Develop Bugs

Charging time

How long does your Desire take to charge? Mine takes ages, gone up 40% in 2 hours, which is exactly the same as the discharge rate when I'm using it. I'm sure my Blackstone used to top up much quicker than that. More and more I think power management is screwy in this device.

Are you using the original charger and cable?
I used a different cable with the original cable a few days ago and after about 6 hours it had only partially charged. Using the original cable it does a complete charge in about 3 hours.

if u use usb charging, it takes very long, but should be done in around 5 hours as well. if its ac adapter, much quicker, about 2 ~ 3 hours.
Sent from my HTC Desire using the XDA mobile application powered by Tapatalk

AC-Adapter:
15% to 100% (15% = "Warning") : ~90mins
0% to 100%: ~2hrs
With USB I think you can (at least) double that time.

Mine currently has been on charge for over 3 hours from about 9% and this is via AC with the phone turned off. I should note that it is via AC through an ipod/iphone charger which is rated at 5v @ 1A so I guess I'm just a little concerned if the ipod/iphone charger is maybe charging it at 500mA instead of 1A.
I know it's not faulty as it charges my ipod touch much faster than pc USB, but I'm just wondering if the cable supplied on my desire is forcing it to charge at 500mA, thinking the ipod charger is just a pc usb thingy.
I'll look into getting a travel adaptor or a brandless micro usb charger off ebay soon but it just seems odd to not charge in the 2-3 hours that people are reporting off other 5v 1A power adaptors.

[Q] Rapid Chargers - Not Really Rapid?

i bought that Motorola Rapid Car charger recent and have been using it about a week now. i've noticed that it doesn't seem to charge my Thunderbolt any faster then it did when i was using the Thunderbolt's USB cable with this USB car charger adapter.
so, my question is, why is it called "rapid" if it doesn't charge any faster?
and i suppose secondly, is there an actual microUSB charger that will charge the Thunderbolt faster?
they make one for the iphone that will fully charge it in 30 minutes so i know they are out there.

voxigenboy said:
i bought that Motorola Rapid Car charger recent and have been using it about a week now. i've noticed that it doesn't seem to charge my Thunderbolt any faster then it did when i was using the Thunderbolt's USB cable with this USB car charger adapter.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Maybe you should try this one.

Install the battery monitor widget. Monitor the battery for about 20 minutes while charging. Tell us what the charge current is.
Does the Motorola charger include a cable? If not, you may just have a weak cable. I have seen cheap cables with wire so thin that the charging current is no better then charging off a weak USB port.

My experience has been that the phone typically recognizes car charges as USB charging and uses a different charging profile. My solution to that is use a wall charger through an inverter or a kernel that doesn't use radically different charging profiles for A/C and USB.

loonatik78 said:
My experience has been that the phone typically recognizes car charges as USB charging and uses a different charging profile. My solution to that is use a wall charger through an inverter or a kernel that doesn't use radically different charging profiles for A/C and USB.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No need for that.
Cut a small piece of aluminum foil. Carefully place it where it shorts the two center conductors in the charger. Plug the USB cable into the charger. Make sure the foil stays in place over the two center conductors.
It is now a high rate charger. (assuming it can put out 1 amp.)

The limiting factor is typically the usb cable itself. Most usb cables can't support the 1amp that is provided to it. Since you used the original usb cable that came with the thunderbolt (that's been "shorted" as mentioned above" ) it will be just as fast as the moto car charger. the 1amp charging rate that the moto charger charges at (i have one) and that the original one charges at are already "rapid". if you plugged a normal usb cable from somewhere else into the other usb car charger, it'd be much much slower

squeakyl said:
The limiting factor is typically the usb cable itself. Most usb cables can't support the 1amp that is provided to it. Since you used the original usb cable that came with the thunderbolt (that's been "shorted" as mentioned above" ) it will be just as fast as the moto car charger. the 1amp charging rate that the moto charger charges at (i have one) and that the original one charges at are already "rapid". if you plugged a normal usb cable from somewhere else into the other usb car charger, it'd be much much slower
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The stock charger is what shorts the connections. The cable is NOT shorted on the two inner pins because they are the data connections used for connecting your phone to a computer.

doodlebro said:
The stock charger is what shorts the connections. The cable is NOT shorted on the two inner pins because they are the data connections used for connecting your phone to a computer.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To meet the USB charging spec (which the TB uses), the two inner (data) contacts should be shorted with no more that 200 ohms.
But, the cable can also be an issue for rapid charging. The voltage drop for a 1A/5V source, across only .5 M of 28 gauge copper is ~220 mV. If you use a longer cable, there's more voltage drop. The TB likely current limits itself when the voltage drops below a certain threshold. Best to buy 24 gauge USB cables, if you can, especially if getting longer ones (monoprice has them).

voxigenboy said:
i bought that Motorola Rapid Car charger recent and have been using it about a week now. i've noticed that it doesn't seem to charge my Thunderbolt any faster then it did when i was using the Thunderbolt's USB cable with this USB car charger adapter.
so, my question is, why is it called "rapid" if it doesn't charge any faster?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think its a matter of rated output current. BUT on the other side, the phone must be capable of drawing/using that much current. If the adapter is rated for more current than the phone can charge, the "extra" current wont be supplied.
Initially, Moto's standard car chargers output 5V and up to 550ma max (just like a standard PC USB port) so they didn't charge phones all that fast. Moto then came out with chargers that had higher current output, so they were capable of charging the phones "faster" than the original car chargers (but on par with the home/travel/AC chargers) and called them "rapid car chargers"..
Today, the current output on the Moto SPN5400A car charger is 0-950mA, and I've seen it sometimes referred to as "Rapid Car charger."
But as far as I know, Moto no longer makes/sells the lower current car chargers, and their web site only shows one MicroUSB and one MiniUSB car charger for sale, both of which appear to be of the 0-950mA output variety.
voxigenboy said:
and i suppose secondly, is there an actual microUSB charger that will charge the Thunderbolt faster?
they make one for the iphone that will fully charge it in 30 minutes so i know they are out there.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just because someone makes such a charger for the iPhone, doesn't mean one must exist for the TB, or other phones, does it? I know the iPad uses a 2A charger. What happens if you connect an iPhone to that? will it charge faster? I guess that depends on if the iPhone is capable of drawing more than 1A to charge it.
I've not seen a "home" or AC charger that can charge the TB any faster than the Stock 1A charger. Does such a thing exist?
A proper car charger with 950mA to 1A output should charge the TB at almost exactly the same rate as the stock 1A wall/AC charger.
And btw, the Moto SPN5400A car charger DOES charge my TB in about the same amount of time that it takes me to charge my TB at home with the stock HTC charger. So while its not "rapid" compared to the stock home/travel/AC charger, its "rapid" compared to PC USB Port charging, or a plain lower current car charger.

KidJoe said:
I've not seen a "home" or AC charger that can charge the TB any faster than the Stock 1A charger. Does such a thing exist?
A proper car charger with 950mA to 1A output should charge the TB at almost exactly the same rate as the stock 1A wall/AC charger.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I made a charger for my motorcycle. I use it as a GPS, screen on MAX, phone active with marginal signal. And I wanted to actually charge the battery at the same time. I did a lot of experimenting with the Thunderbolt. It would not exceed a pull of about 850ma from the supply, even at 5.5 volts. IMHO, you are wasting time looking for any charger over 1 amp.
Also, even with about 850ma in, not much over 500ma is getting to the battery. So a totally dead battery is still going to take between 2 and 3 hours to charge, no matter what charger you have. And twice that long if the charger looks like a PC USB port.

worwig said:
I made a charger for my motorcycle. I use it as a GPS, screen on MAX, phone active with marginal signal. And I wanted to actually charge the battery at the same time. I did a lot of experimenting with the Thunderbolt. It would not exceed a pull of about 850ma from the supply, even at 5.5 volts. IMHO, you are wasting time looking for any charger over 1 amp.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was asking because of the OP's statement about knowing "they must exist" because they are out there for the iPhone.
I'm perfectly happy with my Moto car charger, and how fast it charges my phones.

What USB cable to charge GN?

Guys, I have my normal charger at home which works fine. Here at work I have a fairly new (but cheap) USB cable. At work the charge never goes up, it stays at the same percentage all day. It charged my Optimus 3D fine.
If I swap it for a colleagues USB cable (came with his Windows Phone) it charges fine (same USB port or USB ac adapter).
Is there a certain type of Micro USB cable I should be looking for that's not stupidly priced? (in the UK)

Coming from an Iphone I didn't have any spare micro USB cables so I went to a computer store and bought 3 store brand (cheap) microUSB cables and they all work fine.
The only thing to take note of is some wall charges are seen by the phone as "USB" and not "AC Charger" and thus will only pull in 500mah which is pretty slow. If you install battery monitor widget by 3C it will tell you the amperage coming in and if the phone sees your connection as USB or AC.
I discovered my 1amp apple USB brick does not charge higher than 500mah only my samsung one does that came with the phone.

sluflyer06 said:
Coming from an Iphone I didn't have any spare micro USB cables so I went to a computer store and bought 3 store brand (cheap) microUSB cables and they all work fine.
The only thing to take note of is some wall charges are seen by the phone as "USB" and not "AC Charger" and thus will only pull in 500mah which is pretty slow. If you install battery monitor widget by 3C it will tell you the amperage coming in and if the phone sees your connection as USB or AC.
I discovered my 1amp apple USB brick does not charge higher than 500mah only my samsung one does that came with the phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yeah, but if I use the same USB port or the same AC plug I don't understand why 1 cable will charge fine, the other gives just enough to keep it at the same percentage all day?

[Q] Can use ipad charger to charge galaxy note?

Hi bringing one charger around would be much convenient. Can i use ipad charger, with 2A output to charge galaxy note?
Tq.

Yes. I've charged mine with it many times.

Hey thanks...

Apple out of norms
Hi
Using a standard USB cable will get you a slow charge, even if the Ipad charger is very powerfull. This is because apple doesn't follow the rules.
Charging your Note may take 6 hours then.
To get fast charge, you need to modify your cable or charger, as stated in this thread : http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1497864&page=2

jabab said:
Hi
Using a standard USB cable will get you a slow charge, even if the Ipad charger is very powerfull. This is because apple doesn't follow the rules.
Charging your Note may take 6 hours then.
To get fast charge, you need to modify your cable or charger, as stated in this thread : http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1497864&page=2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The increased charge in this mod seems to work for charging via usb port, power from a pc. Charge from main ac lead still higher.
So does charging my Note with an ipad adapter + Note usb cable help increase charge since the ipad adapter has an 2A output??

I'll try to make it clear.
Using a common adapter or any pc USB II or ANY apple adapter will give give you a slow charge with a standard USB to micro-USB 4 wire cable.
This is simply because they can't usually deliver more than 0.5A. For apple, they have a specific standard out of the USB norm.
To go into fast charge mode, the gnote scans pin 2 and 3 of the USB link. If they are short circuited, the gnote tries to go into fast charge mode, and draws up to 1A.
The short circuit of data pins (2 and 3) is specified in the USB norm to state "this adapter can provide 1A"
Some adapters, such as the Samsung one I got with my gnote, already have these pin short circuited inside them and make your phone go into fast charge mode.
If you have an adapter able to supply 1A or more, such as your Ipad's, the simplest way to fast charge your gnote is to have a modified cable. No risk to harm your phone nor your adapter if you respect the wiring.
Sent from my GT-N7000 using Tapatalk

I think i understand now. Thanks so much Jabab.

jabab said:
I'll try to make it clear.
Using a common adapter or any pc USB II or ANY apple adapter will give give you a slow charge with a standard USB to micro-USB 4 wire cable.
This is simply because they can't usually deliver more than 0.5A. For apple, they have a specific standard out of the USB norm.
To go into fast charge mode, the gnote scans pin 2 and 3 of the USB link. If they are short circuited, the gnote tries to go into fast charge mode, and draws up to 1A.
The short circuit of data pins (2 and 3) is specified in the USB norm to state "this adapter can provide 1A"
Some adapters, such as the Samsung one I got with my gnote, already have these pin short circuited inside them and make your phone go into fast charge mode.
If you have an adapter able to supply 1A or more, such as your Ipad's, the simplest way to fast charge your gnote is to have a modified cable. No risk to harm your phone nor your adapter if you respect the wiring.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
what i want to know is:
if the ipad charger is 2A, will the phone draw all that 2A or just 1A?
im asking because if it designed to work with a 1A charger - is the draw capped at 1A?

Hi
The draw of any phone is limited to its maximum power consumption ie phone consumption + battery charging.
I believe this draw is limited to 1A within the gnote.
Having a 2A charger only means it can provide up to 2A. It's the "pipe" size, in a way.
If there were a way to increase the gnote draw to more than 1A, by example in order to charge the battery faster while using the GPS, this could be :
Either telling the gnote, using a resistor on the 5th pin of the micro-USB plug.
Or using a specific app.
(or both)
I'm not aware of this possibility at the moment.
Sent from my GT-N7000 using Tapatalk

Jabab, thanks for ur valuable expert info. I've notice that charging my gnote with the ipad charger isnt much faster. But charging iphone with ipad charger does gives a great boost. What makes it possible with iphone?

Apple uses a not so different system to tell the iphone or the Ipad that it is connected to a powerful charger: the data pins are connected to the power pins through a ladder of resistances.
I see one main advantage to this: apple could change the resistances values inside the charger to indicate to the device if it is an 1A, 2A or any other current charger.
The main drawback is that this system is compatible with nothing but... Apple devices. This why you get a slow 0.5A charge with a 2A capable Ipad charger.
Sent from my GT-N7000 using Tapatalk

I found the original thread where I learned all this. It may be much clearer than my own explanations.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1384253
I believe though that you need a 1A (1000mA) at least charger to do the indicated mod on the charger for use with a Galaxy Note.
Sent from my GT-N7000 using Tapatalk

Charge 2 SGSIII's at once?

I would like to get a charging cable that has 2 Male Micro USB connectors and 1 standard Male USB connector.
These are supposed to charge 2 cell phones through one USB charger, but I've read that you might need a higher capacity charger than comes with your single cable charger.
Will the standard USB charger that comes with our phone work, or will I need a higher capacity charger?
Thanks

OKAstro said:
I would like to get a charging cable that has 2 Male Micro USB connectors and 1 standard Male USB connector.
These are supposed to charge 2 cell phones through one USB charger, but I've read that you might need a higher capacity charger than comes with your single cable charger.
Will the standard USB charger that comes with our phone work, or will I need a higher capacity charger?
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Our S3's can charge at approximately max 1.1amps and perhaps more on a custom rom. Our stock chargers will not likely provide enough to charge 2 S3's at that fast rate. But, instead it will likely charge both at half that rate. So. I would get a charger that can handle more than 2amps...preferably 3amps so that there is plenty of headroom especially if the charger specs are over-rated. The S3 will only use what it needs and of course, it will slow down the charge as it gets closer to being fully charged. Also, note that if the USB Y-cable or splitter is not wired correctly, then it may not charge at fast rate.

themadproducer said:
Our S3's can charge at approximately max 1.1amps and perhaps more on a custom rom. Our stock chargers will not likely provide enough to charge 2 S3's at that fast rate. But, instead it will likely charge both at half that rate. So. I would get a charger that can handle more than 2amps...preferably 3amps so that there is plenty of headroom especially if the charger specs are over-rated. The S3 will only use what it needs and of course, it will slow down the charge as it gets closer to being fully charged. Also, note that if the USB Y-cable or splitter is not wired correctly, then it may not charge at fast rate.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks. Where can I find a 3 amp charger?

OKAstro said:
Thanks. Where can I find a 3 amp charger?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have a usb 2amp cigarette lighter charger and it has 2 usb ports for charging and charges my S3 and an HD2 together at fast rate when I use proper usb cable(s).
On a 2sec Google search, I found this 3amp usb wall charger (2amp + 1amp) example...or this Scosche 4 port 4amp wall charger although it says each port is limited to 1amp max. You can always put in a USB Y cable making 2 ports merge into 1 yielding 2amp max output...if necessary.
Here is a 2 port x 2.1amp per port example..which would give you maximum headroom and might work well for more demanding tablet devices etc.