Related
Anyone saw this yet? It is pretty expensive though, lol:
http://www.amzer.com/Amzer-3500-mAh-Battery-Backup-Solar-Charger-P83981.htm
I saw this on Fommy.com and was thinking about getting it.
How exactly does it work?
Does it charge it's own battery if not plugged in to the phone, then later when there is no sun you can charge your phone of the charged battery?
If so, that is kinda bad ass.
Yeah I think that is how it does work. If not, than that price is not worth it, lmao. Hopefully it works as how you described it though.
BigWorldJust said:
Yeah I think that is how it does work. If not, than that price is not worth it, lmao. Hopefully it works as how you described it though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That is exactly how it works. It has a 3500 mAh battery battery built in. For comparison the Vibrant comes stock with a 1500 mAh battery.
That's actually not a bad price, considering that a 2500 mAh Innocell from Seidio will cost you about the same. The Innocell is an internal battery with a replacement back cover. I was going to get one but I'll probably get the Amzer now.
For comparison shopping you can go to ThinkGeek dot com and search for "solar charger" to find the 4 or so they sell. They even have a $200 for laptops.
Follow instructions for usage. Do not overheat or overexpose the Amzer Solar Charger to direct or indirect sunlight and AC/ USB charge.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
WTH? Do not expose to direct sunlight? How is it a solar charger then? Idiotic legal disclaimers. This one's right up there with "Do not insert screwdriver into eye."
Nice. So basically it is worth it?
I say it depends. If I need more batteries I'd rather get them separately and have a charger specifically for it like the ones you can find on ebay.
Taking out the old battery and popping in the new one only takes a minute while charging from a solar battery could take who knows how long.
Col.Kernel said:
That is exactly how it works. It has a 3500 mAh battery battery built in. For comparison the Vibrant comes stock with a 1500 mAh battery.
That's actually not a bad price, considering that a 2500 mAh Innocell from Seidio will cost you about the same. The Innocell is an internal battery with a replacement back cover. I was going to get one but I'll probably get the Amzer now.
For comparison shopping you can go to ThinkGeek dot com and search for "solar charger" to find the 4 or so they sell. They even have a $200 for laptops.
WTH? Do not expose to direct sunlight? How is it a solar charger then? Idiotic legal disclaimers. This one's right up there with "Do not insert screwdriver into eye."
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
direct sunlight means lots of heat (over 100F on a good summer day), lots of heat is not good for batteries. solar charger does not mean it charges from sun.......it needs any light source.
Follow instructions for usage. Do not overheat or overexpose the Amzer Solar Charger to direct or indirect sunlight and AC/ USB charge.
LOL
kolyan said:
direct sunlight means lots of heat (over 100F on a good summer day), lots of heat is not good for batteries. solar charger does not mean it charges from sun.......it needs any light source.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
lol.
mini semi scientific answer: they use heat to turn into electricity, and it's not that efficient, but it's enough to work (and gets better every year).
So sure, any light source might work, but something other than the sun will basically not work that well. Having it in a lighted room will do zero for it, for example.
designerfx said:
lol.
mini semi scientific answer: they use heat to turn into electricity, and it's not that efficient, but it's enough to work (and gets better every year).
So sure, any light source might work, but something other than the sun will basically not work that well. Having it in a lighted room will do zero for it, for example.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yeah, but there is a battery in side as well. if it was just a solar charger then yes, more sun = better
I saw a similar product on Dealextreme for much cheaper. From the feedback the important thing is to find out if the charging current is at least 700mA. If not the Vibrant might not be charged properly.
Here are the ones from DE: http://www.dealextreme.com/products.dx/category.1101~search.solar usb charger
designerfx said:
lol.
mini semi scientific answer: they use heat to turn into electricity, and it's not that efficient, but it's enough to work (and gets better every year).
So sure, any light source might work, but something other than the sun will basically not work that well. Having it in a lighted room will do zero for it, for example.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A solar cell does NOT use heat to produce electricity, it uses light waves. Full spectrum light is the most efficient but any light source will work.
The waves impact the cell and cause a potential difference on the diode, this then creates a current in the cell. Heat is actually BAD for solar cells, the cooler they are the more current they produce. This is one of the reasons that solar panels in snowy environments can produce more electricity than cells in the south. Reflected light off the snow is another reason.
sfsilicon said:
I saw a similar product on Dealextreme for much cheaper. From the feedback the important thing is to find out if the charging current is at least 700mA. If not the Vibrant might not be charged properly.
Here are the ones from DE: http://www.dealextreme.com/products.dx/category.1101~search.solar usb charger
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's cheaper because you get less. 1800 MAh as compared to 3500 MAh storage.
I looked up the reviews of the Amzer solar one on amazon and it didn't look too promising.
I decided to get this one (no solar):
And for those in windy areas...
kizer said:
Follow instructions for usage. Do not overheat or overexpose the Amzer Solar Charger to direct or indirect sunlight and AC/ USB charge.
LOL
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
People, the warning is not to put it in sunlight. It is to not put it in sunlight AND have it plugged into the AC/USB charger — thus providing 'double' charging.
Solar or not
<$20
You might want to look for one that includes a std usb adapter so you can use it w the oem cable for whatever phone/gadget, or get an Amzer mini-to-micro usb adaper for $5 (and get an adapter for your future phone, too).
But yeah. $70 is a little steep. I'd rather get two of these. You could get 4 for that price.
Edit: Im liking this. It says the battery can be replaced, and it doesn't say with what,exactly, but it looks AA sized to me. It has all the adapters, the port you plug your phone into is usb (yeah, you could probably scrap the cable and the adapters), and it looks like it chrges via the same port. None of these parts is entirely enticing, but the stuff in the bag, not to mention the bag, is a MacGyver use-for-everything in whatever way you need package. I think part of the appeal to me is the mystery as to whether it really is as all-purpose as I think it is. I love this kind of Asian innovation. I'm very tempted to support it. If I do, I'll report back.
OK, while I'm at it: $7, free shipping, with std usb so you can use your OEM cable.
Amzer sells a lot of overpriced stuff, this is one of many
solar chargers
Well i was looking for one and i got from dealextreme , but after 3 months, its not charging properly. Not sure why?! My brother got for me one and its good, he said he got from Chinabuye, its online store from China. Good battery life. so far so good.
Amzer is JUNK
Amzer makes JUNK. Purchased their junk before and it's not worth it even if it was free.
The owner of Amzer, basically gets Chinese manufacturers to make his junk and label it Amzer. His products are the same junk you can find on ebay for 50 cents.
This is BS.
I recently got a Seido extended battery case and I thought I could fit two regular batteries in order use one battery and have another battery there in the unit as a spare. As I thought about this however, why beat the bush?
Why not think of a way to connect the two batteries with a piece of electrical tape and have a cheap ~$6 3000mah battery. Thoughts?
Well..you could always wire the contacts together, that way the contacts on the phone hit both of them at the same time. However, you would have to worry about over powering the phone (too much current to it). So..probably wouldn't be worth it. However, if you have insurance you could always try it...
I actually thought of this before and was about to run to radioshack when I ran into a snag....
I was going to wire them up using a relay so when there was no charge on the original battery it would auto switch to the other. E.g. only one battery connected at a time.
Problems:
1. Phone would shutdown when the relay switched, not too big of an issue as you would just turn phone back on.
2. I think phone would shut off before relay would switch, due to Android turning phone off before battery is truely dead
3. Charging would be an issue due to relay
4. All the relays I found were pretty big
As far as wiring two batties at once to increase capacity. There's only 2 ways to do it:
1. Parralell (Wiring + to + and - to - and one battery entirely to load) which will end up with the same voltage as one battery but twice the amps!
2. Series (wiring - from one battery to load, + from other battery to load, then remaining - and + together) which will double the volts but the amps will be the same!
P.S. I'm not a licensed electrician...
Well ur gonna have to do alot of thinking. What ur gonna have to do is hok up 2 battery's to 1 circuit board otherwise you will blow up the battery's and fry your phone. So be careful and solder right. Do a good job and don't mess it up completely.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App
Kept thinking about it and here is the easiest way to do it...and the reasoning why it will work.
1. If you are to do it you will need 2 identical batteries. Same make, model, and age...preferably new. Otherwise one will degrade.
2. Running in parallel WILL double mAh or discharge rate. I didn't think so at first but it will.
3. Since we can't supply the phone with more volts than it can handle we cannot wire the batteries in series.
4. So we must wire them in parallel, this will double batteries mAh, volts will remain equal to one battery, and double the amps.
5. Doubling the amps should not hurt phone as it will only use what it needs. It is bad to have less amps but not more.***
So, according to my original battery specs if I were to wire two together the end result would be:
3000mAh 3.7V @ 2A
To my knowledge this should work fine.
There is only 2 things that should be verified by an electrician - i.e. not me.
***1. I know more amps is OK, but doubling them I am not sure about. The phone SHOULD only draw at 1A regardless.
2. Charging with the batteries connected together should be OK, this is why I said to make sure their identical. But I would still recommend charging them separately as this is where most damage can be caused to batteries.
You would be fine with them in parallel, amperage is a nonissue as amps are pulled not pushed, charging I'm not sure about I don't know how the charging circuit works in these phones.
Ps I am a licensed electrician
If you ever take one of those cheap Chinese 3500 mah batters apart its just two smaller batteries hooked together and wrapped up.
Well that is all any battery is, a groping of cells. And the cells inside of a single battery are paired to match the exact specs the phone requires.
P.S. I actually have another battery on its way in the mail. I had my warranty send me one so I have a spare. If it is identical to my current one, which it should be, I will test this idea out.
Wouldn't it be easier to order an extended battery with the battery cover from eBay for like $7.50 delivered? Or is this something you wanna do just to see if you can? I don't see why anyone would take the risk of blowing up their phone for this.
rugedraw said:
Wouldn't it be easier to order an extended battery with the battery cover from eBay for like $7.50 delivered? Or is this something you wanna do just to see if you can? I don't see why anyone would take the risk of blowing up their phone for this.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
More or less just to do it, and I have warranty with no down payment so I can get new phone.
rugedraw said:
Wouldn't it be easier to order an extended battery with the battery cover from eBay for like $7.50 delivered? Or is this something you wanna do just to see if you can? I don't see why anyone would take the risk of blowing up their phone for this.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This ^
Why spend the time and risk damaging your phone?
I can understand the curiosity, as this has crossed my mind before as well, but i figured it simply wasn't worth the time/money/effort
dowmace said:
You would be fine with them in parallel, amperage is a nonissue as amps are pulled not pushed, charging I'm not sure about I don't know how the charging circuit works in these phones.
Ps I am a licensed electrician
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm an electrical engineer and this is correct. The circuit (phone) will draw the amperage needed to run regardless of capacity.
This is the same deal if you get a laptop charger. If your laptop takes 12VDC at 5A and you use a 12VDC that is capable of 12A, you won't hurt your laptop, as the laptop will only pull 5A max from the charger. If you use a 14VDC at 5A you will probably fry something on your mainboard.
Similarly, if your phone takes a 5V .5A charger and you use a 5V 1A you don't fry your phone.
I was just wondering whether external batteries are generally quite reliable, and if so what the best brands are to go for? I am looking for a relatively powerful one - I am not afraid of a little bit of cost, but obviously I don't want to spend masses.
Thanks
Ive got a New Trent and its well built and reliable. The 11000mAH will last you for several days. Have a look on Amazon.
I have a "Just Mobile Pro" or something like that.
4400mAh with 1000mA output.
But the EasyAcc 5600mAh (which I don't have) does sound better and cheaper (on Amazon).
Second new trents 11000mah one that thing is a beast
Chartist said:
Ive got a New Trent and its well built and reliable. The 11000mAH will last you for several days. Have a look on Amazon.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
24inchsub said:
Second new trents 11000mah one that thing is a beast
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yeah i got that bad boy too and its a beast. well worth the price
Chartist said:
Ive got a New Trent and its well built and reliable. The 11000mAH will last you for several days. Have a look on Amazon.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks not heard of New Trent before. Looks good. Can you confirm it's output charging current though? I can't find the spec on it anywhere. I'm assuming it's the full 1A, as it says it can charge an iPad, but could you please confirm? Looks like I'll be needing one!
Cheers.
wnp_79 said:
Thanks not heard of New Trent before. Looks good. Can you confirm it's output charging current though? I can't find the spec on it anywhere. I'm assuming it's the full 1A, as it says it can charge an iPad, but could you please confirm? Looks like I'll be needing one!
Cheers.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i can try to charge my ipad when i get home haven't tried actually.
I bought the Anker 5600mAh battery for my HTC Desire. Great quality, compact and it fits in my pocket very nicely. I bought it for $30 on ebay
http://www.ianker.com/products_astronew.html
gordongartrell said:
I bought the Anker 5600mAh battery for my HTC Desire. Great quality, compact and it fits in my pocket very nicely. I bought it for $30 on ebay
http://www.ianker.com/products_astronew.html
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Flashlight feature's a nice touch.
isound portable external battery. Has built in flashlight too. Comes in two flavors, 16000mah and 8000mah.
If you look around you can find it cheaper elsewhere
http://www.isound.net/shop-by-type/accessories/i-sound-portable-power-16000-mah.html
Zagg Sparq 2.0 6000mah. Not worth the $100. Went on sale for $50 before..
Love the design and its built it power plugs. Loses charge over time. Google user reviews.
http://www.zagg.com/accessories/zaggsparq.php
knoxploration said:
Flashlight feature's a nice touch.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's good and bad . I was on the train heading home from work and I was charging my phone with the Anker charger. I accidentally pressed the power button twice and the flashlight turned on. Sitting across from me was this fairly attractive woman with a skirt on. She automatically crossed her legs and looked at me weird. I hope she doesn't think that i'm a pervert.
gordongartrell said:
It's good and bad . I was on the train heading home from work and I was charging my phone with the Anker charger. I accidentally pressed the power button twice and the flashlight turned on. Sitting across from me was this fairly attractive woman with a skirt on. She automatically crossed her legs and looked at me weird. I hope she doesn't think that i'm a pervert.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hah! Good thing I didn't have a mouthful of soda there...
Good thing to remember with external battery packs is that during usage some of the charge goes to charging the battery while some is lost in heat. I think I read some where its normaly 30-40%. So for example a 11000mah battery will give you some where near 6600mah of charge so about 3 and half charges of the HTC One X.
I'm considering either the:
TeckNet® iEP387 7000mAh Dual-Port 2.1Amp Output Universal USB Battery Bank
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/...&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=467128533&pf_rd_i=468294
New Trent iCruiser IMP1000 11000mAh External Battery Pack
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/...&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=467128533&pf_rd_i=468294
Although not 100% sure I need either at the moment
HTC-Gunge said:
Good thing to remember with external battery packs is that during usage some of the charge goes to charging the battery while some is lost in heat. I think I read some where its normaly 30-40%. So for example a 11000mah battery will give you some where near 6600mah of charge so about 3 and half charges of the HTC One X.
I'm considering either the:
TeckNet® iEP387 7000mAh Dual-Port 2.1Amp Output Universal USB Battery Bank
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/...&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=467128533&pf_rd_i=468294
New Trent iCruiser IMP1000 11000mAh External Battery Pack
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/...&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=467128533&pf_rd_i=468294
Although not 100% sure I need either at the moment
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The heat loss is inevitable but the capacity should be unchanged.
What the heat loss means is that you need more than 11000mAh to charge up the full 11000mAh battery due to the losses.
The tecknet is very good value. I am considering it at the moment
tsleng said:
The heat loss is inevitable but the capacity should be unchanged.
What the heat loss means is that you need more than 11000mAh to charge up the full 11000mAh battery due to the losses.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes but I'm talking about in the other direction. So once you have 11000mAh in the device and you charge a device that take 1800mAh you will actually use aprox 2520mAh in doing so. My numbers and calculations maybe a little flawed but my point is that you cant do a simple 11000 / 1800 = 6.1 charges as you need to take into account heat loss which is around 30 - 40% (so I read on one of the amazon reviews)
Either way both devices are nice and cost quite reasonable.
Hampa_D said:
i can try to charge my ipad when i get home haven't tried actually.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
tried it with my ipad last night and it worked great, it worked as if it was on AC
Have got the Tecknet IEP987 7000mah battery myself. Has run through two charges of a sensation XL and my Fiio Headphone amp, and still around half full.
Am more than happy with it.
HTC-Gunge said:
Yes but I'm talking about in the other direction. So once you have 11000mAh in the device and you charge a device that take 1800mAh you will actually use aprox 2520mAh in doing so. My numbers and calculations maybe a little flawed but my point is that you cant do a simple 11000 / 1800 = 6.1 charges as you need to take into account heat loss which is around 30 - 40% (so I read on one of the amazon reviews)
Either way both devices are nice and cost quite reasonable.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ah yes of course. Did not realise you were talking about the other way round charger>>phone
Not sure how efficient but if say 10% loss, we still get around 5 times charge with a 11000mAh batt. to a One X.
I am leaning towards the 7000mAh. Not sure if I need it or not...
tsleng said:
Ah yes of course. Did not realise you were talking about the other way round charger>>phone
Not sure how efficient but if say 10% loss, we still get around 5 times charge with a 11000mAh batt. to a One X.
I am leaning towards the 7000mAh. Not sure if I need it or not...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Also don't forgot not to simply divide the battery pack's capacity by your phone's battery capacity to see how many times it will charge, unless you are charging it with the phone turned off.
With the phone on it is obviously using the usual amount for running the phone, whilst it is being charged. Add the current being drawn for keeping the phone running (say 250mA when awake) for the time it takes to charge (for me 2 hours) and you are looking at 500mAH. Add that to the capacity of your phone battery before dividing it by the capacity of your battery pack to figure out how many charges you'll get from it. Figures used are just for example purposes. Use a current widget if you want to know how much your phone is using.
Plus like a phone's battery, a new battery pack will take several charge cycles to reach full performance. Where as with a phone's battery which only takes about 2 weeks (charging it every day), a battery pack will take that much longer to get the full performance out of, as you wont likely be charging it more than once a week/month.
And then there's the battery indicators. These New Trent ones look sensible, but I once purchased a Proporta Turbocharger 5000mAHr unit. It had three blue LED battery status lights that were always on if charging. If you looked directly at them they'd burn your retinas out your skull. They could be seen from space. Stupidly and comically bright. They HAD to eat into some of the capacity.
Copper losses over the cable at the distances involved in your average charging cable will be negligible. If you really want to reduce it, don't use those silly skinny retracting yo-yo charging cable things that some of them come with. Use a decent quality USB to microUSB cable. The higher the guage of the cable and quality of copper, the less volt-drop there is. I keep a good few of these kicking about at home as they are well made but not too costly, and come with a nice cable tidy clasp...http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/GENUINE-NOKIA-CA-101-CA101-USB-DATA-CABLE-LEAD-5230-/140579882085?pt=UK_MobilePhones_MobilePhoneAccesories_MobilePhoneDataCables_JN&hash=item20bb36c465
fi3ry_icy said:
since the battery isnt gonna be removable, i am currently considering buying a portable charger..
here are some i found.. would like an opinion on which capacity would be good..
http://www.netimes.com/shop/power-master-9600mah-portable-mobile-power-p-3052.html?cPath=445_711
http://www.netimes.com/shop/2000mah...pack-with-led-light-p-3264.html?cPath=445_711
http://www.netimes.com/shop/dualport-5000mah-external-battery-pack-p-3109.html?cPath=80_731
http://mobilemate.yetaa.com/accessories/pineng-5000mah-power-bank.html
the last link has the same capacity as the 2nd last but it is way cheaper.. is it safe?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
here u go..
posted this in another thread..
cheers..
I read the biggest difference between the g2 and n5 are the battery life..
No biggy. I just bought one of these for £19.97 from eBay.
It's a "Power Bank" portable charger with a capacity of 15000mAh.
It has two ports, 1A and 2A. 2A is actually 2.1A, which is fairly fast. It's about 0.5 cm taller and wider than the n5, so you can just sit your phone comfortably on top of it while you eat lunch or whatever.
This charged my n5 from 14% to 100% in about 30 mins while playing a light game, and used roughly 1/5 of the total capacity.
I no longer charge my phones at night. I just charge this badboy. I've had it for a week and well, I haven't worried when my phone gets to 15% battery remaining by 12:00 due to heavy use and gaming. Neither has it ran out of charge before the end of the day, and it comes with 4 different adapters for varied devices.
It's perfect.
I found this new on eBay but you can find them anywhere, just make sure the get at least a 2.1A port for fast charging.
Sent from the dark side of the moon.
Shopping link?
probably something like this one
looks similar...
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/15000mAh-...162?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item4d0e26bb6a
Sorry here's the link to the one I bought and that one the other guy linked looks very chunky and ugly no offence lol but yeah it's pretty much the same thing (same power, ports and adapters)
Edit : it's been reduced to £17.97 :thumbup:
http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.view&id=121165722395
Sent from the dark side of the moon.
con4n007 said:
probably something like this one
looks similar...
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/15000mAh-...162?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item4d0e26bb6a
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
seems bulky and is around 32cdn.
Awww yeah!!
So essentially this, but with a battery pack!
Haha! That's hilarious but don't think that would be necessary since it fully charges in no time at all lmao
Sent from the dark side of the moon.
Hello everyone,
I hope to buy a power bank for my new Nexus 5.
I have made many search and I found that all power bank provide more that 1.2 A as output.
I noticed that the Nexus 5 official charger provide 1.2 A as output. So if I will buy a power bank that provides 2A or 3A, this will make problems for the phone battery ??
It is real that the important amperage charge the phone very fast, but this will not make problems for the battery ??
Ive got problems with the nexus 5's battery life aswell.
Now I'm using franco kernel and greenify and some other simple battery saving methods (no vibrate on key press, ...)
Feels like my battery life tripled it's juice!
Battary Life of Nexus 5
iKlutz said:
I read the biggest difference between the g2 and n5 are the battery life..
No biggy. I just bought one of these for £19.97 from eBay.
It's a "Power Bank" portable charger with a capacity of 15000mAh.
It has two ports, 1A and 2A. 2A is actually 2.1A, which is fairly fast. It's about 0.5 cm taller and wider than the n5, so you can just sit your phone comfortably on top of it while you eat lunch or whatever.
This charged my n5 from 14% to 100% in about 30 mins while playing a light game, and used roughly 1/5 of the total capacity.
I no longer charge my phones at night. I just charge this badboy. I've had it for a week and well, I haven't worried when my phone gets to 15% battery remaining by 12:00 due to heavy use and gaming. Neither has it ran out of charge before the end of the day, and it comes with 4 different adapters for varied devices.
It's perfect.
I found this new on eBay but you can find them anywhere, just make sure the get at least a 2.1A port for fast charging.
Sent from the dark side of the moon.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Power supply life is an issue for everyone modern touch screen phones, besides the Nexus 5. Handsets increasingly becoming thinner, displays pack in additional pixels than ever, mobile systems are getting more source intensive, and battery power technology basically can’t sustain. The issue is additional evident using some smartphones than it's in some others, however, and the actual Nexus 5 confirms itself on the list of worst performers we've got tested lately with regards to battery lifetime.
The best feature I have ever had on a smartphone was a power saving feature from the HTC one.
So simple but amazing at saving battery life.
It turned off the data connection when you were not using it.
So simple.
Sent from my Nexus 5 using xda app-developers app
onamika said:
however, and the actual Nexus 5 confirms itself on the list of worst performers we've got tested lately with regards to battery lifetime.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Proper testing conditions disagrees with you. You'd be hard pressed to find a more efficient quad core 2300 mAh phone ever made. The G2's 3000 mAh it can not match though.
http://anandtech.com/show/7517/google-nexus-5-review/3
Got 2 new batteries and I want to keep them for a while, so I have a few questions:
1. Is the OEM fast-charge charger and cable okay to use every day, or will it degrade the battery faster than a slower/regular speed charger/cable?
2. Since I have 2 batteries now, which is the best way to charge them both up? charge 1 in the phone, then swap and charge the other in the phone? Or buy a battery charger (and if so, which one)?
3. Any other helps regarding the chargers and/or cables?Thank you for your help.
Faster charging will always generate more heat and put more stress on the battery, so slower charging would be better for a battery's lifespan, but I don't think you'll see a huge difference within two years.
By far the fastest way to keep going is having the second battery charged in an external battery charger and then swap when the other battery gets low, followed by charging the low battery in the external charger. Doing it this way also puts the least wear-and-tear on the phone's charging port since you'll rarely use it. I use LG's OEM external battery charging cradle (BCK-5200), but it may be hard to find nowadays. There's currently a used one up for sale in an auction by an American seller on eBay, and there are new ones from a South Korean seller for a higher fixed price. I wouldn't pay more than $25 for one. As for charging time, for me, it takes about 4 hours to charge my MaxxxJuice 4100 mAh batteries from ~5–10% to full. External chargers do not fast-charge, so you'll never put too much stress on the battery that way. Of course, swapping may not be for everyone as it may be inconvenient to take a case off and put it back on.
Unlike the older microUSB cables, bad USB Type-C cables that are not built to certain specifications can draw higher currents and destroy the devices they are charging. A few years ago, a Google engineer reviewed lots of USB-C cables on Amazon to give his view on those. If you need a third-party cable, make sure you get one from a reputable source with good reviews. My preferred USB cable is Anker's Powerline+ due to their extra strength/thickness, and I don't need much flexibility/twistability in my cables. Also, I like how the USB-C end connector is made of one single piece where you don't see any connecting lines around the middle (you can see an example here).
Other thoughts:
As long as there is a supply of extra batteries around and you can afford to buy them when the time comes, then you shouldn't worry much about how you charge your phone. In my opinion, that is one of the main selling points of having a hand-removable battery. I imagine a paranoid person on a phone with a sealed battery would be trying to keep the battery level between 40 and 80% at all times. So really, the only thing to worry about is having a decent USB-C cable and making sure the phone's charging port is clean and not worn out.
In case you are really interested on my detailed charging habits and related things on my V20, I discussed them while reviewing my batteries a while back on the V20 Subreddit.
Thanks!
C D said:
Faster charging will always generate more heat and put more stress on the battery, so slower charging would be better for a battery's lifespan, but I don't think you'll see a huge difference within two years.
By far the fastest way to keep going is having the second battery charged in an external battery charger and then swap when the other battery gets low, followed by charging the low battery in the external charger. Doing it this way also puts the least wear-and-tear on the phone's charging port since you'll rarely use it. I use LG's OEM external battery charging cradle (BCK-5200), but it may be hard to find nowadays. There's currently a used one up for sale in an auction by an American seller on eBay, and there are new ones from a South Korean seller for a higher fixed price. I wouldn't pay more than $25 for one. As for charging time, for me, it takes about 4 hours to charge my MaxxxJuice 4100 mAh batteries from ~5–10% to full. External chargers do not fast-charge, so you'll never put too much stress on the battery that way. Of course, swapping may not be for everyone as it may be inconvenient to take a case off and put it back on.
Unlike the older microUSB cables, bad USB Type-C cables that are not built to certain specifications can draw higher currents and destroy the devices they are charging. A few years ago, a Google engineer reviewed lots of USB-C cables on Amazon to give his view on those. If you need a third-party cable, make sure you get one from a reputable source with good reviews. My preferred USB cable is Anker's Powerline+ due to their extra strength/thickness, and I don't need much flexibility/twistability in my cables. Also, I like how the USB-C end connector is made of one single piece where you don't see any connecting lines around the middle (you can see an example here).
Other thoughts:
As long as there is a supply of extra batteries around and you can afford to buy them when the time comes, then you shouldn't worry much about how you charge your phone. In my opinion, that is one of the main selling points of having a hand-removable battery. I imagine a paranoid person on a phone with a sealed battery would be trying to keep the battery level between 40 and 80% at all times. So really, the only thing to worry about is having a decent USB-C cable and making sure the phone's charging port is clean and not worn out.
In case you are really interested on my detailed charging habits and related things on my V20, I discussed them while reviewing my batteries a while back on the V20 Subreddit.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
On that Subreddit, you mentioned you cycled a couple batteries. Did you have to do the whole fully charge and fully drain thing each time you switched to the new battery, or just when you first bought the batteries?
Would like to know the answer to ^this^ as well.
baldybill said:
On that Subreddit, you mentioned you cycled a couple batteries. Did you have to do the whole fully charge and fully drain thing each time you switched to the new battery, or just when you first bought the batteries?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
pistacios said:
Would like to know the answer to ^this^ as well.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, I only did the full cycle with the first battery three times, and that was it. The only reason to do that is for the Android software of the phone to get a better sense of your battery level. Of course, it won't be as accurate the longer you go swapping between batteries as undoubtedly they will differ a bit in capacity over time. But fully running down and then fully charging a battery isn't good for its lifespan if you do it too often. The only other times you'd have to really repeat the calibration is when switching to a battery with a different capacity or switching ROMs / doing a factory reset.
C D said:
No, I only did the full cycle with the first battery three times, and that was it. The only reason to do that is for the Android software of the phone to get a better sense of your battery level. Of course, it won't be as accurate the longer you go swapping between batteries as undoubtedly they will differ a bit in capacity over time. But fully running down and then fully charging a battery isn't good for its lifespan if you do it too often. The only other times you'd have to really repeat the calibration is when switching to a battery with a different capacity or switching ROMs / doing a factory reset.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So, I got a 4000 Powerbear that I'm calibrating now.
I'm also getting a 4100 Perfine.
Are they close enough that I shouldn't have to recalibrate for the 4100?
baldybill said:
So, I got a 4000 Powerbear that I'm calibrating now.
I'm also getting a 4100 Perfine.
Are they close enough that I shouldn't have to recalibrate for the 4100?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Most likely yes. I imagine most of these 4000–4300 mAh Lithium polymer batteries that started popping up this year are very similar, and some may just be rebranded from the same common factory source. Barring a defective battery, if the two batteries had a significant difference in capacity, you could see things like early shutdowns on the smaller capacity one or being stuck at a low percentage for an unusually long amount of time on the larger capacity one.
Great info.
So it looks like all other batteries on hand should not be put into rotation with the higher capacity batteries to avoid inaccurate readings in Android.
pistacios said:
Great info.
So it looks like all other batteries on hand should not be put into rotation with the higher capacity batteries to avoid inaccurate readings in Android.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Pretty much this. I suppose one could try keeping separate copies of the batterystats.bin file from /data/system when rooted and swap them alongside the different batteries. But that sounds like too much of a pain to deal with, even if it works.
C D said:
Most likely yes. I imagine most of these 4000–4300 mAh Lithium polymer batteries that started popping up this year are very similar, and some may just be rebranded from the same common factory source. Barring a defective battery, if the two batteries had a significant difference in capacity, you could see things like early shutdowns on the smaller capacity one or being stuck at a low percentage for an unusually long amount of time on the larger capacity one.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
pistacios said:
Great info.
So it looks like all other batteries on hand should not be put into rotation with the higher capacity batteries to avoid inaccurate readings in Android.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
C D said:
Pretty much this. I suppose one could try keeping separate copies of the batterystats.bin file from /data/system when rooted and swap them alongside the different batteries. But that sounds like too much of a pain to deal with, even if it works.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just to add to this, I found your pics @C D for the charging instructions and there's a note about using 3200mah batteries along with the 4100mah batteries.
pistacios said:
Just to add to this, I found your pics @C D for the charging instructions and there's a note about using 3200mah batteries along with the 4100mah batteries.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Does that mean that if you switch between the batteries, they'll both last as long as they should (the 4100 longer time than the orig. 3200), but the system's percent will be wrong?
My understanding is that if you calibrate the phone to recognize the full 4100mah and then use a 3200mah battery, it will shut down early (but still use the full 3200mah).
Correct. They are warning you that swapping between batteries of significantly different capacities will throw off the accuracy of the phone's battery percentage indicator at all times, especially at the high and low percent values (so an early shutdown can happen when the smaller capacity battery is used). Of course, this won't affect either battery's true capacity.
I'd pay good money for a system that can correctly handle different battery capacities of any amount, but we all know where the future of hand-removable batteries has been heading for the last 3–4 years.
Does anyone charge their phone ONLY to 80 % or so?
If so, what apps do you use to limit this? Any other tips/advice?
baldybill said:
Does anyone charge their phone ONLY to 80 % or so?
If so, what apps do you use to limit this? Any other tips/advice?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I use AccuBattery and it has a notification sound that plays when you hit the target charge percentage, but it's still up to you to remove the phone from the charger or else it continues charging to 100%.
Since our phones have replaceable batteries, I haven't made any special effort to take care of them. I have a pair of May '17 OEM 3200 mAh batteries that are going to get switched out for a pair of new 4100+ mAh Li-Po batteries once I get my second V20 set up. Every charger I use is QuickCharge 3.0 certified except for USB on my PCs and my Pioneer Android Auto headunit USB connection in one car. The vast majority of the time, I charge via QC 3.0. Pretty much the only time I let the battery charge via PC USB is when I actually need to transfer files between the phone and computer.
Before my phone started having issues in the past month with a phantom power drain, I would let the phone charge from 30-40% to 80-90% and then remove it from the charger at night before going to sleep. In the last half year as the batteries have aged, I've let it get up to between 90-95% before unplugging. For the past month, I've been charging the phone four times a day from 40-100% to combat the power drain issue, but that comes with knowing that I don't care about these old batteries or the state of the firmware on this first V20 anymore.
As for when I swapped the two batteries I have, that entirely depended on when I actually ran one down so far that I needed a 0-100% battery swap, which could be months at a time and usually happened while on vacation or away from a charging source for a longer period of time than what my usual home/car/work routine allows.