Hi, everyone:
I just got the HTC EVO car dock a few weeks ago, and I'm mostly pleased with it. One strange thing, though - it appears that the phone's battery will not charge as quickly as it used to, if it charges at all.
This evening, I tried an experiment. I had my 1A charger connected to the EVO dock, then I docked my EVO. When I go into Settings/About Phone/Status, Battery status shows Charging (USB). However, when I remove my phone from the dock and plug it into the charger directly, Battery status shows Charging (AC)!
I haven't been able to find an answer to this problem. One thread here stated it is a problem with Froyo and the dock application, that it only allows charging via USB, but I can't corroborate that. I found another thread that said it's a safety feature, that it won't charge a hot battery, but in my testing above, the battery is fairly cool and I still get different results.
Has anyone else come across this problem? Perhaps it's just a defective dock? Otherwise it's a fantastic car dock, but I'd hate to find out it has a design flaw that borks charging. Thanks!
The car dock does charge as usb mainly bc the dock has a slightly different pin set putting the phone into navigation mode ..but also decreasing contact with the port ...
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I have the same car charging problem, although I don't use a dock, or the docking application. I just cannot charge in the car. The EVO reports that it is charging (AC), yet no electrons flow toward the phone from the car, as reported by both Current Widget and SnapTurbo's widget.
I've been looking for a solution to this issue for a while. The car's power port works fine. I can plug the home charger into an inverter and plug the inverter into the power port and that works perfectly. I have tried three different brands of car charger and none work. My next solution will be to find a DC12 to USB adapter and use my regular USB cable and see.
Hopefully we can get some answers.
OK, a little more info:
I installed CurrentWidget, and I logged my half-hour commute. For one log, I had the phone plugged in the Dock. For the other, I had my phone plugged in directly from the charger. For both sessions, I had 3G and GPS on, Car Home was running and I had the navigation program open. Here's what I found:
Phone in Dock average draw: -77.419Ma
Phone out of Dock average draw: +136.0588Ma
So, my unscientific conclusion is that the dock is somehow losing over 200Ma. With Nav, 3G and GPS running, that's enough to change the phone from a charging state to a dis-charging state.
I guess I'm going to return this dock. It's a shame, really, because otherwise it's a well-build, easy-to-use dock. But if it's not going to charge my phone while driving, it doesn't make sense to use.
It's not the dock, its froyo...when the dock is placed into dock mode by grounding pin 4 ANY dock that truly places the phone into dock mode will do it...I built a dock cable when the phone launched, it worked fine..now after froyo it and the HTC dock cause the usb only charging rate as well as the 3.5 jack volume fix..(won't go any louder)
It is the suck. I'm the OP on the HTC dock now available thread, I've had the thing a long time and had it apart, its power and ground with a jumper to ground pin 4..that's it..no data wires..that's also why it wont let u mount the usb...also the suck...hope that helps your problem..
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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.
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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.
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
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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.
I recently sold my old Toyota Rav4 which only had a standard cigarette lighter car charger. I used a cheap charger I've had since my old Blackberry Tour to charge my ET4G. I work on the road a lot and used the car charger a lot for about the last 10 months til my phone started dying on me. Sprint store tested the phone and said the battery was slightly swollen and definitely showed signs of being damaged which in turn damaged the terminals on the phone causing constant reboots. I paid $35 to have Sprint/Samsung replace the phone as it was less than a yr old and under warranty.
I now have a new car and new ET4G. New car has USB port under the radio as well as 2 standard car charging ports. I've done several searches and read several threads about different voltages and which ones actually charge phones and tablets etc but none have answered my question. The question is is USB charging any safer than standard car charger? I've been told by a friend that fluctuations in the cars battery can send different amounts of charge to the phone and damage it over time. Both methods charge my phone so I don't care which one I use though I'd rather use USB as my USB cord is just 1.5 feet long (perfect length to reach my phone mount).
For some reason they actually gave me a new ET4G not a refurb and it works great. I don't want to damage the battery on this one and would like to keep it alive and sell it when I upgrade phones around December. That's only a few months away but I'd like to know I'm not damaging the battery in the mean time. Any input would be great. Thanks in advance and sorry for the lengthy write up.
Anyone with any input? Anyone use USB to micro USB in their cars?
Don't know if the new car is also a Toyota but here goes...
04 and 10 Toyotas - tried a cheapo MicroUSB charger and the voltage actually drained the battery! So I bought a $10 lighter to USB port charger, plugged in the cable and charges like a champ!
It really depends on how much power they're pushing through the USB port and whether the E4GT can regulate it. I'm finding it to work great - and MTP mode should give you access to the music on the head unit. (Again, *if* it's a newer Toyota...)
Most radios and internal usb ports will be 500ma (same as a standard computer usb port). That is only enough to charge the phone when it is sleeping. Just snag a $10 adapter that puts out 1a.
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Thank you both. I just drove 2 hours with Bluetooth on and GPS running while connected to USB. Battery drained 8% which isn't much so it wasn't strong enough to charge it but slowed down drain.
The new car is a 2013 Hyundai Elantra GT (It's a new model to Hyundai). The cigarette charger doesn't seem to over heat the phone like my Toyota did. I'll ask Hyundai how much charge the cigarette lighter port puts out I guess.
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I highly recommend the OEM Motorola car charger. Got mine on Amazon for $6. It was the only charger that would work on my old phone because it had voltage control. Any generic charger would only drain my battery while still displaying the charging animation.
Plus it has a cool blue glow to it.
Ravaged Pheonix said:
I highly recommend the OEM Motorola car charger. Got mine on Amazon for $6. It was the only charger that would work on my old phone because it had voltage control. Any generic charger would only drain my battery while still displaying the charging animation.
Plus it has a cool blue glow to it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sweet, I'll take a look at it. I heard back from Hyundai and the guy said he has no documentation on it yet since its a new model but if I wanted to swing by he could test it real quick and let me know. Today was hot as hell. I got in the car and blasted the AC. Put the phone on the USB charger and after about 10 minutes I got a warning on my screen saying phone is too hot and charging has stopped. I didn't even have GPS on or anything. I quickly unplugged the phone and it was fine after that. How can the USB overheat the phone when it can't even charge it while I run GPS and Bluetooth? I wasn't too happy. I used a brand new USB to micro USB cord from Monoprice (5 pin if that makes a difference).