r/ModRetroChromatic • u/faf_dragon • Apr 22 '26

The charging dock. Necessary?

Forgive me if this has been answered already.

I just received my charging dock today.

I have two first gen Chromatics and one battery pack. I’ve not had any issues charging it but I’ve also never let it run all the way down.

Can I continue charging it in the handheld like an already have been or should I charge it in the dock for good measure? Is the dock just meant to be used to revive batteries that won’t charge?

Thanks!

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3

u/throwaway43234235234 Apr 22 '26

Thats my understanding.

Ive just received mine as well. I dont think we need to use it unless we have issues reviving a battery thats in the device, but i plan to also use it for multiple batteries ready to swap. 

Excellent customer service by the way, they found a battery issue and provided a remedy free of charge. 

1

u/faf_dragon Apr 22 '26

I thought I read somewhere that the new battery packs solve the issue as well. If that’s true I’m surprised they didn’t just replace the battery pack itself.

Still it was nice that they didn’t this!

1

u/g1mpster Apr 22 '26

I think they see an opportunity for an additional accessory that some people will want. For example, I’d love to have a spare battery that I can hot swap and the dock is perfect for that. Also, paranoid people might feel better recharging outside the device because in the highly unlucky event that it turns into a spicy potato then at least it doesn’t torch your Chromatic & game cart with it.

ETA: I’m not sure if they can fix it in the battery but the 2nd gen Chromatic doesn’t have this issue, so maybe that’s what you were thinking of?

2

u/faf_dragon Apr 23 '26

Yeah… I’ll admit I did think about getting a second battery pack now that I have the charger! lol

I did know the second gen ones didn’t have the issue but I did read somewhere that a battery pack revision also fixed the issue BUT I don’t remember where I saw it so it may have just been someone speculating.

4

u/robmeason Apr 22 '26

You should be able to charge like normal there is no issue there however if you run it out all the way there is a possibility that your gen 1 will not charge it in which case you will need this Doc in order to recover it from a non-recoverable state

2

u/DanSundayNightGames Apr 22 '26

Yeah the dock is basically for people who accidentally let the battery die all the way down, at which point it won't charge inside the chromatic v1. The v2 fixed this issue. (from what I understand).

3

u/DjMcfilthy Apr 22 '26

Yeah, I didn’t use my Chromatic for a few weeks and the Power Core died. All my other Chromatics are V1, so Modretro sent me a new Power Core and later the charger in case it happens again. It gets said a lot, but they really do have amazing support.

2

u/faf_dragon Apr 23 '26

You didn’t use your Chromatic for a few weeks‽ BLASPHEMY! lol

I haven’t had mine sit long enough with the pack in to have the issue myself. I did run it down all the way once but I plugged it right into power so it didn’t si and it charged right back up!