Pipo M8 pro power cable

[pr0xZen]

Re: Pipo M8 pro power cable

*digesting* ... Those are some grown up caps for a tablet charger.

[StoneTheKiwis]

Ran another test last night to see if the choke filter on the cable makes any difference. Cut the cable off the charger and put a usb plug on it, turned the Pipo off and plugged this cable in from the Vanson 2 port charger. After 30 minutes I booted up and found the charge had increased from 45% to 58%. Then tried the usb battery, which showed an increase from 58% to 69% in 30 minutes, and then the Samsung charger which showed an increase from 69% to 86%. This follows the last test with a plain cable which showed no charge after an hour.

Good progress - this means that the choke filter is not there "just in case" but is doing some real work.

I then took the two capacitors off the Pipo charger and put them across the wires in the cable and tried charging while the device was turned on. No good - it still gets ghost touches and is unusable.

It's not a complete solution, but if it will charge off the usb battery while powered off then it's a working solution for my use case.

But it's a major defect. Tablets are like phones - they're both portable devices you slip in a pocket and take with you any place. If your phone battery dies you just use your friend's usb port and maybe you carry your own cable (I have a very short one to carry). The days of carrying proprietary chargers died with the EU directive on common charging systems, and people expect to be able to charge these devices using universal systems and without fuss. If Pipo don't understand this - and plainly they don't - then their design philosophy is broken.

Worse, when I'm out walking in the hills or forests, they not only expect me to carry their wall charger in my rucksack but they expect me to also carry a wall ...

Not happy.

[pr0xZen]

While I don't condone this design of theirs - this tablet wasn't designed for EU/US distribution - thus they have no actual binding to EU directives...
I know it looks that way, but have you had the choke filter open to check they didn't put anything else in there?

So if I'm understanding this right - the tablet (while off) DID charge off both the 2-port and usb battery - wich established turnes out about 1amp?

Did you only try putting the caps across the wires, when the tablet was on - or did you also apply them when successfully charging off 2-port and usb battery, while the tablet was turned off?

The setups that charged the tablet while off - did not work when on?

[StoneTheKiwis]

Granted Pipo are not bound by EU directives, but I think the point stands that customers expect to able to use any reasonably decent charger and manufacturers really shouldn't be playing this kind of game.

I haven't taken the choke filter apart, as I suspect it may not go back together again.

I have just tried to charge it whilst off but with the caps in line - after 30 minutes it failed to gain any charge. Hmmm. Same story whilst turned on. Something's not right here. Just found that putting those capacitors across has done in that usb battery - it seems to be charging but it's not, while the other 2 usb batteries still charge. End of that experiment I think. And these batteries are charging it up while powered on but with the screen off. So essentially all three sources will charge it through the Pipo choke cable, whether powered on or off.

[pr0xZen]

Re: Pipo M8 pro power cable

So basicly - to use an alternative power source, we need the choke from an original charger...? Are we still screwed regarding extending the cable?

[pr0xZen]

Re: Pipo M8 pro power cable

Come to think of it, I'm not sure my notions about upping the voltage came across correcly. Upping the voltage 0.2/0.38 (copper/amuminium respectively) - was for a cable extended 3 meter.

My own primary issue with the charger situation, is that the org charger/cable is so damn short... And I cannot for the life of me, figure out if its the voltage drop or interference beyond the original choke filter.
Maybe pipo has an absolute "dumb" voltage drop circuit in there, sr up for the "exact" output of thr orignal charger. No regulator at all.
Battery protective circuits are really picky, and for a reason. And if there's only a pre-config voltage drop circuit between the charger and the batterys protective circuit, then...

[StoneTheKiwis]

The choke seems to be the key factor here, though the extra filtering inside the charger is also important. There is another way to extend the cable. When my replacement charger arrives I'm going to splice a usb socket and plug into the cable near the charger end. In fact I may put 2 or 3 sockets on it - sometimes when I'm out walking I stop in a B&B overnight (the luxury of a shower!) and charge up all my batteries, so having this charge 3 at once would be handy. BTW, I've just discovered that mine was running through a US-UK adapter with only a 1amp fuse - so while it's probably capable of 2.5A it seems that the Pipo controller can't take it.

I meant to add: if you do the same, then you could extend the cable between the charger and the socket using very heavy wire with little voltage drop

[StoneTheKiwis]

And it's worth remembering that the Ployer charger works without issue on the Pipo, and that the Ployer tablet will take a charge off any of my usb sources without issue. I suspect that the Chinese national grid may have issues which manufactures need to compensate for, and while the cheap standalone chargers do a cheap job the tablet manufacturers are forced to do a better job. Just a thought.

I would also pick your problem with the 3m extension is the length past the choke filter. My understanding is that these filters need to be the right capacity and put in the right place. Also, my usb batteries are only 5.06/5.1 v, and in fact the Pipo is being charged right now from one and the screen is usable - only just and it is ghost touching every few minutes, but it's working on that voltage.

[pr0xZen]

And it's worth remembering that the Ployer charger works without issue on the Pipo, and that the Ployer tablet will take a charge off any of my usb sources without issue. I suspect that the Chinese national grid may have issues which manufactures need to compensate for, and while the cheap standalone chargers do a cheap job the tablet manufacturers are forced to do a better job. Just a thought.

I would also pick your problem with the 3m extension is the length past the choke filter. My understanding is that these filters need to be the right capacity and put in the right place. Also, my usb batteries are only 5.06/5.1 v, and in fact the Pipo is being charged right now from one and the screen is usable - only just and it is ghost touching every few minutes, but it's working on that voltage.

I'm actually a bit supprised that they packed it that full of condensators, and still found the need for a choke at the end of a 1m cable. It just doesn't smell right. And if the Chinese grid is fluxing with noise and spikes, and either charger or tablet manufacturer had to compensate for that.. wouldn't that most likely have little or no inpact - when connected to a more stable grid?

I dunno... I guess there's something to it - but it doesn't make sense to me at this point

Once I get the spare charger, I think I'm going to try to extend the cable by a meter or so, starting right by the charger body.

Have you tried the solar -> pipo cable with choke combination yet?

[StoneTheKiwis]

I agree, it doesn't smell right at all - my nose is pointing to the Pipo battery controller. The usb battery that I put the capacitors across and then refused to charge the Pipo, will still charge the Galaxy Note 2 (and still refuses to charge the Pipo). Most odd. The solar charger won't charge the Pipo directly right now, but the standard procedure is to trickle charge whatever the sun gives you into a usb battery, and then use the fully-charged battery to charge your device the way your device expects to be charged.

I've spent enough time on this problem - the real solution is for Pipo to use a better battery controller but my working solution is to charge it when either the device or the screen is turned off using the choke cable.

Cheers

[StoneTheKiwis]

I should have updated this a while ago. Eventually I soldered another, shortened, usb cable onto the Pipo cable and found that it worked. The shortened cable and plug got too warm for my liking, so I bought some decent 3Amp cable and a new plug, soldered them all together properly, and it works with no trace at all of ghost touches or any other problem. I have to surmise that my previous setup with alligator clips simply didn't cut the mustard for a decent connection. The extra cable is a metre long, so it's now a good length as well.

Cheers

[pr0xZen]

Re: Pipo M8 pro power cable

This was my route too, extending the charger cable by soldering in a decent-gauge piece of cable. too thin a cable will give a surisingly large voltage drop when pushing anything above 1.5-2 amps.

[adamgrum]

Summary of recommended action please.

This was my route too, extending the charger cable by soldering in a decent-gauge piece of cable. too thin a cable will give a surisingly large voltage drop when pushing anything above 1.5-2 amps.

I have just ordered a PIPO M8 pro and then saw this disturbing thread about the charger. I want to avoid carrying a specific power pack on my travels and prefer to use a USB 5-way charger with multiple USB connection options used for tablet, phablet, phone, camera, speaker, spare Monster battery etc. So I plan to adopt what I think is the combined solution from you and StoneTheKiwis. Please confirm if I have the final ideas right.

1. Cut a spare USB cable (preferably thicker cable) off leaving short USB cable with standard connection plug at one end. Separate cut cable end into strands - red, white, green, black, shroud (USB 5V, data+, data-, ground, shield).

2. Cut the supplied charger cable off at the mains plug end. Separate cable end into strands - but are they in the same colour code? Can you remember the connections you made so long ago?

3. Solder prepared ends as appropriate. Insulation tape for protection. (I have only fixed one USB cable in the past and that was just to join two ends of a damaged cable. I presume soldering and tape is the only practical solution - I haven't seen any connector blocks.)

As this seems a destructive process, I would like to be sure of the plan before starting... any guidance as to the actual steps much appreciated. A more comprehensive version of the above idiot's guide would be great.

[Tybalt39]

Resuscitating dead thread....

So, I have found a universal charger that works with this tablet (and possibly other Pipo tablets as well).

www.ravpower.com offers AC and DC (car) chargers, plus external battery units, that output 2.4A. That has proven to be enough to successfully charge my M8 PRO using a generic USB to barrel connector cable purchased from **** (under $2 US). With these units, I am now ably to charge all of my devices that can charge from 5vdc (phone, Bluetooth headset, Pipo M8, etc.).

Problem solved!

RP-UC11 AC 2-port charger (2 @ 2.4A 24W output)
RP-CC02 DC (lighter plug) 2-port charger (2 @ 2.4A 24W output)
RP-PB19 2-port External battery pack (15,000mAh) (1 @ 2.4A, 1 @ 2.1A)

Now to look at their solar chargers....

[adamgrum]

Thanks Tybalt39

Thanks Tybalt39. Great to get a reply.

I too found that with newer chargers I can recharge using USB connectors. My first attempts with an EasyVac 5-way 5A charger failed even with their ipad socket. Then I got a Tecknet 6way 10A charger which worked but often caused the M8 Pro to freeze and require a reset (not just a reboot). Then I got a USB lead from micro-estore (Shenzhen) specifically for the M8 and all is fine.

I also got a good cover/stand for the M8 from AliExpress at a fair price, so all my issues with the M8 are resolved. It is an excellent machine for the price.

Good luck with the solar power - not often a great solution in Ireland...

So, I have found a universal charger that works with this tablet (and possibly other Pipo tablets as well).

www.ravpower.com offers AC and DC (car) chargers, plus external battery units, that output 2.4A. That has proven to be enough to successfully charge my M8 PRO using a generic USB to barrel connector cable purchased from **** (under $2 US). With these units, I am now ably to charge all of my devices that can charge from 5vdc (phone, Bluetooth headset, Pipo M8, etc.).

Problem solved!

RP-UC11 AC 2-port charger (2 @ 2.4A 24W output)
RP-CC02 DC (lighter plug) 2-port charger (2 @ 2.4A 24W output)
RP-PB19 2-port External battery pack (15,000mAh) (1 @ 2.4A, 1 @ 2.1A)

Now to look at their solar chargers....