Develop Bugs

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 >.>
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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 >.>
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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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Click to collapse
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
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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

problems charging the note 2 in the car - any ideas?

here is my setup in the car and i can't get the note to charge - well, it does say its charging but at best it will maintain my charge level it never actually charges
dedicated charger into my fuse box
note hooked up with mhl to my pioneer appradio 2
gps running, mhl running, bluetooth running. i use a screen off app to totally black out the screen.
now, this setup with my gs3 worked perfectly it would charge the gs3 like crazy as fast as a wall charger it seemed. with the note it will never increase in charge but at best maintain or slowly use charge. the power it is getting cannot keep up with all the tasks its doing.
now, i know this phone is a beast...but can anyone think of anything for me to try or buy to get this charging no matter what? i figure it may take custom kernals or something like that to finally get it done.
that being said - if you are using an android phone you absolutely must check out the pioneer appradio 2 with the appradio liberator app. you hook the phone up via mhl and with the app have full touchscreen control and mirroring of your phone on the 7inch touchscrreen radio display its pretty awesome.

I know the wall charger is a 2A rated charger....which is built for tablets. Perhaps attempt to locate a travel charger rated as such. I'm no scientist, or electritian so I cannot attest this will work, but just thought I would throw it out there
Sent from my SPH-D710 using xda app-developers app

Jcossack88 said:
I know the wall charger is a 2A rated charger....which is built for tablets. Perhaps attempt to locate a travel charger rated as such. I'm no scientist, or electritian so I cannot attest this will work, but just thought I would throw it out there
Sent from my SPH-D710 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
my chargers i the car claim to be 2a but doesn't seem to make a difference. hell, the one charger would chage an ipad in the past

most samsung tablets need an adapter to "trick" fast charging mode on non-samsumg chargers. otherwise it'll just trickle charge. i've not tried any yet but seems i may have to since the gnote2 is gonna need the same juice as my gn101. kinda what i expected since they're pretty much the same specs.
here's a thread to make your own adapter:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=845844
page 9 has a few links buy your own. just put .com in place of .co.uk on the ebay links.
here one for $3. ships from china so it may take a few weeks.

the stock AC charger supplied with the note 2 is 2A. I also have a 2A car charger. I cannot get the note to charge at any rate higher than 1A. Yes, i do know the trick to get the phone to go into fast charge mode. I have a feeling that 1A is the most we are going to get. Yes, if you have a ton of stuff running all at once you are going to use more than 1A and end up with a dead battery after a while. It does suck. My previous phone (Epic) would not charge beyond .5A. It died while on my car charger ALL the time. Hopefully this one wont die quite as often.
JD

JudasD said:
the stock AC charger supplied with the note 2 is 2A. I also have a 2A car charger. I cannot get the note to charge at any rate higher than 1A. Yes, i do know the trick to get the phone to go into fast charge mode. I have a feeling that 1A is the most we are going to get. Yes, if you have a ton of stuff running all at once you are going to use more than 1A and end up with a dead battery after a while. It does suck. My previous phone (Epic) would not charge beyond .5A. It died while on my car charger ALL the time. Hopefully this one wont die quite as often.
JD
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
have you actually tried the trick or the item in the link posted above? if so no use in me ordering it

knives of ice said:
have you actually tried the trick or the item in the link posted above? if so no use in me ordering it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've just ordered 3 of the $3 ones from deal extreme. it'll be a while before I can test it on a gn2. I'll try them on my gn10.1 as soon as they come in.

madsquabbles said:
I've just ordered 3 of the $3 ones from deal extreme. it'll be a while before I can test it on a gn2. I'll try them on my gn10.1 as soon as they come in.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I ordered one from a usa seller on eBay hopefully I'll have it next week

This seems like it'd be very easy to do yourself with an old mUSB cable.

ffolkes said:
This seems like it'd be very easy to do yourself with an old mUSB cable.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yeah maybe but the part is a couple dollars alot less time and frustration to buy

ffolkes said:
This seems like it'd be very easy to do yourself with an old mUSB cable.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yep, looks really easy. i just wont' be able to make it as pretty

knives of ice said:
have you actually tried the trick or the item in the link posted above? if so no use in me ordering it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, the trick i use is to short the two data lines going to the phone NOT towards the charging source. If you do not do this the phone will be in USB mode which will only allow a charging rate of .38A. This seems to be an android/usb standard across almost all vendors. once i short the data lines that is when the phone will go into full charging mode. The highest i can get the phone to go is 1A and this is even with the supplied Samsung 2A charger. I have also tried an iPad charger and it still only produced 1A to the Note II.
The Note II also seems to vary the input current based on how much battery is left. If the Note is very low (i.e. 50%) it will go into 1A. If the battery is high (i.e.95%), the current will bounce around. I have seen it start at .5A, jump to .8A, then to 1A, then right back down to .5A and it will continue there until it reaches 100%.
Bottom line i have not seen anything above 1A
JD

at least one of the adapters on the other thread claims 2A, but i don't think i've seen anyone with those results.

this is a pretty ridiculous problem for samsung to do nothing about is it not? the notion that you can't even charge your note in the car is a bit ridiculous. i wonder if someone makes a kernal with fast charging enabled if we'll be able to get around this

knives of ice said:
this is a pretty ridiculous problem for samsung to do nothing about is it not? the notion that you can't even charge your note in the car is a bit ridiculous. i wonder if someone makes a kernal with fast charging enabled if we'll be able to get around this
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you can charge, just ridiculous slow. i occasionally charge my galaxy note 10.1 on my computer's usb when i'm too lazy to whoop out the charger. i do it a work where i know i won't use it for 8 hours.

madsquabbles said:
you can charge, just ridiculous slow. iccasionally charge my galaxy note 10.1 on my computer's usb when i'm too lazy to whoop out the charger. i do it a work where i know i won't use it for 8 hours.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can't charge if you are intensively using the phone though. it loses charge.

Is there a specific car charger yet for the Note 2? I imagine this issue will be resolved with that charger.
People with the HTC Flyer/Evo View had similar issues. Unless we use HTC proprietary car charger, you lose power while plugged in. Standard usb chargers, charge it very slowly.
Sent from my shooter using xda premium

I am using the PowerGen Dual USB 3.1A 15w High Output Car Charger since it claims to be a 3.1A charger. What I thought was a fast charge was in reality not. Using the Current Widget app (which shows you the mAh) it registers 9882 mA for one of the usb slots and 10005 mAh for the other using the Galaxy Note 1.
TS

twospirits said:
I am using the PowerGen Dual USB 3.1A 15w High Output Car Charger since it claims to be a 3.1A charger. What I thought was a fast charge was in reality not. Using the Current Widget app (which shows you the mAh) it registers 9882 mA for one of the usb slots and 10005 mAh for the other using the Galaxy Note 1.
TS
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
so does that charger actually charge your phone then ?

Yes, just like a regular 1mA wall charger, but not like the 2mA one that comes with the Note 2.
TS

Review of Anker 3.6A (18W) Dual USB Car Charger w/pics!

This is a review of Anker Bolt 3.6A (18W) Dual USB Car Charger: Anker Car Charger
From my own personal experience I use Note 2 every day as GPS to/from work. Everything is usually on (display, bluetooth), plus GPS/Google maps are up, and I take/make phone calls in a middle of all that. What does that mean? Battery is draining really fast, and even with car charger you need at least 2A output to be able to charge at faster rate than discharging with everything on. 2A charger is not hard to find, although question always come up if you can trust their actual rating. If you want to take it to the next level and charge another smart phone, you can probably find a dual charger with 2A and 1A, although reliability and current sharing during simultaneous use of ports might be in question. This new product from Anker took it to the next level where they are offering dual port output with 2.1A and 1.5A outputs and guarantee full current supply from each port at the same time. In terms of reliability, they are offering 18 months warranty which I think is a bold statement of confidence in their product.
3.6A, which is 18W, is a lot of power and to my surprise the charger was actually very small and lightweight. The dimensions of the end with dual ports is only 26 mm x 24 mm, and the whole charger is very lightweight and only 22g. This small size is very convenient for tight spaces like in your arm-rest compartment, and just in general is unobtrusive to use anywhere in the car. I know they advertise it as dual port with 2.1A for Apple (obviously iPad) and 1.5A for smart phones, but I confirmed that our Note 2 charges perfectly from Apple port. As a matter of fact that would be the best port to use for Note 2 fast charging. I took a picture in my car to demonstrate that both of the ports worked charging Note 2.
Overall it's a great little dual usb port car charger from a trusted company with a punch of 3.6A capacity split between 2.1A and 1.5A ports where both can be used simultaneously so you can do a fast charging of two devices at the same time. Plus, you can get it on Amazon for under $12 which is a bargain.
Here are a few pics:
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How fast does it charge though. Post pictures of charge progress over a 15-20 minutes period please

elite-fusion said:
How fast does it charge though. Post pictures of charge progress over a 15-20 minutes period please
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Don't know if I ever get around it. I'm testing my ZeroLemon 9300 mAh so I mostly discharging my battery rather than charging it up. Will take a while before I get to in car charging Beside for me timing charge in the car makes no sense because I use my N2 for GPS and calls all the time, so I'm discharging it at a heavy rate as it charges up. But for sure, it goes up 15%-20% with this charger during my 1hr commute, but only because I use GPS/BT/display fully on at max brightness. This car charger is true 2.1A/1.5A, so the charging time from 2.1A shouldn't be any different than our OEM wall charger.

vectron said:
Don't know if I ever get around it. I'm testing my ZeroLemon 9300 mAh so I mostly discharging my battery rather than charging it up. Will take a while before I get to in car charging Beside for me timing charge in the car makes no sense because I use my N2 for GPS and calls all the time, so I'm discharging it at a heavy rate as it charges up. But for sure, it goes up 15%-20% with this charger during my 1hr commute, but only because I use GPS/BT/display fully on at max brightness. This car charger is true 2.1A/1.5A, so the charging time from 2.1A shouldn't be any different than our OEM wall charger.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You should be able to use the Galaxy Charge Current app (available on the play store) to see how much current it's supplying (although this may vary depending on the USB cable you use with it, a reason why I'm purchasing the variant with a built in micro-usb cable and a usb port) although I seem to remember you stating in another thread you had one of the US variants of the Note II and the app may not be compatible with those.

D3_ said:
You should be able to use the Galaxy Charge Current app (available on the play store) to see how much current it's supplying (although this may vary depending on the USB cable you use with it, a reason why I'm purchasing the variant with a built in micro-usb cable and a usb port) although I seem to remember you stating in another thread you had one of the US variants of the Note II and the app may not be compatible with those.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's right I'm on US version under Verizon. Those are the exact 2 variants that don't work with this app

D3_ said:
You should be able to use the Galaxy Charge Current app (available on the play store) to see how much current it's supplying (although this may vary depending on the USB cable you use with it, a reason why I'm purchasing the variant with a built in micro-usb cable and a usb port) although I seem to remember you stating in another thread you had one of the US variants of the Note II and the app may not be compatible with those.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Quick update on this:
Although the Galaxy Charge Current app only reports the charger giving 1.2a, over an approximately 15 minute period with the screen on, music playback, GPS lock and video recording @ 720p with DailyRoads Voyager, the charger was still able to charge my N7100 from 80% to 86%, which isn't bad considering the heavy load it was under.
The particular charger I bought is this one

D3_ said:
Quick update on this:
Although the Galaxy Charge Current app only reports the charger giving 1.2a, over an approximately 15 minute period with the screen on, music playback, GPS lock and video recording @ 720p with DailyRoads Voyager, the charger was still able to charge my N7100 from 80% to 86%, which isn't bad considering the heavy load it was under.
The particular charger I bought is this one
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Pretty good! But the one you bought is their old generation 15W charger (2.1A and 1A outputs), while this one is a revised new gen 18W with 2.1A and 1.5A outputs - this one

vectron said:
Pretty good! But the one you bought is their old generation 15W charger (2.1A and 1A outputs), while this one is a revised new gen 18W with 2.1A and 1.5A outputs - this one
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ah, thanks for the info. Seems I'm only missing out on 300mA though (one reviewer says the android port on that is rated at 1.5A and I get 1.2A from mine) so I don't think I'll go for that one. this way I know I'm going to get a decent charge no matter what usb cable I use. I've only got one that's actually capable of charging at full speed and having to take it everywhere I go would be annoying, the fixed charger on this is perfect for me.
Only posted here to help others looking for a decent car charger, as you did. Every other thread I see on the topic seems to recommend usb chargers such as yours but never recommend cables capable of utilising them to their full potential.
Anyway, keep up the great reviews
Most of them make me want to spend money I know I shouldn't on things I don't necessarily need
Sent from my GT-N7100 using xda premium

D3_ said:
Ah, thanks for the info. Seems I'm only missing out on 300mA though (one reviewer says the android port on that is rated at 1.5A and I get 1.2A from mine) so I don't think I'll go for that one. this way I know I'm going to get a decent charge no matter what usb cable I use. I've only got one that's actually capable of charging at full speed and having to take it everywhere I go would be annoying, the fixed charger on this is perfect for me.
Only posted here to help others looking for a decent car charger, as you did. Every other thread I see on the topic seems to recommend usb chargers such as yours but never recommend cables capable of utilising them to their full potential.
Anyway, keep up the great reviews
Most of them make me want to spend money I know I shouldn't on things I don't necessarily need
Sent from my GT-N7100 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you have any recommendations for usb cables that can take advantage of that charge speed?

hurrpancakes said:
Do you have any recommendations for usb cables that can take advantage of that charge speed?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Absolutely! I highly recommend to use Monoprice usb 28AWG/24AWG cables with Ferrite choker and gold-plated connectors. You need thicker cables to handle 2A current. Do not use thin computer cables designed for 500mA current.
Monoprice cables are very cheap too, 3ft for $1.08: http://www.monoprice.com/products/p...=10303&cs_id=1030307&p_id=8640&seq=1&format=2 or 6ft for $1.40: http://www.monoprice.com/products/p...=10303&cs_id=1030307&p_id=8641&seq=1&format=2

hurrpancakes said:
Do you have any recommendations for usb cables that can take advantage of that charge speed?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'd go with what Vectron suggested.
In the UK the only cable I've found that does is an old BlackBerry usb cable my cousin had. Swapped it for a spare cable I had that only did 1A because her phone only charges at 1A anyway.
Sent from my Galaxy Note II using xda premium

vectron said:
Absolutely! I highly recommend to use Monoprice usb 28AWG/24AWG cables with Ferrite choker and gold-plated connectors. You need thicker cables to handle 2A current. Do not use thin computer cables designed for 500mA current.
Monoprice cables are very cheap too, 3ft for $1.08: http://www.monoprice.com/products/p...=10303&cs_id=1030307&p_id=8640&seq=1&format=2 or 6ft for $1.40: http://www.monoprice.com/products/p...=10303&cs_id=1030307&p_id=8641&seq=1&format=2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I assume their premium would also have the throughput and low resistance to work as well.

lovekeiiy said:
I assume their premium would also have the throughput and low resistance to work as well.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Absolutely, it's low voltage drop cable design. Plus it never failed me in the car either if it's 100deg C or down to single digits.

Just ordered one to see if it'll trigger my iBolt Dock's USB charging/audio feature. Hopefully it does...if it doesn't, well least I can charge two phones in the car at once now.

Ordered these cables from monoprice, used with my original charger and couldn't get my ZL9300 charged over 72%. Kept it on charger for over 12 hours

VitaliyUvakin said:
Ordered these cables from monoprice, used with my original charger and couldn't get my ZL9300 charged over 72%. Kept it on charger for over 12 hours
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can't be the cable. It's just a thick wire. If it would have been defective, you wouldn't be able to even charge it up to 72%, although you can never tell for sure. So you have used original Samsung 2A wall charger with it's original cable from the same AC wall outlet to charge up your Note 2 with Zerolemon before to 100% without any problem? I just want to baseline your working setup so you can troubleshoot from there. If it was working before in exactly the same setup and you only replaced the cable, can you go back to the original cable and see if it will charge it to 100% without a problem? If not, then it's something wrong with a cable. Make sure nothing funny is going on with your AC wall outlet plug. I discovered that in my house I have a few that not allowing me to do fast charging due to some electric wiring limitation. Also, make sure everything is connected all the way in. Depending on the case you are using, some of these micro-usb connectors are a bit too thick to go all the way in, and although it looks like you are charging - because connector is not mated all the way in, you have a bad contact and limiting charging current. I actually BET you that's exactly what is going on. I have so many usb-to-micro-usb cables around, can't keep track of it. But I remember at my work I had to slice a piece of micro-usb connector to make it thinner to work with my Zerolemon TPU, and I believe that was monoprice cable. Definitely check it out, cause that could be a problem in your case.

Everything was the same, same 2A charger, same outlet, same phone with ZL battery . Just replaced my Samy cable with 6ft one from monoprice. Will try again tomorrow with oem cable, will see how it goes

VitaliyUvakin said:
Everything was the same, same 2A charger, same outlet, same phone with ZL battery . Just replaced my Samy cable with 6ft one from monoprice. Will try again tomorrow with oem cable, will see how it goes
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Trim micro usb connector. Gotta be it.

It seems to fit pretty tight, but I will definitely try it.

Ha! The Anker direct store in ebay is selling this for $55!! What is it made of gold now? LOL.

Review of Anker Astro E5 15000 mAh external battery w/pics!!!

This is a review of Anker Astro E5 15000 mAh external battery: http://www.ianker.com/product/79AN15K-WA
Being familiar with footprint of their E4 battery, when Anker announced a new E5 model with higher capacity I was expecting to see bigger and heavier model with a typical 30% efficiency loss. I know I bring it up in a lot of the reviews, but labeled capacity of ANY external battery is not what your phone battery going to see. Its a total capacity of cells inside of external battery which gets converted to 5V usb interface output and then back to your cell phone battery while charging - the efficiency loss during the conversion reduces the actual capacity by approximately 30%, with some batteries close to 40% and others maybe slightly better to 25%. On top of that, a lot of no name ebay HK sellers have batteries with super exaggerated capacity where you will be lucky to get even half of what they advertise on the label. That is why I only trust a few brands, Anker being one of them.
Once I received E5 unit for review to my surprise, the footprint stayed almost unchanged and difference in weight was negligible in comparison to previous E4 gen. But you actually get 2000 mAh more in capacity to bring it up to 15000 mAh. The battery cells are changing and improving, and I'm glad to see that Anker is keeping up with a new technology. E5 external battery is not exactly feather light, but at about 11.1 oz and 5"x3"x0.9" is manageable and actually the same as Note 2 with Zerolemon battery. The exterior is solid plastic, no flex, and comes in either white or black. For this review I chose a white unit and found it to be great to cover up any fingerprints. The top has a large power button with dual functionality to also turn on built-in led light. At full charged battery capacity, the light could last up to 700 hours if you only use it for that purpose. Next to power button you have 4-led capacity/charging indicator in 25% increments. Charging input to the battery is a standard micro-usb and has 1.5A charging speed for a fast charging of this battery. Output is a dual full usb port, rated at 2A and 1A both of which can be used simultaneously to deliver 3A of combined current. Each port current output is regulated where I confirmed charging Note 2 from one gave me max 2A and from the other one only up to 1A.
This extended battery comes with usb cable and interchangeable tips for micro-usb, mini-usb, and apple 30-pin connector. Also, it comes with a convenient storage pouch for a battery, cable, and attachment. It also comes with a detailed manual and 18-month warranty card. But there is also a big surprise. I have been reading other independent test reviews of this module and it turned out to have an actual capacity close to 11,800 mAh. We are talking about 21.5% efficiency loss which is very good considering typical batteries of such capacity have it at 30% or higher. This mean you can charge your Note 2 with a standard battery almost 4 times, or easily charge Zerolemon and have some juice still left - all this at a max 2A speed. Overall, I'm very impressed with this battery and its performance!
Here are the pictures.
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Awesome! Thanks for this! What are you using to measure the charge that is going in to the Note 2? I have an external battery rated at 12,000mah, that has both 1A and 2A ports, and would like to see what it's actually putting out, as well as check some wall adaptors that I have. Thanks for the review! Anker is also one of the few brands that I trust as well!
SwiftKey'ed from my White Sprint Note 2 using XDA Premium

stanglifemike said:
Awesome! Thanks for this! What are you using to measure the charge that is going in to the Note 2? I have an external battery rated at 12,000mah, that has both 1A and 2A ports, and would like to see what it's actually putting out, as well as check some wall adaptors that I have. Thanks for the review! Anker is also one of the few brands that I trust as well!
SwiftKey'ed from my White Sprint Note 2 using XDA Premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
it says it in the last screenshot dude, really? LOL
Galaxy Charging Current

Galaxy Charging Current *Lite* (free version): https://play.google.com/store/apps/...hbnRpcy5nYWxheHljaGFyZ2luZ2N1cnJlbnQuZnJlZSJd
I actually found it to be relatively accurate by comparing charging time versus charging percentage. Ignore "Now" value. Just look for Max/Avg as your charging currents. This app comes very handy for those without root, like myself, to measure your charging current.

vectron said:
Galaxy Charging Current *Lite* (free version): https://play.google.com/store/apps/...hbnRpcy5nYWxheHljaGFyZ2luZ2N1cnJlbnQuZnJlZSJd
I actually found it to be relatively accurate by comparing charging time versus charging percentage. Ignore "Now" value. Just look for Max/Avg as your charging currents. This app comes very handy for those without root, like myself, to measure your charging current.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks!! Just tested it out. Like you said, the Now value isn't what the charging rate actually is. Took me reading some reviews on the Play Store to figure that out. The Now value is what the device recommends, while the Average value is what rate you're actually charging at.
I'm not sure how accurate it is though. While using my HTC wall chargers that came with my both my black Evo LTE and white one, the values are Maximum 900, Now 1798, and Average 900. I'm getting the same numbers while using the Samsung wall charger that came with my Note 2. I assume that 900 is correct for the HTC chargers, as they're only 1Amp chargers so I'm getting .9Amp from them. The Samsung charger is 2Amp though, so it should be twice as high as the HTC chargers.
EDIT : Just tested my 12,000mah PowerBank. I got 500 out of the 1Amp port, and 1700 out of the 2Amp port! Very happy with those numbers!! Especially it considering that it appears to be charging at a higher rate than my OEM Samsung wall charger!!!
SwiftKey'ed from my White Sprint Note 2 using XDA Premium

:good:Solid review bro! Something that powerful could almost charge the ZL battery twice, haha.

stanglifemike said:
...
I'm not sure how accurate it is though. While using my HTC wall chargers that came with my both my black Evo LTE and white one, the values are Maximum 900, Now 1798, and Average 900. I'm getting the same numbers while using the Samsung wall charger that came with my Note 2. I assume that 900 is correct for the HTC chargers, as they're only 1Amp chargers so I'm getting .9Amp from them. The Samsung charger is 2Amp though, so it should be twice as high as the HTC chargers.
EDIT : Just tested my 12,000mah PowerBank. I got 500 out of the 1Amp port, and 1700 out of the 2Amp port! Very happy with those numbers!! Especially it considering that it appears to be charging at a higher rate than my OEM Samsung wall charger!!!
...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Mike, which 12kmAh charger are you using? I know Anker stuff is universal for Apple/Android, while some other ones will drop your charging current to max 0.5A when connected to "apple" port. Another question, which usb cable are you using? Unless if its original Sammy cable that came with OEM charger or a cable like from monoprice with 24AWG/28AWG rating (thicker power wires to handle up to 3A of current), the cable itself its a bottleneck if its designed for a lower charging current. So for example, if you are using HTC charger/cable and then used their cable to connect to Samsung wall charger - you could be current limiting your phone (thinner wires, more resistance). And even if you are using OEM Samsung wall charger and cable - I noticed that in our house some outlets can't supply enough current depending on what other stuff is connected to the same shared power branch.

vectron said:
Mike, which 12kmAh charger are you using? I know Anker stuff is universal for Apple/Android, while some other ones will drop your charging current to max 0.5A when connected to "apple" port. Another question, which usb cable are you using? Unless if its original Sammy cable that came with OEM charger or a cable like from monoprice with 24AWG/28AWG rating (thicker power wires to handle up to 3A of current), the cable itself its a bottleneck if its designed for a lower charging current. So for example, if you are using HTC charger/cable and then used their cable to connect to Samsung wall charger - you could be current limiting your phone (thinner wires, more resistance). And even if you are using OEM Samsung wall charger and cable - I noticed that in our house some outlets can't supply enough current depending on what other stuff is connected to the same shared power branch.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think PowerBank is the brand, and Long March is the model. There is a long thread in the Evo LTE Accessories subforum (my other phone), and that's how I heard about it. I normally wouldn't buy an off brand accessory, but with many XDA members giving great feedback, and some have had it close to a year, I decided to try it out. Very happy that I did!! I looks a lot like your Anker actually. It has 2 USB ports for charging other devices, a 1 Amp and a 2 Amp, and also has a little LED flashlight as well. It works great and this app you mentioned showed me that the 2 Amp port is charging at 1.7 Amp(while using my HTC micro USB cable, so it may charge at an even higher rate using the Samsung cable), so I'm happy with that.
For the Samsung wall charger, I'm using the Samsung wall charger and Samsung micro USB cable. I do have it plugged in to a power strip though, so I'll have to try it plugged directly in to a wall outlet with nothing else plugged in. Thanks for the info!
EDIT : Update - after trying the Samsung charger in a wall outlet instead of the power strip, I'm still getting 900(.9 Amp). Maybe my charger is just not putting out the Amperage it should anymore, and I should just buy another Samsung wall charger if I want to get the correct Amperage. I rarely use my wall charger though, as I just use my external battery charger to charge my extra Samsung battery. When I do plug in the phone, it's usually in to my PowerBank while I'm sitting outside playing on my phone and drinking/smoking (never smoke in my house!).
SwiftKey'ed from my White Sprint Note 2 using XDA Premium

stanglifemike said:
I think PowerBank is the brand, and Long March is the model. There is a long thread in the Evo LTE Accessories subforum (my other phone), and that's how I heard about it. I normally wouldn't buy an off brand accessory, but with many XDA members giving great feedback, and some have had it close to a year, I decided to try it out. Very happy that I did!! I looks a lot like your Anker actually. It has 2 USB ports for charging other devices, a 1 Amp and a 2 Amp, and also has a little LED flashlight as well. It works great and this app you mentioned showed me that the 2 Amp port is charging at 1.7 Amp(while using my HTC micro USB cable, so it may charge at an even higher rate using the Samsung cable), so I'm happy with that.
For the Samsung wall charger, I'm using the Samsung wall charger and Samsung micro USB cable. I do have it plugged in to a power strip though, so I'll have to try it plugged directly in to a wall outlet with nothing else plugged in. Thanks for the info!
EDIT : Update - after trying the Samsung charger in a wall outlet instead of the power strip, I'm still getting 900(.9 Amp). Maybe my charger is just not putting out the Amperage it should anymore, and I should just buy another Samsung wall charger if I want to get the correct Amperage. I rarely use my wall charger though, as I just use my external battery charger to charge my extra Samsung battery. When I do plug in the phone, it's usually in to my PowerBank while I'm sitting outside playing on my phone and drinking/smoking (never smoke in my house!).
SwiftKey'ed from my White Sprint Note 2 using XDA Premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What you refer to is Yoobao brand power bank model "Long March". Unfortunately, there is only one official reseller of Yoobao brand in US and its KeviKev (I reviewed Yoobao Thunder 13000 mAh from them before - http://kevikev.com/Samsung-Galaxy-NOTE-II-2-N7100-Cases-and-Accessories_c47.htm). Long March is 11,200 mAh model. Did you get it from Amazon or eBay? It's a Chinese knock off of Yoobao, but it doesn't matter since it works for you. They all use the same battery cells anyway, and original Yoobao stuff might be a bit more robust and have more durable plastic shell. But listen, if the one you have works - its all good and don't worry about it!!!
Strange about Samsung wall charger. Sounds like something is gone south. Btw, don't even bother buying anything labeled as "original OEM Samsung wall charger" from Amazon or eBay - it's all fake knock offs as well. For the fun I just look on Amazon reviews, and everybody complaining about Samsung OEM wall charger not even being able to supply 1A. That's a problem with Amazon, anybody can create a merchant account and list their product under original manufacturer listing. And the rest is history because you will never be able to find original Samsung part since everything else will be a fake copy But I assume you are using your original wall charger and cable which came from Samsung when you bought N2?

flynnchen said:
Yoobao brand is quite good. I had one before. Is anker battery stable now ? I just found out this post on xda
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1361749
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That explosion has nothing to do with Anker batteries. That was highly/almost 100% due to the black cheap/low amp charger. I had a random cheap black USB charger similar to that for charging low amp Emerson bluetooth headphones, which was 400 mAH output, and we charged my brother's IPAD 2 with it, and it started to smoke. Same issue happened when charging his S3 with that cheap charger. I think it was their mistake for providing such a terrible charger, which is why it seemed the white one was probably better. The lesson is: don't charge anything that has a higher capacity/requirement with something far below it's capacity - otherwise, you're just asking for a dangerous situation to occur. That's just my two cents and observation from what I have seen, read, and personally experienced

how to charge
Excellent and informative review! 2 questions (I am a novice...). How do I charge the charger...can I use either my iphone 5 plug (output 5V/1A) or ipad2 plug? And, when charging my devices, is it the 1A socket for iphone 5, and 2A socket for ipad 2? Thank you!
---------- Post added at 10:18 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:07 AM ----------
Excellent and informative review! 2 questions (I am a novice...). How do I charge the charger...can I use either my iphone 5 plug (output 5V/1A) or ipad2 plug? And, when charging my devices, is it the 1A socket for iphone 5, and 2A socket for ipad 2? Thank you!

maestrojohn said:
Excellent and informative review! 2 questions (I am a novice...). How do I charge the charger...can I use either my iphone 5 plug (output 5V/1A) or ipad2 plug? And, when charging my devices, is it the 1A socket for iphone 5, and 2A socket for ipad 2? Thank you!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To charge the charger you can use any wall charger with micro-usb output. Since this is Android forum and Note 2 section, I assume you have one of those. Otherwise as you aware the charging cable for iPhone 5 is not micro-usb. But to charge your device, you can do that with any phone or tablet since charging/data cables have usb on one side (that will go into a charger) and whatever connector you are using on your device on the other side of the cable. In theory you can use either outputs.

Hello! Great review, I purchased it for 50 bucks on amazon 5 minutes ago because of the review. I am a noob, sorry in advance, I made this account to ask these two questions: 1: I just wanna use it for my iPhone 5, do i plug it in on the 1A or 2A? If both is ok, which one is better for the battery in the phone? 2: I will need an adapter, which one is better? Micro Usb to Lightning or 30pin to Lightning? I dont like the size of the 30 pin to lighting, so is it ok to purchase a micro usb to lighting instead? Does this affect anything like charging time?
Thanks for answering, have a nice day

flotschi13 said:
Hello! Great review, I purchased it for 50 bucks on amazon 5 minutes ago because of the review. I am a noob, sorry in advance, I made this account to ask these two questions: 1: I just wanna use it for my iPhone 5, do i plug it in on the 1A or 2A? If both is ok, which one is better for the battery in the phone? 2: I will need an adapter, which one is better? Micro Usb to Lightning or 30pin to Lightning? I dont like the size of the 30 pin to lighting, so is it ok to purchase a micro usb to lighting instead? Does this affect anything like charging time?
Thanks for answering, have a nice day
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can use either 1A or 2A outputs. Your phone has a fixed charging speed and will not draw more current that it's limited to. So for example if iPhone can charger at a speed of 1A per hour and you connect it to an output that can supply 2A per hour - it will only draw at 1A per hour speed. BUT, if you have Note 2 which takes advantage of 2A per hour charging and you plug it into 1A port, it will be charging at half the speed.
Regarding cable, try to minimize number of connecting adapters. For example, you get a cable with 30pin connector and you can add 30pin to Lighting adapter to it, but with every connection you add resistance which going to affect total amount of current and can slow down the charging, etc. You want to have point-to-point cable. So I would recommend using USB to Lighting connector cable. Not micro-usb, but usb because charing ports on this external power supply are full size usb. Only the port to charge this battery is micro-usb because of a common connection with other charging cables.

reply removed...

I wonder if you could try something for me.
Could you find out if the Anker will supply a phone/device while it is itself being charged? Also, whether it will keep supplying the phone/device without interruption when its own charging supply is connected and disconnected?
I want to use it like a mini-UPS for my phone while charging it from my bicycle dynamo, but for this, it needs to cope with a charging supply which stops and starts, while continuing to supply any connected devices.

I think I tried it before, and it didn't work. These external battery devices are not intended to work in pass-through mode. I think there are some other ones (I'm 100% sure if that was NewTrent), but the vendor will not guarantee the device under warranty because of an additional overheating and cut of the efficiency. This will really complicate the controller of such ext battery where it has to keep balance between charging and discharging of the same battery at the same time. I'm pretty sure Anker stuff will not allow that because they have smart current monitoring functionality built-in in order not to overcharge or over-drain the device.
But it would be an interesting experiment where you connect ext battery to the outlet and to the phone. I wonder if it starts charging battery first until it's full, and then switch to charging the phone

vectron said:
I think I tried it before, and it didn't work. These external battery devices are not intended to work in pass-through mode. I think there are some other ones (I'm 100% sure if that was NewTrent), but the vendor will not guarantee the device under warranty because of an additional overheating and cut of the efficiency. This will really complicate the controller of such ext battery where it has to keep balance between charging and discharging of the same battery at the same time. I'm pretty sure Anker stuff will not allow that because they have smart current monitoring functionality built-in in order not to overcharge or over-drain the device.
But it would be an interesting experiment where you connect ext battery to the outlet and to the phone. I wonder if it starts charging battery first until it's full, and then switch to charging the phone
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I did just that yesterday, and it worked fine. Now, the anker would not actually increase its charge due to simpe physics: it charges with 1.5A from the wall, and my nexus 10 used 1.2A of those, and adding some inefficiencies on that it would likely mean that it would just hold a charge level in the anker battery, not increase it. But as soon as the tablet ramps its current draw down the anker would suck up any left over juice. This becomes even worse of course if you charge a phone at the same time.
One little note: The battery in this is not the most awesome (also the capacity measurement is a simple voltage-based instead of counting coulumbs). While charging with ~1A from the 1A port, when I added my nexus 10 to the 2A port the charge indicator actually went from 50% to 25%. When removing the tablet the LEDs indicated 50% charge again. This is due to voltage sag which is itself due to internal resistance of the batteries. Meaning: The faster you charge the more heat will be wasted in the batteries. So to really prolong the battery life you should actually charge slowly, at least as far as the Anker is concerned.

Thanks for the review, I will probably be getting one now.

Monoprice Premium USB Cable Charging Speeds

Hi,
I'm looking at purchasing some monoprice premimum mico usb charging cables but before I spring AUD$26 for shipping plus cables, I'd like to know what sort of charge people that people are getting in mA .
I know the N5 charger maxes out at 1.2A and the N5 is limited to 1.65A itself, however I'd like to know if anyone is getting between these two figures by using a monoprice cable.
I'm getting the following using CurrentWidget
Stock N5 charger and cable - 1,012mA
HP Touchpad charger (5.3V/2A) and cable - 1,015mA
Apple 10W charger (5.1V/2.1A) and 28AWG/2C cable - 930mA
It would be great if people could post what charger they are using with the monoprice premium cable together with the mA they are getting with their N5.
Also, if your using another type of cable that allows for charging between 1.2A and 1.65A that would be great too.
Thanks

I ordered some of the 6ft premium usb cables ,will let you know when i get them. My original usb cable that came with the phone has a bad connection wobbles. Using Battery Monitor Widget the highest i got was
980mA - OEM Nexus charger and cable. Charging from 60%, will test more when battery depletes.

ACHILLES R32 said:
I ordered some of the 6ft premium usb cables ,will let you know when i get them. My original usb cable that came with the phone has a bad connection wobbles. Using Battery Monitor Widget the highest i got was
980mA - OEM Nexus charger and cable. Charging from 60%, will test more when battery depletes.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the offer to test the monoprice cables and report back.
In the interim I've ordered some Motorola Ecomoto cables which from a video review on xda showed a charge of around 1,480mA on a N5 using current widget. I'll also report back once I get these.

Was looking to try either Ecomoto or the Monoprice premium cables. Looking forward to hearing both your opinions on them.

I have the 6ft Premium cables and did a quick comparison using Battery Monitor Widget suggested above. Both screenshots are using the OEM wall wart and at ~80% battery.
OEM Cable
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MonoPrice Cable
Not much of a difference, but a more thorough comparison might show a bigger difference. I'll leave that to the others in the thread.
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

Thanks Native89.
I heard the best time to do a test is when the battery is between 20% and 70%.
Try that and see if you get better results

I have the 6ft Premium Cable from Monoprice and I see up to 1050 mA using the stock charger.

raptir said:
I have the 6ft Premium Cable from Monoprice and I see up to 1050 mA using the stock charger.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
raptir, that doesnt seem to be good news.
Are there any markings on the cable to tell whether it has 28AWG/2C or 24AWG/2C power conductors?
From what I've read it appears that you need 24AWG/2C power conductors to be able to handle charging above the 1,000mA mark.
I'm still waiting on delivery of the Motorola Ecomoto cables, but for those who are interested I purchased them from this US based seller on ebay http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/360885775315?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649
I also purchased this cable from another ebay seller http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/111292267460?var=410287001944&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649. The cable states it supports a 2.1A fast charge and the cross section in the ebay listing shows 24AWG/2C power conductors, so it looks promising.
Its going to be a few weeks until I get these cables and provide a review, so please subscribe to this thread to get updates when I do.

raptir said:
I have the 6ft Premium Cable from Monoprice and I see up to 1050 mA using the stock charger.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I get around 850mA~1,050mA depending on the % i plug the phone into charging.
And i got this one http://amazon.com/gp/product/B003L18S0E/ref=oh_details_o09_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Rambler76 said:
raptir, that doesnt seem to be good news.
Are there any markings on the cable to tell whether it has 28AWG/2C or 24AWG/2C power conductors?
From what I've read it appears that you need 24AWG/2C power conductors to be able to handle charging above the 1,000mA mark.
I'm still waiting on delivery of the Motorola Ecomoto cables, but for those who are interested I purchased them from this US based seller on ebay http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/360885775315?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649
I also purchased this cable from another ebay seller http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/111292267460?var=410287001944&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649. The cable states it supports a 2.1A fast charge and the cross section in the ebay listing shows 24AWG/2C power conductors, so it looks promising.
Its going to be a few weeks until I get these cables and provide a review, so please subscribe to this thread to get updates when I do.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If it's "not good news" then it's bad news about the charger, not the cable. You said you get slightly less from your stock cable with the stock charger. A 1.2A charger is never going to actually give you 1.2A charging speed. They're just not 100% efficient.
Edit: Fast charging is also not the best thing for your battery, and that's why they don't just ship every phone with a 2A charger and let you have at it. A higher charging rate leads to increased battery degradation.

Mmmm... Not sure about that... Battery damage?
NEXUS 5

raptir said:
If it's "not good news" then it's bad news about the charger, not the cable. You said you get slightly less from your stock cable with the stock charger. A 1.2A charger is never going to actually give you 1.2A charging speed. They're just not 100% efficient.
Edit: Fast charging is also not the best thing for your battery, and that's why they don't just ship every phone with a 2A charger and let you have at it. A higher charging rate leads to increased battery degradation.
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Do you have another charger perhaps a 2A one to test the cable with so that we can confirm that it definitely isn't the cable.
I know that the stock charger is limited to 1.2A so even if the charger is 80% efficient you'd be getting just below a 1A charge which probably explains why everyone using a stock charger is getting this.
I don't quite agree with the battery degradation due to fast charges. I've always been of the opinion that it has to do with chargers that have a higher voltage spec, eg higher than 5V rather than the amps they're pushing out.
For instance the 1A Apple charger has been measured to provide a current of 1.79A and the 2A charger provides 3.4A
I really haven't come across any that are way over 5V in my time. Seeing that Apple's 2A charger uses 5.1V and the HP Touchpad charger which is one of the best chargers out there uses 5.3V, I don't think that any of these would be causing accelerated degradation or damage to the battery.

I've had the monoprice cables for over 5 months and they charge fast and great, one problem is that the tips start separating from and you can start seeing the inside. It'll still charged fast and without problems, I have 2 in my car and 4 in my house only 2 don't have this problem. Overall these cables charge fast partnered up with my HP touchpad and nexus 7 chargers.

Noriega813 said:
I've had the monoprice cables for over 5 months and they charge fast and great, one problem is that the tips start separating from and you can start seeing the inside. It'll still charged fast and without problems, I have 2 in my car and 4 in my house only 2 don't have this problem. Overall these cables charge fast partnered up with my HP touchpad and nexus 7 chargers.
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Thanks Noriega813.
Any chance of a test with the cable and the HP touchpad charger using CurrentWidget?
I dont know which N7 charger you have but I do note that the 2013 edition is rated at 1.35A so you be limited to about 1A with it. The 2012 edition should be OK as that outputs 2A.

Rambler76 said:
Thanks Noriega813.
Any chance of a test with the cable and the HP touchpad charger using CurrentWidget?
I dont know which N7 charger you have but I do note that the 2013 edition is rated at 1.35A so you be limited to about 1A with it. The 2012 edition should be OK as that outputs 2A.
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Sure, soon as I get home I'll test it out. I have two of them and post results of both to show how they're doing.

Noriega813 said:
Sure, soon as I get home I'll test it out. I have two of them and post results of both to show how they're doing.
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Cheers. Thanks for the help.

I have the monoprice 3 and 6 foot premium cables. I've also got an inline USB current meter so I can test current directly.
According to an email from monoprice they are 28 gauge. I also got some 24 gauge monoprice USB extension cables (3 foot) that i planned to use with some adapters.
For testing I used a 2A Samsung power adapter (belonging to the Note 10.1 tablet) and either my Nexus 5 or my Samsung Note 10.1 tablet. The Note 10.1 when around 50% charge pulls slightly under 1.7A from it's own charger using the OEM cable. I have an adapter to allow me to charge the Note 10.1 using any micro USB cable so it's a better test for the cable as it pulls more current than the Nexus 5. The Nexus 5 with a good cable pulls under 1.3A from the 2A charger.
Interestingly, I had no problem getting full current (up to 1.7A) from any of the Monoprice premium USB cables. I've read good reviews of these cables but was a little skeptical since they are 28 gauge but they do seem to work well for fast charging. I don't have a device that pulls more than 1.7A so I can't test its limits.
In contrast, when I add the 24 gauge extension (3 foot with a 3 foot cable so the total length is the same as a single 6 foot premium cable) I can't get any higher than 1A. I don't understand why it's so limited. I've used a number of additional adapter on the end such as a right angle adapter or the micro usb to Samsung connector without any noticeable loss in current. So either there is something wrong with monoprice's 24 gauge cables or they are using some seriously bad connectors.
I haven't had the premium cables for very long but have been using them happily in the car (3 foot) and at home (6 foot) for when I need to charge while using the phone (otherwise I use a Qi wireless charger). The connectors at the phone end could be a little slimmer - they do fit all the cases I've tried but it's a bit tight for some of them. The fact that the cables aren't too thick is nice for storage and flexibility. Only time will tell how durable they are.
I also have some older monoprice standard 26 gauge USB cables which also seem to be limited to 1A. (Correction: these are 28AWG not 26/28)
I've got some Startech right-angled USB cables which are convenient for my car due to the right angle but can't support currents above 500 mA. These are 30 gauge cables.
In summary:
1. The cable's gauge doesn't tell the whole story.
2. Monoprice premium USB cables do seem to be a good buy.

Rambler76 said:
I don't quite agree with the battery degradation due to fast charges. I've always been of the opinion that it has to do with chargers that have a higher voltage spec, eg higher than 5V rather than the amps they're pushing out.
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Charging voltage determines that final charge capacity. And yes, overcharging the battery does cause additional degradation. So does keeping the battery in too warm an environment. And charging speed. And discharging speed. And percent charge during storage. It's not just a single factor.
---------- Post added at 12:49 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:39 PM ----------
tmagritte said:
According to an email from monoprice they are 28 gauge. I also got some 24 gauge monoprice USB extension cables (3 foot) that i planned to use with some adapters.
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My guess it that they didn't give you the whole story on the cable gauge. The data lines are always 28 gauge, only the power lines are 24 vs 28.
That said, a 28 AWG wire can carry 2A without too much of an issue. Your only problem is going to be an increased voltage drop which may lead to incomplete charging of your battery.

I finally received the USB cables from monoprice, shipping was slow took over a week. Here are the results I got with Battery Monitor Widget.
Stock USB Cable 90% charge.
922mA
927mA
953mA
919mA
930mA
Monoprice 6" Premium USB Cable 90% charge.
873mA
710mA
805mA
714mA
863mA
This was just a quick comparison, will do another comparison when the battery discharges more. I'm not sure how accurate the battery monitor apps are. For most accurate results we probably need one of theses USB Volt Meters.

ACHILLES R32 said:
I finally received the USB cables from monoprice, shipping was slow took over a week. Here are the results I got with Battery Monitor Widget.
Stock USB Cable 90% charge.
922mA
927mA
953mA
919mA
930mA
Monoprice 6" Premium USB Cable 90% charge.
873mA
710mA
805mA
714mA
863mA
This was just a quick comparison, will do another comparison when the battery discharges more. I'm not sure how accurate the battery monitor apps are. For most accurate results we probably need one of theses USB Volt Meters.
Sent from my Nexus 5
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I am curious if the differences have to do with length of cable. 6 feet is a long way to travel.