anybody modify the power jack to a beefier type?
 

I have spent quite a bit of time searching on this subject tonight. But mostly I find that guys are either modifying the USB port so they can use USB to charge their N800 or they are going out and purchasing special cords that look like they simply split USB into data and power and then have a power plug that goes into the power jack in the nokia.

I'm sort of tempted to modify my mini usb in the N800 so that I can charge through it because I like the stronger connection offered by the mini-usb jack compared to the regular power jack. But I read where one fellow with the user name of "murphy" was having multiple negative side effects from doing that mod. I also purchased the OTG adapter and really want to get that working rather than mess up the USB system trying to use it for power.

So my thought is to modify the power jack (port?) maybe to another type that is beefier or it could simply be that I would extend the pos. and neg. wires out through the hole and then I could attach any kind of jack to those wires. Obviously the downside to that would be that this would then be dangling around and vulnerable to damage.

The thing is that the power jack really sucks in my opinion. It is way too loose. ( edit, OK mine is loose, I don't know what yours is like) I have read several other users here saying the same thing. That your power charging plug needs to be in just the right position to work.

I want to use my Proporta batteries to charge my internal battery while I use Pandora and do so while I am on the go. ( edit, I carry my Nokia in a chest pack while I work , so it's not that big of a deal to me that there might be wires connected to it along with the Proporta battery ) Pandora drains a regular internal battery in about a half hour in my n800 so I need to keep charging as I listen to Pandora.

Hmm. So has anybody tried anything like just modifyng the main power jack to another kind of jack?

Thanks
Neil

last edit, I don't know about you, but I love my n800. These battery issues have been the only thing I have been unhappy about. So, please don't take this as an attack on the n800. I just want this beloved devise to keep doing what I know it can do.

Re: anybody modify the power jack to a beefier type?
 

Wall O' Text

Re: anybody modify the power jack to a beefier type?
 

If your power socket is loose then that is a fault and needs to be fixed. THere is nothing wrong with the type of socket, it has been on the last 4 phones we have bought in the house and works fine. It certainly should be more robust than plugging in the USB all the time.

Re: anybody modify the power jack to a beefier type?
 

If the power connector seems loose, either it needs resoldering or you're using a cheap power jack that isn't quite the right shape.

I bought a cheap 12v charger for my N800 from the local market. It had to be held in just the right position to make a connection.

I personally wouldn't want to chop my Internet Tablet up and solder wires into it. It'd look a right mess, and you'd end up turning a nicely formed pocketable object into a thing with a load of wire poking out of it, or a battery box dangling off it. Not exactly easy to hold in your hand or compact.

You say you use your N800 "on the go". What's that mean, exactly? Are you simply indoors not near a PC, in a car, or walking around the street? With the first two situations just plug the device into some power when it starts to get a bit low.

Re: anybody modify the power jack to a beefier type?
 

With what charging plugs is this a problem for you? Do you experience this trouble with the AC power adapter that came with your N800? With other genuine Nokia adapters? With adapters from other manufacturers?

If the barrel plug from the AC adapter that came with your N800 fits into your N800 only loosely, then there may be a problem with your tablet. Ditto for other official Nokia adapters.

On the other hand, if the problem only occurs with third party adapters, then you may need to look at those adapters rather than the tablet itself. (Adapters are generally pretty well sloshed by the time they get to the third party, after all.) Boxwave, for instance, has been singled out repeatedly in these fora for selling substandard Nokia power adapters that exhibit exactly the problem you've described.

Re: anybody modify the power jack to a beefier type?
 

what does this mean? Sounds like a shot to me. You talk about rude people. What/who are you?

to others that took the time to write, thanks. Hey, I'll see what I can come up with to resolve the problem and share it with you if you want.

Neil

Re: anybody modify the power jack to a beefier type?
 

It means you neglected to break the thread starter into paragraphs, which significantly decreased its readability. For email, forum postings, and other online, informal texts, it's often recommended that one be more aggressive about breaking text into paragraphs that one would in traditional, print documents. Small, concise paragraphs help with on-screen reading.

Yes, yes, he does sometimes.

Re: anybody modify the power jack to a beefier type?
 

I LOLed at that.

One further point; on this forum, particularly, a lot of people are reading it on ~4" screens, 800px or narrower; so what looks like a 5-line paragraph on one monitor may be a screenful, in portrait mode especially.

Re: anybody modify the power jack to a beefier type?
 

The tiny plug scared me at fist. I was really worried I was going to break it, but I've been plugging and unplugging my N800 constantly for a little over a year now. There are no ill effects and the fit doesn't seem any looser than the day I bought it.

I'm pretty sure the power jack/socket are specced for more plug/unplug events than a mini-b usb jack/socket, but I could be mistaken. Just because it "feels" more solid doesn't mean it is...

-John

Re: anybody modify the power jack to a beefier type?
 

I read that mini-usb plugs/sockets are only rated for about 5000 connect/disconnect cycles. Micro-usb are rated for about 10,000.

If you plug a usb plug into your N800 five times a day, the socket should last about three years.

My son tripped over my charging cable for my n800 when he was goofing off near my bedstand. My n800 fell to the (carpeted) floor and probably landed on the power plug. Since then, charging plugs have fit in there loosely, but I haven't had problems with it charging.

To get the socket repaired, I'd probably have to send my n800 to nokia, right? Not looking forward to that very much.

Re: anybody modify the power jack to a beefier type?
 

Same problem here. I'm thinking of fixing it myself with some superglue or solder on the inside. Thoughtfix made a dissection and reassembly video of the n800 some time ago.

Re: anybody modify the power jack to a beefier type?
 

The same happened to me.
In my case, I just pushed some foam[*] behind the ground contact (it kinda lost the spring effect that keeps the plug in place) in the socket with a needle. It was not easy and it's not perfect, besides I couldn't straighten the plug completely otherwise it'll break, but so far it's working with the original ac adapter (bent plug) and a fake car charger (straight plug)
[*] actually very little, otherwise the plug wouldn't enter at all.

Re: anybody modify the power jack to a beefier type?
 

OK sjgadsby, that makes some sense to me. I'm fine with working on changing that. It does especially make sense for people reading this text using their tablets. So, here's to learning more about writing on the internet.

On to the subject I raised. I find it interesting to see that a lot of you are fine with the small jack for charging. And I see there is some thought that the small jack might actually be more durable than the mini usb jack.

I need to do some research about the details of this idea. But what I was envisioning today was this:

1 remove the small charge jack
2 find or solder positive and negative wires that were attached to that
3 this is the tough part, find and install a mini usb jack
4 dont know about this yet, but the usb modifiers have figured out which pole of the four on the back of the mini usb is positive, so which is negative?
5 assuming the above is figured out and installed, charge with USB

Am I nuts? I would think if charging via the stock mini usb port is possible, why wouldn't this idea work?

I have work to do. I'lll let you know how it goes

Neil

Re: anybody modify the power jack to a beefier type?
 

I have taken apart my n800 today. The power jack is a little box shaped piece of plastic that had been clicked into a cavity. Not exactly a solid attachment. It has no wires attached, just two metal bits that touch two metal bits on the pc-board. You can push it out with a sharp pointed knife. I put a bit of glue in the cavity and pushed the jack back in place.

http://img524.imageshack.us/img524/4...sembledxz1.jpg
(picture by thoughtfix)

Re: anybody modify the power jack to a beefier type?
 

I personally have no issues with the jack breaking, but the actual plug from the charger is crap since the tip is so small. I'm on my 4th one (good thing they're so cheap) because the tip would bend and eventually crack. The first time it happened was because the N800 fell a foot with the charger still attached. Other times it has happened are once just put inside my bag traveling and once it was stepped on.

Completely ridiculous how easy it breaks. I've never had that issue with a charger for any other device ever, so its really annoying.

Re: anybody modify the power jack to a beefier type?
 

Well, having had a laptop motherboard broken by a powerplug getting tripped over, I must say I'd rather the charger break first in the event of dropping on the floor or getting stepped on. (Of course, I'd rather neither break, if possible.) They're specified to break at 30-60 N at 10mm moment arm, presumably for that reason.