tomtom turns on by itself?

[Kvasi]

If you owned a Third Edition that was turning on by itself - and draining the battery - you would want a fix (after over a year of denial by TomTom).

8.014 is that fix (I hope).

It's very unlikely that 8.014 fixes this problem, since we have already established that 8.016 still has the problem.

 

[Kvasi]

Formatting the unit does NOT delete the bootloader in hidden ram memory.

You're right. I'm actually glad that I didn't know that. Otherwise I might not have tried to update. =)

Anyhow, if anyone's interested 8.016 had bootloader 5.5022.
8.410 has bootloader 5.5122.

 

[Dav]

Turn-on Bug Info

After probably 8 months of trying to understand why my TOMTOM ONE 3rd Ed. was turning itself on in the middle of the night and completely depleting it's battery, I finally have most of the facts.

Every time I turn the unit off, it turns on EXACTLY one week later to the minute, possibly to the second. Since I recently worked in the engineering department at SiRF, one of the companies TOMTOM has bought GPS chips from in the past, I know that all GPS devices use a WEEK-BASED CLOCK! No other device I know of uses this crazy (US Military) timekeeping system.

A good friend of mine bought the exact same TOMTOM device a short time before I did, and neither of us knew of the other's purchase. Many months later, when mine started to misbehave, we started to compare notes. I think he is still using the original navcore 7.xxx software which came on his device.

Stupid me updated to 8.010, and that is probably when the craziness started. After reading this forum, I plan to go back to the 7.166 navcore, which is still on my computer HD.

I'm sure that the 43% application size bloat from 7.166 (9.5MB) to 8.010 (13.6MB) made route calculation and spacecraft (satellites to you civilians) location, and receiver location calculations much faster, but it is not worth sacrificing 90% of my battery life in a device with a non-removable, non-replaceable battery.

TOMTOM, as a company, seems to suck a lot more than they used to. Where is the software update which fixes this bug seen by everyone that uses this device with at LEAST every version of navcore 8.010-8.016, and possibly others. WTF? Fix the damn bug ! Find the code that sets and starts the timer and remove it! This is not hard...

At the VERY least TOMTOM should put up the last version of the navcore code which does not have this bug. One person wrote that he did not see the issue with 8.002, but then when he updated to 8.010, he saw the problem. I would like to run 8.002 in stead of 7.166, but I can not say for sure without trying it out (which I would like to have a chance to do, and in a fair world, I would be able to do).

--Dave

PS - Last I heard TT used a Broadcom GPS chip in all One 3rd Ed.
Broadcom.com - GPS Silicon Solutions

PPS - Few things in life are freakier than having Austin Powers yelling, at 100% volume, at 3am in a completely dark house - GROOVY DRIVING!
OK, the second time it is less unnerving. And the 3rd, and the 4th...

 

[KCM]

Every time I turn the unit off, it turns on EXACTLY one week later to the minute, possibly to the second.

Yep that's what it will do. Should be a simple fix as you stated, mine is two years old and no TomTom in the future for me if they can't fix this problem.

 

[charliep5]

Oh well ...

I have not checked on this topic for many months - expected to find a fix - no such luck. Very disappointing.

But I have a solution:

1. Turn on the Tom Tom at least once a week or turn it off with the pin reset.

2. When the battery dies from all this abuse - buy a Garmin.

 

[mrpogo]

last night mine turned on by its self I take it we havent found a fix for this yet

 

[ericthered]

No updates

last night mine turned on by its self I take it we havent found a fix for this yet

I think TT is basically broke. There haven't been any updates to swr for either the XLS or 930 series units for a long time. I don't think TT will be around much longer/

 

[jzig]

My XL330s turns on exactly 1 week after I turn it off, too. I started a support case with TomTom. They had me reinstall the app and clear the flash. It didn't help, it still turns on every week. They said the problem must be with the unit. They said they will replace it if it is still under warranty. It is still under warranty.

I guess I'm wondering if it is worth it. Has anyone gotten one replaced where the replacement didn't have the same problem? Will they replace it with a refurb or a brand new one? That's all I need is someone else's lemon when I have one that is nice in all other respects except the auto turn on problem!

 

[Dav]

charliep5 has a helpful hint. I just hit the reset switch when I turn it off for a long time. The lengthy cold boot (more than a minute) is not good, but at least I do not have to recharge it every week now - THAT was a pain in the ass.

It is possible that reinstalling pre-8.0 app software may fix the problem, but I have no verification of that, and I just do not seem to have the time to screw with it.

--Dav

 

[jzig]

Unfortunately the XL330s does not have a reset button or hole, so that's not an option. Thanks for replying.

 

[dhn]

For that model, hold the power button for 15 seconds to reset the unit but there is no way to properly turn it (really) off.

 

[photoman2]

Yep I have the same issue with our XL 325 SE the unit turning itself on! Mine seems to do it randomly rather then once a week. We use our unit very little so it sits in the house on a table in it's case. Found it had come on by itself 3 times from Xmass.. I had a lot off other issues with the unit with errors installing maps.. I had reformatted my unit many times so I guess that's not the fix. I just wanted to post so I would get a update to this issue if it's posted here. Going to try making sure I turn the unit on twice a week even when it's not being used and see if that stops the issues..We picked up another unit and So far our new unit a XL 340 S didn't turn itself on in the month we had it and didn't use it..Fingers crossed! George

 

[Dav]

Clarification?

@photoman2:

The unit I have turns itself on exactly one week after turning it off. Since your new unit has not yet been turned on or off by you, you have not had a chance to trigger the bug (units are reset instead of being turned off when they leave the factory).

If you charge the battery (24 hours first charge), then turn it on (wait through the long cold boot), then turn it off, then check the battery level 8 days later, you will know if it has this bug or not. If it will not turn on after 8 days, the battery is dead.

There are some claims that the Pre-8.0 software does not have this problem, but the unit must come with Pre-8.0 software, or it will not work with it. Maybe your older unit can use this fix.

If there is a reset button on your model, then that prevents the turn off, and prevents the wake-up battery draining bug. But it forces you to wait through the long cold boot (several minutes) every time you turn it on, which is inconvenient. So I suggest you only use the reset to turn it off when you do not expect to use it for a week or more.

HTH.

 

[Rick F.]

Dav,

What you wrote is not exactly correct. When you turn off your TT, it's not really turning off but going to a standby mode. That's why the battery will show completely drained after a week or ten days when you turn it back on to use it. The only way to turn it completely off is by depressing the recessed reset button with a paper clip -- which is not offered on later models (like the 335, etc.).

Yes, version 7 firmware does not have this issue with turning itself on, but I don't think you can run the latest maps with that version firmware. I'm still on ver. 7 myself, but with an older map (see sig line below). Out of habit I always press the reset button on my TT when I'm done. This way the battery is not depleted. If I go a month or more before using my TT, the battery shows completely charged.

Hope this helps.

 

[leebingate]

I have a TomTom One 3rd edition that I bought in June. After I found it on in the middle of the night twice, I emailed TomTom and they told me to do an update.

I did and I just came home and found it on again. It is sitting on a shelf where nothing could touch the on switch.

 

[Rick F.]

I have a TomTom One 3rd edition that I bought in June. After I found it on in the middle of the night twice, I emailed TomTom and they told me to do an update.

I did and I just came home and found it on again. It is sitting on a shelf where nothing could touch the on switch.

Since you have a 3rd edition, there's an easy work-around. When you're through using your TT, just do a pin reset (found on the bottom of the unit). This turns the unit off completely so there is no battery depletion - and no firmware to run. I keep a paperclip attached to my case so I can reset it each time. You don't lose any data by doing a reset, except the time will show as 1200 when you turn it on. After it finds some satellites, the time will automatically set to the correct time.

To date, TomTom corporate has not acknowledged the problem with units turning themselves on.

Hope this helps.

 

[PurpleSpringer]

TomTom One 125 SE

We have a TomTom One 125 SE. 3 of these were bought for different family members this past Christmas and at least 2 of them (that I know of) are having this issue. As far as my husband's goes... it is sitting flat on a shelf in a closed cabinet with no possible way of the power button being hit. I was just walking through the dining room and heard "Turn right!" Are there any known fixes for this model?? It is utterly ridiculous that so many people are having this problem and TomTom will not acknowledge it.

 

[photoman2]

I have ours setting where I can see it out of it's case to see if it is as random as I think it is, or following the 7 day cycle as some have noticed.. So far ours is behaving for almost 7 days..

PurpleSpringer,
What i will try doing is powering the unit up twice a week and see if that will be a temporary fix. If there is a internal clock that has to do with global GPS signal triggering the unit as some think, this may help.. Good luck and do let us know how you make out.. George

 

[Dav]

Dav,

What you wrote is not exactly correct. When you turn off your TT, it's not really turning off but going to a standby mode. That's why the battery will show completely drained after a week or ten days when you turn it back on to use it. The only way to turn it completely off is by depressing the recessed reset button with a paper clip -- which is not offered on later models (like the 335, etc.).

Yes, version 7 firmware does not have this issue with turning itself on, but I don't think you can run the latest maps with that version firmware. I'm still on ver. 7 myself, but with an older map (see sig line below). Out of habit I always press the reset button on my TT when I'm done. This way the battery is not depleted. If I go a month or more before using my TT, the battery shows completely charged.

Hope this helps.

@Rick F.

I have been writing software for consumer devices for years. I have a pretty good idea what the terminology is. Most devices these days have what is called "soft power", including the TomTom One Third Edition. That means that you press a button, and the software running on the main processor tells the power chip to turn off power to the main processor - this way the device is powered down in a controlled way, and the processor has a chance to clean house before the power goes out. Under normal circumstances the power control chip is not powered down, EVER. This chip monitors the power button, and when it is held down for the minimum amount of time, it powers up the main processor.

The power chip in most systems can not be powered down, and therefore can not be reset easily, and not ever with devices which have built-in batteries. It is very rare in a consumer product to have a way to turn off the power to the power chip, or even to rest the power chip, which is usually a super tiny microprocessor, which runs code in on-chip ROM, and which can lose it's mind if not programmed properly. When you use the reset switch on a One 3rd ed., you are turning off power to all the chips. This is not normal operation of the device, and it is not the standard power down process for the device, it is an extraordinary procedure, designed to reset all the chips, including the power chip, which can only be reset by turning off power to all chips via a separate power off circuit (which can be built in to the power chip, or external to it).

When I turn off my device and power it up a hair less than a week later, there is a small amount of power usage noticeable in the power bar. This power loss is partially due to the capacitance of the circuit the battery is in, and the leakage of that capacitance to the environment.

In addition there is some power loss due to the power chip which has power the whole time. This loss is about a milliamp (1/1000th amp) constant power draw for the power chip. This is the only power you are saving by powering down the power chip.

You say there is no power missing from your power bar a month after you turn it off with the reset switch. I suspect that may not be what is happening, even though I understand that is what it looks like.

This is why I suspect this: While operating, the device stores the power used number in flash (non-volatile) memory. After you power it on, it grabs that number and displays it until it has a chance to measure the power again. Since measuring the power left in the battery is an extremely low priority task, it may not happen for several minutes after a cold boot of the power processor (and the main processor) has been completed, possibly not until after enough satellites have been found to determine the position accurately. During that time, the artificially high power bar remains in the display. Try leaving it off for 6 months, and then checking. I believe what you would see, is that it looks like it has 100% power until a couple minutes after the cold boot completes, and then it says it has less than half power. The later power indication will be much more accurate than the initial power indication, even though there was some power lost while getting a fix.

Unfortunately, it is impossible to find out what is really going on without taking a device out so that battery capacity can be tested via a load test BEFORE the device is turned on.

You may not understand the definitions used in the consumer product industry, that does not make my statements wrong.

-- Dave

BTW - My maps are not the latest, they came on my device, which came with version 7 software.

 

[Dav]

I have a TomTom One 3rd edition that I bought in June. After I found it on in the middle of the night twice, I emailed TomTom and they told me to do an update.

I did and I just came home and found it on again. It is sitting on a shelf where nothing could touch the on switch.

Since you bought yours way back in June, there is a chance it came with 7.x software and maps. If it did, and you can undo your updates, you will fix the problem, as reported here by Rick F ("version 7 firmware does not have this issue with turning itself on").

Go to the folder where your TomTom backups are kept, and look for the file named Navcore.xxxxx. Check the version of the file. If it starts with 7 (Navcore.7.xxxxx), then you can install that over your version 8+ app. I am assuming you have not updated your maps. If you have, then you will have to go back to the old 7.x maps too (says Rick F.).

HTH

--Dave