Develop Bugs

Not every micro usb cord is built the same...

Ive been using my OEM charger cord untill the other day it fell off my desk while charging and bent the tip. I started using another cheap 99 cent ebay cord with a blackberry logo on it and it seems like my phones never charged slower. So I installed current widget and it seems to be charging at 280MA while the OEM cord charges at 380MA. Does anyone know where I can get a new cord that charges just as good as the OEM one for cheap?

Amazon has the HTC cord identical to the one that comes with the phone for like $6. My phone charges at around 800ma with the screen off. I suggest spending the extra $5.

skittlesV1 said:
Ive been using my OEM charger cord untill the other day it fell off my desk while charging and bent the tip. I started using another cheap 99 cent ebay cord with a blackberry logo on it and it seems like my phones never charged slower. So I installed current widget and it seems to be charging at 280MA while the OEM cord charges at 380MA. Does anyone know where I can get a new cord that charges just as good as the OEM one for cheap?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
FWIW, it might be worth mentioning that your battery will actually last longer if you charge it with lower amperage. The downside to this, is that it will also take longer to charge.
In fact, your battery's overall life expectancy will also be longer using lower amperage charging.
Just thought I'd mention it.
--Chris

jdbiggles said:
Amazon has the HTC cord identical to the one that comes with the phone for like $6. My phone charges at around 800ma with the screen off. I suggest spending the extra $5.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you have the link to this still? im having a hard time finding it

i am about to try a few from monoprice.com
too cheap not to try

You can buy the original charger, and cord off ebay from a guy for 10$ shipped..when i bought mine, he had 10 left.

nolig2278 said:
i am about to try a few from monoprice.com
too cheap not to try
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I use monoprice cables. Seems to work fine, although, I never tested charge speed.

did you guys get the USB charge cable with your EVO? I never got one. All I have is AC charge cable, and using my wife's moment USB Charge Cable, and works fine.

Typical Micro USB cables (like those from monoprice.com, awesome btw) don't charge my for-work Blackberry Curve.
Go figure. I hate Blackberries.

Correct me if I'm wrong but that micro usb cable that came with your evo can be plugged into a usb port or the wall charger itself, and it can even be plugged into a car charger hat accepts usb cables.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App

potna said:
Correct me if I'm wrong but that micro usb cable that came with your evo can be plugged into a usb port or the wall charger itself, and it can even be plugged into a car charger hat accepts usb cables.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm doing this now, charging my phone from my car charger that accepts USB cables. It charges REALLY slow however, I'll check to see at what amperage.

potna said:
Correct me if I'm wrong but that micro usb cable that came with your evo can be plugged into a usb port or the wall charger itself, and it can even be plugged into a car charger hat accepts usb cables.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No reason to correct you - you are absolutely correct on all counts.
--Chris

Lost charger

Hi all,
I lost my charger unfortunately.
I did search around but found amazon out of stock.
Where can I buy the charger.
Thanks.

drpratik said:
Hi all,
I lost my charger unfortunately.
I did search around but found amazon out of stock.
Where can I buy the charger.
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://www.amazon.com/Motorola-SPN5...SKM8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1312842851&sr=8-1
http://cgi.ebay.com/Car-AC-Charger-...758129?pt=PDA_Accessories&hash=item588f078a71

Thanks a lot.

ANY charger that puts out 1000mA will work with it. Motorola makes "travel" wall chargers that sometimes go on sale for a buck, and have the plug folding into them so it takes less space in a bag. As long as it has a micro-USB plug or takes your USB cable, it will work, does not have to be specific for the phone.
The whole idea of microUSB chargers is part of a larger EU plan to allow for standard chargers with microUSB tips, so you can replace your cell phone but "never" have to replace the wall wart for it.
Just check the power output, most of the Motorola chargers put out 1000mA now because some phones with big batteries (like the Atrix) can use that power to charger quickly. Lower power rating, longer charge times.

You read my mind,
It was just the info I wanted to know.
Thanks.

Bear in mind though, not all micro usb chargers work on atrix. I have a few that dont work but work fine on my other stuff. Im not sure why though. I have an external battery that worked with my nexus one but not my atrix.
I voided my warranty.

Rred said:
ANY charger that puts out 1000mA will work with it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The one that comes with the phone in the US is 800ma actually. But as you said, 1000ma would charge it faster.

My atrix charger died so I'm currently using a blackberry charger with 750ma output. The iphone charger works too but it's a slower charge.

Whaddayaknow. The one supplied with my phone says 850mA, the one supplied with my bt earbud is 1000mA. Maybe someone at Motorola is paying attention to profits.<G>
But this is all part of why he industry is moving to standard chargers and why "all" standard chargers should work with standard phones. If a charger doesn't work with this phone, odds are it is too low power or simply a cheap piece of Chinese quality control which has one or more broken contacts in it.
I've gotten USB cables that have the same problem, charge or data not both. that isn't by design but at least one of the four wires in them was broken. Cheap cables is cheap cables--and I've seen cheap cables shipped as OEM from brand names.
Like cables from WD and possibly Moto that have the USB log on the wrong side of the plug--which means they are not entitled to use the logo at all, and the maker does not understand the USB spec.

If you live near a hotel, walk in and say that you left your phone charger in one of the rooms. They usually have boxes of forgotten chargers.

Thanks all for your help.
I started using lg micro USB charger which gives 700 ma.
Will get original one as well.
Thanks again.
Sent from my MB860 using Tapatalk

Go to monoprice.com and grab a dual USB / 3 port electrical outlet for like 3 bucks. Then stock up on 6-10ft micro USB cables for a buck a piece.
Sent from my MB860 using XDA Premium App

Nice idea.
Will surely check out monoprice,
Sent from my MB860 using Tapatalk

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
Click to expand...
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.

Longer USB cable

I was wondering if anyone has bought a longer USB cable, the one that came with the AT&T Ion is too short and the phone has to be on the floor while charging.
A cable might seem like something so basic that any cable with the right connectors should work, but apparently not. The Kindle has the same type of port and the Ion and yet the Kindle cable doesn't charge the ion (when used with the Ion power adapter, of course). So if you've found a long USB cable that works, please post it here.

I think I saw one in a Japanese store the other day that was circum $5 for a 6 ft cable, and I'm gonna go buy it tomorrow. I'll report back if it works or not.
Sent from my LT28at using xda premium

I'm using the 6' cable from my x10 and it's working like a charm.

harrypalmero said:
I'm using the 6' cable from my x10 and it's working like a charm.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Used Ion Power plug - 6' HTC Micro USB cable worked well.

I had a longer cable from my Xperia X10, so fortunately that worked out for me. I have succesfully used Blackberry, Samsung, and generic cables though. You can get a Sony Ericsson cable for about $6 on Amazon too.
Sent from my LT28at using xda premium

josemald said:
I was wondering if anyone has bought a longer USB cable, the one that came with the AT&T Ion is too short and the phone has to be on the floor while charging.
A cable might seem like something so basic that any cable with the right connectors should work, but apparently not. The Kindle has the same type of port and the Ion and yet the Kindle cable doesn't charge the ion (when used with the Ion power adapter, of course). So if you've found a long USB cable that works, please post it here.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://www.monoprice.com/products/p...=10303&cs_id=1030307&p_id=8641&seq=1&format=2 -white usb cable
http://www.monoprice.com/products/p...=10303&cs_id=1030307&p_id=5458&seq=1&format=2 -black usb cable
basically any mirco usb cable will work for the ion

use EC-600 or EC-700 cable.

amosconf said:
http://www.monoprice.com/products/p...=10303&cs_id=1030307&p_id=8641&seq=1&format=2 -white usb cable
http://www.monoprice.com/products/p...=10303&cs_id=1030307&p_id=5458&seq=1&format=2 -black usb cable
basically any mirco usb cable will work for the ion
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't think any cable will work. Just to be sure, I tried the Kindle cable with the Ion adapter again, and it also didn't work. That cable connects to the computer fine, and the charge seemed stable, but when used with the wall plug it wasn't charging steadily although the LED light on the phone was on all the time.

josemald said:
I don't think any cable will work. Just to be sure, I tried the Kindle cable with the Ion adapter again, and it also didn't work. That cable connects to the computer fine, and the charge seemed stable, but when used with the wall plug it wasn't charging steadily although the LED light on the phone was on all the time.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thats interesting because I've been using every mirco usb cable I have in my house and its all working fine, maybe I should clarify it depends on the quality of the cable. but those links I posted above should work fine...

amosconf said:
thats interesting because I've been using every mirco usb cable I have in my house and its all working fine, maybe I should clarify it depends on the quality of the cable. but those links I posted above should work fine...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The problem with some micro-usb cable like the one I bought from Wal-Mart is that they do not have an extra line that allows for data connections to computers and that extra power is what keeps the phone charging stable.

popfan said:
The problem with some micro-usb cable like the one I bought from Wal-Mart is that they do not have an extra line that allows for data connections to computers and that extra power is what keeps the phone charging stable.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ahh I see I've been using the cables that came from all my other phones.
I just bought those cables I linked from monoprice, better quality than retail and cheap because their not upselling their bulk price
Sent from my LT28at using xda premium

Most micro-usb cables will work but some cables are only meant for charging and wont connect to a computer.
I use this 6' cable from AmazonBasics
http://www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-...r=1-1-catcorr&keywords=micro+usb+amazonbasics
Works great for data or charge. I travel with it VERY frequently and I abuse it. Used it for just under a year with my x10 and the phone-end started getting loose. Amazon replaced it free and my new one has been going strong for almost a year. I'm honestly surprised they last as long as they do the abuse I put them through

NUTSgoWEEE said:
Most micro-usb cables will work but some cables are only meant for charging and wont connect to a computer.
I use this 6' cable from AmazonBasics
http://www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-...r=1-1-catcorr&keywords=micro+usb+amazonbasics
Works great for data or charge. I travel with it VERY frequently and I abuse it. Used it for just under a year with my x10 and the phone-end started getting loose. Amazon replaced it free and my new one has been going strong for almost a year. I'm honestly surprised they last as long as they do the abuse I put them through
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I got a mediabridge 6 ft cable from Amazon, it wasn't as cheap as some of the others posted here (I ordered before that post). Tried it during the weekend and it worked perfectly, so something must be missing from the Kindle cable.

I just recently went to Kyoto, and accidentally left my charger in the hotel (usual pretty careful, but eh). So I just went to the nearest tech shop and bought a nice 1.5 meter cable, and it's so much nicer. Kinda makes me glad I left the damn charger.
Sent from my LT28at using xda premium

Any micro usb will work now the only difference is that the ones that say "file transfer" are for transfer and charging, the ones for "charging" are for charging only i made the mistake of trying to get the one from my truck to transfer data.. didnt happen lol had to wait till i got to my house and use the right cable. may be my luck, would like to see if there is a true difference

Just got it this week. $3
Check this out on AMZN:
Samsung OEM Micro USB Data Charging Cable (5 ft/1.5m)
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007JZGO6S/ref=cm_sw_r_an_am_ap_am_us?ie=UTF8
Also, anybody know if the ION will support an OTG cable?
from my HTC One X using Tapatalk 2

Its been touched on, but just in case. The Ion uses a micro USB connection, that is the socket on the phone itself. There are lots of connections that look like micro USB, but aren't...obviously those won't work, as they don't fit. So when buying a longer cable, make sure its Micro USB (not Mini USB, by they way...that too is different)
Also, as mentioned, some older cables..especially those that came with some older cell phones, would be power only...no data transfer ability (AT&T loved including these with older Samsung phones, as they wanted you to buy a $30 data cable before leaving the store). They'll charge the phone from a wall or a computer, but with hit or miss results..some will confuse the phone, as it doesn't know what type of connection it has, others will charge very slow, etc. there is no reason anymore to buy a power only cable, especially considering all these cables are cheap. I lucked out, my logitech mouse came with a 6 foot micro USB data cable for adjusting its button configuration and charging...so i just use that with the wall mount, works great.

I ordered a bunch of USB extension cables from eBay, my cable is like 14 feet long now lol they are cheap
Sent from my LT28h using xda premium

Get a kindle charging cable it's about 4-5 feet I think
Sent from my LT28at using xda premium

Do I need a new USB cable or is there an issue with my phone?

I just got the Galaxy S 4 the other day. It didn't come with a USB cable so I used an old HTC micro-USB cable. Even though the cable worked with my HTC phone, it doesn't exactly work with my Galaxy S 4. I have to move the cable in a certain way to get it to charge or connect, otherwise it doesn't work.
I was able to charge my phone using a micro-USB charger for a bluetooth device (trickle charge, took 12 hours to charge), but obviously this isn't ideal. So is there something wrong with my phone, or just my cable? And what type of micro-USB cable should I get that might work?

It doesnt come with usb ??
Charger works as USB too.
Htc cable doesnt work on samsung phone. Motorola does.
Sent from my SGH-M919 using xda premium

I swapped it with someone for an HTC One and they didn't have a cable.
Sent from my SGH-M919 using xda app-developers app

kgor93 said:
I just got the Galaxy S 4 the other day. It didn't come with a USB cable so I used an old HTC micro-USB cable. Even though the cable worked with my HTC phone, it doesn't exactly work with my Galaxy S 4. I have to move the cable in a certain way to get it to charge or connect, otherwise it doesn't work.
I was able to charge my phone using a micro-USB charger for a bluetooth device (trickle charge, took 12 hours to charge), but obviously this isn't ideal. So is there something wrong with my phone, or just my cable? And what type of micro-USB cable should I get that might work?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It isn't your usb cable. You need a charge that output 2A at 5V to charge the S4 at decent speed. Computer's USB or typical 5V USB chargers will not do.

Just FYI when I use an older usb cable other than the samsung one, my charging time increases. So using the right USB cable matters. I use an app called Galaxy Charging Current Lite to determine my charging amp with other cables and other wall and car chargers. Very useful app. When using the samsung usb cable with the wall adapter I get 1900 and I can see the battery percentage go up faster. Using an older usb cable with the samsung wall adapter I get about 460 and battery percent goes up slowly. Try the app out and see what you get.

First thing I'd be doing is complain to T-mobile or Samsung. Both GS4s I've received (one on launch, one from insurance) came with the USB cable and charger ready to go.
Next, you need 2A @ 5V, but ya need the right power brick to supply that.
and most likely using older/newer/non-Sammy cables and charge time increasing is because the cables use a smaller gauge wire (like 28 or 30 AWG IIRC) rather than say, 24 or 20 AWG (keep in mind that the smaller the number the bigger the conductor, and larger numbers have smaller conductors). Even with the right power brick, the USB cord still matters; I remember on my Nexus 7 that unless you used its cable charging was either sluggish or non-existant. (FYI the Nexus 7 cable should work with the GS4, I use it for file transfers o my computer and when I did all my rooting.)
also I personally use the battery monitor widget on my Nexus 7 to monitor voltage/current input/output. I may consider putting it on my GS4.