HDR-AS15 Action Cam charge problem

[pablolhoas]

we just bought an action cam and we have a problem charging the battery.

Connecting the device to the computer it recognizes it (usb appears on the camera screen) bi-ut it doesn't charge ...

no light, no sign on the screen, nothing.

The battery seems ok we charge it with an external charger ...

thank you in advance for your help

[blaireau_photo]

Hello pablolhoas - Welcome to the Sony Forums

Thinking back to similar problems that I have encountered in the past, it is most likely here that your USB sockets are not outputting enough power to charge your device. If the power output is too low, it will provide a data connection but it will not charge the camera. If you try plugging it in to various USB sockets that you have available on a computer or a laptop, you may find one that is sufficient but if not, you may have to rely on charging from the mains. This is a common issue nowadays on devices that require a large amount of power in order to charge.

Thanks,

Simon

[andeeeee]

so, how do you know when its charging?

[blaireau_photo]

Hello andeeeee

When the battery is charging externally, there should be a light that comes on that indicates that the battery is charging up. This will normally turn green when charging is complete.

Thanks,

Simon

[lintongalloway]

Hi Andeee/Simon

Same problem with my hdr-as15.

It stubbornly refuses to charge in any of the PC USB ports that I've tried - 2 laptops, 3 desktops and a PCI USB controller. The camera seems to be automatically detecting the presence of a USB port and then stops charging. Find it hard to believe that none of the PCs that I've tried meet the requirements of the USB specification.

Sony, when are you going to produce a firmware update for this issue? Seems like a fairly significant functional defect to me..

Cheers,

Linton

Message was edited by: lintongalloway

[Watashiwateshdes]

What I found is to make it charge on a PC is the following.

If you were using it as a USB device, unplug it and switch it off. Wait 10 seconds then plug it back in. I found it charges 100% of the time. The orange LED will light up and charge as normal.

I suspect when its powering down, it takes a few extra moments for it to cease the USB connection.

[lintongalloway]

Thanks Watashiwateshdes

I've just tried your suggestion a few times, waiting 10 or more seconds after switchnig it off before plugging it back in, and it still fails to charge... I may just need to buy an external battery or USB charger for it.

Cheers,

Linton

[Watashiwateshdes]

Thanks for the update. I tried this just now, maybe worth trying.

Unplug the cam from the usb, switch off then remove the battery. Put it back in and without turning it on, plug it back in. See if the led lights up.

That has also worked for me in allowing it to charge. Its a simple unit so other than making sure the USB power option has been turned on, I cant think of what else to try (other than resorting to an external charger).

Regards

[lintongalloway]

Thanks, removing/inserting the battery appears to work.

Do you think that sony will release a firmware update that will allow it to charge and connect to a PC via USB at the same time? I suspect that this behaviour may possibly be characteristic of the hardware architecture of the camera and so may not be fixable.

Many thanks

[Watashiwateshdes]

Its entirely possible that a firmware update could fix this im not too sure if it is hardware related as you mentioned. I know the USB speeds on this product is quite fast so it may support data+charging at the same time but I think its best to keep an eye open on the support site for firmware updates. Its a new product still in its infancy so possible that new features come out over time.

Im tempted to buy an external charger and a few more batteries since I have been having a lot of fun with it so far.