Large SD card support for older Palm Handhelds
With the advent of large SD card at throw-away prices, the limitation of 1GB on older Palm handhelds is outright frustrating! But there is hope. It seems that if a mini-SD card is used, the older Palm can write/read to it. One of the forum post says "The SDHC probably will not work 'cause the electric interface is diferent than the SD(IO) as SD organization says; but once the Palm as a SDIO it's only limited to the address capacity of the controller!"
Use the card out of the box.
Do not format it on PC/Palm. Take your older 1 GB card and copy the contents on your PC temp folder. Then take your newer 2Gb card and copy the contents to the newer one using Windows Explorer. also remember, that even if the package says Kingston, the actual chip is probably made by another company.
Palm Battery Charge Circuit
It would appear that Palm has reduced the current on the newer adapters to possibly protect the batterry's inbuilt charge circuit.
The Universal connector type AC adapters charged at a rate of 5VDC 1 AMP output, (1000ma)
The new adapter is providing 500ma , and would suspect a full charge could take an additional 2 hours for full charge cycle if the base line was 3 hours at 1000ma.
The current provided via the USB port if rated will likely be 50ma to 10ma requiring a few more hours to top off.
USB ports on desktop, unlike laptops are always powered ON.
Choosing the right Power adapter for Palm
It is important that there is a MAXIMUM variation of only +- 5% of 5V while selecting a power adapter for your PAlm handheld. All powered USB ports on your PCs have a regulated output of 5V +-5%, which is perfectly suitable to charge the palm's battery. This voltage is the same as the voltage of the AC adapter for most of the PAlm handheld I know of.
Charging Palm from an USB port
The USB port "trickle charges" your handheld through the USB connection. What's a trickle charge? It's a slow charge made possible through a USB connection, which normally doesn't transfer large amounts of power. USB connections can deliver some power to peripherals such as handhelds. Trickle charges are approximately five times slower than regular charges (i.e. it takes five times longer to charge your handheld using the Mobility Kit).
How slow does it charge?
Expect your handheld to take at least 8 hours to charge. Trickle charging takes much longer than regular charging through a standard AC outlet. Don't be disappointed if your handheld doesn't appear to have charged after a brief period; give it time.
Charging directly through a USB connection to your computer, the battery icon on your handheld may not show the lightning bolt that indicates charging. However, this doesn't mean it's not charging. It's simply charging very slowly.
Maximize the trickle charge
To get the most out of the trickle charge, follow these tips:
Allow at 8 hours for a charge; sometimes it may require more time.
Trickle charging will not work on completely drained handhelds. The handheld must have some residual charge on the battery for trickle charge to work.
Turn off your handheld while trickle charging, if possible.
When using the Vehicle Power Adapter, check that the LED is green, indicating charging.
Keywords- Trickle charge, power charge vs trickle charge
Voltage across pins on the cradle
Pins 1 and 16, where pin 1 is the leftmost pin (with the cradle facing you), the voltage should be 5V DC, with maybe a maximum +-10% variation.
(from a forum)
