Handy2 seems defective upon arrival

Help
1

Hi there
I’ve JUST received my Handy 2 (not pro) today! Got so excited, plugged in right away to start charging it and right away, I saw the LED and the logo form…

But then, the screeching noise told me something was wrong. The device didn’t fully boot, the LED froze and it restarted. Only to be stuck in that loop. Green, logo appears, screeching noise, logo freeze, repeat.

I’ve contacted Handy Support already but I was hoping maybe someone would have any idea on how to fix that.

P.S. I’ve tried many different cables with different plugs, all to the same results.
I’ve also tried holding the power button for several seconds until it restarts, it seemingly worked but didn’t fix the issue.

2

I was getting that when it didn’t like the power supply for the usb. It does seem to be very picky.

3

Could you help me with what power supply worked for you? I have now tried 6 different sources of power along with 4 different cables. I’d be really suprised if it’s that picky but we never know x)

4

Likely needs USB-PD
If you have a steamdeck, the steamdeck charger is likely good enough.
or a mac charger. Any USB-PD charger should be good.

5

I appreciate the comment. I’ve used 4 USB cables that I use daily to charge other items such as phones, keyboards, mouses. Note that I’ve also used the USB cable provided by Handy themselves, without success.

That last part further confirms it’s most likely an issue with the device, not the power supply/cables. What do you think?

6

The cable alone isn’t enough.
You need a charger that is USB-PD.
The cable is one thing but the wall adapter needs to provide enough juice.
Most USB-PD chargers are between 40 - 100W
If you don’t know the charging abilities of any wall adapter you have, get a 100W charger and try that (also stick to USB C male/male if possible, No USB A)

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7

What power supply are you using though? USB-PD (power delivery) is a separate specification from the USB connector (e.g. USB C) or USB data transfer (e.g. USB 3.1). The charger must be rated to deliver the appropriate wattage required by the device. If your charger doesn’t specify then most likely it is NOT USB-PD rated.

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8

I have this https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B085ZM5BKS?ref_=ppx_hzsearch_conn_dt_b_fed_asin_title_3

and this

And used another one that I hid away so hard to access.

Thank you so much for your time, I’m not super knowledgable in this.

9

Thank you, two of my cables are USB C male/male (the one given by Handy and a personal one)
I’m running out of options. Will try with the back of my PC, I think I have a decent power delivery output in there. Last option would be to buy a new PS that is rated as you stated. Sad that Handy didn’t warn us or provided a compatible PS with it, especially at that price.

10

You want something like this, as @VladTheImplier and I are saying in different ways:

You may be able to find something cheaper, but that’ll get the job done.

From the Handy 2 FAQ on Kickstarter:

What is the power supply/cord used to charge the Handy 2?

Any USB-C Power Delivery charger will work, but for optimal performance, we recommend using a 65W charger capable of delivering 20V / 3.5A

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11

Okay, thank you so much. I’ll investigate and will test it.
I’ll also learn to read through it all next time :')

12

It royally sucks that the USB standard is so confusing. It overlaps with Thunderbolt now too, just to add more confusion.

The EU in particular - where Handy is based - has pushed for USB to be standard on electronics to reduce the e-waste from things like unneeded chargers. While I applaud the environmental conscientiousness of this, Handy arguably should have included a compatible charger. That would have solved the confusion you experienced.

On the other hand, they’d need to create specific regional versions of the Handy packaging for the various electrical plugs around the world. Or include a universal charger. Either would increase the already expensive retail price.

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13

@handyAlexander - It would be nice if the Handy 2 series detected low USB power and didn’t try to activate the motor. Also display a message on the fancy LED screen. Just a thought for future firmware versions.

14

I couldn’t have said it better.
I’ll have a chat with the support team to kindly let them know that this could have been avoided.
My guess is that they will receive a huge amount of emails just because of this XD

And yes, the low power LED is probably the best route to take for them via a firmware update since the product is in hands/on their way to thousands of people!

1 Like
15

And, to the surprise of absolutely nobody with an IQ above room temp, we must thank the early adopters for their sacrifice.

16

I missed out on the extra early bird price and ship date for my Handy 2 Pro. I’m kind of OK with it though assuming it gives them a chance to work the kinks out. Especially if I end up overclocking it since that’ll void the warranty.

17

A risk I was aware of. I’d rather troubleshoot it than pay the full price.
I’m sure most people already have a laptop power supply nearby. I don’t, so meh.

Also, unsure about how useful your comment about IQ was. No need for this in here.

1 Like
18

I had the same issues it also didn’t help the battery indicator was not accurate. Updating to FW 4.0.18 fixed the incorrect battery percentage and adds an indicator when using a power supply that doesn’t have enough power.
According to handy support the screeching noise is apparently expected when using power supplies with lower output and was fixed when using a 65W charger

1 Like
19

Too bad I will never be able to update the firmware without a proper power supply :')
Glad they did a firmware to fix it already!

20

Fixed in 4.0.18. Motor is disabled when USB-C input voltage is less than 15V. A charging symbol with an X is shown when that happen.

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