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TDC650 loses connection after swapping battery

  • 1.  TDC650 loses connection after swapping battery

    Posted 03-05-2024 19:27

    Hi all,

    We are having a connectivity issue with our TDC650 unit that is occurring while we are in the field.  We generally work long field days (10+ hours in summer) and need to swap out the battery with a second one while in the field, generally in the afternoon. We are running into a problem where the TDC650 will not provide a location after the battery has been swapped.  The unit will connect to 20+ satellites but will not provide a horizontal or vertical position and will not let us record a location. Trimble Mobile Manager will also not connect.

    Our TDC650 does not have cellular service.  The problem seems to resolve when the unit is brought back inside, connected to WiFi, and synced.  However this is not possible in remote places when working long field days.  Is it possible a setting is changing when the battery is being swapped? I surely hope an internet connection is not required after a battery swap as that renders this unit almost complete useless to us in summer...

    Thanks!



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    Sam Bombara
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  • 2.  RE: TDC650 loses connection after swapping battery

    Posted 03-06-2024 07:21

    Hi Sam

    To help the community 'detectives' offer best practice, how are you swapping the battery out please?

    • Are you saving and closing your applications first then powering down the TDC650?  Or are you just removing the battery?
    • What applications are you using?
    • Finally what GNSS firmware are you using? You can find this out If you run the Trimble Installation Manager application - the latest is 4.35

    If you can detail this you should get some informed responses, alternatively you can try contacting your local Trimble reseller who you purchased your equipment from to offer advice



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    Tom Harrison
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  • 3.  RE: TDC650 loses connection after swapping battery

    Posted 03-07-2024 08:12

    Thanks Tom.  Additional information below.

    • We are saving all applications and powering the unit down before performing the battery swap.  We have been following the directions provided in the manual.
    • The main application we are using is TerraFlex.  Interestingly, the time on the unit is also incorrect after a battery swap so I am wondering if this problem is not restricted to the TerraFlex application.
    • Unit is currently running GNSS firmware v. 4.33.  We will update to 4.35.


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    Sam Bombara
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  • 4.  RE: TDC650 loses connection after swapping battery

    Posted 03-07-2024 08:19

    If you update the time on the device, does it fix the issue of satellite connection in TMM? I recall as similar issue with TMM and removing a battery on the TDC 600 before we swapped to iPhones for field collection.



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    Carson Garver
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  • 5.  RE: TDC650 loses connection after swapping battery

    Posted 03-07-2024 08:26

    A workaround while they help you figure out the issue is to use a battery backup and plug it into the TDC600 before you swap battery.  This will keep the device powered up during swap.



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    eric bock
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  • 6.  RE: TDC650 loses connection after swapping battery

    Posted 03-07-2024 14:53
    Edited by Norman Smart 03-07-2024 14:54

    I don't have a TDC650 to try on, but I tried battery changes on TDC600 v1 and TDC600 v2 (one of these is the Android device at the core of the TDC650).  Both of those reset their date and time even if you do a battery swap with 15 seconds between removal of old battery and insertion of new battery (TDC600 v1 to 1 Jan 2019, TDC60 v2 to 21 Jan 2024).  Both of them recover quickly if you have a WiFi connection, but I understand that this isn't available.

    I haven't worked with the strap-on GNSS used on the TDC650, other GNSS receivers I've worked with have struggled to give positions when they have the wrong Date & Time so this is probably the root cause of your problem.

    Connecting an external battery pack while doing a battery change as suggested by Eric Bock keeps date and time on a TDC600, even with an extended 1-minute battery change, so that's probably the easiest solution.  I used a small Anker PowerCore+ Mini 3350mAH, I guess most external USB battery packs would work.

    Setting the date and time manually after changing the battery (as suggested by Carson Garver) may help, but I don't have a TDC650 to try that method on.



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    Norman Smart
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