Replaced Palm Zire 71's battery - but doesn't charge

[minchou]

Hi, I just changed the battery on my wife's Palm Zire 71. Was a fairly easy procedure, and I got it to work in about 10 minutes.

However, after I set it in the cradle, I noticed it wasn't charging (even after fiddling w/ it b/c the charger is a little balky). Plugged in a portable battery charger, and still no lightening bolt on the Palm.

Went back to the table where I was working, and noticed two small plastic pieces. They're about 1 1/2 inches long. I didn't see them fall out, so don't know where they came from. There's a pic below.

Anyone have any ideas? Thanks!

[raspabalsa]

Did you check the Palm's Universal Connector's contacts? Dirt, pocket lint, other foreign matter often stick to the contacts' surface, preventing a good electrical connection. Check the contacts, they should look golden and shiny. If not, lightly scrape them with a scalpel, or better, a round toothpick. Then try charging again. If you have a multimeter, try measuring the voltage of the charger and batteries.

Also, don't discard the old battery yet. If your problem was elsewhere, it could mean that the battery is still functional.

Regarding the plastic pieces, I've never opened a Zire 71, so I don't know where they go. Probably part of the sliding mechanism? Try searching on this same forum for posts by fellow member Junglemike. Several years ago he owned a Zire 71 and posted multiple threads with pictures of it in various states of assembly. Probably you'll be able to locate the pieces in his pictures.

[BAB2000]

Also, you should try a soft reset of the Z71 while it is in the charger.

I have observed many devises with previous rechargeable s, become disoriented when power is removed completely, and the soft reset places all the code instructions to start. This may allow the icon to display when connected and charging.

The suggestion to look for junglemike's postings is an excellent one, and I agree the parts are likely part of the slider, not anything to do with the charge or power circuits.

[minchou]

Damn, should have tried the soft-reset before the batttery conked out. It still slides fine w/out the plastic pieces, so don't think it's part of the slider. I'll put it back together (took it apart again to see if another day would give me any inkling to those plastic pieces), plug it in, and try a soft-reset then. Not sure how to do it if it's plugged in, tho. I'll give it a try, tho. Thanks for the suggestions!

[raspabalsa]

Pressing the reset button while the palm is in the cradle can be tricky. Many years ago, someone (don't remember who) suggested bending a paper clip into an L-shape, then tilting the Palm forward in the cradle so you can slide the L down the case and press the reset button with it.

Or, if your Palm still has charge, install a program that has a command to do a soft reset. There are plenty: ZLauncher, Hi-Launcher, 2PlayMe, EventLauncher, ResetDoctor, and I think there's even one called "Soft Reset". Once installed, keep the Zire in the cradle, launch the program, and invoke the reset.