Develop Bugs

Car charging issues

I have found that when charging my HTC phone (Kaiser now, used to be a Blue Angel) in my car, if I use a cigarette lighter splitter (So that I can charge another device too) that even if nothing else is plugged into the splitter, the phone will not charge properly. It seems to get enough power to maintain charge, but if I am low on batt, then charge the phone and use it for satnav while I drive, when I finish the journey, the phone has not charged.
This does not seem to be the case if I plug the phone charger directly into the cigarette lighter socket instead of via the splitter.
Knowing a little about electricity, I guess the splitter is running the sockets in parallel or something and dividing the power between the sockets?
Any ideas on what I could do? I would imagine a car battery has plenty of power, maybe it just isn't being distributed properly. I guess the splitter is possibly limited such that it can't pass too much power if only one device is connected?
All the devices I want to use can power from USB, so I am guessing that the solution is maybe a USB hub designed for car use. I have 3 items typically that I want to be able to charge, so a 4 port hub would be nice. Anyone know where to get one in the UK?

I've got the same issue with my car charger (HTC Mogul phone), although for me it doesn't matter whether I use a splitter. Where did you get your charger? Maybe it just isn't supplying enough power.
While it's true that having two devices in parallel causes half the current to flow to one and half to the other (assuming they have the same resistance), the power supplies should be more than capable of pushing enough current for each device, especially when the car is running (and you're getting your electricity off the alternator).

well I thought it could be a dodgy cable but I just got an official HTC car charger for my kaiser and am observing the same thing.
It could have been the cigarette lighter->USB converter or the retractible sync cable I used to use, I will do some more tests and see if I can work out which bit is causing the problem - it wasn't until just recently that I had an official end-to-end solution (ie one HTC car lighter to miniusb cable) so I will try connecting it up various ways, but it isn't exactly quick to test if it is good or not as you need your phone low on batt and to be driving around for an hour or two to see if it is charging properly.

Flat Batteries
Seems XDA has software to prevent charging batteries which are too flat. (Perhaps to protect internal circuitry).
I recommend this thread which has a solution:
http://www.htcwizardweb.net/node/2013#comment-3808
I made it work OK but it is a fiddly job. An external charger for these batteries would be great but I can't find one.
Good luck !

I have the same issue. The battery has refused to charge when its below 40% or so. I now carry a spare in the car, especially as I often depend on Sat nav working!

yeah I had that low batt thing happen with my BA once or twice.
Actually, now I have kept an eye on it, it doesn't seem that bad with my kaiser. I no longer use my car lighter usb adapter though - I use the HTC car charger into a 3-in-1 splitter (usb, extusb, 3.5mm audio) and from that into my Kaiser and it seems to charge the kaiser ok (albeit a little slowly) even when I have a cigarette lighter splitter also powering an RF transmitter.
So I think maybe the weak link was the car lighter to usb adapter, maybe it was outputting too little power on the USB rails.

Car Charger died
I'll jump on an old thread...
My HTC branded car charger (that I got from sending in the post card) worked fine for my Cingular 8525 until a few weeks ago. Then it got flakey and now it doesn't want to work at all.
My 8525 will still charge on my laptop connected cradle and the AC charger.
Has anyone seen any failures in these chargers?
Any recommendations on chargers that are reliable?
Dave.

So why is my battery draining while charging?

I've noticed this happening any time I tether via USB or use GPS navigation while plugged in. Even though I'm connected and charging, I slowly but surely discharge. This weekend I used Google Nav for 2 hours and lost 20% of my battery while charging! On Juice Plotter, I notice the green charging glow at the bottom is a more transparent shade of green (as opposed to solid green when solely charging). Any ideas what causes this or how to avoid it? It seems to be recent.

TheBiles said:
I've noticed this happening any time I tether via USB or use GPS navigation while plugged in. Even though I'm connected and charging, I slowly but surely discharge. This weekend I used Google Nav for 2 hours and lost 20% of my battery while charging! On Juice Plotter, I notice the green charging glow at the bottom is a more transparent shade of green (as opposed to solid green when solely charging). Any ideas what causes this or how to avoid it? It seems to be recent.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Let me guess, you're charging off a USB port in your laptop, or using the data cable that came with the phone in your car charger?
Not all USB sources (or cables, for that matter) are created equally. Most PC/laptop ports put out 500mAh, half of what the Evo is designed to take (the factory AC adapter, the wall plug, is 1000mAh, aka 1amp).
Since it's only getting half the draw it can't quite keep up with how much power you're sucking away from the battery. This is usually only present when using the device heavily, such as with the screen on and GPS or WiFi/3G actively running.
The charging indicator (at least on Sense) indicates if it's getting the full "AC" charge (1amp) or if it's getting a reduced current charge. Sounds like that's what you're noticing.
My wife's Samsung Moment charger is 700mAh/0.7amp, and it can keep my Evo steady during use (it's powering it for 3G+WiFi tether right now), but it doesn't really charge fast at all, basically it just keeps it from depleting.
I've been meaning to try one of the USB Y-cables that join 2 standard USB ports to one female port for combined power of 1amp, but I'm not sure it will work as I hope. Anyway, I'll report back if I get around to it.
Otherwise, use an actual 1amp AC adapter whenever possible. Shop on eBay, chargers are stupid cheap. Just look for one that says it can do 1amp/1000mAh. If you're using the phone at work and want to have a convenient charging source, get one of the $20 docking cradles with an AC adapter on eBay. If it's in your car, any 12v USB charger should work, as long as you use a proper pass-through charging micro USB cable and not a "data cable". There's a slight difference in how the pins are wired inside. The Rocket Fish brand of micro USB cables are known to work (that's how I charge mine at full power in my car).

Way to go GT. Are you a student? I'm an ME phd student.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App

sprocket87 said:
Let me guess, you're charging off a USB port in your laptop, or using the data cable that came with the phone in your car charger?
Not all USB sources (or cables, for that matter) are created equally. Most PC/laptop ports put out 500mAh, half of what the Evo is designed to take (the factory AC adapter, the wall plug, is 1000mAh, aka 1amp).
Since it's only getting half the draw it can't quite keep up with how much power you're sucking away from the battery. This is usually only present when using the device heavily, such as with the screen on and GPS or WiFi/3G actively running.
The charging indicator (at least on Sense) indicates if it's getting the full "AC" charge (1amp) or if it's getting a reduced current charge. Sounds like that's what you're noticing.
My wife's Samsung Moment charger is 700mAh/0.7amp, and it can keep my Evo steady during use (it's powering it for 3G+WiFi tether right now), but it doesn't really charge fast at all, basically it just keeps it from depleting.
I've been meaning to try one of the USB Y-cables that join 2 standard USB ports to one female port for combined power of 1amp, but I'm not sure it will work as I hope. Anyway, I'll report back if I get around to it.
Otherwise, use an actual 1amp AC adapter whenever possible. Shop on eBay, chargers are stupid cheap. Just look for one that says it can do 1amp/1000mAh. If you're using the phone at work and want to have a convenient charging source, get one of the $20 docking cradles with an AC adapter on eBay. If it's in your car, any 12v USB charger should work, as long as you use a proper pass-through charging micro USB cable and not a "data cable". There's a slight difference in how the pins are wired inside. The Rocket Fish brand of micro USB cables are known to work (that's how I charge mine at full power in my car).
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I'm using the included charging cable. Doesn't that have full capacity? I also use a standard USB adapter in the car. It seems like that would be able to output the correct amount of volts.
gtkansan said:
Way to go GT. Are you a student? I'm an ME phd student.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
3rd year CmpE.

I had the same problem until I noticed how hot my phone was using the nav. 13 hour drive. I purchased a vent cradle for the car and so that it can stay cool while in use and charging. While the other guy may be right theoretically, its not right practically. The evo will shut off its mini usb hub once it starts getting dangerously hot so that it won't damage your phone. Long story short make sure your phone is at safe temps no need to buy another charger for your evo. keep at cool temps so that phone won't cut off power supply will even shut your phone down if its way to hot, happened to me in atlanta not fun.
"Insert Fancy Quote"

TheBiles said:
I'm using the included charging cable. Doesn't that have full capacity? I also use a standard USB adapter in the car. It seems like that would be able to output the correct amount of volts.
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Click to collapse
When you say "included charging cable" do you mean the wall plug that came with the Evo or just the cable with a USB connector on one end and a micro USB on the other end? Because THAT cable is pinned as a data transfer cable and designed to relay only half voltage no matter what you plug it into. I know, because it only charged my Evo at slow speed when plugged into my USB car charger. Once I replaced it with the Rocket Fish cable it charged at full speed.
kwilbur3 said:
I had the same problem until I noticed how hot my phone was using the nav. 13 hour drive. I purchased a vent cradle for the car and so that it can stay cool while in use and charging. While the other guy may be right theoretically, its not right practically. The evo will shut off its mini usb hub once it starts getting dangerously hot so that it won't damage your phone. Long story short make sure your phone is at safe temps no need to buy another charger for your evo. keep at cool temps so that phone won't cut off power supply will even shut your phone down if its way to hot, happened to me in atlanta not fun.
"Insert Fancy Quote"
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See above. While I agree that heat will kill the battery and possibly trigger a shutoff, I don't think that's his problem. If you use the wrong cable or charger you will only get half charging current.

sprocket87 said:
When you say "included charging cable" do you mean the wall plug that came with the Evo or just the cable with a USB connector on one end and a micro USB on the other end? Because THAT cable is pinned as a data transfer cable and designed to relay only half voltage no matter what you plug it into. I know, because it only charged my Evo at slow speed when plugged into my USB car charger. Once I replaced it with the Rocket Fish cable it charged at full speed.
See above. While I agree that heat will kill the battery and possibly trigger a shutoff, I don't think that's his problem. If you use the wrong cable or charger you will only get half charging current.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I mean the USB cable that comes in the box with the EVO that plugs into the AC adapter. Maybe I will look into a new cable then. Hmm.
Edit: Those Rocketfish cables that you mentioned seem to be ungodly expensive. No way in hell am I going to pay more than $5 for a USB cable. Any alternatives?

TheBiles said:
I mean the USB cable that comes in the box with the EVO that plugs into the AC adapter. Maybe I will look into a new cable then. Hmm.
Edit: Those Rocketfish cables that you mentioned seem to be ungodly expensive. No way in hell am I going to pay more than $5 for a USB cable. Any alternatives?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is the one I got: http://cgi.ebay.com/ROCKETFISH-MOBI...ARGING-CABLE-/350384355972?pt=PDA_Accessories
$3 shipped
And there are 2 USB cables that came with the Evo (mine anyway), a thick one that was bundled with the wall charger and a thin one that's intended just for data sync. The thin one doesn't seem to charge at full speed.
If you're using the other one and it's STILL draining then maybe there is an issue with heat or something, like the other guy said. Is the phone SUPER hot at the base, where the kickstand is, when this happens?

OP - I am having the same problem. I'm 95% sure it's caused by something wrong in CM6 regarding how it handles USB charging. Past few nightlies I have been leaving my phone on the charger doing NOTHING overnight and it goes dead.
This CANNOT be due to lack of charging strength:
#1 the same exact charger worked perfectly in the past, before I flashed a certain nightly - not sure which one exactly it started in
#2 if it was charging, but slowly why in the world would the battery drain when I have it underclocked to 245 mhz and the phone is sleeping with screen off?
On my standard charger that came with the phone it is working fine even though it's a USB that plugs into an adapter - not sure why this doesn't work with my other one that I had from another phone since it worked perfectly before. Something is definitely odd with CM6 and USB charging.

sprocket87 said:
This is the one I got: http://cgi.ebay.com/ROCKETFISH-MOBI...ARGING-CABLE-/350384355972?pt=PDA_Accessories
$3 shipped
And there are 2 USB cables that came with the Evo (mine anyway), a thick one that was bundled with the wall charger and a thin one that's intended just for data sync. The thin one doesn't seem to charge at full speed.
If you're using the other one and it's STILL draining then maybe there is an issue with heat or something, like the other guy said. Is the phone SUPER hot at the base, where the kickstand is, when this happens?
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Click to collapse
That's odd, because my EVO only came with the one cable for the adapter. Phone stays cool.
berardi said:
OP - I am having the same problem. I'm 95% sure it's caused by something wrong in CM6 regarding how it handles USB charging. Past few nightlies I have been leaving my phone on the charger doing NOTHING overnight and it goes dead.
This CANNOT be due to lack of charging strength:
#1 the same exact charger worked perfectly in the past, before I flashed a certain nightly - not sure which one exactly it started in
#2 if it was charging, but slowly why in the world would the battery drain when I have it underclocked to 245 mhz and the phone is sleeping with screen off?
On my standard charger that came with the phone it is working fine even though it's a USB that plugs into an adapter - not sure why this doesn't work with my other one that I had from another phone since it worked perfectly before. Something is definitely odd with CM6 and USB charging.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've also noticed lately that my phone will charge insanely fast. Like from 30% to 90% in half an hour.

Sprocket - stupid question here... do these Rocket Fish charging cables also handle data transfer just as well as the stock micro-usb cable that came with the phone or would someone want to have one JUST for charging and keep their stock cable for data transfer purposes?

TheBiles said:
That's odd, because my EVO only came with the one cable for the adapter. Phone stays cool.
I've also noticed lately that my phone will charge insanely fast. Like from 30% to 90% in half an hour.
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Click to collapse
Sorry I was unclear - the other cable I have that is the problem is one from another phone but the same type, and up until recently it worked perfectly.

Brodit active car holder won't charge the S2

Hey guys,
I got my brodit active car holder now for a few days and it seems it doesn't supply enough juice to the S2 while in use :-(
While navigating with navigon, it even loses charge, though it's connected .... that's really disapointing, since brodit normally supplies quality products.
Anyone else got the brodit active holder with the same problems?
boba

Not got the Brodit, but I have the same problem when using CoPilot and charging via the USB cable attached to a car charger. It can keep the charge at current level with CoPilot on, but will only charge with CoPilot off.
Also noticed if SII has less than 50% charge, it won't charge at all with CoPilot on.
Taking a punt on one of these to see if it makes a difference:
http://www.buyincoins.com/details/d...-for-ipad-iphone-4g-ipod-2a-product-2748.html

Which holder do you have exactly? Can you make a photo?
Does it toggle car dock in the S2? You can see a steering wheel in notification bar.
ALexander

I was thinking exactly the same thing this lunchtime. I have the cigarete lighter active Brodit mount and - if i makes any difference - a 2004 Vauxhall Astra H. I as wondering if I would have to turn off the nice things [like satellite view, etc] on the phone for it to survive the journey. Not happy.

boba23 said:
Well I don't know the exact reason yet, but it seems the S2 doesn't accept enough juice from the charger,
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is the S2 in USB AC Mode?
Take a look here: Einstellungen - Telefoninfo - Status
Yesterday I modified a Brodit active car holder from the good old htc HD2 to fit the S2. Now I have fast charging (AC) and Car-Mode.

I currently own some chargers. Not the original one, well the UK Version with no use in Austria.
A 1A HTC Charger with USB socket, a 450mA noname charger with USB socket and a no name car charger with micro usb.
The car charger and the HTC charger show charging(AC) whilst the noname 450mA charger shows charging(USB)...
It would be interesting to measure the exact mA taken by the phone...
ALexander

CurrentWidget doesn't work...
ALexander

Hi all,
Okay, I've now tried four different chargers, and I've also had the phone replaced. Today, in a last attempt, I bought an official Samsung charger.
NONE of them work - even though the phone says "charging on AC" for all of them.
The only thing I haven't tried is a different car (which I'm going to do, once my neighbour gets home).
The one sensible suggestion I've read is that Samsung have screwed up somewhere in software and the phone can't draw enough juice.
Electronics is beyond my little brain, so I don't get why the GS2 charges from my netbook (even when it's only on battery) but won't charge in the car.
And I'm not talking when I'm using satnav. It won't charge at all. In fact (weirdly) it actually DISCHARGES much faster than it does if it's just sitting in my pocket.
I've logged this with my provider (Voda UK), because I refuse to get stuck with a useless phone for the next 18 months if this isn't sorted out. It's ludicrous. If I can't charge the phone in the car it's as good as useless to me.

UPDATE:
Okay, I just tried my neighbour's car (Vauxhall Astra) and the GS2 charged perfectly. 3% in four minutes. Pretty much what I get off the mains charger.
I wish I knew about electrics but I don't. Explanations will have to come from the boffins round here.
I tell you what, though. I don't really want to get a new car just to use my phone properly

Do you have any chsrger with a led?
If the led stays dark the cigarette lighgter of your car might need a new fuse.
Which car?
Sent from my GT-I9100 using XDA Premium App

Ive ordered one of these mounts and will report how it behaves in my 2008 Civic

barneypooch said:
UPDATE:
Okay, I just tried my neighbour's car (Vauxhall Astra) and the GS2 charged perfectly. 3% in four minutes. Pretty much what I get off the mains charger.
I wish I knew about electrics but I don't. Explanations will have to come from the boffins round here.
I tell you what, though. I don't really want to get a new car just to use my phone properly
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You might be able to change to a higher amp fuse in your car fusebox.

eddablin said:
You might be able to change to a higher amp fuse in your car fusebox.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ROFL!! Genius!

Brodit mount arrived and looks great. Fit and design excellent and seems to charge as I would want.
Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk

So what charger do you guys advice? Which charger does charge the phone, even while navigating with Navigon?

I got the Brodit active charger (BR512...), there isn't a problem with charging at all.
I think the issue you got is really car related. My guess:
a) your cigarette lighter port is poorly wired -> Measure voltage at the port with a voltmeter, it should be at least 12V DC (Edit: Even if it does there is still the possibility that your wiring is bad, showing 12V doesn't mean it can handle the current this charger needs)
b) your cigarette lighter port doesn't make a good contact to the brodit plug. Check for corrosion of the contacts, dust, dirt, etc. Some ports go bad after lots of plug in / out cycles.
If you have no idea what I'm talking about here, I'm pretty sure every car mechanic can fix your problem for a small amount of money
Edit: it's very possible this plug works with other chargers and phones and still fails with the S2 charger. The reason for this is the different ways chargers convert the car's 12V DC into 5V DC. Some might work down to 7V input, some already **** up at 11.8V

I have the same problem with my GSII trying to charge it with my 12V Ipod adapter...
I just arrive from a short travel with my Citroën Xsara and i almost got lost cose the phone discharged all the time while using IGO on the phone...
I don't think this is car related because there are so many people with different cars having this problem... so... Samsung wants me to buy a new car to be able to use their phone in travels?

Hi guys, just thought I'd try to clear up a few of things:
1. All phones can use more power than they can draw. Note that the more apps you use, the more juice you draw depending on their features.
2. Not all CLAs are the same. Most modern devices will need 2amps, but the majority of CLAs on the market are 1 - 1.2amp units.
3. Your device will stop charging if it reaches a certain temperature, without giving you any further indication that it is too hot. This is a common scenario if you've got a phone on the dash giving guidance, with the sun rays beating a back. And yes this does mean dedicated satnav devices have a greater operational temperature range than phones, usually a 15-20 degree difference (celcius).
4. If the CLA is being tripped out due to poor isolation (a lot of cars suffer from this) it will also stop charging.
5. In general terms, the lower the battery level of the device, the more juice it pulls. This is why you may find you ha email no problems getting a small charge when you start with a battery at 85%, but your phone dies if the battery is 50% or less.
Hope that helps.
Sent from my GT-I9100 using XDA Premium App

OK, I have no idea what the problem is. I have a Brodit active charger (the cig-plug version) for my Galaxy SII. It's not charging my phone AT ALL. There is no sound, nothing displayed on my phone when I connect it. I have the charger led (blue light) on, so I know it's working.
Things I have tried so far:
1. Asked for a replacement from Brodit. Got it, no difference.
2. Tried with a different car (I have a BMW, my wife a brand new Toyota Auris) - doesn't charge it either.
3. Tried a different no-name universal charger - it works perfectly well, the phone is charging as expected. Other things like the GPS device also work fine.
4. Tried a different kernel and ROM on my phone, still no success.
Any suggestions are welcome.

LazyPawn said:
OK, I have no idea what the problem is. I have a Brodit active charger (the cig-plug version) for my Galaxy SII. It's not charging my phone AT ALL. There is no sound, nothing displayed on my phone when I connect it. I have the charger led (blue light) on, so I know it's working.
Things I have tried so far:
1. Asked for a replacement from Brodit. Got it, no difference.
2. Tried with a different car (I have a BMW, my wife a brand new Toyota Auris) - doesn't charge it either.
3. Tried a different no-name universal charger - it works perfectly well, the phone is charging as expected. Other things like the GPS device also work fine.
4. Tried a different kernel and ROM on my phone, still no success.
Any suggestions are welcome.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thats strange, in the first place i thought a faulty micro-usb or charger. But you got it replaced so can't be the problem.
I have a brodit with charger too, but i use it in a different way, meaning i can remove my holder and unplug it without unplugging my charger. ( near my holder i have a small connector that i can unplug).
What i did is cutting the cable from the charger and i did put a male usb port on it ( regular male usb port) and i have a Belkin charger with a usb port, this charger deliver 1A charging current and charge my phone even when i use my navigation. ( with bluetooth and gps on).
Your phones micro-usb seems to be fine too because it charge with other brands of chargers.
Your BMW delivers enough power i guess at your cigarette lighter plug, because it doesn't charge at the Toyota either and both not delivering enough power would be coincidence.
Anyway mine works perfect the way i did it and if i can remember it worked too with my original plug attached too. ( though the original one doesn't provide enough power sometimes to keep it charged while using navigation).
The only thing i can think of is that there is some stress-pressure on your connection between phone and holder connection and that one pin isn't connected properly, with the universal charger you only plug the micro-usb plug in your phone and the micro-usb plug can adjust freely to your phones micro-usb port.
Try to wiggle a bit with your phone when in the holder and see if the power comes on. Or try to connect a little device on your holders micro-usb port ( if you have something small that charge over micro-usb) and see if that works.

I got the evo hdmi dock that sprint sells today, not really charging.

The light comes on most of the time but it still doesnt really seem to be charging it. Any idea what's up?

Swap the USB cable and use the one that came with your phone. Lots of times the USB cables are the culprit.

Don't have the one that came with my phone but I've tried a few different cables
Sent from my PC36100 using xda premium

Is the phone active during the charging time and does the phone charge normally without the dock? I've noticed that with my stock sprint EVO car dock plugged in, when used to navigate (GPS), screen on and perhaps playing music through the aux connection, the phone only holds its own. Won't fully charge, but won't discharge either and if I turn off the screen or spotify, the phone will charge, just slowly.
As the USB cable plugs into the dock, not the phone when it's mounted, removing the phone and plugging in directly has the phone charge normally.

patass, can I get a link for the dock? Sounds interesting, I might try it myself as I have the cable that came w/ my phone.

Car Dock Stopped Working

I have been using the official car dock since it came out at it has worked great.
Yesterday my phone wouldn't go into dock mode when insert, It also didn't charge.
Because I was at critical battery level I tried plugging my phone straight into the charger and it still didn't charge.
I assumed my cigarette lighter fuse had blown so I replaced that. Dock and charger still didn't work.
Tried a different charger. It worked going straight into the phone.
Plugged the charger into the dock and still cant get my phone connected to it.
Did something fry my charger and dock?
Any suggestions on how to get it working?