your Tomtom is shutting down 5..4..3..2

[thestaton]

Some suggestions:
1) Under Preferences-->Battery Savings, do you have it checked to turn off if external power is lost? If so, try unchecking it.
2) In other forums, I saw the same issue (unit turning off) discussed. There is some opinion there that the power supply isn't being shoved in completely into either the powerpoint or cigarette lighter as the case may be. Others there feel the power supply isn't quite as strong coming from the powerpoint as it is from the cigarette lighter and the unit, therefore, is not detecting the prper strength.

Finally, about the text to speech saying to turn right instead of left...is the direction on the unit showing to turn left? If so, that is very strange. Which TTS voice are you using, Susan_US or the male voice (Dan?). If that is the problem, try removing the voice from the unit using TTHome and reinstalling or switch to the other tts voice.

However, if the voice is saying to turn right AND so does the map direction, that is a different issue. In that case, you may want to try using Map Corrections to rectify the issue.

I'm 100% sure that both power connections are secure. If I change it over to the accessory power slot, I never get the problem. I just liked having the option of having the unit turn off, when I turned my jeep off.

I even disabled the option to have it turn the unit off when power is lost, and it was still trying to power down.

As per the text to speech issue let me clarify that a little better.
Last night as I was driving home the unit was verbally telling me to turn right. However when I looked at the display I was supposed to turn left.

This wasn't a case of it saying turn right, then you'll be turning left.

I'm using Susan English US. If there is a better voice recommendation that will allow for text to speech pleaser recommend it. But Susan is the only option I have for a computer generated voice.

It's my understanding I have to use a computer voice in order to get it to audibly announce the street names.

Right now I have installed:
Jane - English UK
Tim - English UK
Susan - English US - Computer
Mandy - English US
Lori - English US
Richard - English US

Thanks for the help.

 

[Boyd]

Just a wild guess. Were you stopped at a light when it told you to turn the wrong way? Sometimes in a case like this the unit will get confused as to which direction you're facing due to erroneous GPS readings.

Other than that, I have no idea. My 720 and 920T have never done these things.

 

[thestaton]

I was driving along and the turn was coming up from various distances. It's happened about 6 times total so far.

I've got the lastest firmware and latest maps.

 

[dhn]

I too use Susan and have never had such an issue. You are correct that you need a computer voice to pronounce streets but, in fact, there are about four available in English. Besides Susan, there is a male_US voice. As well, there are two English but British computer voices available.

With your unit connected to the computer, start TTHome and go to 'Add Voices' then right arrow and you'll see Computer voices listed as an icon. Click on it and the four English ones get listed. You can download others than Susan to your unit.

 

[mahjohn]

Some suggestions:
1) Under Preferences-->Battery Savings, do you have it checked to turn off if external power is lost? If so, try unchecking it.
2) In other forums, I saw the same issue (unit turning off) discussed. There is some opinion there that the power supply isn't being shoved in completely into either the powerpoint or cigarette lighter as the case may be. Others there feel the power supply isn't quite as strong coming from the powerpoint as it is from the cigarette lighter and the unit, therefore, is not detecting the prper strength.

Finally, about the text to speech saying to turn right instead of left...is the direction on the unit showing to turn left? If so, that is very strange. Which TTS voice are you using, Susan_US or the male voice (Dan?). If that is the problem, try removing the voice from the unit using TTHome and reinstalling or switch to the other tts voice.

However, if the voice is saying to turn right AND so does the map direction, that is a different issue. In that case, you may want to try using Map Corrections to rectify the issue.

1. With multiple users having the same problems, it is not possible that we can all plug into the accessory outlet with one amount of force, and plug into the cigarette lighter with a different amount.

2. Why should we have to turn off the option to shutdown when external power is lost. I have a garage, and it is convenient to have the unit turn itself off.

 

[jw5500]

I've also experienced the same problem with the 720 trying to shut off every 3 minutes or so, despite the fact that it was plugged in and had a full battery (and all power saving options turned off).

I have found that this problem does not occur if I turn on the unit first before plugging it in (cig lighter). Not an ideal solution (as I have to unplug it before turning it on, then replug it), but it works so far. Hopefully a future firmware update will fix this problem.

 

[MiJaMu]

I got a new 720 (v7.221) for Christmas yesterday. Having used my boss' go 300, i knew how to use it and what to expect.

About 3 minutes after I plugged it into the cig lighter, it said "tomtom is shutting down...5..."

It also said "do you want to connect to computer?"
Tapping "yes" might fix that problem, but...

last night i swore i heard it (Susan, English US, Computer) tell me to turn right once when it pointed left. My wife didn't believe me. Then on the way to work this morning it did it again.

Might be a coincidence, but when your GPS regularly shuts down and gives you wrong turns, what good is it? I'll take it back to BestBuy for exchange and report my findings.

 

[thestaton]

I got a new 720 (v7.221) for Christmas yesterday. Having used my boss' go 300, i knew how to use it and what to expect.

About 3 minutes after I plugged it into the cig lighter, it said "tomtom is shutting down...5..."

It also said "do you want to connect to computer?"
Tapping "yes" might fix that problem, but...

last night i swore i heard it (Susan, English US, Computer) tell me to turn right once when it pointed left. My wife didn't believe me. Then on the way to work this morning it did it again.

Might be a coincidence, but when your GPS regularly shuts down and gives you wrong turns, what good is it? I'll take it back to BestBuy for exchange and report my findings.

I exchanged mine out today, however tomtom's home & website is pretty much down at the moment so I can't update the maps or the firmware.

My new one when connected to the cigarette lighter does not try to power down. Nor is it telling me to turn right, when it means left. But this is on older firmware & the older maps.

I'll let you know if the updates are causing the problems. If that's the case I'm taking it back and will go back to garmin.

 

[MiJaMu]

Downloaded the "new" map (710) and firmware and got speech recognition to work. neat!
I also haven't had a bad direction since the upgrade.

It still says "do you want to connect to computer?" sometimes in my car. I think it has to do with when you start the car with tomtom plugged in "on" vs "off".

i can live with it and I probably will and hope (beyond hope) that tomtom fixes it in a future firmware.

 

[marlabone]

I too am getting the shut down problem. Got my 720 for Christmas and I plugged it into the car lighter and it kept trying to shut down on me like 3 times in a 15 minute trip. I upgraded to the latest firmware and maps and harldy ever use the cig lighter. I was driving this morning, just using the battery which was 3/4 full, and it shut down on me. This was the first time it happened to me since the first day I tried it. I do not have the power savings option turn on. Can't seem to figure out the pattern yet.

 

[cdewitt]

Power Down When Plugged In To Lighter

I'm haveing a power down problem too but it sounds a little different. When we plug it into the cig lighter with the supplied power cord it askes if we want to connect to a computer. We reply no and about 2 minutes latter it powers down. No count down but we usualy get a warning with a cancel button. If we push the button fast enough we can keep it up otherwise it powers down and we have to reboot.

 

[stumpfinder]

All, just to clear up some stuff on this one and I could be wrong BUT.

I bought a tomtom 720 and I had this issue. I took it back and got a new one and it does not do it, HOWEVER, after reading this thing several times I have learned some stuff that is interesting.

Download the documentation for your device at
http://www.tomtom.com/support/support.php?ID=3&Language=4

Goto page 4 before you begin section

Here is the snip
=====
Battery notes
We recommend that you fully charge your TomTom GO the first time that you
connect it to the home dock. It takes up to 2 hours to charge the battery
completely.
When you place your GO in the Home Dock, you are asked if you wish to
connect to the computer. If you select No, the device will switch off if you do
not tap the screen for three minutes. This happens so that the battery can
recharge at a faster rate.
For information on connecting your computer, see Using TomTom HOME
(89).
====

So here is what I think the issue is and possible ways to correct it if you can't trade it in for a new one that does not have this behavior

1. When you plug it in to your car and it asks you if you want to connect to the computer say YES.. (that should prevent the every three minute shutdown trigger)
2. Turn on your tomtom first then plug it in to the cig lighter. that way it won't ask you if you want to connect to the computer and it should not shut down either
3. Take it back and get a new one that does not behave this way.

I did not try my solutions because I already took mine back and got the new one, but as I was reading the documentation the other day I saw that and realized what had been happening.

Let me know if items 1 or 2 helped you out.

J

For some reason my old and your current devices that are doing this for some reason see that the cig lighter connection is in fact a PC connection and this is the issue, and when you say no instead of yes it triggers the 3 minute shut down "feature"

 

[steakman]

So by that logic if the TT does in fact shutdown after you say NO while in the vehicle and it is connected to 12V power...one could assume that it is in fact charging and at the higher rate..?? No.? I've had mine in it's cradle for over 8 hours .. mind you it is on and the charge has not been the greatest .. likely an issue with my laptop as well.

What really kind a bugs me is that there is no 110V wall charger avail. as far as I know. I dislike using 12VDC as my power source and prefer to use a small inverter then plug a 110V charger into that.....hey now that I think about it, I will use my BBerry 110V charger - same mini USB and similar input Voltage..

Unless of course someone can recommend a good 12V / USB plug in. My last one was a Bekin and it was NFG.

Gotta say this: It is about damned time the electronics industry started standardizing wall/12V chargers with the same output plug: mini usb. I have a freaking drawer full of adapter, cig plug chargers etc


stk

 

[F22]

Steakman (any good steak houses you'd recommend?)

TT does have an ac adapter available as an option. Best Buy had it. It comes with PLUG adapters for Europe, too.

I did initially purchase it. Checked its specs and decided that I have some others that matched it.

And you are right. As I was purchasing the Blackberry the other day (still deciding if I want to keep it - Verizon has it locked pretty tightly), I commented as I had to purchase YET ANOTHER car charger that I am going to write my Congresspersons. It really is time to standardize this stuff. Land fills do not need all this crap, nevermind my very tangled computer odd-ends drawer!!

Of course, as soon as usb becomes a standard, it will be replaced. I've already got a few items that use a usb with even smaller end (non-computer side).

 

[Trip2Oz]

I started having this problem on Monday while I had been using the 720 for a couple weeks. On Sunday I had used the reset with paperclip to fix another problem, which it corrected. But then this shutdown in 3 minutes start on trip to work on Monday. Did some searching on TomTom support and found a suggestion to pull out my SD card with power off, then do the soft reset, turn on unit and then put the SD card back in with power on.

So far in seven trips plugged into cigarette lighter it has not recurred.

 

[canderson]

What really kind a bugs me is that there is no 110V wall charger avail. as far as I know. I dislike using 12VDC as my power source and prefer to use a small inverter then plug a 110V charger into that.....hey now that I think about it, I will use my BBerry 110V charger - same mini USB and similar input Voltage.

Just about any device that provides a USB host connection will provide a relatively clean 5V. I charge by 720 at work using a USB cable (A to miniB) that is hangs off my desktop HP and is more typically used on my scanner or camera. So my work HP is now also my 720 charger. Nothing very special about that. Sounds like you have a similar situation with an existing cable. Use it!

Any wall wart (115VAC or universal 100/240VAC) that will provide 5V on a miniB should work just fine on your 720. TT hasn't done anything special or proprietary here.

 

[bobaloolie]

This is happening on the TT 920's. I can't believe after six months this isn't fixed!!

 

[RDub]

Same Problem, after recent update

Well , first i must say what a great forum!..
I got a 720 2 days ago, loving it, until tonight. I just did the voice recognition, and poi changes, aswell as updated to 2.2 tth,both "mods" worked like a charm..i am now getting the same shut down problem... i realize its a short time of useage but i had no problems before these changes...in fact had been reading about the shut down probs before hand and was happy i hadnt experienced them..gah! soo, is it related to recent changes, or comp voice down loads( ihad to replace susan_usa as i deleted it to make room for 710 NA update..) are ppl having no probs by reseting? does factory default fix it?

edit: this is with the comp cradle , havent tried the car yet*
edit: i have selected factory default and reset, aswell manually removed any add ons, problem persists,
given the numerous reports here of the same problem it must be a hardware issue. Not impressed that TomTom
hasnt adressed this yet. I'll be returning mine tommorrow.

edit: ok, new 720 is updated and working 2 days now, no issues woot!

 

[Nimrag]

My problem: When first turned on while plugged into the cigarette lighter a message will appear that asks if I want to connect to the computer. I say no and then the cycle of shutting down starts. Customer Service said my problem was due to a faulty cigarette lighter accessory (cla). They sent me a new cla and I have the same problem. Customer Service now says my navigation unit is bad and send it in and they will replace it. My solution will be to return the whole mess to the store where I bought it. There are too many other problems, the biggest being all the weird routes and what's the use of having one of these things if you can't trust the navigation. The next purchase will be a Garmin. They cost more, but maybe there is a reason.

 

[bobaloolie]

I spoke with Tech Support yesterday. They are blaming it on the car adapter. But I told her that I was having the same problem in the dock, and that this was the second 920 I've had this issue on.

She recommended I return it to the store. So there you have it. Essentially, TomTom telling me to return it and buy a Garmin because they don't know how to fix a problem which is six months old.

I used a Garmin last year for a short time and was really, really impressed with the navigation. Not as many screen configurations, but then, some of this stuff is just overboard.

TomTom has done everything right---except nail the basics down. If they would spend an hour on this North American forum, they would have all the wisdom they need to know how to win this market. But it doesn't appear to be happening.

Onward!