Sunday, July 03, 2011

HP TouchPad Charging Issues

 Update: We've recently added a new post with 5 Tips To Get Your TouchPad Running Again.

So you just got your new HP TouchPad home and it's not charging correctly, or perhaps you get an error box that says the connected charger isn't supplying enough power to charge the device. Well don't panic, you aren't alone, and the issue is actually pretty easy to remedy.

The TouchPad's North America Twist-to-lock plug adapter is actually a universal charging device. The top screws off so a second attachment for none US power prongs can be added. If the top isn't securely fastened your device will either show the aforementioned error box or simply won't charge. Right out of the box if you are having issues I'll almost guarantee the issue is the barrel connector.

How can you be certain its connected? Well that's the tricky part. Un-screw the top, and screw it back in, making sure it snaps into place. You might also notice some writing on the side of the connector. Make sure that is aligned correctly.

If it's still not working grab another micro USB charger and connect it to your TouchPad. Note: I've been told you can not charge your TouchPad via USB. USB ports do not provide enough power for charging (this might not include USB 3.0) we are waiting on confirmation of this!

If you are still seeing problems you should probably call or contact HP and use their HP webOS Butler Service (866) 945-7256. Its free for the first 90days.

83 comments:

  1. Anonymous4:49 PM

    thanks this helped!

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    Replies
    1. Anonymous3:15 PM

      Thanks for this none of these things worked so i tried the hp webos butler service and thank GOD i still have 24 days for it it was a simple process they told me to do those things up there and it did not work so they said they'll send me a new charger in 3-5 days they asked for email adress used to make an account on your touchpad and your email adress phone number and name SIMPLE!

      Delete
    2. Anonymous9:57 AM

      Thank you so much for posting this information!!! Such a simple thing, I was ready to take it back and I finally found your advice. Fixed it in two seconds. Had to do it twice to make it CLICK, but when it clicked, it worked. It is ashame that they use something that a lot of people have problems with right off the bat, HP might want to rethink this part.

      Delete
    3. UREKA ! ! ! !

      Had the Touchpad for one week and had charged it a few times. This morning it would NOT charge! I need it all day today so I panicked and I was on line shopping for a new charger when I saw our comments!

      My barrel charger does NOT "screw" off... but it is a "twist lock". Did not realize I had apparently twisted it during plug in or unplug! Twisted it in place and I am off and running.

      THANKS.....

      Delete
  2. Anonymous2:50 PM

    Thanks so much for posting this!! My adaptor couldn't be revived during my call to the Butler Service, but I was elated to find the phone number on your site without having to crack open my TouchPad box to look through the manuals. :)

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  3. Anonymous8:19 PM

    oh my gosh! You just saved from returning this thing in the morning - thanks!!!!

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  4. Anonymous11:59 PM

    wow this is so helpful. Like another reviewer said, I was just about to box the thing up and return it. (bought it yesterday.) THANK YOU!!

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  5. Anonymous3:59 PM

    thanks you saved me trip back to store

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  6. Anonymous3:18 PM

    You are a lifesaver, thank you!

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  7. Anonymous5:01 PM

    OMG!!!! This totally helped. As iI was on hold with Hp support, it came on by doing this method. Thank you!

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  8. Anonymous5:48 PM

    Thanks for this remedy. It fixed my problem on the Touchpad I brought home today. Like others, I was going to return it. You saved the day :)

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  9. Anonymous12:43 PM

    I called because mine would not turn on. I called number above and they were GREAT!. They even helped me with alot of other stuff. And took the time to give alot of tips. The solution was hold the two buttons for 45sec or so to force a reboot BTW.
    I would highly recommend the HP webOS Butler Service (866) 945-7256.

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  10. Anonymous5:54 PM

    Thank you for this tip!! I thought I was going to have to head out to store and pick up a new charger or the Touchstone. Still might get the Touchstone, but at least no I don't have to rush. Thanks again!!

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  11. Anonymous2:40 AM

    mine is dead already :(

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  12. Anonymous5:10 PM

    hmm... mine doesn't seem to... twist, any ideas? the best i can get is a small click when i plug it in and twist a bit

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  13. Anonymous5:14 PM

    woops my bad, its just very tight, thanks for posting that

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  14. Anonymous11:28 AM

    Thanks, my barrel adaptor was also bad out of the box. Tightening it remedied the issue right before I was about to return it to the store.

    Great job HP on a building a reliable product! Maybe change your assembly staff??? Seriously get your game together I've come to expect so much from your printers that are more advertising software than they are printers.

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  15. Anonymous12:09 PM

    Just a FYI - My TouchPad charges via USB..it's not enough to charge over the power it needs while in use, but if you lock it - it will charge up. (You can see this via the Preware Govnah battery chart if you have that installed)

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  16. Actually you can charge via USB, but only if the screen is off. It'll also charge very slowly and not to 100%. But better then nothing in a pinch. Of course, this is assuming your USB port on your PC is a standard 500mA output. Some are lower to save power (laptops for example).

    Also, most smartphone chargers (that do micro-USB like the Touchpad) can handle charging the TP as well.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Anonymous11:00 PM

    I had this problem and thought I got a defective unit. Found the twisting problem and had it fixed along with a huge sigh of relief. Now, I have a TouchStone, so less frequent USB charging.

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  18. Anonymous4:03 AM

    Be aware, my charger was fine, it was the MicroUSB cable that was bad. I used my phone's cable with the HP charger and it was fine. I called HP and they are sending me a new USB cable. So try both if it still does not work.

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  19. Wow, this post is the best. You saved lot of my time.

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  20. Anonymous10:23 AM

    Thank you! Thank you! The twist worked and I'm hoping to be a happy campers soon......

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  21. Tiffany11:19 AM

    Thanks for the comment about using your phone's USB cable with the HP charger. I hadn't thought of that. I'm having the same problem - the HP USB cable isn't working but the AC charger is fine. I'm using my Blackberry's USB cable with the HP AC charger until the new USB cable from HP gets here in a couple of days. Thanks!

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  22. Anonymous11:49 AM

    My problem was the cable itself switched out the cable with my BB cable & pad charged. Called HP they are sending me a new cable in 3-5 days @ no cost. Thanks for sharing on this topic

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  23. Anonymous7:35 PM

    Thanks for posting this tip. A quick twist to un-screw the top of the twist-to-lock plug adapter and screw it back in fixed my problem.

    ReplyDelete
  24. Anonymous12:06 PM

    10/6/11: tried the twist-no luck, tried restarting-no luck (would not restart), called HP and they were not help.

    Solution. The problem was a bad micro USB CORD (plug part was fine). I borrowed my dad's black berry microUSB cord and it appears to be charging my touchpad as i type this...

    try a new cord before you send your touchpad back to HP (i was convinced it was the touchpad and not the charger but i was wrong)...

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  25. Well considering most places aren't taking returns and you might have a hassle with HO I'd try all available options before anything else. As I said try another cable, or a totally different charger.

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  26. Anonymous7:30 PM

    Thank you SO MUCH! great post!

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  27. Anonymous5:01 AM

    I think it worked...Thanks!!!

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  28. Anonymous5:59 AM

    Thanks. The twist worked for me!

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  29. Anonymous11:55 AM

    the reset method works, thanks

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  30. DJtechAB5:56 PM

    Thanks for all the useful posts! I just got a touchpad yesterday and realized it wasn't charging or starting up and called HP. They went through this entire trouble shooting process with me, which was pleasant I must admit. They told me it was the USB cord because my computer wouldn't even recognize it, which I was told it should even when the battery is dead. So its a great relief to hear every thing will be fine once I get my new cord. It isn't a good feeling to pay and wait for some thing and have no idea if its really the cord or the actual unit. I'm not confident its the cord! Thanks! =)

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  31. Anonymous2:07 PM

    wow. Really useful. Didn't understand why it was not charging properly until I read your post. Crazy why HP sent such an adaptor.

    ReplyDelete
  32. Anonymous8:04 AM

    I had a similar problem and the charger kept arcing on me. I got the idea that the two little metal pieces that stick out of the cylinder weren't making a solid connection with the top piece that "snaps" into place. So I took some pliers and bent the two metal pieces out a bit. The bend was slight enough that I couldn't tell it was bent with my eye but I figured I had used enough pressure to move them a bit. It's finally charging again so I thought I'd share here. I can think of four good reasons how it got that way...I have four kids. :D

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  33. Anonymous11:35 AM

    My TP is charging with the cable connected to an USB port in my docking station, in case that helps anybody. Cheers!

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  34. Anonymous4:21 PM

    11/16/11 .... you just saved me a ton of money. Bless you.

    ReplyDelete
  35. Anonymous1:44 AM

    thank you very much, I was just about to return my touchpad for a repair! 2 seconds later and its working perfectly, thank you thank you thank you!

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  36. Anonymous10:53 AM

    Wait i really don't understand what you mean by the "twist to lock" of the "top screw". What screw? do you mean the two white/silver dots on the USB cord? Explain more more..

    ReplyDelete
  37. Anonymous11:12 AM

    I did what you said with the barrel. I opened it and then i put it back on and i heard a click. But when i plugged it in it still wasen't charging. I may know the problem. The part of the USB that you connect to the touchpad is not on tight. So when i plug it in to the tuchpad the USB cord is always wiggaling. Could this be the problem?

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  38. Ok first, the top of the power adapter actually comes off. It might not look like it but if you twist it it will separate. No you don't need to unscrew any screws.

    Second, if you tried what is mentioned and it still isn't charging then contact tech support. You might need a new charger and no the connection being a little loose probably isn't the issue.

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  39. Anonymous8:10 AM

    product was/is really crap. Tried all of the above suggestions. It is a sad design for an adapter. Goes exactly like their laptops - works good first few months, then all the issues show up!

    ReplyDelete
  40. Anonymous6:07 PM

    on my second charger.. hopefully it is charging now.. thanks for the help this is a gr8 post.

    ReplyDelete
  41. Anonymous9:24 PM

    Still doesnt work. It worked for the first few months, then I had to bend the charger at the usb connection with the touchpad/where it plugged in. now it doesnt charge at all. Dammit.

    ReplyDelete
  42. Anonymous8:57 PM

    Jam! I bought a used HP touchpad that had this problem... Simple fix worked... Thanks!

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  43. Anonymous9:12 PM

    poor design ... I am on my 5th cable. New cable will work for few days then i have to lean the connector for it to work. After few more days the connection is too loose to make contact.

    ReplyDelete
  44. Anonymous11:24 AM

    Thank you! My charger is now working! I was a little worried since I have no support for my touchpad which I just bought secondhand.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I bought mine second hand NIB, We have had it for 4 weeks and it is not charging properly!!! We took the Backberry USB cord and plugged it into the USB plug-in to an outlet from HP and with in 5 mins the unit is charging and got enough juice to power on!!! :) Thank you for all of the remedies I am glad one of them has worked!!!!

      Delete
  45. Anonymous4:25 PM

    Turned out to be my cable as well...
    using the cable from my Droid now...
    Ordering more cable(s)?!?!

    ReplyDelete
  46. Anonymous4:39 PM

    Great post! TU for the help... my cable no good on the 2nd day out of the box... Bad design by HP, but they are sending me a new cord 3-5 days... we shall see...

    ReplyDelete
  47. Anonymous5:18 PM

    i had it for 6 month, and the charger just quit on me.Iread on amazon web and the guy use a samsung cord with the round plug and is working now.Iwonder if i should buy the i pod dock?

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  48. the rebood process worked great! thanks for the info! Geeks be praised!!!!

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  49. Anonymous8:37 AM

    thanks people for the great help on here about my charger coming loose and I had to click it back into place...Have a super day!

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  50. Anonymous5:28 PM

    Thanks for the tip. It works again! Disappointed with the hardware... satisfied with the solution!

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  51. Anonymous5:19 PM

    Same problem, contact HP and then based on the rep's advice tried with another usb cable belonging to htc evo phone and it worked. HP is shipping me another new cable

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  52. Anonymous3:58 PM

    Same problem, used Blackberry cord and it's charging instantly!

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  53. Anonymous12:00 PM

    This fixed it.....thanks a bunch :)

    ReplyDelete
  54. When I plug the touchpad the device will not power on. We left the device charging for around 2 days, however still not start - screen is still blank.
    I have tried to reset the device by holding power & home for up to 2 mins, when i do this still blank, but then starts again shortly after, same I have tried such as holding power and pressing home button multiple times and holding power+up+home. No use.

    Any idea about this?

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  55. Anonymous10:28 PM

    the 45 seconds two-buttons-push is the savior for touchpad that has "hanged"

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  56. Anonymous10:36 PM

    IS STILL NOT FRICKEN WORKING

    ReplyDelete
  57. Anonymous1:28 PM

    I tried all the sugestions so far, and it still isn't working. Borrowed a cord and plug from a friend, that works on his, but nothing happening on mine. Should I call HP, or should I just send it in. Tried HP, and waited on line 45 minutes, but no answer.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. If you've tried all the above (both posts) and its still not charging or working then your only two options left really are just waiting on hold with them or sending it off so they can hopefully repair it.

      Delete
  58. Anonymous11:37 AM

    Hey i left my barrel abroad BUT found my samsung charger charged it from a completely flat battery - happy days!

    Note: not sure which phone charger it is but ive had an s8000 and now have galaxy ace and s2. Hth someone.

    ReplyDelete
  59. Anonymous9:05 AM

    Thank you SO much. I had been getting the error for a little over a week and your post has saved my day! Now it is charging as it is supposed to.

    ReplyDelete
  60. Anonymous11:57 AM

    Brilliant... thanks for the post... i had the same issue.
    Thanks for all your posts peeps!!!
    Great to know such a great community exists out there!!! :)

    ReplyDelete
  61. Anonymous6:06 PM

    did not help.im only 12 and it wont charge unless i bend it and im worried it might break it

    ReplyDelete
  62. Anonymous12:46 AM

    hi i had a problem with my hp touchpad ,,it dosent charge it shows a battery with sign questions ,i change the charger with the samsung one and still not working
    its dead
    please help if somebody has the same problem

    ReplyDelete
  63. Anonymous9:43 PM

    Hey Thank you very much it worked !! thought it was gone for good

    ReplyDelete
  64. Anonymous3:34 PM

    Tried all mentioned solutions, still not working. :(

    ReplyDelete
  65. Anonymous6:56 PM

    I tried all suggested solutions when my touchpad died. I thought it was the charger, probably the cylinder plug-in. I'd plugged it into every outlet in the house in the hope it was the outlet--it wasn't. I noticed many people were having USB cord problems. I took the cylinder apart & tightened it. Still nothing worked. So I took the adapter and cord to Radioshack. They tested out the charger and discovered it was the USB cable (apparently fried) as it had been working & so I purchased a new universal USB cable that appears sturdier & is longer than the cord that came with it. The Touchpad popped back to life in no time at all.

    ReplyDelete
  66. Anonymous7:17 PM

    My question is with a touchstone charger. I have two Touchpad and two touchstone chargers. One of the touchstone just died about two weeks ago. I can charge via USB and barrel connector that came with the Touchpad but no luck from touchstone. I changed the barrel connector that was working with the USB cable with touchstone and no go. I called HP and found out that their is a known issue with the touchstone dock but since it's past 90 days I would have to pay for shipping to get are placement. The whole process SUCKED. I had to dig up proof of purchase from six months ago and then get crappy no customer service. Just sent the defective touchstone dock and now my second is not functioning. Hopefully I won't have to pay for shipping for the second one and not have to show prooof of purchase cuz the second was a gift. I'll let everyone know how the second turns out.

    ReplyDelete
  67. Anonymous10:28 PM

    has anyone tried the amazon kindle fire charger? it has the same specs without the whle twist and lock crap

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. As I've said if it has roughly the same power output and connection it should work just fine. The touchpad isn't like Apple and the iPad. They don't use some sort or proprietary connection.

      Delete
  68. Anonymous11:53 AM

    Thank you all, if all else fails try bending the Micro USB while inside the Touchpad, (not too hard) it got mine charging again, guess the internals were a little loose.

    ReplyDelete
  69. Hey, guys, thank you! After I performed the twist in/out in the charger and hold both on/off and centrl switches for some 15 secs I managed to finally get an icon (a battery w/ a bolt in the center + a red bar @ the bottom). I believe it's now charging (what happened is that I completely drained my battery yesterday).

    ReplyDelete
  70. Anonymous11:04 PM

    I had to do the 2 button reset and everything worked fine after. Thank you very much for the info.

    ReplyDelete
  71. Anonymous3:20 AM

    My son drained the battery empty and iit would not charge. I did push the on button for abt 45 seconds and it started. thanks all foy yo info

    ReplyDelete
  72. Anonymous12:22 PM

    mine did the battery thing with the red bar on the bottom but then it changed into a thing that you put in a plug and then it turned off plz help

    ReplyDelete
  73. Anonymous7:36 PM

    My TP did the same, and when using Blackberry charger, I got a message saying to reliably charge only use the cable that came with the device. After chatting with hp support it appears there is nothing I can do but send it back to hp for device reapir to the some of $385. No thanks. Looks like I will be in the market for an iPad. What do I do about all the books I purchased for the Kindle for it???

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'd try a different charger first, and try some of the other troubleshooting steps mention above. If you buy another tablet you're kindle books should transfer over. I'm not real familiar with the Kindle apps but as far as I know they sync with any device associated with your account.

      Delete
  74. your Kindle books should be available to you on other devices, too. May have to change device settings at Amazon though.

    ReplyDelete
  75. Bought 2 Touchpads off Amazon as "like New". Both worked fine. One lost its charge and would not start again after following all the advice above. Bought touchstone, 3 new chargers,checked against other tablet and the chargers were good. Bought 2 new Usb cords.2nd one still dead. tried wiggling connection. Attached to laptop, first one comes up w/MDP USB for device driver update box. Dead one makes aa sound sporadically. WONT turn on. Should I switch batteries or what? Spent too much money already.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Mary it sounds like you might just have a bad unit. From all that I can tell with the TouchPad the above posts are just about the only things you can do for troubleshooting charging issues. Since these really aren't users serviceable there is no way for you to replace the battery. You'd have to send it in for repairs and that would likely cost more than they are worth.

      Delete

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