Charger Issue?

[jcomey]

Hello everyone,

I recently upgraded my SP2 to a SP4, and I've been quite happy thus far. I have scant issues, definitely not what everyone is reporting. So far, so good.

I do, however, have one issue, and would like your input.

The charger seems to be kind of haphazard in its effectiveness. The main issue is that it seems to stop charging. I plug it back in, and it charges again...but after a few minutes, it seems to stop. This happens more frequently when I use the USB to charge my phone, I think. I haven't quite investigated it, but it appears there is some correlation.

Since a Microsoft Store is quite a hike for me (and would require me going to Hartford again, which should not be wished upon anyone, no matter how you feel about that person), I'm hoping you have some suggestions.

Thank you for reading, and have a wonderful day!

 

[jcomey]

dola--

What is the voltage on the power supply? Should I invest in the 65w one?

 

[pdt]

Assuming you've checked the obvious things like tightness of connections, it sounds like you got a bad unit. I'd suggest returning the charger for a replacement. Or if that's inconvenient, you can get another one here: Amazon.com: PowerCity? New Delta 36W 12V 2.58A 1625 AC Power Adapter Supply Changer For Microscoft Surface Pro 3 Tablet with 6.6Ft Cable: Computers & Accessories.

Don't get the 65W. The Surface limits incoming current to 2.58A, so anything more is wasted - it won't make it charge any faster (2 hours in hibernation, 3 hours in use), and is only heavier..

 

[jcomey]

Thank you. It may just be the connection to the power source where I was, too (it is not the first time I've seen it at that place, with other devices like my phone and my SP2). One thing that often throws me off is that it doesn't always advertise that it's charging, even when it is. It will say "X amount of time until fully charged". That has thrown me off somewhat.

I appreciate the response, pdt. Thank you.

Sincerely,
John

 

[ZombieXboxBlog]

I've got this problem too. I thought I'd fixed it going through the Microsoft troubleshooting recommendations but it's started again today. The thing that worked was turning the Surface off for half an hour and letting it charge but it's difficult to do that when you need to use it. Going to get in touch with Microsoft Support about it - I'm deeply unimpressed.

 

[boltman2013]

M3 charger works fine and is smaller.

 

[Devhux]

M3 charger works fine and is smaller.

It won't charge the i5 models reliably if you put a load on the system. There is a reason the m3 unit is smaller: it outputs less power.

 

[anon(5327127)]

My M3, over in the U.K., arrived with the same charger as the SP3.

Just for info.

 

[ZombieXboxBlog]

By the way, had some progress on this - MS Tech Support sent me another charger, but the same thing happened after a week or so. It definitely was caused by using the USB port on the power supply. One officer told me it sounded like a faulty battery on the SP4. Another MS Tech Support person told me that actually it's not designed to support using the USB port and charge at the same time, literally 'we cannot guarantee they will both work together'.

I got a replacement SP4 for another issue but it still happens. I'm not wholly convinced it's not a software issue about how it reacts when the amount of power coming through the supply changes or if there is a lot of load on the SP4. I've just plugged it in now for instance, and it keeps flicking to 'calculating' and 'not charging', but I'm not using the USB port. However, I do have a 4-port USB extension with my phone charging off it and a USB mouse. So I'm wondering if it's to do with load.