Charging the FP2 / cable problems

Yes, i can switch between modes when connected to a PC (same cables). But it is not charging in charging mode, i have to switch to MTP or something. And then it is charging very slow, about 1% every 10 minutes (with the PC). I’m not sure, but i belive this is new with 1.2.8.

It is charging! Because of your tip i have again tried to charge in the car by using different options. It is only charging in the mode mount SD-card. On my Notebook it was in all modes but charging mode charging. It is just a small step foreward, but now i have a workaround for charging my FP2 in the car. Thanks for your support.

After replacing the microphone module of the FP2 and replacing it, the FP2 now charges normally.

Thanks for the quick response.

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Thanks for mentioning that wakawaka and FP2 get along :relaxed:

hello,
sorry if my question has been answered already, but didn’t want to read the whole thread:

My cable charges my FP2, but cannot get a data-connection with my computer. Fairphone sells cables and chargers, but they are only categorized as ‘FP1’. I reckon thic cable/charger also works with the FP2, but wanted to know for sure, before I order.

Can anybody confirm that the FP1-labeled charger/cable sold in the shop is compatible with the FP2?

Just had an issue with my new FP2 not charging too.

I got it yesterday, when I turned it on, the battery charge was around 30%. I plugged it in with my old Sony charger and it charged up fine.
The battery life doesn’t seem that good, so it was already half empty again, when I went to bed. So I plugged it in with my other old Samsung charger, worked fine too, was fully charged in the morning.
After playing some games this afternoon, the battery charge was getting very low again, so I plugged it in, but for some reason it wouldn’t charge. I tried both chargers, restarted the phone several times … no avail. Once I got it to start charging when it was turned off, but as soon as I turned it on, it stopped charging again.

From the heavy usage before, the phone got very hot though and I thought that might actually be the problem. So I waited like 5 minutes for it to cool down a little and now it’s charging fine again, I haven’t turned it on yet though.

Anyways, battery-life and heat-dissipation are certainly things that could be improved for FP3.

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After updating to 1.5.1 (the first update I applied btw.) it seems to have solved some of the charging issues. Charging with a “no-data” adapter/cable is working. I’m using the Raspberry Pi charger from RS Components (1200 mA) and it’s charging really quick. It’s charged from ~10% to 100% in almost 1,5 hours.

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By now I tried and bought a number of cables and chargers. Yes, in the beginning I did not read through this forum -obviously a mistake- otherwise I would have saved myself a lot of time, frustration and money. Now everything works ok, but I would have prefered if FP2 came with a working cable and charger in the beginning…

Since yesterday, my FP2 won’t charge anymore. Whenever I plug it in, via USB or via different cables in different sockets, it appears to start charging, then the Fairphone logo appears, after which the phone drops dead again and the cycle continues endlessly.

What I already tried:

  • take out battery
  • take out SIM
  • take out battery and let it cool for 1 hour
  • try to charge without battery in and then sticking battery in while white LED shows

Nothing works.

I’ve had this FP2 since January, and i’ve been charging it with the same cable ever since. Charging with another cable does nothing.

Does anyone have a fix, or do I need to send this in for repairs?

It is possible that your battery got deep discharged. You could try to reset your battery.

Another possibility is that your bottom module, which contains the USB connector, got loose. You can try to disassemble the module, clean the connection pins, and assemble it again.

I’ve tried the FP2 battery reset as described in that topic: took battery out, let it cool for ± 1 hour, then put it back in and plugged it into socket. Didn’t work. Still stuck in loop of booting -> battery going empty -> booting -> …

I’m kind of afraid of disassembling this myself. Don’t have the necessary tools for that.

Did you turn it on right away, or did you first charge it until the LED turned green?
Btw: Did the LED turn on at all (red blinking, or red)?

For disassembling: You only need a small screw driver, the display comes off without any tools.
Have a look at this:

As soon as I plug it in, it vibrates and then it automatically tries to boot up (without me pushing any button). That booting screen lasts for about 20 seconds, then the screen turns black. Right after that, the red LED stays on for about 3 seconds, followed by continuously blinking red LED for about 30 seconds, followed by another automatic booting attempt. Again, without me pushing any button.

Red blinking is a sign that the battery is deep discharged.
The vibration and Fairphone logo appearing is part of the charging animation when the phons is off.

Maybe you can try again the reset (I heard in some cases it needed two or three attempts), and after putting the battery back in, only plug in the cable and leave the phone for a while (at least an hour; don’t turn it on, and check the LED again if the light turned steady). Hopefully it will start charging again then.

If both, reseting battery and trying to reassemble the bottom module does not help, I would call support and ask for help (and tell them that you already tried to solve the issue).

I took the battery out again and letting it cool until tonight.

I can’t even get past the first step in disassembling the phone. I unlocked the two blue safeties on the bottom, but I’m unable to detach the screen from the modules. The video makes it seem easy, as if it slides open. But not even using a little force does the trick for me. I’m afraid to make things even worse if I somehow break the screen or the locking mechanism.

(Thank you for your help so far!)

Many people said that taking off the screen for the first time was a bit harder, maybe this link can be of help:

Don’t worry, the phone was built to be taken apart, that’s why you don’t even need tools for getting off the screen. However, since it also is the very first modular phone on the market, it may have some rough edges, which is, that some people reported some problems could be fixed by reassembling certain parts. It might be the downside of this revolutionary design, that in some cases contacts could get lose.
Anyhow, I hope you can solve your problem by resetting the battery already. Good luck!

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Ok so I found a colleague with a FP2, and I put her battery in my device. Then my device booted up just fine. So I can assume it’s not a problem with the USB module?

What I understood was that you couldn’t charge your battery, so I don’t see the connection just from this.

What I would check:

  • Can you charge your colleagues battery in your phone? (If yes, your bottom module works)

  • More importantly, can you charge your battery in your colleague’s phone? (If no, the battery might have an issue; If yes, charge it for a while until it is not deep discharged anymore, and try it again in your phone).

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Hmm … I’m currently charging my battery in her device, and it seems to be working (so far). Would this then mean that there is something wrong with my bottom module?

Possible. If you can charge your colleague’s battery in your phone, probably not, though then it is getting more complicated, what the root cause was. This could be, for example, that you use different chargers (with more or less Amperes); I could imagine that for kicking off a deep discharged battery you may need a stronger charger. But this is just speculation!

Good that it seems your battery charges in her phone. If possible keep it in there for at least an hour; or at least until the charging LED turns yellow, so you have enough power in the battery to boot up your own phone with your own battery. I would expect you can then charge it again in your phone - given that the bottom module works.