RCA Voyager says charging when it's not. Gets extremely hot

[Lavindyre]

Model RCT6773W22B with Android 5.0. I charge it while it's powered off, then after removing the charger and turning it on, it takes >10 minutes to get hot..
And it always says it's 'charging'..
I've looked but cannot find much on the latter problem, the false charging..
Thanks in advance for any advice

 

[B. Diddy]

Welcome to Android Central! It's never a good sign if the device is getting very hot. It could be a failing battery, or a problem with the motherboard. Is it still under warranty?

 

[Lavindyre]

No not under warranty, wish it was.. Any idea why it would think it is plugged up to a charger when it's not? I was hoping it was just a driver or something fairly easy to fix without having to open her up..
These tablets are rather inexpensive, perhaps this is why they have a limited life ;-)

 

[B. Diddy]

It could be a faulty charging port. The fact that the device is getting hot makes me think it's more of a hardware issue than a software one, so I doubt you could fix it without opening it up.

You're absolutely right, budget devices like that one will always have a higher chance of failure.:-\

 

[Rukbat]

If by "it's not", you mean that the percentage of charge keeps going down even though the charger is plugged in, the tablet draws a fixed amount of current from the charger, whether you're playing a game that uses a lot of current or the tablet is turned off. Needing more current and drawing more current aren't the same thing. So even with a new device, if you're using more current than the device was designed to draw, the charge will keep decreasing with the charger plugged in - just more slowly than if the charger isn't plugged in.

That said, an old battery, especially if you normally drain it to less than 40%, probably can't handle the same amount of current as it did when it was new, so even with no apps running (except the launcher, which creates your home screen) and the screen off, the tablet could be drawing more current than the "charging current" coming from the charger, so the rest has to be supplied by the battery, resulting in a net discharge.

That, and the fact that something in the tablet is getting hot, could indicate that the battery is about shot and has to be replaced. So if you can't find a replacement battery, and open the tablet, replace the battery and put the tablet together again, it may not pay to repair it - that depends on the repair cost vs. the price of a new similar one. (I see the 7" model selling for $35 at Walmart, and most tablet batteries are close to that in price for just the battery alone.)