Charging Dock

[PoopyNic]

I am going to be getting an IPod and am wondering the best way to charge it. I will mainly be using it all day at work and figured like my cell phone, I'd charge it at night. I saw that it charges via firewire, but does the computer have to be on for that? I saw there is a dock to charge it. Is that necessary? Would that be the route to go?

[tntracy]

Basically, there are two ways to charge your iPod. One, from a powered FW port on your computer. However, if you do not unmount (eject) it while connected to your computer, the HDD will spin continuously.

Second, you can charge it with the supplied AC adapter plugged directly into an AC outlet (i.e., no computer). There is no issue with the HDD spinning continuously with this method. Therefore, many iPod owners prefer to use the AC adapter.

As for the dock - you can use the dock, or you can bypass the dock and plug the cable directly into the bottom of the iPod. The port on the back of the dock is the same as the port on the bottom of the iPod. I prefer using the dock as opposed to laying my iPod down to charge it - less chance of scratches on the back - but it is really personal preference. There is no real downside to either approach.

Finally, you can leave it plugged in over night, all night, with no ill effects. You cannot "overcharge" iPod's lithium ion battery. These batteries will stop charging themselves when they are "full".

Last, but not least, welcome to iPodlounge! :)

Tom

[vkeks05]

The computer has to be on.
The dock isn't necessary, but it is convenient for some people.

Edit: admin got here first :p ... and with more information.

[bthall]

Tom:
I can tell you 99.9% absolutely for sure that my 30G Ipod (firmware 2.0) using Media Center 9 on WinXP do NOT have the HDD spinning when it is charging through my FW port.

What am I doing right?

BarryT

[tntracy]

Originally posted by bthall
<snip>
What am I doing right?
Unmounting / ejecting it?

I don't know for sure what happens on a PC running MC9 - I use my iPods on a Mac (iBook), and I can tell you the HDD spins if the iPod is mounted (i.e., not ejected). My understanding was that this is also true on a PC, but I have never hooked up either of my iPods (10 GB Gen1 and 30 GB Gen3) to my WinXP PC. That's what my iBook is for! ;)

Tom

[PoopyNic]

Thanks for the help guys. I'll go without the dock and see if that works out. And if not, I can always order it later. But it's good to know it's not absolutely necessary. Thanks!

[bthall]

Tom:

It's mounted. Actually it momentarily spins up (you can feel it) when I go to eject it. Recharges fine too!

BarryT

[jmk]

My ipod's hard drive does not spin continuously while in the dock. It does spin up when songs are being copied and there's an update.