Develop Bugs

Please sell me your car charger

I have been trying to get hold of a working car charger for the Universal that would charge the phone while it is running navigational programs but to no avail.
If anyone has any for sale, do let me know.

vapor said:
I have been trying to get hold of a working car charger for the Universal that would charge the phone while it is running navigational programs but to no avail.
If anyone has any for sale, do let me know.
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The car charger costs barely $5 in china and on ebay. It can be purchased from anywhere. I use the car charger that i got with my Holux GPS reciever. I have a lot of car chargers. This is how they work. You plug in your USB cord into the car charger and the car charger goes into the cigarette lighter in the car. I am not selling mine. Go get one from ebay. Just search on ebay for USB car charger.

nuclear said:
The car charger costs barely $5 in china and on ebay. It can be purchased from anywhere. I use the car charger that i got with my Holux GPS reciever. I have a lot of car chargers. This is how they work. You plug in your USB cord into the car charger and the car charger goes into the cigarette lighter in the car. I am not selling mine. Go get one from ebay. Just search on ebay for USB car charger.
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I have done so and the thing, its either I'm having bad luck with them or there's something wrong with my phone. The best I ever got was that it charged the phone when it was OFF but when I switched it on, the charge disappears.
I tried using my GPS's car charger and another USB Car Charger as well but they both do not work and I do not know why.
I have spent so much searching for the right car charger which is why I am so desperate now just to get a second hand one that would definitely work.

vapor said:
I have done so and the thing, its either I'm having bad luck with them or there's something wrong with my phone. The best I ever got was that it charged the phone when it was OFF but when I switched it on, the charge disappears.
I tried using my GPS's car charger and another USB Car Charger as well but they both do not work and I do not know why.
I have spent so much searching for the right car charger which is why I am so desperate now just to get a second hand one that would definitely work.
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I think you'll find this has been discussed here before, try searching.
FYI, I used the charger from my Holux GPS, and whilst it works, it dosn't charge whilst using TomTom. If you try a long trip with this setup, you will find that the battery charge drops. This charger is good only for topping up the Uni whilst not in use. I use the genuine iMate charger and this does run TT and charge at the same time. You need the higher amperage of the iMate charger.
Mav

mavrik64 said:
I think you'll find this has been discussed here before, try searching.
FYI, I used the charger from my Holux GPS, and whilst it works, it dosn't charge whilst using TomTom. If you try a long trip with this setup, you will find that the battery charge drops. This charger is good only for topping up the Uni whilst not in use. I use the genuine iMate charger and this does run TT and charge at the same time. You need the higher amperage of the iMate charger.
Mav
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Nope, my car charger works fine in charging the Universal while in use and turned off. It just charges a bit slower while in use and thats quite an obious reason.
Only thing to consider is how much the output levels are of the car charger.

Thanks for your input guys
I have done my research on the car chargers and from my understanding, the only reason could be the shorting of pins 4 and 5, or something along those lines. Other than that, I have tried out various models of chargers and they do not work.
For those who say you need a higher output, I have tried those rated at 1000mAh which is that charger output for the wall unit. This charger connects to the USB cable yet even when I tried a couple of types of USB cables, it still did not charge the phone.
I also used a lower output of 850mAh and it worked fine with the cables tested abouve, so it shows the cable had no problem. But it could only charge the Universal when the phone was turned off. When switched on, the phone does not even charge, not even in the least bit and I am not sure why. Surely 850mAh is more than enough to get it charging while on the navigational (TomTom) programs because when I connect my Universal to my laptop to charge, I am still able to run TomTom and that charge is only rated at 500mAh.
Thus you can see why I am so frustrated with all these charges. If any of you are able to point me in the direction of getting an original chrager online, I would be more than grateful for your help and guidance. I also wouldn't mind buying a third-party charger as long as it works perfectly with the phone when running nagivational programs.

This is the one i have. works brilliantly, charges universal and BT GPS reciever and lets me use my copilot navigation software.
http://www.easydevices.co.uk/sp/searchbox13/products.asp?partno=MTCUSJASJR
http://www.mdapro.co.uk/shop/xcart/T-Mobile-MDA-PRO-Handsfree-Custom-Car-Kit-with-speaker-pr-36.html

vapor said:
Thanks for your input guys
<snip>
I also used a lower output of 850mAh and it worked fine with the cables tested abouve, so it shows the cable had no problem. But it could only charge the Universal when the phone was turned off. When switched on, the phone does not even charge, not even in the least bit and I am not sure why. .
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Well, I can only guess the 1000mAh you tried may have been defective???
My car charger is the iMate genuine car charger. This rated at 1000mAh and works great. It charges and runs TT6 no problem. (well, that was untill it packed up the other night so I'm sending back under warranty) But it did work great.
All the best
Mav

Poundland have a USB car adapter that works perfectly with your USB lead to charge the Exec - works fine on mine!

mavrik64 said:
Well, I can only guess the 1000mAh you tried may have been defective???
My car charger is the iMate genuine car charger. This rated at 1000mAh and works great. It charges and runs TT6 no problem. (well, that was untill it packed up the other night so I'm sending back under warranty) But it did work great.
All the best
Mav
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I thought that could be the case but it charges my GPSr fine so had to strike that one out.

wassa said:
This is the one i have. works brilliantly, charges universal and BT GPS reciever and lets me use my copilot navigation software.
http://www.easydevices.co.uk/sp/searchbox13/products.asp?partno=MTCUSJASJR
http://www.mdapro.co.uk/shop/xcart/T-Mobile-MDA-PRO-Handsfree-Custom-Car-Kit-with-speaker-pr-36.html
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Hi Wassa you se co pilot - so do i - so please can you tell me what onthe easy devices what you chose for the correct cable that will owrk with the bluetooth gps unit.
cheers mate - thanks for your help.
lr

re: car charging problems
just one thing to ask: are you a smoker?
I only say this because i use a usb car charger and it only charges faster than it drains if you are careful to blow/clean all the fag ash out of the socket in the car to get a good connection. Otherwise the charging led sometimes comes on but cant supply enough power to charge quicker than my universal drains its battery

mickey_jaw said:
just one thing to ask: are you a smoker?
I only say this because i use a usb car charger and it only charges faster than it drains if you are careful to blow/clean all the fag ash out of the socket in the car to get a good connection. Otherwise the charging led sometimes comes on but cant supply enough power to charge quicker than my universal drains its battery
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nah I do not smoke so I do not see why it should be happening.

mickey_jaw said:
just one thing to ask: are you a smoker?
I only say this because i use a usb car charger and it only charges faster than it drains if you are careful to blow/clean all the fag ash out of the socket in the car to get a good connection. Otherwise the charging led sometimes comes on but cant supply enough power to charge quicker than my universal drains its battery
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I never get ash in there. Its impossible to get ash in there unless you really want it there. You are supposed to use the knob and not stick your cig in there. lol

I have used a Belkin one, one that I bought for an iPod that has a standard USB socket you can plug any cable into, and a cheap ebay one.
They all work, BUT.. you have to plug them in when the device is off. Once the charge light comes on, you can turn it on, and it will charge, although slowly.
If you plug it in while the device is on, it will not start charging.
I don't know why this is, but considering it's the same on all 3 chargers, and I have seen people complaining about this on the Universal a few times, I think it's just the way things are.

AlanJC said:
I have used a Belkin one, one that I bought for an iPod that has a standard USB socket you can plug any cable into, and a cheap ebay one.
They all work, BUT.. you have to plug them in when the device is off. Once the charge light comes on, you can turn it on, and it will charge, although slowly.
If you plug it in while the device is on, it will not start charging.
I don't know why this is, but considering it's the same on all 3 chargers, and I have seen people complaining about this on the Universal a few times, I think it's just the way things are.
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Yup because at first i was wondering too why my device isnt charging. Actually the charge light on my GPS came on quicker than the Universal.lol... i had to wait for a few moments and kept trying till the universal began charging. So yeah you gotta wait with the universal shut off.

I have not bothered reading all the replies but the problem with most car chargers is the AMPS, the voltage is right @ 5 volts but the amps is usually 0.5. Ideally the universal needs 1 or 2 amps, the new tomtom standalone units use 2 Amp USB car chargers and are a direct fit for our universals !!! isnt that convenient.

I don't have a charger as such but I use - strangely enough - a sony psp usb cord that goes through a USB cigarette adapter picked up from a poundshop here in UK ( a shop that sells lots of cheap gadgetry - for the non british of you )that also has a connector that is exactly what is needed for my fortuna bluetooth . it works fine . I realise that it does not recharge the phone but keeps it charged . I've not tried the usb to usb mini through the usb lighter adapter though . I guess that the trick its to have a charged universal before you leave on a trip .

I found I was having trouble charging my Universal with a USB adaptor in the car. The "charging" light would only come in if the phone was off, and while it would stay on when the phone turned on, it would not actually be charging and the damned thing would eventually run out of charge (I drive lots).
I eventually realised that if I turned the screen brightness down to it's lowest illumination whilst charging it worked fine. Obviously not much power comes out of the socket...
Now my battery has packed up due to another issue, but turn the screen down and it should be fine.

Voltage Regulator 5v / 2a /
I have read with interest all the comments and solution here and thought it might help to add mine what I have made and fitted to all my vehicles is a mini USB power supply, simply cut the pc plug from a mini USB lead and add one UA 78S05
VOLTAGE REGULATOR 5V / 2A /
http://www.donberg.ie/descript/u/ua78s05.htm
Connect the input leg to 12 v dc bolt the regulator to a GOOD earth/heat sink (car body) and off you go up to 2 amps @5v BUT DO TEST WITH VOLT METER BEFORE CONNECTING PPC

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.
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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
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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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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.
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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?
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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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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.
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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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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.

Charging while in use (or lack there of)

Is it me or does this thing not charge while in use? I'm using the a/c adapter btw

It works for me when hooked up to my laptop. It goes slower depending on how many resources are being used. My G1 wouldn't charge while navigation was on for instance and my Nexus S barely charged at all while I was navigating.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium

All I'm doing it texting and surfing. I' trying to charge it before I board my 8 hour flight to Europe. I have two movies on here I want to watch and the charge has only gone down since I plugged it in. It just slows down the rate. I'm starting to think my Galaxy Nexus is a dud. I barely get 9 hours with light use. My brightness is always below halfway.

I guess I'm alone on this issue, or nonissue I should say

With the AC adapter that doesn't happen to me but with the car adapter I can't figure out a way for it to charge instead of lose battery while using Navigation and Bluetooth. All car chargers are detected as USB and I have tried several adapters... (purchased and returned 3 different adapters including Samsung one and have 3 other adapters myself)

bump......

Not charging while on car charger
I'm having the same issue. I find it difficult to believe there are a limited number of us with this problem.

dagoat said:
I'm having the same issue. I find it difficult to believe there are a limited number of us with this problem.
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Are you using the AC charger that came with the phone or an old one/third party? You could be running into the same issue as the guy with the car charger(see below). Not all microusb chargers are created equally.
PCC said:
With the AC adapter that doesn't happen to me but with the car adapter I can't figure out a way for it to charge instead of lose battery while using Navigation and Bluetooth. All car chargers are detected as USB and I have tried several adapters... (purchased and returned 3 different adapters including Samsung one and have 3 other adapters myself)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Make sure the car charger you're using is at least a 1AMP charger. Anything less than that and the phone will use a USB charging mode. You can see the ampage of a particular charger on the bottom/backside. Its usually in very small print but its there.
BTW the Galaxy Nexus can actually run off wall paper alone(i.e. no battery inserted) on a 2.1AMP charger that comes with most tablets these days. I use my Galaxy Tab charger for it!
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus

as unremarked said, you need a 1AMP car charger to get it to work. i had to buy a new one.
As far as the AC charger, the one that the phone came with i had issues charging, but i went back to a black berry charger i bought as a replacement for my nexus one, and i can be playing cordy on that and the battery stays charged.

I have a verizon charger leftover from my Droid 1 and I drove across the country a few days ago using navigation 100% of the trip. I also had a few hours of conversation and regularly streamed podcasts and music. I did all of this with the extended battery at a full charge always. The charger was never even noticeably warm. The trip took 3 days and I didn't charge over night so each day started below a full charge.
I suspect you have a problem with one of three things. Either the phone has a bad charging component, your battery is defective or your charger has less output than it claims.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium

Most USB chargers are only 500mA. Which isn't a lot considering it takes 2100mA just to keep it on.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA App

It's happening again, I can't use this thing while charging. I put it in airplane mode and it still dies while I'm using it. It doesn't shutdown either, it just cuts off. It's plugged into the wall btw.

rashad1 said:
It's happening again, I can't use this thing while charging. I put it in airplane mode and it still dies while I'm using it. It doesn't shutdown either, it just cuts off. It's plugged into the wall btw.
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Did you bother to read anything in this thread?
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus

Yeah I did. I've never had this issue with any phone that I've owned.

make sure it's charging in 'AC Mode' and put a chunk of dry ice underneath it w/ some protection in between.
you are welcome !

rashad1 said:
Yeah I did. I've never had this issue with any phone that I've owned.
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If you did, then you'd realize its less likely an issue with your phone and more likely you're using a charger that doesn't push enough power to the phone.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus

unremarked said:
If you did, then you'd realize its less likely an issue with your phone and more likely you're using a charger that doesn't push enough power to the phone.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus
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Its the one that came with the phone, 1A 500V, pretty standard these days.

A few comments:
All USB cables are not alike. Not all transmit the proper power. So with your AC adapter, you might try other USB cables to have the phone see it as "AC" and not "USB".
The Verizon car charger does work properly with the Galaxy Nexus, and is seen as "AC" power. Interestingly, if you use the 2nd USB port, even with a cable that does function correctly, it is still seen as "USB" and not "AC". So only the primary connection there will provide full power.
I'm also still looking for a car charger, other than Verizon's, that will be seen as "AC" - I'd get the Verizon one, but don't like the "curly" cord, since I'm duct taping it across my dash, and it's a lot more bulky than a regular straight cord.

Cheyse said:
Most USB chargers are only 500mA. Which isn't a lot considering it takes 2100mA just to keep it on.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA App
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If it takes 2100ma to keep it on it would never ever charge on any charger.
Also, considering the fact the battery is only 1750mah that mean the device would only stay on for around 45 minutes before being fully discharged if it wasn't plugged in.
Somehow your figures are a bit off.
---------- Post added at 09:34 AM ---------- Previous post was at 09:23 AM ----------
DLCPhoto said:
A few comments:
All USB cables are not alike. Not all transmit the proper power. So with your AC adapter, you might try other USB cables to have the phone see it as "AC" and not "USB".
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How does a USB cable "not transmit the proper power?" What is "proper power" as opposed to "improper power?" Power goes through the RED wire in the USB cable. That's a USB spec. Either it carries current or it does not.
Some devices need to see 2 USB pins to be jumpered in order to set charge on (the Galaxy Tablet is notorious for this which is why you can buy a special cable adapter to create this jumpered charger pin if you are not using their "special" charger. This adapter allows you to to be able to charge the tablet off USB which it normally won't do, faking the tablet to make it think it's on the AC charger, albeit very slow).

MisterEdF said:
If it takes 2100ma to keep it on it would never ever charge on any charger.
Also, considering the fact the battery is only 1750mah that mean the device would only stay on for around 45 minutes before being fully discharged if it wasn't plugged in.
Somehow your figures are a bit off.
---------- Post added at 09:34 AM ---------- Previous post was at 09:23 AM ----------
How does a USB cable "not transmit the proper power?" What is "proper power" as opposed to "improper power?" Power goes through the RED wire in the USB cable. That's a USB spec. Either it carries current or it does not.
Some devices need to see 2 USB pins to be jumpered in order to set charge on (the Galaxy Tablet is notorious for this which is why you can buy a special cable adapter to create this jumpered charger pin if you are not using their "special" charger. This adapter allows you to to be able to charge the tablet off USB which it normally won't do, faking the tablet to make it think it's on the AC charger, albeit very slow).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What I meant is that using the official Verizon car charger, I connected my Galaxy Nexus with the built-in micro USB connector, and my phone showed it to be charging, and the source recognized as "AC". I then tried connecting it using a couple of different cables, using the secondary USB slot on the Verizon charger:
When I used the cable from my wife's LG Env Touch, my Galaxy Nexus didn't show it as charging at all. It apparently wasn't receiving enough to even be recognized as "USB" charging.
When I used the cable that came with my Galaxy Nexus, plugged into the same USB port on the Verizon charger, my phone showed it being charged, but with the source shown as "USB".
So the type of cable will impact whether or not a given adapter will even charge the phone. And the charger itself also has an impact.
To get the phone to charge, and the source recognized as "AC" you are going to need the right charger and cable. As I said, the Verizon charger, using the built-in cable, works fine.

Automobile Quick Charging Solution

What is the best solution for quick charging the Galaxy Nexus in an automobile?

I have started to use 12-220 volt converter so I can use wall chargers.

I have bought a few of the low profile car usb chargers but they were never recognized as an AC charge. Come to find out, it was the USB cable. I bought a usb charging cable from Amazon last week and it goes in the USB charger and the phone does not think it is a USB charge. I have not timed it but it is recognized the same as the wall charger.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003VYBCAY

ellisz said:
I have bought a few of the low profile car usb chargers but they were never recognized as an AC charge. Come to find out, it was the USB cable. I bought a usb charging cable from Amazon last week and it goes in the USB charger and the phone does not think it is a USB charge. I have not timed it but it is recognized the same as the wall charger.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003VYBCAY
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Click to collapse
+1 .. this solution has been working great for me, as well.

I've been getting 2.1A car chargers (look for ones for the iPad), most of the ones I had prior to this were 700mA or so and they can't keep up with my 1A phones. Be careful of dual port chargers advertising 2A, they may only be 1A each and may be "optimistic" about that rating. And don't worry about getting one rated for too much current, the Galaxy Nexus won't pull more than an amp no matter what the charger rating.

Some really good solutions here and thank you all for the help.
I'd really hate to use an inventer in my car just to maintain a clean install, so that really isnt an option for me.
Was really hoping to be able to use a off the shelf car charger with the correct pins to trick the GNexus into thinking that it was charging from a USB port, but the above solution should work well with using a socket USB charger.

I've never run into a car adapter that looks like a USB port, including the VZW charger with a spare port or the cheap 2.1A chargers I got from Amazon. My guess is that a charger not built correctly and leaving the data pins open only supports ~500mA anyway. Even if that's not the case I have a moral objection toward buying a cable to fix a design flaw in another cheap product - but that's just me

Grant H said:
Some really good solutions here and thank you all for the help.
I'd really hate to use an inventer in my car just to maintain a clean install, so that really isnt an option for me.
Was really hoping to be able to use a off the shelf car charger with the correct pins to trick the GNexus into thinking that it was charging from a USB port, but the above solution should work well with using a socket USB charger.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've got a charger similar to http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/USB-Car-...ccessories&hash=item4ab18358f4#ht_1638wt_1392
All I had to do was undo the screws at the top, put a bit of solder between the middle usb pins, and my phone recognises it as a AC source rather than USB.

There has got to be a standard car charger on the market with the middle usb pins already soldiered!
I found this on Amazon which advertises itself as a rapid charging device.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000S5Q9CA

Grant H said:
What is the best solution for quick charging the Galaxy Nexus in an automobile?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Make sure the charger has the IC (rapid) chip. I use this one:
http://www.amazon.com/Motorola-Vehicle-Adapter-micro-USB-Charger/dp/B000S5Q9CA

I've heard that Motorola one mentioned a lot as a good one.
The nice thing about having the low-profile usb plug is (a) it is low profile, (b) I can use it to charge other devices. The charge-only cable is only about $4, so I had no issues buying it to work with this to charge as an AC charge over a USB charge.

Grant H said:
There has got to be a standard car charger on the market with the middle usb pins already soldiered!
I found this on Amazon which advertises itself as a rapid charging device.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000S5Q9CA
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have this one and it charges just like it does from the home outlet and its says "AC" charging. I bought another 8 for family and friends and they all love it.

I think I've figured out the disconnect, I've run into chargers that appear as a USB host which limits the charging to 500mA on previous phones I've had.
You guys are concerned about USB vs. AC charging mode. Of the chargers I've got, this one lists as AC while the rest as USB. However, the fact that the other chargers all work just fine keeping up with GPS+streaming music indicates that the USB vs. AC really has no bearing on the charge current delivered. I'd stay away from charge-only cables just because they'll get mixed in with your standard USB cables and you'll knock yourself out wondering why they don't work. On the other hand, if you really want AC in your battery info order the one I linked.

I keep it in my car... i think I've heard on other threads that USB charging doesn't keep up with GPS (for Directions). Any verify?
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA App

TheKaz said:
I keep it in my car... i think I've heard on other threads that USB charging doesn't keep up with GPS (for Directions). Any verify?
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What's much more important is the rating on the power source. The GN can pull up to 1000mA, if your charger is only rated for 800mA (like many car chargers) it doesn't matter if it's in AC mode.

jdbower said:
What's much more important is the rating on the power source. The GN can pull up to 1000mA, if your charger is only rated for 800mA (like many car chargers) it doesn't matter if it's in AC mode.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
makes sense.. the one I use has dual usb (1.0 and 2.1)

You went and gave me a project for the weekend, and once again science prevails over anecdotal evidence. I took each of my 5 chargers and hooked them up to a 12V power supply that measures current. I then recorded whether the charger reported AC or USB, for the ones with USB I modified a right-angle adapter to short out the data pins, and I measured the current. The contenders:
Verizon Wireless Dual Charger
XTG Dual Port Charger
Griffen Powerjolt Dual USB Charger
Griffen Portjolt Micro
CostMad Dual USB Charger
The VZW model was USB out the external port as I had tested before, however AC out the built-in cable which I hadn't bothered to test. It pulled 0.25A @12V via the USB port and 0.59A via the cable. Hmmm... A hole develops in my previous observation. While I had used this on a long car trip with no issues, it was via the built-in cable.
The XTG was new, I hadn't used it before as it's in the car I rarely drive. It reported USB and 0.22A. With the adapter to make it report AC it pulled 0.48A.
The pattern was set. I had expected the Griffen adapters to be built more appropriately but the dual charger reported 0.22A without the adapter and 0.42A with. I had used this without losing charge in the past so this was surprising to me, but it's possible I just wasn't drawing as much current because the screen was dimmer or something.
The compact Griffen adapter (which is great for a laptop bag, BTW) pulled 0.21A and 0.47A respectively.
The cheap CostMad adapter was the only one that performed well out of the box, both reporting AC and pulled 0.57A.
In theory, a perfect adapter should pull 0.42A. Anything more is waste, anything less means it's not keeping up. I have doubts about the Griffen 2x allowing for a full amp, but the VZW and CostMad chargers are pretty lossy. What's even worse is that I'm pretty sure the VZW charger is rated for 800mA (but I can't find an actual spec on it) which would mean that it pulled the most power for the least current. Not that this really matters unless you've got an electric car.
Sorry for misleading you earlier, I should have checked the other port of the known-good VZW charger and probably doublechecked the numbers on my other "known good" charger. Still hating cables that work for charging but not for data, I ended up modifying each of the chargers to short the middle pins (except for the VZW one). If I didn't have the soldering iron for this, I probably would have gone for some of these instead.

Grant H said:
There has got to be a standard car charger on the market with the middle usb pins already soldiered!
I found this on Amazon which advertises itself as a rapid charging device.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000S5Q9CA
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
CyberPunk7t9 said:
Make sure the charger has the IC (rapid) chip. I use this one:
http://www.amazon.com/Motorola-Vehicle-Adapter-micro-USB-Charger/dp/B000S5Q9CA
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm using the same one and it works perfect. Charges even when GPS navigation is running.
Make sure you select Amazon as the seller though. I heard there are a lot of fake ones.

Grant H said:
There has got to be a standard car charger on the market with the middle usb pins already soldiered!
I found this on Amazon which advertises itself as a rapid charging device.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000S5Q9CA
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1 to those recommending this one. I have this exact model and it does indeed charge at the "AC" rate, about twice as fast as the "USB" rate.

TheKaz said:
I keep it in my car... i think I've heard on other threads that USB charging doesn't keep up with GPS (for Directions). Any verify?
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The Motorola one will charge even when using GPS. I have a friend I bought one for that uses his GPS all day and loves the Motorola charger.

USB from computer and car charging really slow....

Hi Guys,
I have a thinkpad which has regular USB and also a fast charge USB port. They have worked fine in the past on other phones and I used to see at least 1 amp charge rates. (on the fast charge port)
Using either port on the 20 X I only get about 200 ma charging rates?
I'm using "Ampere" to get the charging rates, it is definitely charging slower than normal...
Have you guys noticed this?

Also of note, It charges really slow from my car as well. On the hour drive home the phone only went up 4%. (This is a VW using android auto)

I think all bets are off when your using 3rd party chargers. I think Huawei might have some official accessories that you may need to buy.

jeradjohnso said:
I think all bets are off when your using 3rd party chargers. I think Huawei might have some official accessories that you may need to buy.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have a bunch of phones and every single one of them charges at normal charging rates off my laptop and in my car, this is pretty strange...

Huawei uses a completely different setup from QC 3 from charger to cable . How does it charge with the supplied charger and cable that you received with your phone? If you buy extra chargers for home or car make sure they say they do Huawei "Supercharge". They are a little hard to find but they are out there. Make sure the USB cable is rated for 5a(amps)

Cccmachins said:
Huawei uses a completely different setup from QC 3 from charger to cable . How does it charge with the supplied charger and cable that you received with your phone? If you buy extra chargers for home or car make sure they say they do Huawei "Supercharge". They are a little hard to find but they are out there. Make sure the USB cable is rated for 5a(amps)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I haven't even used the included charger and cable, but plugged in at the house I do see 2 amp charge rates which is great.
The downside is that in the car with android auto I can't really plug it into anything other than the car's USB and that give me a really slow trickle charge. This is where a bulk of my charging occurs since I drive for work so much. Basically I have never charged my other phones outside of the car, I just use android auto all the time and the batteries are always topped off. So not being able to charge from car or laptop is not a deal breaker at all, but it certainly means I need to start carry a charging cube around everywhere.
Just seems odd for such an expensive flagship phone to not charge correctly via USB like every other phone I have ever had.

Try the supplied charger and cable just to make sure you do not have a defective phone. When you plug in the cable to charge watch your screen. It should show your battery percentage and a short lighting bolt. Then in just a second it should change to a long lighting bolt and say super charging. If it does that you know your phone is charging correctly. Take your Huawei supplied cable and use it on your laptop and car and see if that doesn't increase your chances speeds.

Cccmachins said:
Try the supplied charger and cable just to make sure you do not have a defective phone. When you plug in the cable to charge watch your screen. It should show your battery percentage and a short lighting bolt. Then in just a second it should change to a long lighting bolt and say super charging. If it does that you know your phone is charging correctly. Take your Huawei supplied cable and use it on your laptop and car and see if that doesn't increase your chances speeds.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I gave the original cable a shot and it still basically charges at 200-250ma from my laptop. Very odd indeed. Not even seeing the normal 500ma that you would get on a regular USB port. (Tried both standard and high charge rate USB ports on my lenovo)
Anyone else seeing this behavior?