and 2A), but these are not USB ports. It's possible that the D+ and D- pins on such power supplies are configured as "Dedicated Charging Ports", but the scanner is not designed to detect that.

The scanner is also not designed to detect "Charging Downstream Ports". Even though such ports can supply up to 1.5A in full-speed mode, the scanner will not draw more than 500mA.

 

[garysauctions]

My intent was to explain why the charger turns off (icon changes from "charging" to "power cord") when audio is unmuted. Turning the charger off keeps current draw below 500mA. If the charger was left on while audio was unmuted, then the scanner could draw more than 500mA - this is prohibited by the USB specification.

The USB specification limits devices connected to 1.x and 2.0 ports to 500mA each. Your "USB battery bank" may well supply more current (I have several USB "chargers" that can supply 1A and 2A), but these are not USB ports. It's possible that the D+ and D- pins on such power supplies are configured as "Dedicated Charging Ports", but the scanner is not designed to detect that.

The scanner is also not designed to detect "Charging Downstream Ports". Even though such ports can supply up to 1.5A in full-speed mode, the scanner will not draw more than 500mA.

Sounds like the scanner was not well thought out then,

It is after all a radio scanner and not a USB computer peripheral.

Even some USB computer peripherals required more power than the USB port was allowed to provide, they got around this by requiring the device to be plugged into two USB ports simultaneously. One port supplied current and data, while only power was taken from the second.

But this brings up another question ........

Does the Whistler WS1080 behave in the same manner?

After all Radio Shack MSRP on the PRO-668 is $499.00 and Whistler MSRP for the WS1080 is $649.00.

Surely there is a reason for such a difference.

 

[TES]

I am fairly new here but you seem to have contradicted yourself here ......

You said the following in this order .......

1) USB supplies a maximum of 500mA. The scanner draws less than that.

2) if audio is umuted AND the battery charging is active, then the scanner can draw more than 500mA. . . .

A logical-thinking person following the conversation in this thread, and seeing the word "if" in Mr. Starr's statement would see there's no contradiction.

Don Starr is one of the most logical contributors to this forum.

If you're into ferreting out contradicting statements, you might find the following of interest:

10 May 2015

. . . Nothing wrong with the 668 and Radio Shack is still around.

13 May 2015

Sounds like the scanner was not well thought out then, . . .