Develop Bugs

USB Cable / Car Charger / Wall Charger combo

Hey guys,
Looking for a combo micro-usb wire that also comes with a dual car/wall charger. I dont care if its two pieces or three pieces, but I just care that I can keep the Captivate plugged in and not have any issues using it. The last one I bought was a Duracell three way usb combo that had a retractable wall charger on the travel charger piece, but it wasnt giving enough power to the phone, so i couldnt use it while plugged in.
I have been looking at the "Premium USB power kit" by A Days Tech on Amazon, but im worried its going to be a generic POS and not give enough juice.
Anybody know which of these works?
I guess I can also buy a high quality micro-usb wire and then a high quality USB car charger/wall plug seperately as another option. So any opinions on those are also appreciated.

jbl7979 said:
Hey guys,
Looking for a combo micro-usb wire that also comes with a dual car/wall charger. I dont care if its two pieces or three pieces, but I just care that I can keep the Captivate plugged in and not have any issues using it. The last one I bought was a Duracell three way usb combo that had a retractable wall charger on the travel charger piece, but it wasnt giving enough power to the phone, so i couldnt use it while plugged in.
I have been looking at the "Premium USB power kit" by A Days Tech on Amazon, but im worried its going to be a generic POS and not give enough juice.
Anybody know which of these works?
I guess I can also buy a high quality micro-usb wire and then a high quality USB car charger/wall plug seperately as another option. So any opinions on those are also appreciated.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There are a bunch of threads on charging these phones. Unless the charger or the cable has the data lines shorted, the phone will only charge at USB rate (~500mA). Even if you have a 1A car charger, the best you will get is USB speed UNLESS you connect the data lines on the cable. I have not seen a car charger that does this.
The most current the phone will draw is around ~750 mA. It will do this when it thinks it is attached to AC.

Hi,
I bought the Scosche HC12V Dual Home Charger, but I haven't received it yet, but from what little I know of the brand they supposedly make good accessories. I should receive it in a few weeks (shipping a captivate and accessories overseas).
Both outputs are rated at 1amp, the only thing is that it does not come with it's own cable.
http://www.amazon.com/Scosche-HC12V...X0DER&s=STORE&ie=UTF8&qid=1285613609&sr=1-207

I bought a car charger and separate car-to-wall converter from Monoprice. Total for both items about $5. Maybe it only charges at 500 mA but seems fine to me.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App

[Q] Dodgy phone or dodgy car charger?

Hey guys, just wondering if anyone else had a similar problem..
Everytime I connect a car charger, it charges for a second then disconnects itself, the charger is still plugged in, and the engine is running. The red light on the charger is on too. I'm not saying this is a ROM problem or anything at all, but its the second charger I've had that does this, I don't suppose anybody knows a fix if it happens on other devices too?

Is this an official HTC charger?
I know it sounds silly, but most cheap unbranded car chargers cause all sorts of problems. It's usually that they don't short the two data pins, so that the phone thinks it's plugged into a PC. It will then only charge at half rate (500mA) in line with usb standards.
Also, the charger may not even be able to handle a 500mA output, which would suggest why your phones sees the charger, measures the output, sees it as insufficient, and stops the charging. Is there a sticker on the charger starting current output? They can still be misleading though.
An official HTC car charger (just like the mains wall charger) will have it's data pins sorted out. The phone will detect this, and switch to mains charging mode, and draw the full 1000mA. You may have noticed that your phone will charge twice as fast off a mains wall charger than it will from being plugged into a computers usb port.
Trust me I've thrown out about 3 of the cheap ones! Even charging at 500mA, your phone will still not be getting enough juice to do google maps navigation with GPS.
Hope I've helped.
Sent from my HTC Desire using XDA Premium App

It's a cheap eBay one, but I've bought from the company in the past...when I had an iPhone And it worked perfectly. The first charger had a label saying it's max was 500mA. That lasted about 20 minutes..Need it so much more recently because of my battery drain problem http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=996938.
I had no idea HTC sold official ones (seems I lack common sense), will give them a go, at least then I'll get a decent warranty if it doesn't work...

jimster4389 said:
It's a cheap eBay one, but I've bought from the company in the past...when I had an iPhone And it worked perfectly. The first charger had a label saying it's max was 500mA. That lasted about 20 minutes..Need it so much more recently because of my battery drain problem http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=996938.
I had no idea HTC sold official ones (seems I lack common sense), will give them a go, at least then I'll get a decent warranty if it doesn't work...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If its a USB charger try a different USB lead. When my Desire arrived brand new the lead would only work properly when I bent the lead round the back of the phone otherwise it would start a charge (LED would light up red, phone says charging) but the battery % would never get any higher. Bought a new official HTC lead and problem solved.

Lost charger

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

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

Thanks a lot.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Car Charger Spec Query

i am looking for a decent [working, cheap and quick charging] car charger.
I know I'll need at least a 1amp [right?] however i have seen a few that charger at 1amp and 2.1amp
is it going to ruin my battery if i use 2.1amp?
anyone found and goodies out there?
thanks

I second this request, i've got a few generic car chargers from older gear that i've tried with the galaxy nexus. So far they all come up as charging via usb, and so the phone loses power when the navigation/bluetooth/etc/etc is all on. I understand the power requirements, and looked into the data-cable soldering malarkey solution, but my soldering skills in the "fire hazard" class at best so i'd much rather an off the shelf solution.
I'd be very grateful if anyone could point out a car charger that they know/strongly suspect works fine.
Cheers

so the same car charger i've been using for my nexus one for navigation won't work with the GNex?

grizlore said:
is it going to ruin my battery if i use 2.1amp?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, but it won't charge the battery faster either.

More amps is fine. Your phone will only pull what it needs, even if more amps are available.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium

Also be aware that even though some car chargers state they can supply >1A current, some phones (like my Nexus One and Galaxy Nexus) will not recognize it as a high speed charger.
Smartphones and other devices check to see if the data pins (D+ and D-) are shorted or have a specific resistance before activating high-speed mode since normal USB data specifications say that devices should only pull <500mA from the port.
I have this one: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B002IW79ZC/?tag=68656c7064757-20, which is supposed to supply 1A, but I when I plug my phone in with a normal USB micro cable, it says it's charging through "USB" vs "AC", where "AC" is the high-speed charging.
I've made a hacked cable adapter, though, which has the data pins shorted. When I use this with the car adapter, it charges at full speed. You should check to be sure that your phone is fully utilizing the charger by going into the Settings > Battery menu.

Hi all,
I thought I'd share how I've gotten on. There's a 2.1a charger that maplins sell that I thought might do it, but alas no - still comes up as "Charging(USB)". I know taFFer solved the problem with a little solder, and a lot of forum threads also suggest the same fix, but the last time I picked up a soldering iron actually ended with a trip to A&E (long, embarrassing, story) so I was still keen to find an off the shelf solution.
Anyway, after reading a lot more forums, I found a few different people recommending the same motorola charger. Amazon UK sell it, so I stuck in an order. Details below:
MOTOROLA P513 MICRO USB IN CAR CHARGER, £5.45*
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B000S5Q9CA
*above item(s) sold by and shipped from Keep Talking
It arrived today and sure enough simply plugging it into the car results in it appearing as Charging(AC). I've not gone on a long enough drive to know about charging speed when gps/bluetooth/etc is all going, but if anyone else is after a cheap car charger that just works without hacking your own cable I think this is the one.
Cheers
***EDIT***
After criss-crossing the country over the xmas period i can tell you this charger is working fine for me. Even when using all the gps, bluetooth, screen on, etc that i can muster (while still driving straight!) the phone gains power and would often come out the car more charged than when it went in. The charger has one annoyance - they've built in a blue led to the charger which is lit up the whole time the thing is plugged in and thats kind of distracting, i don't really know what they were thinking with that, but otherwise i've no complaints.

nexuskettle said:
Hi all,
I thought I'd share how I've gotten on. There's a 2.1a charger that maplins sell that I thought might do it, but alas no - still comes up as "Charging(USB)". I know taFFer solved the problem with a little solder, and a lot of forum threads also suggest the same fix, but the last time I picked up a soldering iron actually ended with a trip to A&E (long, embarrassing, story) so I was still keen to find an off the shelf solution.
Anyway, after reading a lot more forums, I found a few different people recommending the same motorola charger. Amazon UK sell it, so I stuck in an order. Details below:
MOTOROLA P513 MICRO USB IN CAR CHARGER, £5.45*
*above item(s) sold by and shipped from Keep Talking
It arrived today and sure enough simply plugging it into the car results in it appearing as Charging(AC). I've not gone on a long enough drive to know about charging speed when gps/bluetooth/etc is all going, but if anyone else is after a cheap car charger that just works without hacking your own cable I think this is the one.
Cheers
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks a lot for the news mate. I'll be getting one soon! Will you be able to post again when you find out how the charger works with gps etc. Thank you!

Anyone know if this charger works with the galaxy nexus (detected as AC?)
http://www.amazon.com/Scosche-Dual-Charger-iPhone-Players/dp/B000RYSU7O/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

nomisunrider said:
Anyone know if this charger works with the galaxy nexus (detected as AC?)
http://www.amazon.com/Scosche-Dual-Charger-iPhone-Players/dp/B000RYSU7O/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For optimal charging, you need 1000mAh output. How much does this charger output?

Solution for Nitro HD car charger problem

Hello all. New member to your forum but a Senior techie here. For anyone having the issue with the car charger not keeping up with the discharge of the battery, the problem is that car chargers make the Nitro think it is plugged into a PC's USB port. When this happens, the internal regulator only allows about half of the chargers current to charge the battery. The AC wall charger has pins 2&3 shorted which tells the Nitro it's plugged into an AC charger and allow full current from the charger.
I have a USB cable adapter I made with pins 2&3 shorted that I tested and have the results in the below images. With the Nitro plugged directly into the car charger without my custom adapter (pins 2&3 shorted) you can see in the first image the battery status is listed as "Charging (USB)". Doing nothing more than keeping the screen on for 5 minutes, you can see in the second image, that the battery charger was not able to raise the battery level at all from 39%. I then plugged in my shorted adapter between the phone and the same car charger and the battery status changed to "Charging (AC)" as you can see in the third image. I performed the same test and this time the same car charger was able to raise the battery from 39% to 43% in 5 minutes, again with the screen kept on as shown in the fourth image.
There are threads on this board under other phones about the USB Car charging issue and how to make a shorted cable. I would however recommend taking an extra cable and soldering together the conductors for pins 2&3 (usually white and green) instead of just using a piece of foil as others have done in the past. Just remember, the shorted cable can only be used for charging, not data syncing. Happy modding...

Hey guys, I know this is kind of a dead thread, but...
Can anyone confirm that the cable at:
(mobile.brando.com/brando-workshop-usb-to-micro-usb-cable_p04980c0704d003.html)
will work to "A/C" charge my nitro HD. It seems from looking around on the forums that it will, but I have never seen a confirmation.

Here's another option too... Name brand (Motorola) vehicle rapid-charger for only $5 !!!
http://www.amazon.com/Motorola-Vehi...CA/ref=sr_1_14?ie=UTF8&qid=1323890013&sr=8-14
Rated at 950mA and there's customer review confirmation that this charger will show up as "Charging A/C". I just bought 2.

Thanks Namuna - you've been popping up all over this forum huh!
Anyway, I decided to go with the brando cable. I really hope it works as expected, otherwise I'll be using a janky electrical-taped hacked up wire. Or order a mini-micro adapter...

That Brando cable looks fine, I'd be all over it too if it were cheaper.
As to be being all over this Forum?...HELL YEAH! I like backing the sleeper/underdog. When the Nexus One first came out by no means was it a "hit", but it sure as hell was a sleeper/underdog! Now though, the Galaxy Nexus is going to be the me-too phone so I didn't go that route.

The upside of the brando cable is that it has a switch to make it a data cable or a charging cable. So I can keep it with me and decide to either charge slowly or quickly.

red_solo_cup said:
The upside of the brando cable is that it has a switch to make it a data cable or a charging cable. So I can keep it with me and decide to either charge slowly or quickly.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Don't forget, the cable can only put through, what the adapter it's plugged into provides. If the adapter is rated =<500mA output then the extra features of the cable are a moot point.
I had the Car Dock for my Nexus One, that monster was rated at 2A! Believe me when I say that phone got HOT when you were doing Nav with it plugged it!...Now THAT'S a rapid charger! A 10min ride to the store (while phone idle, screen off) and that thing would top-off my phone that was at 75%.

I have this car USB adapter.
The top port is rated at 2.1 amps so as to be able to charge an Ipad.
I'm prepared

Nice find red_solo_cup.
I gotta get me one of those
My phone battery usually lasts till the evening and dies while driving back from work lol.