Prs 505 - Sony md walkman: can share charger ?

[nicofari]

Hello all,

I have a prs 505 sony reader. Charging with the supplied usb cable is, sometimes, not so handy.

So I am wondering if I can use the charger includer with another sony product I have, the minidisc

walkman MZ RH1.

In fact I've already tried but the reader does not get charged ..

any suggestion ?

thanks

bye

Nicola

[Azureal]

What it the rated current output of the charger for the PRS-505? I suspect that the RH1 charger has a lower rated current capability and cannot provide enough juice to charge the reader. I just looked at one of my RH1 chargers and it is rated at 800 milli-amps which is actually a rather high value for such a small device.

I am surprised that the 800 milli-amps is too low to charge your device. I know that I use a Kensington iPhone charger at work to power and charge my RH1, so it is unlikely that the RH1 is expecting some sort of signal from the charger other than the +5V. It is possible that your reader is looking for some signal to identify the charger. This is something Sony would do, Dell does it for their laptops.

Is the USB cable for the reader the standard larger connector on one end and the mini-USB connector on the other end? Will the reader charge from the USB port on a PC or Mac? I suspect not as USB 2.0 is limited to 500 milli-amps as a current supply.

[sfbp]

I have a PRS600 (Touch) and I went through the same thing. The problem is that it will only charge from the USB if there is a computer at the other end of the cable. It has nothing to do with the specs of the charger. Let's assume what I say is true for your model too.

The RH1 charger is an odd one. I have some devices that need to charge by USB (no dedicated power jack), and they won't work either with the RH1's charger, though they are fine with a $10 pocket charger from the local store.

I'm sure there are folks here who can explain this - but I think we have to live with the fact at least for now, or until someone makes a little (adapter) kit.

However you can get a $10 charger that will charge the reader through the round charge socket.

There's no way to tell what specs will work, so you must go into a store and try it. Or at least buy from someone with a good return policy.

Hope this helps.

[nicofari]

>What it the rated current output of the charger for the PRS-505?

The output is 5 V and 800 mA.

Spec of the reader tells 5.2 V. May this little difference (.2) explain the problem?

>Is the USB cable for the reader the standard larger connector on one end and the mini-USB connector on the other end? Will the reader charge from the USB >port on a PC or Mac?

Yes it is the connector USB standard on one end and mini usb on the reader side. The reader charges perfectly from a laptop running vista.

The only problem is that sometimes I don't want to switch on the laptop only for charging (for 4 hours...) the reader ...

>However you can get a $10 charger that will charge the reader through the round charge socket.

>There's no way to tell what specs will work, so you must go into a store and try it. Or at least buy from someone with a good return policy.

Is this kind of testing safe for the reader ?

I mean: it is not possible to damage the reader trying an incorrect charger isn't it ?

thanks to both of you for sharing your experience

Bye

Nicola

[sfbp]

If the red light indicating charging comes on, it is working. You can't blow anything up. Or you.

Voltage variations won't do it. The problem is more than that - has to do with the way USB support (in the device) accepts a charge. Forget the USB socket.

Stephen

[Azureal]

I agree with Stephen on this. If you have a DC input for charging the unit, you should just pick up a charger of the correct specifications and use that. USB charging can be finicky as it is sometimes dependent upon drivers for the USB port if on a PC and unreliable unless specifically designed for use otherwise.