charges in car but not in wall?

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charges in car but not in wall?

i have a 30g and have had it since 2006, just recently it won't charge when plugged into the wall at home but does fine while in the car? any ideas as to why?

dell

Posted on Mar 13, 2009 4:34 PM

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Answer 1

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PT

Level 7

20,894 points

Mar 14, 2009 11:13 AM in response to cindylou7

Does it charge off the computer USB port?
There is a chance that something is wrong with the USB charging pins of the iPod. Likely the car charger charges the iPod with +12V on the Firewire power/charging pins of the dock connector. While the house charger probably charges off the USB (+5V) power pins of the iPod's dock connector. If there is a problem with the USB charging then it won't charge off the computer as well, so check that.
Patrick

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Answer 2

Mar 14, 2009 7:39 AM in response to cindylou7

Greetings! assuming you have two different adapters (one for the car and one for the wall outlet), and further assuming you know for certain the wall outlet itself is functional, then it would seem your wall charger is not quite right.

Try charging something else with that charger, or try charging your ipod with a different charger. That would confirm which piece is acting up.

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Answer 3

PT

Level 7

20,894 points

Mar 14, 2009 4:21 PM in response to cindylou7

Ok next question. Any chance you are using the SAME cord on both the computer and the wall charger (if the wall charger is just a generic USB port that you use your sync cord in)? If so, first thing I would suggest is getting another cord or borrowing one and trying that first.
Patrick

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Answer 4

cindylou7 Author

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Mar 14, 2009 9:05 PM in response to PT

is there a particular cord i should buy?? also what about the part that i actually plug into the wall, any chance it's that? you mentioned the car putting out more power ie. 12v vs. 5 from the wall?? will that make a difference on the cord i should look at? i know...lots of questions, but thanks again for any and all the help!

cindy

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Answer 5

PT

Level 7

20,894 points

Mar 16, 2009 6:19 AM in response to cindylou7

Hi Cindy.
OK, just to make sure we are all on the same page.
Your iPod came with a sync cable. One end plugs into the iPod dock connector (the connector on the bottom of iPod) and the other end connects to the USB port of your computer. When plugged into the computer you normally can both charge the iPod as well as sync stuff from your library to the iPod.
The cable looks like this...

Now, to clarify, with your wall charger, is a generic wall charger with a USB port on it and you use the same cable shown above with both the wall charger and the computer? Or did the wall charger come with its own cable? Or does it have a built in cable (non-detachable) with iPod dock connector on the end of it?
If you are using the exact same cable on both the computer and the wall charger, then my first suggestion is to get a replacement cable and try that out first. Or if you have an Apple store in your area, take your iPod there and ask one of the store employees if you can plug into one of their computer with their cable to see if it is your iPod. If it charges, then you likely have a bad cable.
Cables can be ordered from a number of online places, but you can also find replacement ones at such retailers as Best Buy, Radio Shack, Wal-Mart, etc.
Radio Shack might be a good place to start as well. They have a standard cable for about $20, which is a tad expensive (for example, a Griffin Power Block wall charger goes for about $15 (old style)-$30 (new style) and includes another sync cable). However they have a very good return policy, so if you find that cable doesn't fix the issue, you can usually return the cable. Also, if you bring your iPod in with you, they can probably help you try a cable out on one of their chargers to see if it is your iPod or your cable. Bring your cable with you as well and try your iPod and Cable on one of their chargers. You can then switch your cable for their cable to see if that is the difference. If so, buy their cable. If doesn't work, then your iPod has an issue.
Short term, and if you find there is an issue with the iPod, you can always continue to charge in the car. But you might attempt first to do a reset on the iPod and see if that helps anything. Resetting does not remove anything from the iPod so it is safe to do anytime. To reset the iPod slide the hold switch from OFF to ON back to OFF then immediately hold down BOTH the center and Menu buttons for a good 15-30 seconds until it restarts with the Apple logo.
Good luck,
Patrick

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Answer 6

cindylou7 Author

Level 1

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Mar 16, 2009 7:25 AM in response to PT

yes to all you mentioned, and the wall unit is one i did purchase from the apple store and it did come with it's own cable. that has since gone so i was using the one that came with the ipod. i do have an appt. for wed. with the apple store so we will see. thanks and i'll let you know what happens! 🙂

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Answer 7

cindylou7 Author

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Mar 14, 2009 2:08 PM in response to PT

you are correct in that it will not charge off of the computer now too! thanks for your help but what does that mean now? what do i need to do to get things working again? thank again!

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Answer 8

cindylou7 Author

Level 1

8 points

Mar 14, 2009 7:57 PM in response to PT

it is the same cord it's the one that came with my ipod...i'll try another and see if it works. thanks! i'll keep you posted.
cindy

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Answer 9

cindylou7 Author

Level 1

8 points

Mar 15, 2009 10:58 AM in response to cindylou7

i should also mention that it no longer works to charge while in the computer now either.

Message was edited by: cindylou7

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