iPad discharging while plugged in and using iNavX

[kas_1611]

For reasons only know to Apple they tend to use 2.1amps rather than the standard USB charge of 2amps. For domestic purposes this hardly matters but for remoter applications that 0.1amps might be making a difference.

You can get an Apple OEM 12v charger from Apple Stores but if all else fails get yourself a small Inverter from the likes of Sterling to provide a 220v Sine Wave or semi Sine Wave supply from your 12v circuit and this should resolve the problem. Also ensure your house battery is putting out enough power. If it drops below 12v then you will end up running off the iPad battery as well as "mains" as it will not be getting enough from the "mains".

Alternatively it could be your iPad battery is nearing the end of its lifespan. Like most portable devices when running off the mains you are actually running off the battery first so if that isn't holding charge as well as it should you might see an effective drain.

Try turning down the screen brightness to as low as practicable, switch off wireless and Bluetooth (if practicable), use Airplane to prevent the cell signal drawing power and, odd as it sounds, Mute your device. Then use whatever power management options available on the iPad (I'm an Android user so not 100% familiar with the iPad options). You might find in the settings of your nav app the option to use a lower interrogation rate for the GPS that uses less power. Do you need continuous when a fix every 10 or 30 mins will do??

Hope that helps

[Rapanui]

You may also find that even if your charger is capable of providing the maximum current requirement, that the ipad is very picky regarding the charger output. Several times I have experienced generic chargers either charging slowly or not charging at all with Apple stuff. The cause I am told is that Apple have tweaked their USB requirement so they can detect non-Apple adaptors. You need to find an Apple certified charger and lead.

[mikecambrai]

This is a problem with Androids as well. When I am on passage and the Battery fully charged, the tablet will be taking more power than the charger gives out so the battery will start to deteriorate.
You must have the best charging setup as has been recommended before, and in addition, make sure that Bluetooth is not turned on.
Depending on the weather (sun) you can turn down the screen intensity to help.
Using your passage plan, you will not need to have the plotter on all the time. just let it turn the screen off every 5 minutes, then just touch the screen to start it up again when you need it.
The problem is more difficult when you are outside. In the pilothouse, you can get away with a darker screen, and hence use less power. The GPS does use more power but also make sure that all other unnecessary programmes are turned off.
I have my charts on 2 tablets to make sure that I always have a backup.

[Ferrari]

This is a common problem with IPads, with other navigation programs as well as Inavx
I’m looking forward to trying it on my new IPhone X which has much, much better battery life than previous IPhones and more efficient screen management.

[Scorpius]

2 amps at 5 volts is only 10 watts. Bloody little to get anything done. They push the limits with all these things.

[sailingunity]

I just looked at my charger - it has two ports, one is 2.4A, the other is QC3.0. Looking at the apple store, I do see now they sell 2.4A 12V chargers, so theoretically it should be enough. BUT, I'm not using Apple branded anything, so I guess that *could* be the issue. Hesitant to spend $50 from Apple and have it still be an issue, though.

On the ICW, there are times when you can turn the screen off, and I got used to doing that, but iNavX doesn't automatically reconnect to the instruments when I turn it back on. It's an annoyance more than anything, I was hoping to set it up so I could just keep it on!

[Anders]

You don't need a Apple branded charger but make sure it is designed to charge an iPad or it will charge very slowly regardless of how many Amps it outputs.

[Sailshabby]

Check Anker chargers. Super devices.

[Maine Sail]

Originally Posted by ErikFinn

I believe your 2A charger is inadequate. Your iPad is a "3" and I'm not familiar with the power requirements of that but I suggest you find out the hard facts and see if the below applies. If the requirements for the "3" are same as for the iPad Air then your charger is a definite failure point at a mere 2A.

https://marinehowto.com/ipad-charging-how-much-energy/

Cheers,
Erik

When the Air came out Apple began shipping 2.4A USB wall chargers. IIRC everything before that, for iPads, was shipped at 2.1A.

That said many 2.1A and 2.4A 12V USB chargers are not fully compatible with Apple iPads and can charge slowly even though it may say 2.1A or 2.4A on them. The lightning cable you use can also hinder charging speed.

I have an app that can tell me charging performance but I don't have my iPad and can't remember what it is called right now? Nearly 70% of the 12V USB chargers I have tested do not charge at what they claim when plugged into an iPad. This is slowly starting to change but "check out aisle chargers" found at Wal*Mart, Rite-Aid etc. are not the best bet...

Also it was only a few years ago that a "high amp" USB charge was considered .5A and then it went to 1.0A, 1.5A, 2.1A etc. etc..

[MV Wanderlust]

We ran into the same problem with our iPad2. We were using it with Navionics. After some investigation, we determined the problem was A) an old battery, and B) it had a 30 pin charging cable. The charging plug was Apple and it was properly connected to an Apple 2.1 amp charging block. The 30 pin cables are not as efficient at transferring power as the lighting plugs. A phone/table/computer repair shop we trust explained that changing out the old battery might help a little but it was still using the old 30 pin architecture . The best solution would be to change to an iPad Pro with the lighting port. We sold the boat before we had a chance to try.

[kelbylinn]

I have a Ipad Mini 4 and leave on at bridge when running using Garmin Blue Chart. I have now switched to Aqua Map Pro. I also run Itunes at the same time and never drew battery down by leaving it plugged in to a 2.4 amp usb connection.

I'm wondering if the battery problem experienced in all older Iphones due to new software designs by Apple is a part of the problem with your older Ipad3? My old Iphone 6s couldn't keep a charge for 1/2 day of use after updating software. New Iphone X has very little draw with gps running, etc.
Just a thought.

[mikecambrai]

I do set my tablet such that it is the screen that turns off after 5 minutes. I then just tap it and the screen comes back on. Thus it is still running in the background feeding data to whichever system needs it. The screen seems to be the biggest taker of power, particularly on a high setting on a sunny day.

[hpeer]

FWIW

Spent the last few days running the ditch myself.

I’m using an iPhone 6+. It will run INavX or Aquamap for several hours off battery and will charge with the screen on. No name chargers.

Big screens draw big current. Newer screens use less current, usually.

I’m pretty happy with this and have been using this as my primary chart plotter over the boat installed Raymarine. I’m tending to think of that as a dedicated radar display, with some backup nav capabilities.

I like INavX a LOT.

How you doing AIS over WIFI?

[macman4190]

Originally Posted by jkleins

It does it on my iPad Pro as well if you don't turn the screen down.

I have never had this issue with either of my large iPad Pros. I do not turn the screen down. There is a slight positive charge. Slight. If I do not need to stare at the screen, I put it to sleep. Even just 5-10 minutes at a time helps. This is using a 2.4 amp charger at 5 volts.

[macman4190]

Originally Posted by sailingunity

Capt. Don, unfortunately there is no 12V charger supplied by apple. I am using a 2A 12V charger though, to no avail.



I've played with screen brightness some as well, but there's a tradeoff there with visibility. The only thing I could do to stretch it out was to turn off the screen. Being on the ICW, I would turn it on quite frequently to check position, however the iPad drops wifi when the screen is off, and iNavX doesn't reconnect to instruments automatically! Quite the pain, each time having to go through the menus and reconnect.



I'd hate to buy the 4 to discover it has the same problem.

I am on the ICW. My iNavX always reconnects over WiFi. I had to switch to UDP instead of TCP.