Registered: Feb 2001
Location: Earth
Posts: 35

Light, hotsyn, but no blinking...

Somehow the connector for the cradle got pushed back into my Prism, which made me kind of upset, but I was able to take it apart and get it back to working condition, even though the pins weren't actually secured to the board anymore.

Now the same type of thing has happened, so I did the same procedure to try and get it to work. I managed to get it to hotsync again, but I can't get it to charge. If I push the Prism way down into the cradle, I can get the little charge light to turn on, but it doesn't blink. When my Prism is on, I can see the charge thing pop up, but I don't think that means it's charging, it's just using power from the cradle. Anyone have any ideas on how to get it to charge or what I can do to fix it? I'd hate to get a referb from Handspring because I've heard those are shipped out with problems already in them. My Prism has worked pretty much perfectly ever since I got it. Thanks in advance to anyone who may have some ideas.

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Registered: Dec 2000
Location:
Posts: 65

It could be that the light no longer blinks
This happens some times.
The cure is to do a soft reset (paper clip push of the reset button) with the prism in the cradle (making contact with all the pins, esp. the power pin.)
Good Luck.

Registered: Nov 2001
Location:
Posts: 33

If the reset doesn't help with your problem, you might have to go the refurb route. I myself can understand your fear of getting a refurbished or used unit (I work for Gateway Tech Support). Fortunately I know several people who have replacement Prisms. (Including myself) And they all work fine. My father even bought a replacement Visor deluxe and he absolutely loves it.
Anyway my advise to you is; if the your problem isn't fixed, call and get a replacement. I know they will replace it, cause one of my co-workers at gateway had the entire charging piece of his Visor sink into the unit and couldn't charge or connect it to his portable keyboard. He called handspring, they shipped him a new model, and he's been happier ever since. End of Story.

The only thing that worries me is that, I wonder if this is a flaw in the prisms design. This has happened to several people I know.

If by chance the prism you get doesn't work right.... get them to replace that one to. THEY HAVE TO! IT'S THEIR JOB....... TAKE IT FROM A TECH.

It's better to have a prism that works then one that can't even charge....

Registered: Jul 2000
Location: Tampa,FL
Posts: 19

quote:

---

Originally posted by dessa
It could be that the light no longer blinks
This happens some times.
The cure is to do a soft reset (paper clip push of the reset button) with the prism in the cradle (making contact with all the pins, esp. the power pin.)
Good Luck.

---

dessa, thanks for the tip on the charge light! Mine quit blinking recently and I was sure it was a hardware problem. After a soft reset in the cradle, we're blinking away

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"I sync, therefore I am."

Registered: Nov 2001
Location: Southern California
Posts: 7

Thanks for the tip (soft reboot)!! My Prism stopped blinking yesterday. I remembered reading this thread, so I came back to see if any solutions were offered. Tried the suggested reboot, and SUCCESS!! Thanks again!

Registered: Oct 2000
Location: Arlington, TX
Posts: 334

My first Prism had the hotsync connector push up inside the unit,
too. I opened it up but couldn't get it to stay. The connector is
just barely soldered into place. Be very careful using the
Stowaway Keyboard! It locks onto the visor and doesn't want to
let go! I ended up getting a replacement which had no problems.
The first one lasted almost a year, so this new one is out of
warranty. I guess if it happens to this one, I'll drill holes in the pcb and screw it on.

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Rick

www.visorsolutions.com

Registered: Jul 2000
Location: Tampa,FL
Posts: 19

Well, since this thread came back to life, here I am again, too.
The charge light on my prism WAS working right for a few days, but then it went out all together. Reset doesn't seem to make any difference this time Also, maybe unrelated, but about the same time I developed a crack in the case from the bottom left corner of the screen area (by the options silksceen button) almost all the way down to the microphone hole. Will handspring replace my unit for that, or am I just stuck? My prism seems to be charging/working normally otherwise. Any suggestions?

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"I sync, therefore I am."

Registered: Aug 2000
Location: South Carolina
Posts: 1062

I use Launch'Em as my launcher application and it shows "chrg." in the little battery icon when my Prism in on the cradle and charging. not as convenient as the blinking light, but an alternative to making sure you are getting juice.

Registered: Aug 2001
Location:
Posts: 143

This little light of mine...

It doesn't want to shine!

My charging light went out all together. I tried the soft reset in the cradle, but nothing. My launcher tells me that it is charging so I guess I'm ok. Does that little green light just die sometimes? Is it replacable now that refurbed Prisms are no longer available from Handspring? I am so ticked that my second Prism is starting to have problems and new ones are no longer available.

Registered: Aug 2001
Location:
Posts: 143

Well, it still shines, but dimly

When I was leaving the office Friday, I discovered that the charging light on my Prism actually still shines, but only very dimly. Does this mean that it has been knocked out of place, or that the LED is dying?