Develop Bugs

MDA Cradle Mod

**** Cradle mod not working!!!
I modded my MDA cradle. Didn't work out. I think that the USB bus isn't suplying enough power. When I put the MDA in the cradle it syncs without any problem and the charging LED goes to yellow, even the power meter says "charging". Strange enough after half a day on the cradle the MDA doesn't charge. It completely depleted. So I needed the charge it using the external charger.
I rececked the connections and used my multimeter to verify the power. It does supply the 5V. But I think that the 500mA is not enough to charge the 2A beast.
Niels

charging issues
Maybe you already did this but make sure that you turn off the unit while charging. Make it turn off automatically after a few minutes. It will occasionally wake up and if it's not set to shut off it won't charge enough compared to the screen draw on power. The USB 500ma is enough it just takes longer (around 8 hours) compared to the 2amp charger ~1-2 hrs.
Mike

Re: charging issues
mtarro said:
Maybe you already did this but make sure that you turn off the unit while charging. Make it turn off automatically after a few minutes. It will occasionally wake up and if it's not set to shut off it won't charge enough compared to the screen draw on power. The USB 500ma is enough it just takes longer (around 8 hours) compared to the 2amp charger ~1-2 hrs.
Mike
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, you're right I don't turn it off. I'll try that for a change.
Thanks

Niels, also make sure that you connect the MDA cradle directly to a port on your PC/Laptop, and not via a USB hub. USB hubs are known for not being able to provide enough juice.

MDA Cradle Mod and now it is charging
Got it working now!. I remodded the craddle (yes soldered again!) I connected it to my computers' 5V circuit. No problems now. I can leave it on AND charge it.

Trent iFuel 5000mAH External Battery $30 (4/19/12)

http://mobile.dailysteals.com/
* 5,000mAH capacity
* Standard USB connector so anything that can charge from USB, can charge off this.
* Specs show this item outputs [email protected], this is good for us Nitro users for 3 reasons:
...1) Using navigation is a HIGH battery drain, the high amperage of this kit should be able to keep up.
...2) Higher amperage out, means faster battery charge
...3) MOST IMPORTANTLY: If you drain the battery all the way down on the Nitro, it will NOT start charging again unless you plug in a power source with high amperage out (at least 750ma, in my experience). This kit should provide the power needed in case of such situations
* Comes with: Mini and Micro USB smartphone connectors (Our Nitro uses the micro USB).

so pretty much we have to recharge the charger though

If you're looking at it from the perspective of being a battery charger, and having to charge the charger, then I can what you're saying... But I see it as more of a tiny power source that's readily available if and when there's nowhere to plug my phone in (or whatever else I might need to charge that uses USB).
I'll admit, I've got 2 other portable battery power packs and just about the only times I've really taken them out is to top-off the charge on them...But it's one of those type things where is better to have it and not need it, then to need it and not have it.

[Q] MHL cable not charging

So i got an MHL cable to connect my 1X to my tv to play snes games with a bluetooth controller
It works fine, plus it looks great... BUT!
The phone says it's charging.. little red light, battery info says charging, but it looses charge as i use it.
Just finished playing a snes emulator for 30 mins. I had the phone in airplane mode, plus the screen brightness on the lowest setting.
After 30 mins it went from 85% to 72%!! plus it was really warn/hot.
Is this normal? Is it because the screen is still on on the 1X?
Does the media link thingy work better? does the screen turn off on the phone when using that?
Anyone else got an MHL cable? does your phone loose charge while using it?

Under heavy use, charging in USB mode (500mA limit) will usually still see the battery level decrease. Are you putting the auxiliary charger off a USB out from your TV/console? If so this will be the case.
I have only given my MHL adapter a quick try. Not really used it in anger yet. Can't say for sure what would happen if you used a wall charger instead of a USB one. No doubt the charge wouldn't drop, but would want to keep a very close eye on the temperature!
Are you rooted?

i think the mhl adapters (mine at least) has a maximum output, to the phone, of 500ma.
This means even if you plugin a wall charger @ 1A, then it will still only provide the phone 500ma of power max.
The rest of the power goes to actually powering the cable itself, in order to get the picture on the tv.
the reason it drains, is because the consumption of the screen/cpu is greater than the 500ma of power that the mhl adapter is providing.

Thanks for the reply.
My phone is not rooted. It's just a standard out of the box 1X.
Also, when using the MHL cable the phone was plugged into the mains charger & was still loosing charge! plus it was very warm..
Maybe i'll try to find some info about those charging dock/cradle things with the HDMI out. Maybe that be better???
lawrence750 said:
i think the mhl adapters (mine at least) has a maximum output, to the phone, of 500ma.
This means even if you plugin a wall charger @ 1A, then it will still only provide the phone 500ma of power max.
The rest of the power goes to actually powering the cable itself, in order to get the picture on the tv.
the reason it drains, is because the consumption of the screen/cpu is greater than the 500ma of power that the mhl adapter is providing.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ah, ok.. that makes sense really.
I did think maybe there was more power being used than coming in... shame you can't turn the screen off on the 1X.

I think you have already done the sensible thing of trying airplane mode and min screen brightness. If it still heats up doing that on USB charging, then it's unlikely a different dock/adapter would see a reduction in drain & heat. I'd save your money there.
I only asked about root in case you could try Core Control to reduce heating, but never mind there.
Only thing I found that kept my phone cool when charging under heavy use (before I rooted it), was making sure I took the case off and I rest it on a granite drinks coaster I have! Draws the heat out of the phone very efficiently!

[Q] [ION and possibly others] Phone loosing charge while charging via car charger

Hi,
I use my Xperia Ion (running rooted stock JB) as a navigation and dashcam unit. So naturally I want it plugged in while I have it in my car. However I have noticed a slight "bug". The way I understand how the charging works is that the phone will charge at full power (1-1.2A) until a certain point (% of battery) and then go into trickle charge mode (300 to 600mA). When using my phone the following function are in use:
Bluetooth
LCD
GPS
Camera
Wi-Fi/mobile data
Phone
This will all need power. And while the phone does seem to charge in the car if the battery is low (>50%), it will stop at 70ish %. Depending on the charger I use it will stay at 70% or start draining again. With some chargers the phone only drains power and will never charge unless I keep power use to a minimum. I.e. not use it.
I have tried many power sources. These include:
Motorola dual port charger (for Motorola Atrix car dock)
Quality brand universal USB charger
Sony Xperia charger
Laboratory power supply with different configurations on the USB data pins
(shorting D+ and D-, voltage divider 2.1V on both pins, 2.5V on one and 2.1V on the other pin) the last config offered fast charge (1A)
The Phone does not seem to be smart enough to know that it needs more power and should therefore not enter slow charging mode if the power drain is higher that the power input. I have measured the current while the phone is charging and have determined that the phone indeed does charge with high current in the beginning but then lowers the current as the battery voltage increases.
My Question is then as follows:
Do other people suffer the same problem with their phone when trying to use it a lot while charging with a car charger like me? Does the phone also discharge while "charging" with a car charger? Does the phone only charge to the certain point and then stay there or even discharge again?
And the most important question:
Is there a way to make the phone stay in full fast charge mode?

t.Lancer said:
Hi,
I use my Xperia Ion (running rooted stock JB) as a navigation and dashcam unit. So naturally I want it plugged in while I have it in my car. However I have noticed a slight "bug". The way I understand how the charging works is that the phone will charge at full power (1-1.2A) until a certain point (% of battery) and then go into trickle charge mode (300 to 600mA). When using my phone the following function are in use:
Bluetooth
LCD
GPS
Camera
Wi-Fi/mobile data
Phone
This will all need power. And while the phone does seem to charge in the car if the battery is low (>50%), it will stop at 70ish %. Depending on the charger I use it will stay at 70% or start draining again. With some chargers the phone only drains power and will never charge unless I keep power use to a minimum. I.e. not use it.
I have tried many power sources. These include:
Motorola dual port charger (for Motorola Atrix car dock)
Quality brand universal USB charger
Sony Xperia charger
Laboratory power supply with different configurations on the USB data pins
(shorting D+ and D-, voltage divider 2.1V on both pins, 2.5V on one and 2.1V on the other pin) the last config offered fast charge (1A)
The Phone does not seem to be smart enough to know that it needs more power and should therefore not enter slow charging mode if the power drain is higher that the power input. I have measured the current while the phone is charging and have determined that the phone indeed does charge with high current in the beginning but then lowers the current as the battery voltage increases.
My Question is then as follows:
Do other people suffer the same problem with their phone when trying to use it a lot while charging with a car charger like me? Does the phone also discharge while "charging" with a car charger? Does the phone only charge to the certain point and then stay there or even discharge again?
And the most important question:
Is there a way to make the phone stay in full fast charge mode?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had the same problem, I changed from Stock JB to Rogers Slim JB and calibrate the battery with this https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.nema.batterycalibration&hl=es
It helps somehow, but battery sometimes using the phone to much on car charger loses charge.

[Q] charging via USB working?

Hi, I am trying to charge my ATT Note 4 using USB (connecting it to laptop).
The status shows charging but my battery doesn't get charged.
Anyone else experiencing same issue?

The PC puts out much less amperage (how fast the current is coming out) the wall charger is bit over double...so for a battery to charge it must have a faster current coming then it is drawing...so your PC is barely giving more current then it is drawing or your phone is doing a lot of stuff and drawing more current then your PC can send...
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N910A using XDA Free mobile app

this never used t happen with my other phones..
is anyone else having the same prob???

These phones have heavy power requirements. On my Note 3 I would sometimes notice the power actually drop while plugged into a computer's USB port if I was actively using it.
Computer USB ports are rated for 5V @ 500mA (2.5W). The adaptive fast charger supplied with the note 4 is capable of 9V @ 1,670mA (15W). That is a 6X difference.
If you direly need to charge the Note 4 from a computer USB power source, you could try ultra power saving mode... or better yet turn it off for a bit
3.7V 3200mAh battery given 5V 500mA would take at least 4.7hrs to charge under no added load (device off) and not taking the final taper charge into account (the last 5-10%)
The adaptive charger slowly drops the power to taper the battery, lithium's are very sensitive to overcharge and must not go over a certain voltage especially as it gets close to being full.