Develop Bugs

The Car Charger Thread

THE PURPOSE OF THIS THREAD:
I think it's about time that we collect all the Car Charger info into one database so it's easy to find and I'm willing to do the work if you folks are willing to supply the following information about your chargers by posting it in this thread:
Brand
Model number, SKU, or description.
Rated output per the info on the charger.
Does it charge in AC or USB mode (see below)?
Does it have an attached cord or "Type-A" USB socket?
Who sells it?
Do you like it?
And for the USB mode chargers:
Can it be modified to charge in AC mode (see below)
CHECKING HOW THE PHONE RECOGNIZES THE CHARGER:
Plug the phone into the charger (light must be yellow and the phone must be charging)
Tap Menu > Settings > About Phone > Battery.
The top line will say "Battery status" followed by:
Charging (AC)
Charging (USB)
NOTE: If it says "Full" then your battery is fully charged and you'll need to run it down until the light turns from green to yellow. If it says "Not charging" then your charger is not supplying power or it's not properly connected to the phone.
AC? USB? WTF??:
USB ports were originally designed for data communications with and to supply power to computer peripherals. The maximum power specification for the USB 1.x and 2.0 data devices is 500mA so a "typical" USB port in most computers and hubs is only designed to supply 500mA. But consumer electronics manufacturers have adoped the USB connector as a means to charge their devices and they didn't want to be limited to 500mA, so some changes to the USB Standard were necessary to prevent "typical" 500mA USB ports from being damaged when subjected to loads which exceed their maximum output.
In a nutshell, now modern consumer electronics devices test the status of the USB data pair (D+ & D-) when you plug a cable into them. If the data pair is shorted (less than 200 ohms) then it will assume that the cable is connected to a charger and draw as much current as the charging circuit in the device calls for. If the data pair is not shorted then the device will assume that it's connected to a data port and it will draw no more than 500mA. Unfortunately, it seems that most auto charger manufacturers (and some AC chargers) just don't get it and they're selling high-powered (1 - 1.25A typical) chargers without the data pair shorted. Consequently a device like the Evo thinks it's connected to a data port and won't even try to draw more than 500mA regardless of what the charger is capable of supplying.
MODIFYING A CHARGER SO IT'S RECOGNIZED AS AN AC CHARGER:
This will explain what you need to do but not necessarily how to do it. Brands and models are different so there are no universal instructions, however I'll post links to your detailed instructions if you post 'em and I find them (feel free to post 'em in this thread).
The bottom line is you need to open up your charger and short the D+ & D- pair. For chargers with a USB Type-A receptical you can bridge (short) pins 2&3. For chargers with an attached cord with a Micro-B plug on it you'll need to find which wires go to pins 2&3 on the plug and bridge them:
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It's important to note that the pinouts in the diagram above are for plugs. In the case of the Type-A plug a receptical will have an identical pinout, but in the case of the Micro-B plug the pinout for the receptical will be mirrored (reversed). As an added bonus, here are the complete pinouts for both plugs: Type A: 1= +5V, 2= D-, 3= D+, 4= Ground. Micro-B: 1= +5V, 2= D-, 3= D+, 4= ID, 5=Ground. The specified wire colors for USB cables are Red = +5, White= D-, Green= D+, None= ID, and Black= Ground; but some manufacturers seem to be standard-challenged so you can't always assume this will be correct.
Pete

Charger Database
CHARGERS WHICH CHARGE IN AC MODE (UNMODIFIED):
Monoprice.com Car Charger (Cigarette Lighter to USB Female Converter) #6766, 1000mA
Motorola P513 Car Charger (Micro USB), 975mA
Seidio Micro-USB High Output Car Charger, 1000mA
CHARGERS WHICH CHARGE IN USB MODE (UNMODIFIED):
Belkin MicroCharge Part # F8Z445ttP, 1000mA (**Modification Instructions)
Sprint USB Vehicle Charger - Item # PVX9501R, 850mA. (**Modification Instructions)

I strongly suggest not buying this charger if you're buying it to modify because it's a pain in the butt to get apart and it's only rated at 850mA, but I already had one and I was determined to either modify it or destroy it trying and I'm glad to say that I ultimately succeed in modifying it.
First I pried off the head. There are little indents that you can see from the back and what I did was work little screwdrivers into two of 'em at once (one on each side of a corner) and pry the corner up. Then, while holding that corner from snapping shut again, I popped the other two sides loose and the head just lifted off.
Then I stuck a fairly large-blade screwdriver in behind one of the grounding springs and pried the body halves apart far enough to get a smaller screwdriver into the seam and I basically just "worried" the seam apart working from the large end to the small. Then I repeated the process for the seam on the other side of the body.
Once the case was apart I carefully examined how everything fit into the body and lifted it all out. The chrome grounding springs come out separately and it helps if you remove them first. Once I had the guts out I found where the #2 and #3 terminal tabs poke through the circuit board and bridged them with a small bead of solder. This takes a needle-point soldering tip and a great deal of care lest you also bridge to the tiny little surface-mount resistor which is right next to the terminals. You've been warned!
Then it was a simple matter of putting the guts back into the body, snapping it back together, wicking a small amount of thin CA (super glue) into the seam to hold the halves of the body together, debonding my fingers from the case (just kidding ), and snapping the head back on.
The bottom line is it's doable, but the net result is an 850mA charger with ugly pry marks all over it, although the pry marks will end up inside the cigarette lighter where they can't be seen. I would have preferred to include photos, but my camera that does macro is at work and I didn't feel ambitious enough to go get it.
Pete

Monoprice Car Charger (Cigarette Lighter) to USB Female Converter - White
1 Amp USB charger, works properly in AC mode so no modification is needed. USB Port
http://www.monoprice.com/products/p...=10826&cs_id=1082602&p_id=6766&seq=1&format=2
Price 1.16 each comes in white or black.
3ft USB cable with micro usb head 1.00
http://www.monoprice.com/products/p...=10303&cs_id=1030307&p_id=4867&seq=1&format=2

I had to call Seidio today about an unrelated item and I asked about their Seidio Micro-USB High Output Car Charger while I had them on the phone. The gal in Customer Support didn't really grasp what I was asking about, but a guy in tech support called me back to report that he had tested the charger with an Evo and it definitely charges in AC mode.
So I added it to the appropriate list in post #2.
Pete

Would it be possible to just modify a USB cable to do this or would I have to get nitty gritty with the Kensington PowerBolt Micro bend its will?

goodboynyc said:
Would it be possible to just modify a USB cable to do this .... ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sure. All the Evo needs to see is a short between the D+ and D- (#2 and #3) pins to charge in AC mode and it doesn't care whether that short is in the cable, in one of the connectors, or in the charger. Remember that you're not telling the charger what to do .. You're telling the phone.
I've never actually owned one myself, but I've seen plenty of references to "charge-only" cables which I assume have the pins shorted. A example is the Seidio Micro USB Charging Cable (5FT) which says "This cable is for charging only, and cannot be used for data synchronization" in the product description. But I need to reiterate once again that I'm assuming that this cable has the D+ and D- conductors shorted because I can't imagine any other reason to make a charge only cable.
Pete

I was easily able to take apart the powerbolt but im unsure where to lay the solder.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App

* Brand: PointMobl Retractable Wall/Travel Power Adapter
http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=4050265
* Model number: 23-1119
* Rated output per the info on the charger:
Built in retractable cable connector: 5VDC, 1.0A
Secondary USB Port: 5VDC, 0.5A
* Does it charge in AC or USB mode: AC with built in cable connector
* Does it have an attached cord or "Type-A" USB socket:
Built in retractable micro usb cable
Secondary Type-A USB socket for charging a second device
* Who sells it: Radio Shack
* Do you like it: Yes. it charges the phone fast and full.
Edit: Sorry I just realized this isn't a car charger, but a good charger nevertheless.

goodboynyc said:
I was easily able to take apart the powerbolt but im unsure where to lay the solder.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You need to bridge the two pins in the red box:
Pete

Thanks. I figured thats what i needed to bridge. Ill probably do it tonight and give it a test followed by a proper write up.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App

Brand: Kensington
Model: PowerBolt Micro
Rated output: 2.1 Amps
Does it charge in AC or USB mode (see below)? USB
Does it have an attached cord or "Type-A" USB socket? No
Who sells it? Amazon, Newegg, etc.
Do you like it? Hell yes.
I had to short pins 2 and 3 so that my Evo could pull more than 300mA. To open the charger i just pried off the bottom half, the side without the LED, and pulled out the circuit board. I dabbed some solder on it and was off on my way.
According to current widget, the Evo now pulls ~700mA and up to 810mA which was the most I've seen so far.

cheap Ipad charger from ebay
I got this cheap Ipad charger off ebay, then I super glued this connector on the middle pins works so far. Only got about 900 mA out of the 2.1mA, but i didnt expect much out of it anyway.
First post on XDA
WELL I tried to post pictures but it wouldn't let me....

I've had this Blackberry charger for 2 years plus and it still works great. It charges in AC mode and does .95 amps. It doesn't get real hot like some I've used. I originally used it with my Tour and have been using it with the EVO since the day one launch. BTW my EVO has never had a problem in the year or so since the launch. I love the phone and will be sorry to let it go...when the SII is released.
Amazon Link $6.85 now, but when I bought it was less.

mrpickem said:
I've had this Blackberry charger for 2 years plus and it still works great. It charges in AC mode and does .95 amps. It doesn't get real hot like some I've used. I originally used it with my Tour and have been using it with the EVO since the day one launch. BTW my EVO has never had a problem in the year or so since the launch. I love the phone and will be sorry to let it go...when the SII is released.
Amazon Link $6.85 now, but when I bought it was less.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
prob gonna be buying this one

Looks cool...
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA Premium App

I recently purchased a Kensington K33497US PowerBolt Duo car charger. One USB port is rated at 2.1A for iPads and the other port is rated at 1A. Plugging my EVO 3D into either port results in "USB charging" mode. Following the advice here and in other threads, I pried open the charger and soldered a connection between pins 2 and 3 (this is on the side with the 1A port). Tested the 1A port and I now see "AC charging" on my EVO 3D. I haven't tested the actual current yet but hopefully will soon. Thanks to all who have posted their experiences.

quagman said:
I recently purchased a Kensington K33497US PowerBolt Duo car charger. One USB port is rated at 2.1A for iPads and the other port is rated at 1A. Plugging my EVO 3D into either port results in "USB charging" mode. Following the advice here and in other threads, I pried open the charger and soldered a connection between pins 2 and 3 (this is on the side with the 1A port). Tested the 1A port and I now see "AC charging" on my EVO 3D. I haven't tested the actual current yet but hopefully will soon. Thanks to all who have posted their experiences.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I tested the modified Kensington Powerbolt Duo today with my Evo 3D. The battery was at 69% and I turned on Google Navigation and took a 15 minute drive. During that time the phone was reading "AC charging" and stayed at 69% during the drive. Then on the way home I plugged in a cheap car charger I bought from eBay. My phone again said "AC charging" and in the first ten minutes of my drive the battery went from 68% to 73% with Navigation running. The phone and charger also were warm. I had turned on Current Widget for the ride home and it peaked at 720 mA with the cheap charger. I then switched back to the modified Kensington and monitored the current for around five minutes with Navigation on. The battery charge stayed at 73%. According to the Current Widget log though, the current was reading negative values up to -253 mA. Not really sure what this means.

mrpickem said:
I've had this Blackberry charger for 2 years plus and it still works great. It charges in AC mode and does .95 amps. It doesn't get real hot like some I've used. I originally used it with my Tour and have been using it with the EVO since the day one launch. BTW my EVO has never had a problem in the year or so since the launch. I love the phone and will be sorry to let it go...when the SII is released.
Amazon Link $6.85 now, but when I bought it was less.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
sorry but this charger is probably not even that good, it charges blackberrys which means its probably under 300mAH look on dealextreme for like ones that are 500mAH + under that sucks because say you use navi or somthing, it will eat more battery than it will charge. there are pretty awesome ones on DX for like 5 bucks but the thing is it takes 14 days for shipping, pretty long time. or check monoprice which is located in orange county and is a GREAT site i get my things in 2 days with them and there SUPER cheap like DX hope this helped

Brand: Schosche
Model: reVIVE II Dual USB Car Charger for iPad
Rated output: 2.1A
AC or USB Mode: USB
Cord: USB A Plug
Who sells it: ht tp://w ww.amazon.com/Scosche-reVIVE-Dual-Charger-iPad/dp/B003N7NO4Q/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1311527021&sr=8-1
Do you like it? Yes
I just found this thread. I bought this charger over 6 months ago. I thought surely that the 2.1A capability would mean this would charge as fast as the wall charger. While that has not been the case, and thanks to this thread I now know why, it at least keeps it charged while using the GPS which all of the other chargers I tried before did not.
After seeing this thread this morning I went out to my car and plugged the phone in to see what mode it was charging in. To my surprise, it said USB.
So, my question is this. Could I not simply plant a bead of solder between pins 2 and 3 of a USB cable and get the same result as modifying the charger?

[Q] Where can I get a 1A car charger in Canada?

I bought this kit from e-bay and just got it in today, so have been trying it out on my drive from home <-> work.
The problem is, the car charger they supplied doesn't seem to be sufficient to charge the phone or at least keep its battery at a constant state when I'm using it as a GPS + Streaming music. On my drive home, I started at about 50% battery life. An hour or so later, I was down to about 35ish with it plugged in nearly the entire time. So clearly it's not pumping enough juice to the device
I was thinking of buying one of these from monoprice but I wanted to make sure it really would give me enough power. Obviously the power isn't that big of an issue, but I don't want to wait for it to ship only to find out that it doesn't help anyways.
Anyone tried the monoprice one I linked to, or one of the other ones from there? Or can suggest one to buy from elsewhere? Would greatly appreciate it, thank you!
*edit*
I should mention, I have a car charger uhh splitter thing...to split the one socket into two (one for an FM transmitter, and one for the phone). Could this be a limiting factor in how much power I'm getting to the phone as well? Or should the single socket have enough power for both devices?

I got a Kensington PowerBolt from Future Shop which claims to be 2.1 amps and I still drained the battery a bit when testing the nav. Possibly not as much as you but there is still a net loss. If the charger is accurate in its power then I presume my car isn't delivering enough power.
Any car charger that supports the ipad should be well above 1.0a. Whether it delivers that is a question I cannot answer.
Im going to test direct power charging while having the nav on to see if this thing can ever charge positive while in nav mode. I wonder if that has ever been done.
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I am not aware of any car charger that is 1amp. What you are looking for is pretty rare
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App

They are a little more prevalent thanks to the ipads higher power requirements for charging.
Future Shop has a few of them available now if you want. A little expensive though at $30+. I don't see the PowerBolt anymore which is too bad since that was a slim model that barely poked out of the socket.
Sent by an Assonance.

fatttire said:
I am not aware of any car charger that is 1amp. What you are looking for is pretty rare
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Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is completely untrue... did you make this up?
Griffin makes many:
http://reviews.bestbuy.com/3545/1207248/griffin-technology-powerjolt-car-charger-reviews/reviews.htm
Belkin and Kensington make them as well. Many are now 2.1A for the iPad.
But to the OP - a 1amp charger is not going to fix your problem in most cases. You need a cable with the data pins shorted so that the phone thinks it is pulling power from something other then a USB port.
A USB port only supplies 500mA - the phone will draw a max of about 750mA; but only if it thinks it is not attached to a PC. The wall charger shorts the data connection so the phone knows to pull more current.
I purchased a dual port (1A per port) charger at target or walmart, and then a took a USB cable and cut open the cable and shorted the data wires (not red or white - but the other 2). My phone says it is charging on AC power and charging keeps up with GPS.
It is possible that you could buy a car charger with the cable built in and the circuitry set to tell the phone to draw more then the USB 500mA, but I am not sure.
But know this; if the phone does not say "AC Charging" under settings->phone-> about - like it does when the wall charger is in use; then you are only getting 500mA.

I use a 2 amp 12v to usb adapter that is use for my ecig passthrough. Charges with bluetooth, streaming music, and navigation all running but charges slowly. Something like $8 on madvapes.com
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Excellent. I am going to give that a try. I have one of those flat retractable cables so its going to be a pain in the ass to do but its worth it.
Sent by an Assonance.

alphadog00 said:
This is completely untrue... did you make this up?
Griffin makes many:
http://reviews.bestbuy.com/3545/1207248/griffin-technology-powerjolt-car-charger-reviews/reviews.htm
Belkin and Kensington make them as well. Many are now 2.1A for the iPad.
But to the OP - a 1amp charger is not going to fix your problem in most cases. You need a cable with the data pins shorted so that the phone thinks it is pulling power from something other then a USB port.
A USB port only supplies 500mA - the phone will draw a max of about 750mA; but only if it thinks it is not attached to a PC. The wall charger shorts the data connection so the phone knows to pull more current.
I purchased a dual port (1A per port) charger at target or walmart, and then a took a USB cable and cut open the cable and shorted the data wires (not red or white - but the other 2). My phone says it is charging on AC power and charging keeps up with GPS.
It is possible that you could buy a car charger with the cable built in and the circuitry set to tell the phone to draw more then the USB 500mA, but I am not sure.
But know this; if the phone does not say "AC Charging" under settings->phone-> about - like it does when the wall charger is in use; then you are only getting 500mA.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oooo that's interesting, didn't know that. So perhaps the issue could be that my cable is not supplying enough power. Are there instructions somewhere detailing how to short the cable?
lastdeadmouse said:
I use a 2 amp 12v to usb adapter that is use for my ecig passthrough. Charges with bluetooth, streaming music, and navigation all running but charges slowly. Something like $8 on madvapes.com
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you mean this? Isn't 2 amps too much though?

Didn't make it up - just havent looked in the last 6 months. Ur right they are pretty common now.
Might invest in one
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ootz0rz said:
Oooo that's interesting, didn't know that. So perhaps the issue could be that my cable is not supplying enough power. Are there instructions somewhere detailing how to short the cable?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're going to need to strip a cable so so that you can get to the individual wires for each pin. You want to short pins 2 and 3 together which are Data- and Data+. Normally that is WHITE and GREEN
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Once you do that, you'll have a charge only cable.
Here's the detailed directions:
http://talk.maemo.org/showthread.php?t=46449

I think the shorted data pins are necessary, but 2 amps wouldn't be too much. Li-ion batts love fast short charges.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App

Are you saying that the phone will only draw a max of 750mAmps and so anything greater wont provide utility?
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norcal einstein said:
You're going to need to strip a cable so so that you can get to the individual wires for each pin........
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Awesome! I'll try this out and see if it works, thank you
lastdeadmouse said:
I think the shorted data pins are necessary, but 2 amps wouldn't be too much. Li-ion batts love fast short charges.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I thought there might be a limit on how much current you can provide at any one time.
On the original subject: I've started using a different car charger, and now have it plugged directly into the socket in my car. This results in it showing up as being charged by AC power in the settings -> phone status. However, it still loses power over time instead of keeping at the same charge or (ideally) charging the phone slowly.
I'm going to see if I can get my hands on that 2A charger and modify a cable, and see what happens then.
If anyone would like to see if the same thing happens to them, the main applications I have running are:
Google Navigation
TuneIn Radio (streaming from one of the DI.FM stations, and outputting audio to the headphone jack to my car)
I have 3g and GPS on, wifi off, brightness set to auto (have also tried with it set to the lowest it goes and the highest it goes, doesn't seem to make a substantial difference. Or even if it does, there is still a net loss in battery charge.)
It's on stock rogers rom, rooted, with no lag fix. And uhhh, that's all I can think of that would be relevant.

I've got an New Trent IMP1000, which is an 11.1Ah battery pack. It can output a max of 1A, but the phone doesn't see it as an AC charger, so it only draws .5A. If I short out the two pins so that it draws more power, how will the battery life of the battery pack be? Meaning how many phone charges will I get out of it? Will it be shorter, longer, or not have an impact?

Moosehunter said:
I've got an New Trent IMP1000, which is an 11.1Ah battery pack. It can output a max of 1A, but the phone doesn't see it as an AC charger, so it only draws .5A. If I short out the two pins so that it draws more power, how will the battery life of the battery pack be? Meaning how many phone charges will I get out of it? Will it be shorter, longer, or not have an impact?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You should still get the same number of "phone charges" out from the pack...they'll just be quicker charges afaik. i.e. if the pack took 4 hours to do a full phone charge before, it may only take 2 hours now. The same amount of power is used up each time though.

any progress?

Car charger with AC "Like" wiring

Hi
When using GPS on my HOX while charging at car, the phone usually drain more battery then the charge speed, meaning i see msg of less then 30% if i want to exit.
then i searched online and i found that if the Phone find the car charger it usually change charging to 500ma and not the 1000ma usually.
1. How can i check the charging Amp ? i wont to test few of my car chargers.
2. Can anyone recommend of good AC like car charger ?
i found some Kinsington and Griffin 2.1A ones, but i'm quite sure its for iPad and still be recognized as DC (0.5A)

its not AC or DC that effects the current output of the device
you simply need to find a car charger with a 5 watt (5 volt @ 1 amp) output
like this:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Griffin-GC2...W6/ref=sr_1_12?ie=UTF8&qid=1338119269&sr=8-12
note the iphone compatibility is simply because they include an ipod cable, use the HOX cable and you'll be fine

I have to original one, and its 5v/1A
but i still read that DC identified charger gives 500ma instead of 1A in the AC one.

this is what i use, fast charging 1amp 5v
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/USB-MINI-...neChargers&hash=item5d2eda3aec#ht_1961wt_1139

Many chargers designed for iOS devices will only charge non-Apple devices at 500mA even if the charger is rated at 1A. The Battery Status will read "Charging (USB)" instead of "Charging (AC)". You can often fix this by shorting the middle two USB leads in the charger (in Type A connectors, these are the data lines). Or you can get a charge-only cable which essentially does the same thing:
http://www.amazon.com/Naztech-Micro-USB-Charging-Cable/dp/B003VYBCAY

The problem you are having is that most OEM car charger manufacturers don’t appreciate how our smartphones work, and they neglect to short the two data pins out in your charger.
When you plug your official HTC wall charger in, the phone detects that the two unnecessary data pins are shorted out (as obviously HTC know to do this) and the phone will not limit it’s own charge to 500mA.
Use an unofficial charger, and the phone see no short on the data pins and so assumes it’s plugged into a PC/laptop USB port, and will restrict it’s own charging to 500mA to prevent damage to a motherboard.
Your car charger may very well be capable of dishing out 1A, but they manufacturers just didn’t appreciate what they need to do to tell your phone to start taking it.
I have had this trouble before, and there are a couple of options.
1) Only use official HTC car charger.
2) Take a spare charging cable, and carefully peel back the insulation. Then carefully cut back the screen. You’ll find 4 wires. Red, black, green & white. It is the green and white that are data. Cut these. The end of the cable that plugs into the phone, twist the white and green cables together. Insulate with electrical tape. Tape the cable back up. NEVER USE THIS CABLE WITH A PC/LAPTOP. But you should now find you charge at AC.
Been using a modified cable in my car charger for years, including with this HOX with no problems.

Check the "battery use" under settings>power.
While charging, it will say "Charging (USB)" or "Charging (AC)". If it is charging (AC), then your cable is ok, just make sure your charger's output rating is 5V x 1A.
Also, note that if your in a hot country, and your phone is under the windsheild, under sunlight, the phone would heat up & not charge (light will flash red).

wnp_79, can i just disassemble the car charger and make the bridge there ?

Chura said:
wnp_79, can i just disassemble the car charger and make the bridge there ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes. The data pins are the two center ones I think. Should be obvious add they wont be connected to anything else in the charger. Good luck!
Sent from my HTC One X using xda premium

wnp_79 said:
Yes. The data pins are the two center ones I think. Should be obvious add they wont be connected to anything else in the charger. Good luck!
Sent from my HTC One X using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I did this with my Griffin charger, was pretty easy to disassemble and solder the two middle pins together, now shows as charging AC.

wnp_79 said:
Yes. The data pins are the two center ones I think. Should be obvious add they wont be connected to anything else in the charger. Good luck!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just purchased a PowerJolt on Amazon and noticed there were a few user-uploaded photos showing which pins soldered together. You are correct, it's the two center pins.
Interestingly, one buyer noted that their pins were already soldered together from the factory.
Source/Photos: http://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-media/product-gallery/B0042B9U8Q/ref=cm_ciu_pdp_images_0?ie=UTF8&index=0&isremote=0
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Thanks guys! Really useful info! I always thought it's my Belkin chargers fault

I think there's a bit more to it than simply shorting the data wires.
I'd try the official hox cable in the charger before messing with wires. For some reason 3rd party cables show as ac for me but the power level is severely reduced compared to the official.

Has anyone tried the HTC CC C100 or CC C200?
Bought the eBay car charger that was recommended earlier, but still get USB charging with it in my 05 Focus + the HTC charging cable
- Could my car the problem????
Anyway was looking at either the Griffin PowerJolt that was also recommended earlier or the official car charger
- Just want to make sure I get AC charging when using GPS!

*chung* said:
Has anyone tried the HTC CC C100 or CC C200?
Bought the eBay car charger that was recommended earlier, but still get USB charging with it in my 05 Focus + the HTC charging cable
- Could my car the problem????
Anyway was looking at either the Griffin PowerJolt that was also recommended earlier or the official car charger
- Just want to make sure I get AC charging when using GPS!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've got the c200 and it works at full ac speed as long as I use an official htc cable with it.

Bought CC C200 from Amazon (£4.69 from 3rd party seller, but fulfilled by Amazon)
Does give AC charging =)
Need to do some more testing, as I get AC charging using the "curly" HTC cable I got with the CC C200, with one of the other USB car chargers I have + want to double check that phone doesn't drain, using GPS even with AC charging
=)

From the testing done so far, even with AC charging - it doesn't provide enough power to run GPS (CoPilot), without losing charge & was running Core Control - using 2 cores
Going to test another car to start ruling things out =(

*chung* said:
From the testing done so far, even with AC charging - it doesn't provide enough power to run GPS (CoPilot), without losing charge & was running Core Control - using 2 cores
Going to test another car to start ruling things out =(
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I use CoPilot (v8) quite a bit, mine manages to hold charge and stay topped up.
I think being in (not very sunny UK) helps as if the One X is in direct sunlight it will warm up, add charging and use and you have a recipe for heat.
Maybe try directing an AC vent on to your handset.

*chung* said:
From the testing done so far, even with AC charging - it doesn't provide enough power to run GPS (CoPilot), without losing charge & was running Core Control - using 2 cores
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Install something like Battery Monitor and check how fast it is charging (when battery is < 80% full).
If it is < 500mah it's your charger.
I am using a Brodit holder and my One X charges when using Sygic, on full brightness and no tweaks.

Battery Monitor Widget Pro installed - monitoring seems funny, as it seems to update every few minutes, rather than "real-time"
Managed to get 1 charger / cable combination to charge AC and only just provide less power than needed (i.e. battery still went down, but a lot slower than other combos)
Still testing, but appreciate all the suggestions! Thanks!

Data cables quick charge

Man I bought 5 of the LG wall chargers that charge fast, and every data cable I buy my phone says is slow charging. Does anyone know what or where I can get a good one? These last cable arecawrsome, cloth braided wire, fits great, just slow charging...

big70tom said:
Man I bought 5 of the LG wall chargers that charge fast, and every data cable I buy my phone says is slow charging. Does anyone know what or where I can get a good one? These last cable arecawrsome, cloth braided wire, fits great, just slow charging...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would like to know too
thanks!

I read this article recently about this issue and then ordered one of these to check my USB port outputs. It's weird but the USB 3.0 port on my laptop that is meant to be the one that you can set to be activated for charging stuff when the laptop is off actually has the lowest output compared to the other USB 3.0 & USB/eSATA combo 2.0 ports.
The article recommends The Practical Meter product which does the same thing as the eBay meter but apparently comes with connectors that trick devices into drawing the full 1A/[email protected] USB power. I was trying to find an alternative product (which I would not have to order from the US and be stung with import charges for) but I was not able to. If anyone knows of one please let me know.
Currently, I am charging my G3 through a USB 3.0 port with the eBay meter which states that it's drawing 0.21A/4.80V...I don't really know much about electronics so if someone could tell me if that is good or bad it would be appreciated. Lucky that I saw your post as I am reminded now that I must get a proper wall charger. BTW what is the model number of ur LG charger so I can see the info about it?

big70tom said:
Man I bought 5 of the LG wall chargers that charge fast, and every data cable I buy my phone says is slow charging. Does anyone know what or where I can get a good one? These last cable arecawrsome, cloth braided wire, fits great, just slow charging...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi, are these chargers genuine LG? The problem with cheap Chinese copies us that they do not include certain components by which you phone decides to use more power. Its the phone that adjusts how much power it is able to draw. For example using standart usb, which if you do you research on internet, only able to supply 500ma of power (0.5A) so the phone detects that and switches to lo power draw. Another reason sometimes for low power charge is that some cheap cables does not include full 4 cables inside??? I know! Crazy! They will not connect your phone to computer because they only have power cables inside and not data cables. Anyway try your original cable with these chargers and your original charger with your non original cables to work out what is capable of what. [emoji106]
And by the way, don't get fooled with that braiding nonsense, it's only to make it look good, but it does not define the quality. [emoji44]
I have been buying Samsung branded cables for a while now, and the all seem to do the trick, the only downside is their length - I want a long cable ant the are very short, but hey, on wireless charger it makes no difference [emoji6]
---------- Post added at 11:20 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:01 AM ----------
D0MINO said:
I read this article recently about this issue and then ordered one of these to check my USB port outputs. It's weird but the USB 3.0 port on my laptop that is meant to be the one that you can set to be activated for charging stuff when the laptop is off actually has the lowest output compared to the other USB 3.0 & USB/eSATA combo 2.0 ports.
The article recommends The Practical Meter product which does the same thing as the eBay meter but apparently comes with connectors that trick devices into drawing the full 1A/[email protected] USB power. I was trying to find an alternative product (which I would not have to order from the US and be stung with import charges for) but I was not able to. If anyone knows of one please let me know.
Currently, I am charging my G3 through a USB 3.0 port with the eBay meter which states that it's drawing 0.21A/4.80V...I don't really know much about electronics so if someone could tell me if that is good or bad it would be appreciated. Lucky that I saw your post as I am reminded now that I must get a proper wall charger. BTW what is the model number of ur LG charger so I can see the info about it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi, you should not incur any import charges to UK, since tax free allowance is £18 or equivalent in other currency. Also. 0.2a or 200ma is a very low charging current, it should take whole night to charge it. I think the charger does not have certain component to let the phone know that it is capable to supply more that a standard usb?. Why not to use you charger supplied with you phone?

qWantUS said:
Hi, you should not incur any import charges to UK, since tax free allowance is £18 or equivalent in other currency. Also. 0.2a or 200ma is a very low charging current, it should take whole night to charge it. I think the charger does not have certain component to let the phone know that it is capable to supply more that a standard usb?. Why not to use you charger supplied with you phone?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes I know but often the postage takes it above that and then the VAT comes. I don't know why they include the shipping charges in with the cost of the item but I've been stung in the past like that. For international postage it's $8.50 so brings it to $28.49 or about £17.23 (xe.com) which is usually a little more generous than say Paypal so it's a little risky and might go over the boundary. In any case, I notice that they have UK stockists and also in Canada & Russia...but I have just ordered the PortaPow high speed adapter which I think is basically the same thing but cheaper and more practical and allows a 1A draw for charge.
The current cables I use are a 60cm Samsung U2 data cable with my PC or with the USB wall adapter, a 1.5m generic data one I got in Spain which is extremely well built and strong with a thick cable and solid connectors but I will try the one in the box now you mention and see if that makes a difference.
Using the 1.5m cable gives - Wall: 5.32V/0.79-80A & USB: 4.78V/0.27A. - (0.46A with the other USB ports)
Using the G3 supplied cable gives - Wall: 4.80V/0.80-83A & USB: 4.71V/0.49A - so this cable is better all round and on the USB port.
Using the Samsung gives - Wall: 5.20V/0.79-8.2A & USB: 4.80V/0.21A (The other USB 2 & 3 ports: 5.04V/0.47A)
It seems the USB port I always use and that is for charging when the laptop is off is unpredictable and has something possibly defective with it as it gives 0.45-49A with the G3 cable but much lower with the rest so I will keep the Samsung one for the PC but use the other USB 3.0 port and use the 1.5m on the USB wall adapter.
Do you know how much an actual wall adapter (non USB) gives out? Will it be around the same as a wall USB adapter or much more?

If I put the original dat cable on the wall charger units I purchased, no problem, if I use the New cables on the original wall charger I got with the phone, I get the slow charge message, so the problem has to be the cables

big70tom said:
If I put the original dat cable on the wall charger units I purchased, no problem, if I use the New cables on the original wall charger I got with the phone, I get the slow charge message, so the problem has to be the cables
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually, I just noticed but the LG cable is giving me the charging slowly message too on the other USB 3.0 port...I just plugged it back into the older one that was giving me 0.2A and now it's giving me 0.5A and no slow charge message! WTF is going on?! lol

D0MINO said:
Actually, I just noticed but the LG cable is giving me the charging slowly message too on the other USB 3.0 port...I just plugged it back into the older one that was giving me 0.2A and now it's giving me 0.5A and no slow charge message! WTF is going on?! lol
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Charging from a PC irrespective of USB 2.0 or USB 3.0 will always give you a slow charge. The factory charger charges at 1.8A compared to the max of 0.5A from a PC.

So does anyone know of cables that allow 1.8

big70tom said:
So does anyone know of cables that allow 1.8
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
All the stock cables yu get with phones now a days allow it. Just make sure they are the originals

I picked this one off Amazon for the G2 and worked great, sadly not available...
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I'm trying to get extras...maybe LG has one

I guess I need to be the one that says any manufacturer's USB cable that works at all should be able to do at least 1 amp charging. USB spec is .5 amp, so that isn't surprising. Laptops that don't recognize something plugged into the port may not send the full voltage in order to save power, it depends on the manufacturer. The stock cable should easily handle 2.1 amp.
In short, the problem is much more likely to be the charging adapter or the USB port not putting out enough voltage, not the cable itself.
At least its not Apple which requires you to have iTunes installed to charge iDevices properly off of a USB port.

big70tom said:
I'm trying to get extras...maybe LG has one
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My HTC M8 Quick charger's USB cable seems to work fine with the LG 1.8amp charger but at least here in the UK the HTC charger is difficult to get find. So not the best answer to your query, sorry.

Note7 Supports 25W USB-C Fast Charging - 50% in 30 minutes

The wall charger that comes with the Note7 is different than Samsung's previous adaptive chargers.
Here's mine from my Note5 which is the same used with the S7-series
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Here's the one from the Note7
And this is from Samsung's website. The terminology under fast charging is a bit muddled. I take it to mean that the charging tech Samsung's using in the Note7 is proprietary and if you use the charger with other USB-C or legacy Samsung devices it drops down to standard 2A charging like the previous adaptive charger.
Fast Charging
With new 25W USB-C Fast Charge technology, your battery can go from zero to up to 50% in about 30 minutes, so you can spend less time connected to an outlet. The 25W USB-C Fast Charge wall charger will charge the Galaxy Note7 and other USB-C devices without the Fast Charging feature as well, with up to a 2 Amp charging rate.
Rapid Charging
The Samsung Fast Charge Wall Charger plugs into any standard wall outlet via the included AC adapter. This Samsung charger has a standard output of 2 Amp to give your phone power at a much faster rate than your typical 1 Amp or 700mAh charger.
Flexibility
The Samsung Wall Charger also comes with a detachable USB to USB-C cable, which allows you to charge your phone from the USB port on your computer or other USB power source if you aren’t near a wall outlet. You can sync and transfer files with your Galaxy or any other smartphone using the USB-C cable.
http://www.samsung.com/us/mobile/mo...--detachable-usb-c-usb-cable--ep-ta300cwegus/​

This has been my confusing question. I assumed they would give it the more QC3 type rapid charge of some sort but wasn't sure. Glad its able to. I never use cabled charge but when I do, its because I need it stat. The more "stat" the better in that example.

This might be a thread hijack (if so, I can make a new thread), but anyone know if I'll get rapid charging if I were to plug the phone into my computer's USB 3.1 Type C port? (desktop PC)
Sent from my SM-G930W8 using Tapatalk

Devhux said:
This might be a thread hijack (if so, I can make a new thread), but anyone know if I'll get rapid charging if I were to plug the phone into my computer's USB 3.1 Type C port? (desktop PC)
Sent from my SM-G930W8 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unless your computer can pump out 12v2.1a ( hint: it likely can't) then no.
Sent from my LG-H901 using Tapatalk

It took over an hour for my S4 to get to 50% so this makes me happy

toastido said:
Unless your computer can pump out 12v2.1a ( hint: it likely can't) then no.
Sent from my LG-H901 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hard to say. I know the computer supports USB Power Delivery 2.0 through that port (using an onboard Intel USB 3.1 controller), but apparently the phone would need to support that as well (and I don't know what profiles of USB Power Delivery the controller supports).
http://www.phonearena.com/news/All-...pe-C-connector-and-USB-Power-Delivery_id71868

BarryH_GEG said:
The wall charger that comes with the Note7 is different than Samsung's previous adaptive chargers.
Here's mine from my Note5 which is the same used with the S7-series
Here's the one from the Note7
And this is from Samsung's website. The terminology under fast charging is a bit muddled. I take it to mean that the charging tech Samsung's using in the Note7 is proprietary and if you use the charger with other USB-C or legacy Samsung devices it drops down to standard 2A charging like the previous adaptive charger.
Fast Charging
With new 25W USB-C Fast Charge technology, your battery can go from zero to up to 50% in about 30 minutes, so you can spend less time connected to an outlet. The 25W USB-C Fast Charge wall charger will charge the Galaxy Note7 and other USB-C devices without the Fast Charging feature as well, with up to a 2 Amp charging rate.
Rapid Charging
The Samsung Fast Charge Wall Charger plugs into any standard wall outlet via the included AC adapter. This Samsung charger has a standard output of 2 Amp to give your phone power at a much faster rate than your typical 1 Amp or 700mAh charger.
Flexibility
The Samsung Wall Charger also comes with a detachable USB to USB-C cable, which allows you to charge your phone from the USB port on your computer or other USB power source if you aren’t near a wall outlet. You can sync and transfer files with your Galaxy or any other smartphone using the USB-C cable.
http://www.samsung.com/us/mobile/mo...--detachable-usb-c-usb-cable--ep-ta300cwegus/​
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is the Charger in Box QC 3.0 or 2.0 ?

ilordvader said:
Is the Charger in Box QC 3.0 or 2.0 ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm guessing neither because Samsung didn't use Qualcomm's Quick Charge feature on the S7-series. Samsung's Adaptive Fast Charging seems to be proprietary and is used on both Exynos and Snapdragon phones. Hence the terminology in the product description for the adapter that says "The 25W USB-C Fast Charge wall charger will charge the Galaxy Note7 and other USB-C devices without the Fast Charging feature as well, with up to a 2 Amp charging rate." I take that to mean that Samsung's charger and cable aren't USB-C spec compliant and won't work beyond the standard 2A output with other devices including those using USB-C. Once the phone's out I'm sure there will be lots of threads/posts discussing what Samsung's interpretation of USB-C really is.

Wait a minute...25W charging rate, even with a middling 75% transfer efficiency, should charge the battery by 50% in 20 minutes. And at 75% eff (a good charger would be in the 80s), it would make the phone pretty hot, as it would be dissipating 6W in waste heat. That's twice the power of the Snapdragon running full tilt. I'll be interested to see what th real rate is.

The phone is NOT going to charge at 12V/2.1A/25W. Samsung is likely just "future-proofing" chargers for a little while or making them compatible with larger devices that need more power. Nothing new in regards to the Note7's charging capability.

My charger on the US T-mobile variant did not come with an adapter that lists 12V...

cbutters said:
My charger on the US T-mobile variant did not come with an adapter that lists 12V...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nor did mine.

I'd like to know if anyone has tested a Samsung 25W charger with the Note 7. The fact that they included a 15W charger speaks to the contrary, but it's currently an unknown.

The Note7 is listed as a supported device if you pull up the 25watt charger on Samsung's website

Devhux said:
This might be a thread hijack (if so, I can make a new thread), but anyone know if I'll get rapid charging if I were to plug the phone into my computer's USB 3.1 Type C port? (desktop PC)
Sent from my SM-G930W8 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well for sure it doesn't support USB PD @ 29 W from the Macbook USB-C charger. Seems to only get 5-10 W out of it, and same from the Macbook itself.

Where did the 12V/2.1A/25.2W charger come from?
Mine came with a 5V/2A and 9V/1.67A charger.
Edit - so I did some research online. That charger was meant for the Galaxy Tab Pro S? Which functions more like a Windows 10 laptop than a tablet.
Are you sure the EP-TA300 is compatible with the Exynos Note 7?

A Chinese Website Chongdiantou has proven that both the Snapdragon 820 and the Exynos 8890 variants of Note 7 support USB Type-C Power Delivery and can handle up to 25W of power input.
I am not allowed to post outside links. You can google "实测：这几款USB PD充电器支持三星Note7快充-充电头网" and see the readings on the power monitor.

cbutters said:
My charger on the US T-mobile variant did not come with an adapter that lists 12V...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Compusmurf said:
Nor did mine.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
same here!

cbutters said:
The Note7 is listed as a supported device if you pull up the 25watt charger on Samsung's website
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hmmm... Dont know if I'd plug my Not 7 into that new Super fast charger as of now. It may charge it much faster but with a 50/50 chance of it exploding every charge is too risky for me.

I have these two. One is much larger then the stock Note 7 charger. Note 7 stock on the left and the fat boy on the right. Both came with USB-C cables.
Is the fat one on the right safe to use with the Note 7?