Develop Bugs

Highest output car charger

Is this the highest?
http://www.seidioonline.com/product-p/pmc.htm
Post links if you know of higher ones, thank you.
Sent from my ADR6400L using XDA App

There are 2.1A usb adapters, but I don't think microUSB can take advantage of it. The one you linked is a 1A, which is the same as the wall charger HTC gave with the phone. I'm currently using a 1A usb adapter in my truck.

Ok that's probably what I'm looking for then. Are there wall chargers greater than what came with the phone that I can take advantage of?

Your best bet would be to try the USB adapters made for iPads. The Apple products can utilize the 2.1A chargers with their sync cables, but I'm not sure if a microUSB cable can though. I have some 2.1A wallchargers from some of my Apple products, I'll test them later and let you know what I find out.

http://www.verizonwireless.com/b2c/...ryDetails&archetypeId=12299&accessoryId=46370

I just got an Enercell from Radio Shack with dual usbs. Max output is 2.5A divided between the two ports.
http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=11329448
on sale now for only $14.99. Seems to be of good quality.

The Motorola rapid chargers rock.

Guys, unless you mod the usb adapter 5V spec, you aren't doing squat with a "high power" adapter. The device has an input impedence that will draw a certain amount of current at 5v., and that's it.
Standard battery: 1400 mAh
Time to charge: 4 hrs (according to manual)
That's 1400/4 = 350 mA.
Most adapters on the market spec more than that, they're usually 500 mA or above. And again, unless you boost the volts, you're not going to be able to push more than 350 mA or so.
So don't waste you're money.
On the other hand, if your going to share a car outlet with another device like mp3 or ipod, then yeah, you'll need a higher output, two port, adapter.
Edit: It just occurred to me that if you're using the phone heavily while charging, then yeah you may need more than 500 mA. My currrent widget shows the phone can draw another 250 mA or so during use. That plus the charge totals to around 600 mA. But depending upon design, the phone may not be able to pull in all 600 mA. A test with a current meter would be real interesting.

The charger shipped with the Thunderbolt is a 1 Amp charger.
If I use a 500 mA charger the Current Widget shows a +450mA charge current. However if I use the 1A charger, I get a charge current of about +850mA.
Given that the google navigation gobbles over 400mA when running, you need a car charger with greater than 500mA capacity of you want the phone to charge at the same time.
Sent from my ADR6400L using XDA App

boingboingbilly said:
The Motorola rapid chargers rock.
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Good to hear, I ordered one today for $11 on ebay. I had heard other people say they liked that one too.

Ecomaniac said:
Guys, unless you mod the usb adapter 5V spec, you aren't doing squat with a "high power" adapter. The device has an input impedence that will draw a certain amount of current at 5v., and that's it.
Standard battery: 1400 mAh
Time to charge: 4 hrs (according to manual)
That's 1400/4 = 350 mA.
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Click to collapse
You're making the incorrect assumptions that the charging rate is constant, and charging is 100% efficient. Li-ion batteries can be charged at up to a 1C rate (i.e. 1.4A for a 1400 mA cell). Add the power drawn by the phone itself, and a 1.8 Amp charger might not be unreasonable (1.8 A is the specified limit for micro USB connectors). Whether the phone will actually do a maximum rate charge, I don't know.
This, from a TI Application Note (Google for SLAA287, board won't let me post links):
A Li-Ion battery charging process consists of three stages:
· Slow Charge: Pre-charging stage using current of 0.1C
· Fast Charge: Constant current charging stage using current of 1C
· Constant voltage charging stage
During the slow charge stage, the battery is charged with a constant low charge current of 0.1C, if the battery voltage is below 2.5V. The slow charge stage is rarely used during the charging process of a Li-Ion battery.
The fast charge (constant current) and constant voltage charging are the most important stages during a recharge process. Most Li-Ion batteries have a fully charged voltage of 4.1 or 4.2V.
The battery is first charged with a constant current of 1C until a battery voltage reaches 4.1 or 4.2V. The firmware continuously checks the charging current by sensing the voltage at the current sense resistor (Rsense) and
adjusts the duty cycle of PWM output from the MCU. The battery's voltage is checked frequently.
Whenever found the battery's voltage reaches 4.1 or 4.2V, the charger will switch to constant voltage charging mode. The battery is then charged with a constant voltage source at a fixed battery voltage of 4.1 or 4.2 V...When the charging current falls below 0.1C, the charging process must stop.
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Monoprice has Cig to USB(1A) chargers and the USB to Micro cables in multiple lengths(I ordered 6' ones) for far cheaper than you will find anywhere else

mike.s said:
You're making the incorrect assumptions that the charging rate is constant, and charging is 100% efficient. Li-ion batteries can be charged at up to a 1C rate (i.e. 1.4A for a 1400 mA cell). Add the power drawn by the phone itself, and a 1.8 Amp charger might not be unreasonable (1.8 A is the specified limit for micro USB connectors). Whether the phone will actually do a maximum rate charge, I don't know.
This, from a TI Application Note (Google for SLAA287, board won't let me post links):
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Click to collapse
very useful, thanks!

walbuls said:
Monoprice has Cig to USB(1A) chargers and the USB to Micro cables in multiple lengths(I ordered 6' ones) for far cheaper than you will find anywhere else
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I second monoprice.

I tried bunch of cig to usb car charger and none matched advertised output... They all showed Charging (USB). I now use AC inverter and it charges just like a wall charger.

eccenpix said:
I tried bunch of cig to usb car charger and none matched advertised output... They all showed Charging (USB). I now use AC inverter and it charges just like a wall charger.
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I suspect you need to find one which properly follows the USB Battery Charging Specification. That link is to the most recent version, which came out on 7Dec2010 (remember Pearl Harbor!). Version 1.1 is easier - a Dedicated Charging Port is indicated by shorting together the data lines (the two middle conductors on a full sized USB connector. By doing so, it indicates the device may try to draw up to 1.8 A of current (although a dedicated charging port is allowed to limit the current to less than that, it must provide at least 1.5 A).
I bought a cheap USB hub with 5 ports, used an exacto knife to cut the traces going to the data lines (the middle two) on all the ports, and then shorted them together on each port. It's now no longer a USB hub, but a USB charger with 5 ports I can used to charge stuff (phone and Bluetooth, quite often). The AC adapter which it came with does 2 Amps. My Thunderbolt says "Charging (AC)" when plugged into it.
So, if you can open up one of your adapters, just solder a jumper between the middle two contacts (make sure they're not connected to anything else).

Just got the Rocketfish premium microUSB at Best Buy and it has a captive coiled cord and a USB port. TBolt says "AC plugged" and reads +670 mA.

Good choice on the Motorola Rapid Charge - I've burned through 3 other cheap car chargers trying to keep my phone alive while using Google Nav and this is the first one to work!

i have the rapid motorola one on amazon

lippstuh said:
i have the rapid motorola one on amazon
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+1 Works great! Battery widget usually shows about +800mA while only charging. Real close to the wall charger

High current car charger

Anybody come across a car charger that is high current like the HTC wall charger?

Most car chargers are classified as "rapid".

Anything designed to charge an iPad (2.1A versus the typical 1A) will give you plenty of juice. I use the Scosche reVIVE II with Pandora, Bluetooth, and GPS Navigation all on and still have enough power to positively charge my battery.
Fair warning, though, this will cause the phone to get real hot (I've had the overheating warning lights flash twice so far), so make sure you have plenty of ventilation around the phone, keep it out of the sun, etc etc.

Any charger that is at least 1 amp. will do. The phone 'pulls' a max of around 0.85 amps. No need for more then 1 amp.
If it has a replaceable cable, it must be the heaviest gauge, shortest cable, that you can use. I have seen long cheap thin cables that drop over a volt, and the Thunderbolt charges really slowly.
The charger or cable have to state that they for rapid charging. To rapid charge, you need to have the USB D- and D+ lines shorted. If that are not shorted, the Thunderbolt limits the charge current to around 0.35 amps. thinking it is connected to a PC. If they are shorted, letting the Thunderbolt know it can be rapid charged, you get up there around 0.85. You can easily modify the charger for high rate if it is good for at least an amp.
And in the end is heat. Heat and lots of it. It will damage the battery. So put it out of the sun and in cool air like near a vent.

Motorola Rapid Charger on Amazon is the best. I bought two.
http://www.amazon.com/Motorola-Vehi...Q9CA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1309959388&sr=8-1
Review off Amazon
Genuine Motorola charger in retail packaging. 4.75-5.25V 950mA output, works w/ most micro-USB phones like Incredible, etc., June 11, 2010
By
David Pearlman "sound fanatic" (Arlington, MA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER) (VINE VOICE) (REAL NAME)
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
There are so many sketchy sellers selling phone chargers out there, that it can be a bit scary. The problem is that if the charger is poorly made, the output of the charger can be out of spec and can, in some cases, fry the phone you connect to it.
For that reason, when it comes to phone chargers, you should stick to name brands. (They are all made in China, but the name brand ones are usually subject to stricter QA).
When I found this charger on Amazon, SOLD BY AMAZON, I jumped on it. It's a MICRO USB car charger, made for Motorola and sold under the Motorola name, in retail packaging. The rated output is 4.75-5.25V and 950mA.
This charger should work fine with most any phone that uses the MICRO USB connector. The key number to pay attention to is the second one, the rated amperage. This is the MAXIMUM amount of current that the phone can request from the charger. A typical USB port on a PC provides as little as 100mA, and few provide more than 500mA. So this charger should charge your phone faster than when it's connected to a PC. A few phones out now can use up to 1000mA. But that just means they CAN use that amount. If 950mA is provided, they'll still charge, just a bit more slowly.
Note that the amperage (second number) merely tells you how much the charger CAN supply, if requested. The phone itself is responsible for asking for the current. That is to say, if this charger can provide 950mA, but your phone can only use 300mA--no problem. Your phone asks for 300mA and the charger provides all of what is requested. If, on the other hand, your phone can use 1000mA, this charger will provide all it can, which is 950mA--a wee bit less than the max asked for. That's also not a problem; it just means your phone will charge a little bit (not much in this case) more slowly. The rated voltage for this charger is presented in a range of 4.75-5.25V. The "ideal" voltage for a USB charger of any type if 5V. And most chargers for home use are rated right at 5V. But car chargers work in a noisier environment and thus you have the range. This is where a cheapo charger can really do damage, as some of them are poorly regulated and can provide voltages that are WAY out of spec. Again, when you can get a name brand charger from a seller you can trust (Amazon) for such a reasonable price, it's very foolish to consider the cheapo no-names.
This is an excellent quality name brand travel micro USB charger at a price that beats the no-name junk from third party sellers. What's not to like?
BE SURE TO ORDER IT FROM AMAZON AND NOT ONE OF THE THIRD PARTY SELLERS, as some of those have been known to make mistakes with respect to what they ship relative to the listing. I can confirm that Amazon is shipping the P513 /89143N charger, as pictured.
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ddgarcia05 said:
Motorola Rapid Charger on Amazon is the best. I bought two.
http://www.amazon.com/Motorola-Vehi...Q9CA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1309959388&sr=8-1
Review off Amazon
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I've been contemplating buying this one, but I'd like to ask you if it charges your battery with navigation+music going? I have a usb charger in my truck, and with both of those going it just manages to keep my battery level where its at, sometimes losing a % or two.

kr0n1c said:
I've been contemplating buying this one, but I'd like to ask you if it charges your battery with navigation+music going? I have a usb charger in my truck, and with both of those going it just manages to keep my battery level where its at, sometimes losing a % or two.
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From what I've read in the past here on XDA and on the reviews for the charger (on amazon) you shouldn't have a problem. The second review for the charger on amazon states that the reviewer was looking for a charger which actually charged his phone will using GPS and that he found it. It's a very well built charger and cheap. It's made my Motorola and sold by Amazon so buy with confidence.

kr0n1c said:
I've been contemplating buying this one, but I'd like to ask you if it charges your battery with navigation+music going? I have a usb charger in my truck, and with both of those going it just manages to keep my battery level where its at, sometimes losing a % or two.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It does indeed charge. I've had it since my original Droid and was concerned when I updated to the TB but it will charge the TB no matter what you're doing (I've had Nav running while on a phone call with BT and searching the internet and it still showed it was charging). Just be prepared for your phone to get HOT!! Great charger.

worwig said:
Any charger that is at least 1 amp. will do. The phone 'pulls' a max of around 0.85 amps. No need for more then 1 amp.
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Actually, the phone will pull more than 850 mA. You're probably basing that on using a battery monitor, which only shows the flow of current into/out of the battery. I've seen 800 mA into the battery at the same time I have display, GPS and a phone call going, which is definitely more than an additional 50 mA. It wouldn't surprise me if the phone can take advantage of something more than 1A, since I see a battery drain of more than 200 mA with all of that going when not on the charger.

kr0n1c said:
I've been contemplating buying this one, but I'd like to ask you if it charges your battery with navigation+music going? I have a usb charger in my truck, and with both of those going it just manages to keep my battery level where its at, sometimes losing a % or two.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have that Motorola charger and am a heavy GPS user. It charges the battery as if it were plugged into the wall. You'll be very satisfied.

mike.s said:
Actually, the phone will pull more than 850 mA. You're probably basing that on using a battery monitor, which only shows the flow of current into/out of the battery. I've seen 800 mA into the battery at the same time I have display, GPS and a phone call going, which is definitely more than an additional 50 mA. It wouldn't surprise me if the phone can take advantage of something more than 1A, since I see a battery drain of more than 200 mA with all of that going when not on the charger.
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No, that was measured at the 5 volt power supply, based upon a lab power supply. I did a lot of experimenting when I developed the charger and phone mount for my motorcycle. And to get the 850ma from the power supply, I used a very short, maybe 8 inch, USB cable, and a charge voltage close to 5.3 volts. With 5 volts at the power supply, it would only pull about 650ma from the power supply. That was due to the voltage drop in the USB cable. With the 5.3 volts at the power supply, I was getting close to an actual 5 volts at the Thunderbolt. I never measured the current at the battery, but I could see it being a bit more then the 850ma in, if there were a switch mode supply in there.
Though I like the Battery Monitor widget as a rough guide, I never tested to see if the battery current and the battery monitor are accurate.

Does anyone know if the included HTC ac adapter and cable will charge faster than using your pc with the included USB cable?

happimeal said:
Does anyone know if the included HTC ac adapter and cable will charge faster than using your pc with the included USB cable?
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Absolutely.
A PC USB port is limited to under 500ma. The Thunderbolt appears to to limit PC USB draw to about 350ma. I haven't measured the actual current in the HTC charger, but it is a high current charger, and charges my Thunderbolt very quickly. Battery Monitor widget shows high battery charge rates. I suspect it is getting near the max rate up near 1 amp.

worwig said:
Absolutely.
A PC USB port is limited to under 500ma. The Thunderbolt appears to to limit PC USB draw to about 350ma. I haven't measured the actual current in the HTC charger, but it is a high current charger, and charges my Thunderbolt very quickly. Battery Monitor widget shows high battery charge rates. I suspect it is getting near the max rate up near 1 amp.
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HTC charger states 5V/1A on the charger itself.

You can use the Palm car charger for $3.75+tax, free shipping. it is 5V/1A, same rating as the HTC wall charger.
Go here for 25% off
http://www.wireless.att.com/cell-ph...otion/accessories.jsp?source=EC0A0011600jtl10
Add product here, must add to cart to see 25% discount.
http://www.wireless.att.com/cell-ph...027&q_sku=sku4720234&q_manufacturer=&q_model=
Also, if so inclined, you can lop the top off of the charger so that you can use any usb cable (ipod, iphone, anything)

dpham00 said:
HTC charger states 5V/1A on the charger itself.
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That doesn't mean much. That is the MAX the charger can output. The amount that the Thunderbolt will pull varies. If it thinks it is plugged into a USB, it will be less then 500ma. even if the charger is capable of 10 amps.

worwig said:
That doesn't mean much. That is the MAX the charger can output. The amount that the Thunderbolt will pull varies. If it thinks it is plugged into a USB, it will be less then 500ma. even if the charger is capable of 10 amps.
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i have used the Palm car charger, checking with bmw, it shows around 850ma, same as on my htc charger.

worwig said:
Any charger that is at least 1 amp. will do. The phone 'pulls' a max of around 0.85 amps. No need for more then 1 amp.
If it has a replaceable cable, it must be the heaviest gauge, shortest cable, that you can use. I have seen long cheap thin cables that drop over a volt, and the Thunderbolt charges really slowly.
The charger or cable have to state that they for rapid charging. To rapid charge, you need to have the USB D- and D+ lines shorted. If that are not shorted, the Thunderbolt limits the charge current to around 0.35 amps. thinking it is connected to a PC. If they are shorted, letting the Thunderbolt know it can be rapid charged, you get up there around 0.85. You can easily modify the charger for high rate if it is good for at least an amp.
And in the end is heat. Heat and lots of it. It will damage the battery. So put it out of the sun and in cool air like near a vent.
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Click to collapse
um, i am aware that any charger that will do 1A will do. that was my question, what car charger will do 1A. Alot of times, they dont have that info listed on pages that are selling them.
and the whole thing about the D- and D+ shorted together, i do not believe. the HTC cable that came with the phone does rapid charging and i use it for data all the time too. if they D- and D+ was shorted, i would not be able to use it for data transfer. not unless the HTC charger shorts them internally inside the charger.

leoingle said:
unless the HTC charger shorts them internally inside the charger.
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Bingo!!

leoingle said:
um, i am aware that any charger that will do 1A will do. that was my question, what car charger will do 1A. Alot of times, they dont have that info listed on pages that are selling them.
and the whole thing about the D- and D+ shorted together, i do not believe. the HTC cable that came with the phone does rapid charging and i use it for data all the time too. if they D- and D+ was shorted, i would not be able to use it for data transfer. not unless the HTC charger shorts them internally inside the charger.
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Yes, it is hard to find the current info online or even on the package sometimes.
Yes, it is shorted in the charger. I have seen it done in the cable and the cable can't be used for data of course. Not sure why anyone would do that, but they do.

Charger Concerns

I see that the wall charger for the Galaxy Nexus outputs 5V and 1A. Unfortunately, none of the extra chargers I'd like to use as additional chargers have this output. Some of them are 5.1V, and some of them all put out under 1A.
From what I understand, using a charger w/ a higher voltage could potentially damage the phone. I know that this unlikely considering it's only an extra .1V in my case, but I don't want to risk it.
As for the amps, I believe that using lower amps isn't dangerous, but may result in charging taking longer than normal.
Are these two assumptions correct? Also, does anyone know of any cheap chargers that put out 5V/1A? If you put in "phone charger" in Amazon, the second hit is a Samsung OEM charger that puts out 5V/0.7A, but I'd rather get one that is going to be an exact match.

700-800mah are fine and acceptable for charging. But if wanting to play games on a charger and still get some kind of charge, go with a 1000 mah charger. 1000 mah charger is also best to use while using mhl so you can hopefully not lose battery charge while streaming video over hdmi.
Sent from my samsung gt i9250 which is in the wrong country.

Speaking of the charger... anyone found a cheap charger adapter for the Nexus? I don't like the massive brick of a "international adapter" Handtec packaged with the phone >.>

Dmw017 said:
Speaking of the charger... anyone found a cheap charger adapter for the Nexus? I don't like the massive brick of a "international adapter" Handtec packaged with the phone >.>
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http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-Micro-Travel-Charger-M540/dp/B002HJBM04
http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-Travel-Charger-Adapter-MicroUSB/dp/B0049IE70I

Dmw017 said:
Speaking of the charger... anyone found a cheap charger adapter for the Nexus? I don't like the massive brick of a "international adapter" Handtec packaged with the phone >.>
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I'm using a Griffin charger for the iPhone (1 amp)... it's very small and the plug blades fold up, making it very pocketable. Give the included iPhone cable to a friend.
http://www.amazon.com/Griffin-NA231...?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1322795627&sr=1-33

alee said:
I'm using a Griffin charger for the iPhone (1 amp)... it's very small and the plug blades fold up, making it very pocketable. Give the included iPhone cable to a friend.
http://www.amazon.com/Griffin-NA231...?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1322795627&sr=1-33
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it's.. 24 bucks ... for a charger..
lol fml

Dmw017 said:
it's.. 24 bucks ... for a charger..
lol fml
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Click to collapse
Haha, it's a nice charger.
If you don't get that one, do get a charger that does at least 700mA... or ideally 1A. Some of the cheaper chargers don't put out a lot of power and it will take a long time to charge your phone.

alee said:
Haha, it's a nice charger.
If you don't get that one, do get a charger that does at least 700mA... or ideally 1A. Some of the cheaper chargers don't put out a lot of power and it will take a long time to charge your phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
...you say it folds too huh :/ ....
but for that price, i wonder if there are any samsung chargers that are just as good if not better..
that is Apple, after all
hey isnt http://www.amazon.com/Griffin-Techn...al-USB-Charging/dp/B004EYH5WY/ref=pd_sim_e_10 the same product , it says it does 5 volts at 5 watts ... thats the same right?
edit: some people are reporting that the charger only charges at 0.5A instead of the full 1A on [some] android devices. if you have the charger, can you confirm your nexus charges at the full 1A watts

I've been doing fine with just plugging it into my computer like I always do with every other phone.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium

Dmw017 said:
hey isnt http://www.amazon.com/Griffin-Techn...al-USB-Charging/dp/B004EYH5WY/ref=pd_sim_e_10 the same product , it says it does 5 volts at 5 watts ... thats the same right?
edit: some people are reporting that the charger only charges at 0.5A instead of the full 1A on [some] android devices. if you have the charger, can you confirm your nexus charges at the full 1A watts
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Same one.
Good question on whether it's putting out a full 1A. I guess what I do is check the charge times tomorrow with a few different 1A chargers to see if it measures up.

I use this for home:
http://www.amazon.com/Cellet-Charger-Retractable-Cable-myTouch/dp/B004XVM1T0
And this for the car:
http://www.amazon.com/Griffin-Powerjolt-Dual-Universal-Micro/dp/B0042B9U8Q
Both are dual-USB and put out 1amp. Charges my GNEX and iPhone 4 (work) at the same time without issues.

Just feel like to chime in here for another question.
I know typical USB port from a PC outputs 0.5A while the wall charger outputs 1A, so besides charging time, is there any particular advantages to use wall charger over USB from PC?
I've read somewhere else states that despite the longer charging time using a USB port from a PC, it provides more thorough charges hence is better for the battery than using a wall charger, is this true?
Thanks!

assisterah said:
Just feel like to chime in here for another question.
I know typical USB port from a PC outputs 0.5A while the wall charger outputs 1A, so besides charging time, is there any particular advantages to use wall charger over USB from PC?
I've read somewhere else states that despite the longer charging time using a USB port from a PC, it provides more thorough charges hence is better for the battery than using a wall charger, is this true?
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've read that the wall charger drops the battery down to 90ish % after it hits 100% and just goes between the two levels until you unplug your charger
While a USB charge is slower and charges your device up to a "fuller" charge
...I may be unfathomably wrong though
---------- Post added at 10:57 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:56 PM ----------
man that little Apple charger is so damn cute ... lol , ill probably end up buying it once the 1A volt charge is confirmed
edit: just bought it lol, oh well.. it will probably maybe more or less somewhat possibly work like it should at 1A :}

assisterah said:
Just feel like to chime in here for another question.
I know typical USB port from a PC outputs 0.5A while the wall charger outputs 1A, so besides charging time, is there any particular advantages to use wall charger over USB from PC?
I've read somewhere else states that despite the longer charging time using a USB port from a PC, it provides more thorough charges hence is better for the battery than using a wall charger, is this true?
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not an expert on the subject but I was under the impression that cycles (charge + discharge) were a bigger factor on battery life than something like this. The longer a current is running through the battery (charge or discharge) is detrimental to it's life span.
Leaving a laptop plugged in all the time ruins its battery is my source on this one. I would say it's because it has a constant charge running through the battery.

qreffie said:
I've been doing fine with just plugging it into my computer like I always do with every other phone.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium
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That takes a lot longer vs plugging it into the wall

rashad1 said:
That takes a lot longer vs plugging it into the wall
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True dat. Unless it has changed , USB only outputs 500mA.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk

[hfm] said:
True dat. Unless it has changed , USB only outputs 500mA.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk
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500mA is the max before the PC will disable the port. So your actually get less current.
There are some ports, depending on the motherboard that have a option of outputting more power for charging devices, and also have the port powered when the computer is off. But a normal usb 2.0 port is limited to 500mA max per spec... so a normal usb 2.0 port charging a phone is drawing less then 500mA, or it would get and over current condition and disable the port.

I design electronics and work with USB and batteries often, so let me clear some stuff up in no particular order:
- PC ports are limited to 500mA so will only ever output a max of 500mA
- You can use a wall charger that outputs 1000mA but on most devices the data pins on the micro USB need to be shorted to tell the phone it can try to draw more than 500mA. This is true for HTC devices for example. That means if you get a cheap charger that doesn't short the data pins, when you plug your standard micro-usb cable into it, it will still only charge your phone at 500mA.
- The charging controller is actually in the phone. It decides based on temperature (there's a sensor in the battery), current, voltage across the battery (current charge) and characteristics of the type of battery to figure out how much current to allow into the battery. Although its true that a 500mA charger may have different affects than 1000mA chargers, there usually is very little perceivable difference. Which is (slightly) better really depends on the charging controller and how it decides when to stop charging.
- When the battery is full, the phone continues to 'trickle charge' for a period of time. This isn't a bad thing. Overcharging a Lithium battery can be extremely dangerous, so normal charging occurs at a high speed and then slows down at a safe limit below the 'true' 100%. After that the phone continues to trickle charge to top up the battery. This is the reason you read in phone manuals you should charge the phone for 8 hours or overnight for its first charge.
- When charging at 500mA, the battery does not get as hot. This usually means you get closer to the true 100% before 'trickle charging' starts. With a 1000mA charge the battery heats up a lot more so charging may switch to trickle much sooner. Here's an example with made up figures.
Lets say you charge your battery with a 500mA charger, and it takes 2 hours. When the phone shows 100% it may actually be at 99%, and trickle charging. Leaving it for another 30 mins may take it to its full capacity.
Now, lets say you charge your battery with a 1000mA charger, and it takes 1 hour. When the phone shows 100% it may actually be at 98%, and trickle charging - It stopped sooner because the battery was hotter. Leaving it for another 30 mins may take it to full capacity.
Conclusion.. the 500mA charger took 2.5 hours, while the 1000mA charger took 1.5 hours. However if you unplugged both when the phone showed 100%, the 500mA charged battery may last longer, and so you think the 500mA somehow resulted in a more thorough charge!
At the end of the day, it doesn't matter which you use. the absolute charge cycles is what counts. Charge to 100%, then dont charge till its 0 for best battery care. Constantly plugging into a charger or dock all day on and off is bad. But having said that, your phone is there to be used, so a sensible balance of the two is the best bet.

Thank you so much for the detailed response, kam187. Would you recommend avoiding using a 5.1V charger, considering the phone came with a 5V charger?
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk

I wouldn't use it. The 0.1v probably won't make any difference, but it may not be regulated. Chargers with these odd values sometimes don't have any regulator inside them. That could damage your phone as the voltage could shoot up and down as the current draw changes.
Just search amazon/ebay for any MicroUSB charger, and pick one from a reputable manufacturer like Motorola, HTC, Samsung etc. Since all phones now use MicroUSB, there's loads of these chargers around from previous phone models etc.
Here's just one I saw on amazon.com:
http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-Trave...E70I/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1322808220&sr=8-3

USB Charging Slow

Can someone tell me why is it that when i charge my phone when USB connected to PC its takes hours together to charge and Wall Charger takes 1/4th of that time why is that can anybody tell me what is the login behind it and which is best way to charge ?

USB only outputs 5v, which is why it takes makes longer. You have more power outputted from the ac adapter therefore it charges quicker. Simple as that. They will both eventually charge the device, but it's recommended you use the wall charger all it's faster, no one likes to wait

+1
U cannot compare usb charging with ur charger as output voltage varies across both n btw usb is jst an alternative for charger it's not a replacement
Sent from my LT22i using Tapatalk 2

You can use a custom kernel and change charging current.
Sent from my GT-N7100

Ok thanks Guys to know what is the main difference

Technically, voltage has little to do with charging. The amperage is what counts. USB on a computer gives ~500 milliamp, where ac chargers give 1-2 amps
Sent from my SGH-I997 using xda app-developers app

For a more detailed answer...
All compatible chargers output the same voltage, 5 volts. (Otherwise they just would burn out the charging circuits in the phone. It can happen both if there's too much volts and if there's too little, but for very different reasons.) However, voltage is not the only characteristic of electricity, the other most important is current, that is, amperes. Think of volts as 'water pressure' and amperes as 'amount of water pumped per minute' through a water pipe -- with real water, those are connected, with electricity they're quite separate.
Every source of stabilized electricity you will find in any kind of power supply will have a set voltage it outputs electricity at, and maximum current it can output. Trying to draw more current than it can supply can damage the power supply, so your phone limits the current it attempts to draw when it detects a standard USB port -- to what the USB standard says it should be able to safely supply. For standard ports, it's 500mA. Galaxy Note II by default plays it safe and draws 425mA. The stock AC charger is rated at 2000mA, and Note draws 1700mA when it detects one. This specifically affects the speed of charging -- AC chargers will charge battery faster, because three times more power gets in.
The USB standard was written before everyone and their mother started using it as a charger, and today, USB ports can usually handle more than 425mA, and on some computers they can supply just as much power as the stock AC charger. There are a few standard ways to detect how much current can a phone safely draw from an USB socket, but not all of them are universally accepted or correctly implemented, so the phone always plays it safe when it can't be sure. If you install a custom kernel, you can directly tell it how much power to draw if you know your USB port can handle it.

:good: :good::good::good::good::good:

aukhan said:
:good: :good::good::good::good::good:
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You can use the app Galaxy Charging Current (GCC) from the S3 thread which can measure the output of the incoming current. It will also allow you to detect faulty cables and chargers, as you will be able to see different ratings with different cables and chargers.
Testing on typical USB ports will get you a reading of 460, while the original charger and a good cable will give you 1800 (about the max current draw for the Note 2).
If you use a known good charger and get a lousy reading, it indicates a bad cable. I once had a cable give a readout of 100. I promptly threw it away.

Yes i am using that thanks nyways

2013 Nexus 7 Charging

I've got a 2013 Nexus 7 LTE model. planning to install it as a permanent Car PC. I understand the 12V USB charger needs to be a high rated one. Something like 3.4A. I have a 5A 12v to 5V USB power supply. Will 5A one work? I am assuming it won't draw more current than it needs anyway.
Also, if allowing it to pull higher amount of current, I am assuming a cheap micro USB charging cable isn't really an option either. I need to get a replacement cable as i've lost mine. My LG G3 phone's USB charging cable is much thicker cable which I assume means it can draw much more current. Is there a particular kind of cable I am looking for?
Thanks

ahmed123 said:
...I understand the 12V USB charger needs to be a high rated one. Something like 3.4A.
Thanks
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I'm not sure where you got that understanding from but no matter. My understanding is that the tablet draws juice only from the battery, and the supplied current through USB is strictly for charging. I've charged the thing with a 1A brick for a while now, and it did ok. Of course, a 2A I own would cut charging time in almost half. True, a 5-pin usb would accelerate charging, but no $30 Monster cable is needed. Unless you're so paranoid, only an overkill would calm you down.

graphdarnell said:
I'm not sure where you got that understanding from but no matter. My understanding is that the tablet draws juice only from the battery, and the supplied current through USB is strictly for charging. I've charged the thing with a 1A brick for a while now, and it did ok. Of course, a 2A I own would cut charging time in almost half. True, a 5-pin usb would accelerate charging, but no $30 Monster cable is needed. Unless you're so paranoid, only an overkill would calm you down.
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Sorry I meant the charging current draw. A few articles i've read is that if using Nexus 7 in car install, the charger needs to be a high amp one otherwise it will not charge as fast as it will drain. Any idea on what kind of amp cable is available for fast charge? I've found a 3A micro USB charger and a 12V to 5V 3A power supply