G9X USB charging is not working

Petermgr · Jan 4, 2016

A question for those that own a G9X. I picked one up a few days ago and just beginning to explore all its features. I liked the fact that I could charge via USB. However, I have connected a standard USB cable to the camera and getting mixed results. Sometimes I see the "orange" indicator coming on showing that charging is taking place (but turns off shortly afterwards - battery still low). Other times I won't see the orange indicator, even though the battery is requiring a charge. I tried different USB cables. Also tried various adapters for the USB power source (wall outlet, computer port, etc.) But I'm not having any success in charging via USB.

Anyone else experiencing problems with charging by USB?

Thanks,

Peter

rita416 · Jan 4, 2016

Petermgr said:
A question for those that own a G9X. I picked one up a few days ago and just beginning to explore all its features. I liked the fact that I could charge via USB. However, I have connected a standard USB cable to the camera and getting mixed results. Sometimes I see the "orange" indicator coming on showing that charging is taking place (but turns off shortly afterwards - battery still low). Other times I won't see the orange indicator, even though the battery is requiring a charge. I tried different USB cables. Also tried various adapters for the USB power source (wall outlet, computer port, etc.) But I'm not having any success in charging via USB.

Anyone else experiencing problems with charging by USB?

Thanks,

Peter

Same exact thing with me. My husband even contacted Canon support to make sure we were doing it right, and we were, but it doesn't charge the battery. Sometimes the charge light will come on then go off, but the battery is never charged. I was looking forward to it. I charge my Fuji F30 in camera only for 7 years, so I really wanted that feature.

So sorry, I know how you feel.

Rita

Petermgr · Jan 4, 2016

rita416 said:
Petermgr said:

A question for those that own a G9X. . .

Anyone else experiencing problems with charging by USB?

Thanks,

Peter

Click to expand...

Same exact thing with me. My husband even contacted Canon support to make sure we were doing it right, and we were, but it doesn't charge the battery. Sometimes the charge light will come on then go off, but the battery is never charged. I was looking forward to it. I charge my Fuji F30 in camera only for 7 years, so I really wanted that feature.

So sorry, I know how you feel.

Rita

Thanks for sharing your experience Rita. It should just be a simple connect and charge, without guessing if a charge is taking place or not. I charge many devices with USB and have never run across this hit and miss connection problem. Unfortunately, this may be a deal breaker for me since I do a lot of wilderness camping with my devices and I use small solar panels for charging via USB.

Too bad. I am testing a Sony RX100 IV as well and I've not experienced a problem with charging via USB . . . but I like the G9X!!

Curious, what did Canon tell you after they determined that you were doing things right?

Peter

Barry Margolius · Jan 4, 2016

Petermgr said:
rita416 said:

Petermgr said:

A question for those that own a G9X. . .

Anyone else experiencing problems with charging by USB?

Thanks,

Peter

Click to expand...

Same exact thing with me. My husband even contacted Canon support to make sure we were doing it right, and we were, but it doesn't charge the battery. Sometimes the charge light will come on then go off, but the battery is never charged. I was looking forward to it. I charge my Fuji F30 in camera only for 7 years, so I really wanted that feature.

So sorry, I know how you feel.

Rita

Click to expand...

Thanks for sharing your experience Rita. It should just be a simple connect and charge, without guessing if a charge is taking place or not. I charge many devices with USB and have never run across this hit and miss connection problem. Unfortunately, this may be a deal breaker for me since I do a lot of wilderness camping with my devices and I use small solar panels for charging via USB.

Too bad. I am testing a Sony RX100 IV as well and I've not experienced a problem with charging via USB . . . but I like the G9X!!

Curious, what did Canon tell you after they determined that you were doing things right?

Peter

+1

I just purchased a G5x, and I am waiting for the battery to run down so I can test USB charging. If it doesn't work, I will definitely send the camera back. That would be a shame as I LOVE the camera so far, but I really need USB charging.

-barry

Petermgr · Jan 4, 2016

Barry Margolius said:
+1

I just purchased a G5x, and I am waiting for the battery to run down so I can test USB charging. If it doesn't work, I will definitely send the camera back. That would be a shame as I LOVE the camera so far, but I really need USB charging.

-barry

Okay . . . so this is interesting. Did a lot of testing tonight between the USB charging on the G9X and the Sony RX100 IV. Pulled out every adapter I have: USB wall units, battery pack from my Nomad solar panel, PC USB and MacBook Pro USB. Tried various cables.

Hooked up the Canon G9X on all devices. Except for one device, non would charge via USB. That device is a wall unit which feeds the USB cable. The output of that device is 5v 1.0A. Nothing else lights up my G9X. Not even the Sony wall charger, which is 5v but with a 0.5A output.

Hooked up the Sony RX100 IV to all my devices, including my GoalZero Plus battery pack. Charging works from every device.

Canon sells a wall charger (CA-DC30) for a USB cable. The output of that device is 5v 0.55A.

Too bad. The G9X for price, size, weight, and features would be prefect for me. But without the ability to charge via USB from my laptop or, more importantly, my Nomad solar panel, it won't do me much good for the places I go.

Peter

seeblue · Jan 4, 2016

Yeah, this is bad news. I was thinking about this camera, but no flexible USB charging, no camera for me.

I downloaded the G9X manual. “Using a Computer to Charge the Battery” is practically hidden on page 173. It’s a real turn-off to see how hard they’re trying to get you to buy and use their proprietary accessories like a CA-DC30 or an IFC-600PCU cable.

On page 4 they don’t even refer to this port as a USB port, but rather a “DIGITAL terminal”. Too funny. If Apple or Samsung run Canon out of town someday, I’ll understand why.

Hopefully someone figures a workaround.

rita416 · Jan 4, 2016

Petermgr said:
rita416 said:

Petermgr said:

A question for those that own a G9X. . .

Anyone else experiencing problems with charging by USB?

Thanks,

Peter

Click to expand...

Same exact thing with me. My husband even contacted Canon support to make sure we were doing it right, and we were, but it doesn't charge the battery. Sometimes the charge light will come on then go off, but the battery is never charged. I was looking forward to it. I charge my Fuji F30 in camera only for 7 years, so I really wanted that feature.

So sorry, I know how you feel.

Rita

Click to expand...

Thanks for sharing your experience Rita. It should just be a simple connect and charge, without guessing if a charge is taking place or not. I charge many devices with USB and have never run across this hit and miss connection problem. Unfortunately, this may be a deal breaker for me since I do a lot of wilderness camping with my devices and I use small solar panels for charging via USB.

Too bad. I am testing a Sony RX100 IV as well and I've not experienced a problem with charging via USB . . . but I like the G9X!!

Curious, what did Canon tell you after they determined that you were doing things right?

Peter

Peter, we never got back to Canon about it. For me it's a convenience but not a necessity nor a deal breaker , and many other things outweiged that in favor of this cam in my case, but it was a disappointment.

damian5000 · Jan 5, 2016

Petermgr said:
Barry Margolius said:

+1

I just purchased a G5x, and I am waiting for the battery to run down so I can test USB charging. If it doesn't work, I will definitely send the camera back. That would be a shame as I LOVE the camera so far, but I really need USB charging.

-barry

Click to expand...

Okay . . . so this is interesting. Did a lot of testing tonight between the USB charging on the G9X and the Sony RX100 IV. Pulled out every adapter I have: USB wall units, battery pack from my Nomad solar panel, PC USB and MacBook Pro USB. Tried various cables.

Hooked up the Canon G9X on all devices. Except for one device, non would charge via USB. That device is a wall unit which feeds the USB cable. The output of that device is 5v 1.0A. Nothing else lights up my G9X. Not even the Sony wall charger, which is 5v but with a 0.5A output.

Hooked up the Sony RX100 IV to all my devices, including my GoalZero Plus battery pack. Charging works from every device.

Canon sells a wall charger (CA-DC30) for a USB cable. The output of that device is 5v 0.55A.

Too bad. The G9X for price, size, weight, and features would be prefect for me. But without the ability to charge via USB from my laptop or, more importantly, my Nomad solar panel, it won't do me much good for the places I go.

Peter

Sounds like needs more than .5A to trigger charging. Bizarre. Have you tried leaving it to see if it's charging, but perhaps not triggering the icon/light? Just curious.

Pocketable · Jan 5, 2016

damian5000 said:
damian5000 said:

Barry Margolius said:

+1

I just purchased a G5x, and I am waiting for the battery to run down so I can test USB charging. If it doesn't work, I will definitely send the camera back. That would be a shame as I LOVE the camera so far, but I really need USB charging.

-barry

Click to expand...

Okay . . . so this is interesting. Did a lot of testing tonight between the USB charging on the G9X and the Sony RX100 IV. Pulled out every adapter I have: USB wall units, battery pack from my Nomad solar panel, PC USB and MacBook Pro USB. Tried various cables.

Hooked up the Canon G9X on all devices. Except for one device, non would charge via USB. That device is a wall unit which feeds the USB cable. The output of that device is 5v 1.0A. Nothing else lights up my G9X. Not even the Sony wall charger, which is 5v but with a 0.5A output.

Hooked up the Sony RX100 IV to all my devices, including my GoalZero Plus battery pack. Charging works from every device.

Canon sells a wall charger (CA-DC30) for a USB cable. The output of that device is 5v 0.55A.

Too bad. The G9X for price, size, weight, and features would be prefect for me. But without the ability to charge via USB from my laptop or, more importantly, my Nomad solar panel, it won't do me much good for the places I go.

Peter

Click to expand...

Sounds like needs more than .5A to trigger charging. Bizarre. Have you tried leaving it to see if it's charging, but perhaps not triggering the icon/light? Just curious.

A german test portal tells about G9x:

......Although the USB port is now standardized and according to instruction charging should be possible, it didn`t work with us with different commercial phone chargers - a shame, because the function is not practical. Also on two different computers the charging was not working.....

Petermgr · Jan 5, 2016

damian5000 said:
damian5000 said:

. . . Sounds like needs more than .5A to trigger charging. Bizarre. Have you tried leaving it to see if it's charging, but perhaps not triggering the icon/light? Just curious.

Click to expand...

Sure did. Also turned the power on when connecting to a USB wall charger. When a charge connection is made, the battery icon in the display turns to red. But that only happened with the one USB wall charger unit (5v 1.0A). Not will any other charger.

Petermgr · Jan 5, 2016

Pocketable said:
Pocketable said:

. . . A german test portal tells about G9x:

Click to expand...

......Although the USB port is now standardized and according to instruction charging should be possible, it didn`t work with us with different commercial phone chargers - a shame, because the function is not practical. Also on two different computers the charging was not working.....

It is odd. The manual states that charging via computer is possible, but it's not clear if charging takes place. When I connected via a computer USB, I can't access the screen for information. I get a flashing green icon on the camera indicating a connection, but it doesn't indicate if charging is taking place. Regardless, the use of any other USB charging method, such as solar panel, battery pack, or various wall chargers, isn't mentioned in the manual or assured. Unless one uses the charger/cable from Canon.

From the manual (screenshot)

Barry Margolius · Jan 5, 2016

Well my new camera finally showed only 3 (out of 4) bars of battery power, so I could test out USB charging.

I plugged my G5x into the USB charger/cable that I use for my cell phone, and everything worked fine: The camera's red light came on. It stayed on for about 1.5 hours and then went out. The battery gauge then showed a full battery (4 bars).

There are a couple of reasons why this test may not be germane to this thread:

1. The camera tested was a G5X, and the thread is about the G9X. Maybe they have different hardware or firmware in this regard.

2. I connected it to a plug in charger that provides up to 2 amps of power to the USB device. That is considerably more than I would get plugging it into a computer USB port. I will try that next, but it will take a couple of days to run my battery down again.

I am much relieved by this result as USB charging was one of the primary reasons I decided on this camera. I plan to use it as a travel camera (among other uses), and I just seem incapable of remembering to bring the camera battery charger. I always carry a USB charger in my travel kit, so there's no problem there.

-barry

Mrsub · Jan 6, 2016

Im having the same problem too.. I get a flashing green light when connected to my macbook pro. But not sure if this is just a data connection? Ill plug it in now to see.

damian5000 · Jan 6, 2016

This is what I mean. Someone run g9x down to dead or almost dead, then leave it on USB charging and see what happens after a couple hours. This isn't a difficult test.

rita416 · Jan 6, 2016

Barry Margolius said:
Well my new camera finally showed only 3 (out of 4) bars of battery power, so I could test out USB charging.

I plugged my G5x into the USB charger/cable that I use for my cell phone, and everything worked fine: The camera's red light came on. It stayed on for about 1.5 hours and then went out. The battery gauge then showed a full battery (4 bars).

There are a couple of reasons why this test may not be germane to this thread:

1. The camera tested was a G5X, and the thread is about the G9X. Maybe they have different hardware or firmware in this regard.

2. I connected it to a plug in charger that provides up to 2 amps of power to the USB device. That is considerably more than I would get plugging it into a computer USB port. I will try that next, but it will take a couple of days to run my battery down again.

I am much relieved by this result as USB charging was one of the primary reasons I decided on this camera. I plan to use it as a travel camera (among other uses), and I just seem incapable of remembering to bring the camera battery charger. I always carry a USB charger in my travel kit, so there's no problem there.

-barry

Barry, thanks for this. My G9x battery is completely charged at the moment, but I am going to let mine go down like you did then test the same way. I tried usb charging via PC and that did not work.

It may be awhile, but I will report what happens with my experiment as soon as I can do it.

Rita

mikan · Jan 6, 2016

I tried with my G9X. I have an old USB power adaptor for Kindle that provides 0.85mA.

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www.amazon.com

And my battery seems to be charging fine. I get the orange indicator (next to the buttons) if the camera is off, and the battery mark on the LCD shows up in orange if the camera is on. And the camera is in the display-only mode during this time, as expected. My battery was pretty full when I tried it, so I was not able to experiment to see if it stops charging before it gets completely full. I tried it twice (yesterday and today) and both time the same results.

Petermgr · Jan 6, 2016

Thanks for the replies everyone, and your testing. It seems confirmed that charging by USB power having over .5 amps will work. However, since I will use laptops, solar power panels or battery packs for charging, I will not be able to charge the G9X via USB from those devices. So I have returned the G9X and currently trying the Sony RX100M4.

Peter

G-D · Jan 7, 2016

Petermgr said:
Thanks for the replies everyone, and your testing. It seems confirmed that charging by USB power having over .5 amps will work. However, since I will use laptops, solar power panels or battery packs for charging, I will not be able to charge the G9X via USB from those devices. So I have returned the G9X and currently trying the Sony RX100M4.

Peter

Please note that not every USB port complies to the same specs.

USB 1 and USB 2 ports will deliver up to .5 mA (which apparently is not enough for the G9 X to start charging).

USB 3 ports can deliver up to .9 mA, and more in specific cases, so that should work for the G9 X.

Then there are USB Charging Ports. These can deliver more than stated above, and should do so if the connected device requests it. These ports are usually marked with a lightning symbol or similar.

So if your PC has multiple USB-ports, look for either a USB 3 port or a port that is marked as a Charging Port.

damian5000 · Jan 7, 2016

Petermgr said:
Thanks for the replies everyone, and your testing. It seems confirmed that charging by USB power having over .5 amps will work. However, since I will use laptops, solar power panels or battery packs for charging, I will not be able to charge the G9X via USB from those devices. So I have returned the G9X and currently trying the Sony RX100M4.

Peter

Don't know about solar, but there are "regular" power banks that supply 1A-2A.

Mrsub · Jan 7, 2016

Ive just tried plugging in my portable solar battery by poweradd and its charging up fine! Which suits me pefectly. Couldnt get it to charge any other way though..

G9X USB charging is not working

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