Develop Bugs

In car battery charging

I have travelled to devon on Saturday and used Google maps navigation which is simply superb as u could see the traffic jams in advance (believe me there were plenty of them) I had my phone charger charging my desire but the battery drained still any idea why surely the charger should charge it or keep the power at the same level ?
Sent from my HTC Desire using XDA App

Anyone surely someone must know why the car charger hasn't enough power to charge the phone when running navigation and the normal phone functions
Sent from my HTC Desire using XDA App

I have no solution but I have the same problem. Quite frustrating.

You need a charger that outputs at least 1000mA. Most in-car chargers only output 500mA, and so the phone will discharge quicker than the charger can charge it.
Regards,
Dave

foxmeister said:
You need a charger that outputs at least 1000mA. Most in-car chargers only output 500mA, and so the phone will discharge quicker than the charger can charge it.
Regards,
Dave
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
especially with some GPS apps that consume lots of juice...

Any suggestions which are the best chargers ? Does anyone know what the new HTC dock will incorporate ?
Sent from my HTC Desire using XDA App

Get a cheap USB cable extender, cut it in half and short the middle 2 pins. Don't remember what colours they are. Look on Wikipedia.
I had same problem. Not anymore. Charges properly when I plug in through the custom cable.

This is a common problem.
It bugged me sufficiently that I investigated it in detail.
The Desire, and presumably some (all?) other HTC phones, employ relatively complex charging circuitry.
When you plug a USB cable into the phone, the phone does at least two different checks to determine what type of power source you have just connected.
If you have plugged in a mains powered official HTC charger, which has a rated output of 1A, then the phone knows that it is safe to draw a maximum of 1A from that charger.
The phone will then draw enough current to power itself and, on top of that, charge the battery at the same time.
This current will typically be in the region of 800mA (0.8A) to 900mA (0.9A).
Under these conditions there is enough current to power all the functions of the phone, including WiFi, Bluetooth and GPS, as well as the usual GSM radio and the phone's other functions, as well as being able to charge the battery.
However, if the phone believes that it is connected to a power source with a lower rating such as a standard USB port, then it will limit the maximum current that it draws from that power source to between 400mA (0.4A) and 500mA (0.5A) as this is the maximum officially provided by a USB port.
In other words, the phone is intelligent enough not to overload a standard USB port but, when more power is available, it is able to use it.
The mechanism that HTC uses to detect a power supply capable of supplying 1A, as opposed to a USB port, is very simple indeed.
When the phone detects that an external power source has been connected, it checks to see if the two data lines of the USB connector on the bottom of the phone have been short-circuited.
If they have been short-circuited, the phone takes this to mean that a suitable power source has been connected providing a current of at least 1A.
If the data lines are not short-circuited, the phone assumes that the power is coming from a USB port or other device not capable of providing more than 500mA.
In practice, the way this has been implemented is that within the official mains powered HTC charger, the two data pins of the USB connector are shorted together.
As soon as you connect this charger to the Desire, the phone detects the short-circuit and knows that it is connected to a charger capable of supplying 1A.
This particular trick seems to be something unique to HTC rather than being a universal standard, although this is a bit of a guess on my part based on having looked at only a few other chargers.
What this means is that if you have a car charger that is rated at 1A or higher, your HTC Desire will still only draw a maximum of 500mA from this charger.
This problem is easily rectified by opening up the charger and soldering together the two centre pens of the USB connector so that the phone sees this short-circuit and realises that it can safely draw I higher current from the charger.
Unless you know what you are doing and fully understand what I have explained above, then please don't go fiddling around with your charger.
I have carried out this modification myself on a couple of non-HTC mains-powered chargers and a couple of 12V car chargers with 100% success.
I have, however, found that some 12V chargers, even though they are rated at 1A or even 1.5A do not result in the Desire drawing the expected current.
What I found was that the phone would draw only about 250mA and then, after I had shorted the data terminals within the charger, the phone would draw about 450mA but not the 850mA or so that I had expected.
I have yet to determine with certainty why this is but it appears that as the phone begins to draw current from the charger it is able to detect if there is even a relatively small dip in the voltage coming from the charger and, if so, the phone backs off on the amount of current that it draws.
I will be doing a few more tests in my electronics lab to try and get to the bottom of this and provide a more detailed analysis and, hopefully, a useful solution.
In the meantime though, I have at least solved the problem that I was having and, based on numerous forum posts, the same problem that many other people have been having with car chargers not effectively charging the Desire.
Tim

mercianary said:
Get a cheap USB cable extender, cut it in half and short the middle 2 pins. Don't remember what colours they are. Look on Wikipedia.
I had same problem. Not anymore. Charges properly when I plug in through the custom cable.
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Click to collapse
Snap!
I didn't see your post before making mine (above) but my experimentation agrees fully with what you've said.
You can do it the way you've described, by modifying a cable, or you can do it inside the charger itself.
Just make sure that the cable going to the phone has all four USB wires in it. Some of them only have the two power wires, so the phone will never detect the short circuited data lines.
Tim

If you do not want to open your car charger, you can always create a male to female adapter that shots D+ and D- on the female side like the one in the attached picture
Obviously, the charger needs to be able to provide the 1Amps that are needed. If not, it will at best shutdown in protection mode, at worst fry completely with a great chance of fire...

Interesting stuff...
I bought an official HTC car charger and noticed that the included usb cable, when plugged into a pc, does not allow data transfer, only charging.
Can anyone explain that ? Why would there be a difference in the wiring ?

They want you to buy an official USB cable I guess ? Considering any microusb cable works I'm surprised they bother

Maybe because they just put the two VCC and GND wires in there, thus saving on the cabling cost.

Ok how about this then......
I have a USB port I'm my car (to plug in music on a dongle I presume) if I use the USB lead from my charger supplied with the phone (which also works as a data cable) I get a the charging status icon on the battery bar.
So......
Is my phone charging at 1 amp on the car, and at home or am I getting 0.5 on both or something else?
Sent from my HTC Desire using XDA App

_Crusoe_ said:
Ok how about this then......
I have a USB port I'm my car (to plug in music on a dongle I presume) if I use the USB lead from my charger supplied with the phone (which also works as a data cable) I get a the charging status icon on the battery bar.
So......
Is my phone charging at 1 amp on the car, and at home or am I getting 0.5 on both or something else?
Sent from my HTC Desire using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you check your battery stats by dialing *#*#4636#*#* and look at battery info, then you can see if it is charged by USB (max 500 mA) or at AC (more then 500mA)

I bought the official HTC charger, works perfectly.

thanks a lot for the explanation. I went for an uprated USB car charger but was still using normal cables to plug into it and the phone wasnt keeping up when bluetooth and GPS was on and was flat by the end of a long journey. Have tried the mod and phone is showing as plugged into AC so hopefully this is going to sort my issues.

So am I right in saying that, unless you get one which has been adapted as described above, there is no real difference between one in-car charger and another - none of them will be up to the job of keeping the phone full of jiuce whilst running GPS over a long journey.
Was thinking of shelling out for a Brodit kit, but at £50+, I'll stick with a cheap one.

Narco77 said:
Interesting stuff...
I bought an official HTC car charger and noticed that the included usb cable, when plugged into a pc, does not allow data transfer, only charging.
Can anyone explain that ? Why would there be a difference in the wiring ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I got the offical charger and the usb cable is fine for data transfer.

Bingo Accent said:
So am I right in saying that, unless you get one which has been adapted as described above, there is no real difference between one in-car charger and another - none of them will be up to the job of keeping the phone full of jiuce whilst running GPS over a long journey.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not really.
For the "mod" to work, your charger must be able to source at least 1000mA which most can't anyway.
So you first have to find a charger that does and then, if it's not already the case, short the D+ and D- cables together.
Note that this can be done by disassembling the charger (not being sure of being able to put it back together), by using conductive glue on the USB plug itself (a bit invasive) or by using an adapter like the one I shown in my previous message (but you need to do it yourself or have someone do it for you)

So why is my battery draining while charging?

I've noticed this happening any time I tether via USB or use GPS navigation while plugged in. Even though I'm connected and charging, I slowly but surely discharge. This weekend I used Google Nav for 2 hours and lost 20% of my battery while charging! On Juice Plotter, I notice the green charging glow at the bottom is a more transparent shade of green (as opposed to solid green when solely charging). Any ideas what causes this or how to avoid it? It seems to be recent.

TheBiles said:
I've noticed this happening any time I tether via USB or use GPS navigation while plugged in. Even though I'm connected and charging, I slowly but surely discharge. This weekend I used Google Nav for 2 hours and lost 20% of my battery while charging! On Juice Plotter, I notice the green charging glow at the bottom is a more transparent shade of green (as opposed to solid green when solely charging). Any ideas what causes this or how to avoid it? It seems to be recent.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Let me guess, you're charging off a USB port in your laptop, or using the data cable that came with the phone in your car charger?
Not all USB sources (or cables, for that matter) are created equally. Most PC/laptop ports put out 500mAh, half of what the Evo is designed to take (the factory AC adapter, the wall plug, is 1000mAh, aka 1amp).
Since it's only getting half the draw it can't quite keep up with how much power you're sucking away from the battery. This is usually only present when using the device heavily, such as with the screen on and GPS or WiFi/3G actively running.
The charging indicator (at least on Sense) indicates if it's getting the full "AC" charge (1amp) or if it's getting a reduced current charge. Sounds like that's what you're noticing.
My wife's Samsung Moment charger is 700mAh/0.7amp, and it can keep my Evo steady during use (it's powering it for 3G+WiFi tether right now), but it doesn't really charge fast at all, basically it just keeps it from depleting.
I've been meaning to try one of the USB Y-cables that join 2 standard USB ports to one female port for combined power of 1amp, but I'm not sure it will work as I hope. Anyway, I'll report back if I get around to it.
Otherwise, use an actual 1amp AC adapter whenever possible. Shop on eBay, chargers are stupid cheap. Just look for one that says it can do 1amp/1000mAh. If you're using the phone at work and want to have a convenient charging source, get one of the $20 docking cradles with an AC adapter on eBay. If it's in your car, any 12v USB charger should work, as long as you use a proper pass-through charging micro USB cable and not a "data cable". There's a slight difference in how the pins are wired inside. The Rocket Fish brand of micro USB cables are known to work (that's how I charge mine at full power in my car).

Way to go GT. Are you a student? I'm an ME phd student.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App

sprocket87 said:
Let me guess, you're charging off a USB port in your laptop, or using the data cable that came with the phone in your car charger?
Not all USB sources (or cables, for that matter) are created equally. Most PC/laptop ports put out 500mAh, half of what the Evo is designed to take (the factory AC adapter, the wall plug, is 1000mAh, aka 1amp).
Since it's only getting half the draw it can't quite keep up with how much power you're sucking away from the battery. This is usually only present when using the device heavily, such as with the screen on and GPS or WiFi/3G actively running.
The charging indicator (at least on Sense) indicates if it's getting the full "AC" charge (1amp) or if it's getting a reduced current charge. Sounds like that's what you're noticing.
My wife's Samsung Moment charger is 700mAh/0.7amp, and it can keep my Evo steady during use (it's powering it for 3G+WiFi tether right now), but it doesn't really charge fast at all, basically it just keeps it from depleting.
I've been meaning to try one of the USB Y-cables that join 2 standard USB ports to one female port for combined power of 1amp, but I'm not sure it will work as I hope. Anyway, I'll report back if I get around to it.
Otherwise, use an actual 1amp AC adapter whenever possible. Shop on eBay, chargers are stupid cheap. Just look for one that says it can do 1amp/1000mAh. If you're using the phone at work and want to have a convenient charging source, get one of the $20 docking cradles with an AC adapter on eBay. If it's in your car, any 12v USB charger should work, as long as you use a proper pass-through charging micro USB cable and not a "data cable". There's a slight difference in how the pins are wired inside. The Rocket Fish brand of micro USB cables are known to work (that's how I charge mine at full power in my car).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm using the included charging cable. Doesn't that have full capacity? I also use a standard USB adapter in the car. It seems like that would be able to output the correct amount of volts.
gtkansan said:
Way to go GT. Are you a student? I'm an ME phd student.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
3rd year CmpE.

I had the same problem until I noticed how hot my phone was using the nav. 13 hour drive. I purchased a vent cradle for the car and so that it can stay cool while in use and charging. While the other guy may be right theoretically, its not right practically. The evo will shut off its mini usb hub once it starts getting dangerously hot so that it won't damage your phone. Long story short make sure your phone is at safe temps no need to buy another charger for your evo. keep at cool temps so that phone won't cut off power supply will even shut your phone down if its way to hot, happened to me in atlanta not fun.
"Insert Fancy Quote"

TheBiles said:
I'm using the included charging cable. Doesn't that have full capacity? I also use a standard USB adapter in the car. It seems like that would be able to output the correct amount of volts.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When you say "included charging cable" do you mean the wall plug that came with the Evo or just the cable with a USB connector on one end and a micro USB on the other end? Because THAT cable is pinned as a data transfer cable and designed to relay only half voltage no matter what you plug it into. I know, because it only charged my Evo at slow speed when plugged into my USB car charger. Once I replaced it with the Rocket Fish cable it charged at full speed.
kwilbur3 said:
I had the same problem until I noticed how hot my phone was using the nav. 13 hour drive. I purchased a vent cradle for the car and so that it can stay cool while in use and charging. While the other guy may be right theoretically, its not right practically. The evo will shut off its mini usb hub once it starts getting dangerously hot so that it won't damage your phone. Long story short make sure your phone is at safe temps no need to buy another charger for your evo. keep at cool temps so that phone won't cut off power supply will even shut your phone down if its way to hot, happened to me in atlanta not fun.
"Insert Fancy Quote"
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Click to collapse
See above. While I agree that heat will kill the battery and possibly trigger a shutoff, I don't think that's his problem. If you use the wrong cable or charger you will only get half charging current.

sprocket87 said:
When you say "included charging cable" do you mean the wall plug that came with the Evo or just the cable with a USB connector on one end and a micro USB on the other end? Because THAT cable is pinned as a data transfer cable and designed to relay only half voltage no matter what you plug it into. I know, because it only charged my Evo at slow speed when plugged into my USB car charger. Once I replaced it with the Rocket Fish cable it charged at full speed.
See above. While I agree that heat will kill the battery and possibly trigger a shutoff, I don't think that's his problem. If you use the wrong cable or charger you will only get half charging current.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I mean the USB cable that comes in the box with the EVO that plugs into the AC adapter. Maybe I will look into a new cable then. Hmm.
Edit: Those Rocketfish cables that you mentioned seem to be ungodly expensive. No way in hell am I going to pay more than $5 for a USB cable. Any alternatives?

TheBiles said:
I mean the USB cable that comes in the box with the EVO that plugs into the AC adapter. Maybe I will look into a new cable then. Hmm.
Edit: Those Rocketfish cables that you mentioned seem to be ungodly expensive. No way in hell am I going to pay more than $5 for a USB cable. Any alternatives?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is the one I got: http://cgi.ebay.com/ROCKETFISH-MOBI...ARGING-CABLE-/350384355972?pt=PDA_Accessories
$3 shipped
And there are 2 USB cables that came with the Evo (mine anyway), a thick one that was bundled with the wall charger and a thin one that's intended just for data sync. The thin one doesn't seem to charge at full speed.
If you're using the other one and it's STILL draining then maybe there is an issue with heat or something, like the other guy said. Is the phone SUPER hot at the base, where the kickstand is, when this happens?

OP - I am having the same problem. I'm 95% sure it's caused by something wrong in CM6 regarding how it handles USB charging. Past few nightlies I have been leaving my phone on the charger doing NOTHING overnight and it goes dead.
This CANNOT be due to lack of charging strength:
#1 the same exact charger worked perfectly in the past, before I flashed a certain nightly - not sure which one exactly it started in
#2 if it was charging, but slowly why in the world would the battery drain when I have it underclocked to 245 mhz and the phone is sleeping with screen off?
On my standard charger that came with the phone it is working fine even though it's a USB that plugs into an adapter - not sure why this doesn't work with my other one that I had from another phone since it worked perfectly before. Something is definitely odd with CM6 and USB charging.

sprocket87 said:
This is the one I got: http://cgi.ebay.com/ROCKETFISH-MOBI...ARGING-CABLE-/350384355972?pt=PDA_Accessories
$3 shipped
And there are 2 USB cables that came with the Evo (mine anyway), a thick one that was bundled with the wall charger and a thin one that's intended just for data sync. The thin one doesn't seem to charge at full speed.
If you're using the other one and it's STILL draining then maybe there is an issue with heat or something, like the other guy said. Is the phone SUPER hot at the base, where the kickstand is, when this happens?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's odd, because my EVO only came with the one cable for the adapter. Phone stays cool.
berardi said:
OP - I am having the same problem. I'm 95% sure it's caused by something wrong in CM6 regarding how it handles USB charging. Past few nightlies I have been leaving my phone on the charger doing NOTHING overnight and it goes dead.
This CANNOT be due to lack of charging strength:
#1 the same exact charger worked perfectly in the past, before I flashed a certain nightly - not sure which one exactly it started in
#2 if it was charging, but slowly why in the world would the battery drain when I have it underclocked to 245 mhz and the phone is sleeping with screen off?
On my standard charger that came with the phone it is working fine even though it's a USB that plugs into an adapter - not sure why this doesn't work with my other one that I had from another phone since it worked perfectly before. Something is definitely odd with CM6 and USB charging.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've also noticed lately that my phone will charge insanely fast. Like from 30% to 90% in half an hour.

Sprocket - stupid question here... do these Rocket Fish charging cables also handle data transfer just as well as the stock micro-usb cable that came with the phone or would someone want to have one JUST for charging and keep their stock cable for data transfer purposes?

TheBiles said:
That's odd, because my EVO only came with the one cable for the adapter. Phone stays cool.
I've also noticed lately that my phone will charge insanely fast. Like from 30% to 90% in half an hour.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry I was unclear - the other cable I have that is the problem is one from another phone but the same type, and up until recently it worked perfectly.

Brodit active car holder won't charge the S2

Hey guys,
I got my brodit active car holder now for a few days and it seems it doesn't supply enough juice to the S2 while in use :-(
While navigating with navigon, it even loses charge, though it's connected .... that's really disapointing, since brodit normally supplies quality products.
Anyone else got the brodit active holder with the same problems?
boba

Not got the Brodit, but I have the same problem when using CoPilot and charging via the USB cable attached to a car charger. It can keep the charge at current level with CoPilot on, but will only charge with CoPilot off.
Also noticed if SII has less than 50% charge, it won't charge at all with CoPilot on.
Taking a punt on one of these to see if it makes a difference:
http://www.buyincoins.com/details/d...-for-ipad-iphone-4g-ipod-2a-product-2748.html

Which holder do you have exactly? Can you make a photo?
Does it toggle car dock in the S2? You can see a steering wheel in notification bar.
ALexander

I was thinking exactly the same thing this lunchtime. I have the cigarete lighter active Brodit mount and - if i makes any difference - a 2004 Vauxhall Astra H. I as wondering if I would have to turn off the nice things [like satellite view, etc] on the phone for it to survive the journey. Not happy.

boba23 said:
Well I don't know the exact reason yet, but it seems the S2 doesn't accept enough juice from the charger,
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is the S2 in USB AC Mode?
Take a look here: Einstellungen - Telefoninfo - Status
Yesterday I modified a Brodit active car holder from the good old htc HD2 to fit the S2. Now I have fast charging (AC) and Car-Mode.

I currently own some chargers. Not the original one, well the UK Version with no use in Austria.
A 1A HTC Charger with USB socket, a 450mA noname charger with USB socket and a no name car charger with micro usb.
The car charger and the HTC charger show charging(AC) whilst the noname 450mA charger shows charging(USB)...
It would be interesting to measure the exact mA taken by the phone...
ALexander

CurrentWidget doesn't work...
ALexander

Hi all,
Okay, I've now tried four different chargers, and I've also had the phone replaced. Today, in a last attempt, I bought an official Samsung charger.
NONE of them work - even though the phone says "charging on AC" for all of them.
The only thing I haven't tried is a different car (which I'm going to do, once my neighbour gets home).
The one sensible suggestion I've read is that Samsung have screwed up somewhere in software and the phone can't draw enough juice.
Electronics is beyond my little brain, so I don't get why the GS2 charges from my netbook (even when it's only on battery) but won't charge in the car.
And I'm not talking when I'm using satnav. It won't charge at all. In fact (weirdly) it actually DISCHARGES much faster than it does if it's just sitting in my pocket.
I've logged this with my provider (Voda UK), because I refuse to get stuck with a useless phone for the next 18 months if this isn't sorted out. It's ludicrous. If I can't charge the phone in the car it's as good as useless to me.

UPDATE:
Okay, I just tried my neighbour's car (Vauxhall Astra) and the GS2 charged perfectly. 3% in four minutes. Pretty much what I get off the mains charger.
I wish I knew about electrics but I don't. Explanations will have to come from the boffins round here.
I tell you what, though. I don't really want to get a new car just to use my phone properly

Do you have any chsrger with a led?
If the led stays dark the cigarette lighgter of your car might need a new fuse.
Which car?
Sent from my GT-I9100 using XDA Premium App

Ive ordered one of these mounts and will report how it behaves in my 2008 Civic

barneypooch said:
UPDATE:
Okay, I just tried my neighbour's car (Vauxhall Astra) and the GS2 charged perfectly. 3% in four minutes. Pretty much what I get off the mains charger.
I wish I knew about electrics but I don't. Explanations will have to come from the boffins round here.
I tell you what, though. I don't really want to get a new car just to use my phone properly
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You might be able to change to a higher amp fuse in your car fusebox.

eddablin said:
You might be able to change to a higher amp fuse in your car fusebox.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ROFL!! Genius!

Brodit mount arrived and looks great. Fit and design excellent and seems to charge as I would want.
Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk

So what charger do you guys advice? Which charger does charge the phone, even while navigating with Navigon?

I got the Brodit active charger (BR512...), there isn't a problem with charging at all.
I think the issue you got is really car related. My guess:
a) your cigarette lighter port is poorly wired -> Measure voltage at the port with a voltmeter, it should be at least 12V DC (Edit: Even if it does there is still the possibility that your wiring is bad, showing 12V doesn't mean it can handle the current this charger needs)
b) your cigarette lighter port doesn't make a good contact to the brodit plug. Check for corrosion of the contacts, dust, dirt, etc. Some ports go bad after lots of plug in / out cycles.
If you have no idea what I'm talking about here, I'm pretty sure every car mechanic can fix your problem for a small amount of money
Edit: it's very possible this plug works with other chargers and phones and still fails with the S2 charger. The reason for this is the different ways chargers convert the car's 12V DC into 5V DC. Some might work down to 7V input, some already **** up at 11.8V

I have the same problem with my GSII trying to charge it with my 12V Ipod adapter...
I just arrive from a short travel with my Citroën Xsara and i almost got lost cose the phone discharged all the time while using IGO on the phone...
I don't think this is car related because there are so many people with different cars having this problem... so... Samsung wants me to buy a new car to be able to use their phone in travels?

Hi guys, just thought I'd try to clear up a few of things:
1. All phones can use more power than they can draw. Note that the more apps you use, the more juice you draw depending on their features.
2. Not all CLAs are the same. Most modern devices will need 2amps, but the majority of CLAs on the market are 1 - 1.2amp units.
3. Your device will stop charging if it reaches a certain temperature, without giving you any further indication that it is too hot. This is a common scenario if you've got a phone on the dash giving guidance, with the sun rays beating a back. And yes this does mean dedicated satnav devices have a greater operational temperature range than phones, usually a 15-20 degree difference (celcius).
4. If the CLA is being tripped out due to poor isolation (a lot of cars suffer from this) it will also stop charging.
5. In general terms, the lower the battery level of the device, the more juice it pulls. This is why you may find you ha email no problems getting a small charge when you start with a battery at 85%, but your phone dies if the battery is 50% or less.
Hope that helps.
Sent from my GT-I9100 using XDA Premium App

OK, I have no idea what the problem is. I have a Brodit active charger (the cig-plug version) for my Galaxy SII. It's not charging my phone AT ALL. There is no sound, nothing displayed on my phone when I connect it. I have the charger led (blue light) on, so I know it's working.
Things I have tried so far:
1. Asked for a replacement from Brodit. Got it, no difference.
2. Tried with a different car (I have a BMW, my wife a brand new Toyota Auris) - doesn't charge it either.
3. Tried a different no-name universal charger - it works perfectly well, the phone is charging as expected. Other things like the GPS device also work fine.
4. Tried a different kernel and ROM on my phone, still no success.
Any suggestions are welcome.

LazyPawn said:
OK, I have no idea what the problem is. I have a Brodit active charger (the cig-plug version) for my Galaxy SII. It's not charging my phone AT ALL. There is no sound, nothing displayed on my phone when I connect it. I have the charger led (blue light) on, so I know it's working.
Things I have tried so far:
1. Asked for a replacement from Brodit. Got it, no difference.
2. Tried with a different car (I have a BMW, my wife a brand new Toyota Auris) - doesn't charge it either.
3. Tried a different no-name universal charger - it works perfectly well, the phone is charging as expected. Other things like the GPS device also work fine.
4. Tried a different kernel and ROM on my phone, still no success.
Any suggestions are welcome.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thats strange, in the first place i thought a faulty micro-usb or charger. But you got it replaced so can't be the problem.
I have a brodit with charger too, but i use it in a different way, meaning i can remove my holder and unplug it without unplugging my charger. ( near my holder i have a small connector that i can unplug).
What i did is cutting the cable from the charger and i did put a male usb port on it ( regular male usb port) and i have a Belkin charger with a usb port, this charger deliver 1A charging current and charge my phone even when i use my navigation. ( with bluetooth and gps on).
Your phones micro-usb seems to be fine too because it charge with other brands of chargers.
Your BMW delivers enough power i guess at your cigarette lighter plug, because it doesn't charge at the Toyota either and both not delivering enough power would be coincidence.
Anyway mine works perfect the way i did it and if i can remember it worked too with my original plug attached too. ( though the original one doesn't provide enough power sometimes to keep it charged while using navigation).
The only thing i can think of is that there is some stress-pressure on your connection between phone and holder connection and that one pin isn't connected properly, with the universal charger you only plug the micro-usb plug in your phone and the micro-usb plug can adjust freely to your phones micro-usb port.
Try to wiggle a bit with your phone when in the holder and see if the power comes on. Or try to connect a little device on your holders micro-usb port ( if you have something small that charge over micro-usb) and see if that works.

Can anyone help me out with Tab Pro 8.4 Battery problem?

Ok, well...
I'm Korean, and I've searched almost every Korean tablet forums, yet can't find the reason :crying:
So I came to here, XDA.
The problem is, my Tab Pro 8.4 won't charge at all.
It's looks like an usual charging problem of Tab Pro 8.4, however, mine's little bit different.
With the charger plugged in and tablet is on, I can see the lighting shape on the battery icon at the status bar (which appears the charger is plugged in) ,
but no matter how long I charge the tablet, it's 0% and turn off after like...10 secs.
With the charger plugged in and tablet is off, I can see the battery pic appears on the middle of the black screen.
BUT, like the former situation, no matter how long I charge the tablet, I turn it on and it dies quickly.
SO, my problem is this, and i can't find a tiny reason why my tablet got (or how to fix) this battery problem.
Never seen a battery problem like I have right now.
I got several ideas about this. (Hope this will help you to fix my situation )
1. My tablet's rom is not pure. (But not rooted.)
As far as I remember, I applied the Ukrainian version about 3 weeks before.
Is it possible the this is the reason?
If so, wiping the original rom and applying the new one would help me?
2. Is it possible that the battery and the tablet connection got a problem?
If so, open it by myself and re-positioning the battery would help me?
3. The battery charger part might be damaged.
Then it leaves me the one option {GO TO THE SERVICE CENTER} ?
4. well...not 4.
have no idea.
Using same charger which is official SAMSUNG's.
I will keep monitoring this thread.
Little help to poor man would be really grateful, THX
PS
I just tested download mod.
With the charger is plugged in, it's working.

to see if the charger is bad, fully shut tablet down and then try to plug the tablet into a USB port on a computer and wait about 8 hours, then unplug it and see if the tablet holds any charge (battery might still be low but it should have enough charge to run awhile), if above works then it means you need another wall charger (5v 2.1A).
if it still just powers off or dies then it means the battery is bad or not connected or something else is wrong with it.
1. Try another USB cable
2. Try another 5v 2.1A wall charger
3. Try charging on a PC
4. replace battery.

To verify your tablet is charging, you need this little tool
http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_fro...usb+power+current+and+voltage+tester&_sacat=0
Current should be 1.5 to 1.7 Amps, voltage should be 5 to 5.2 V
If the charging current is under 1.5 A, you should change different USB cable or adapter
If cable and adapter are fine, the next is charging port, it's easy to replace if your is defective.
Never use usb port on computer to charge, it only supply 0.5 A and your tablet needs at least 2 Amps for charging properly.
These are basic steps you need to do, without basic information I cannot tell what is wrong with your tablet: not charging or bad battery, or the worst: bad main board.
The one you have to verify: your tablet is drawing normal charging current around 1.5 to 1.7 Amps when plugged in. You can not troubleshoot problem just by guessing.
The most common problem of Samsung tablets are cracked Battery connector, a simple re-solder will fix the charging problem.
There are many unknowns, you have to eliminate charger, usb cable, usb charging port as the source of problem first. Then next look for battery or battery connector.
Otherwise, you will confuse yourself and others what causing the problem. Elimination is the key to figure out problem from many unknowns, one by one at a time. There's no short cut , otherwise, you can not figure out where the problem comes from.
I see many users send their tablets for service and the problem just comes from a bad cable because they have no idea what's wrong with their tablets.

Beut said:
To verify your tablet is charging, you need this little tool
http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_fro...usb+power+current+and+voltage+tester&_sacat=0
Current should be 1.5 to 1.7 Amps, voltage should be 5 to 5.2 V
If the charging current is under 1.5 A, you should change different USB cable or adapter
If cable and adapter are fine, the next is charging port, it's easy to replace if your is defective.
Never use usb port on computer to charge, it only supply 0.5 A and your tablet needs at least 2 Amps for charging properly.
These are basic steps you need to do, without basic information I cannot tell what is wrong with your tablet: not charging or bad battery, or the worst: bad main board.
The most common problem of Samsung tablets are cracked Battery connector, a simple re-solder will fix the charging problem.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can charge from a computer fine just as long as the tablet is fully shutdown first (so you see the battery icon scrolling), this will ensure the 500ma will go directly to the battery and not running the tablet and os, it will charge very slowly but it will eventually reach 100% as nothing is drawing power from the battery to drain it (though I would only charge to 20%, to see if it holds a charge), however this method is just for diagnosing if the charger is bad and have no current alternatives, obviously this should not be a long term solution and never used when the tablet is running, but rather to see if the battery can hold any charge at all.
if you have another 5v 1+A charger laying around then use that instead., if the charger is the problem you can pick them up pretty cheap off ebay (make sure the hallmark icons and model number match to avoid knockoffs)

otyg said:
if you have another 5v 1+A charger laying around then use that instead., if the charger is the problem you can pick them up pretty cheap off ebay (make sure the hallmark icons and model number match to avoid knockoffs)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To see what is wrong with charging problem, you should never use wrong charger like 5V, 1 A or a USB port on computer. If using a 5V, 2A charger and a correct USB , any reading is under 1.5 A, there is something wrong with charger, or USB cable, or USB charging port, or battery connector. Even wrong USB cable, the one has only max of 1A, also is the source of slow charging.

His issue is not with slow charging, it was as soon as he unplugged it the tablet instantly powered off, in this case if the battery is 100% dead then damage is already done and once a lithium battery is completely discharged then most likely no charger whatever the mA is will bring it back...this is why I was saying to charge it from whatever source since you need to get a charge into the battery before it's irreversible damage.
However after re-reading ops post I think it's safe to rule out the charger as the problem because he said he could run the tablet with it plugged in (so that means the Charger is providing enough power to run the tablet) according to my mA reader this alone is around 500-700mA in standard use / full brightness
This also mean we can rule out a bad Micro USB port on the tablet since a broken one wouldn't allow power to the tablet.
the problem likely lies with a bad battery or a bad battery connection, the probably only option at this point would be for him to have samsung service it or take the chance to replace the battery.
(BTW I have all the tools nessasary and I know what can and can't charge this tablet)
Yes I know it needs a 2.1a charger to charge it while it's actively running since a good portion of that power will go into running the tablet and LCD if needed, it does not need a 2.1A charger when it is powered off and 500mA to 2.1mA will still charge it.

Three is a thread here talking about reseating the battery. Look it up. That may help.

Agree with otyg. I recently had a similar problem. My galaxy tab s 8.4 would power off immediately after being removed from power. It would register as having 100% charge while turned off, but once powered on, the tablet would show 4% charged or lower. Another thread on this site mentioned that the battery contacts on the motherboard have cracked for some owners creating symptoms like ours. I resolved the issue by applying a low resistance conductive adhesive to the cracked pins linking the battery to the motherboard. If this happens to be your problem be very careful because there are other contacts next to the battery pins. Good luck!

car tablet power options

A few years ago, I installed a Verizon Samsung Tab 2 in the dash of my Cadillac. I have this tied into the sound system and use it mostly for streaming music and google maps. I had it set up so that the power (cigarette adapter) would shut off whenever the car turned off. Then I used the Tasker app to detect when the tablet was not getting power and put the tablet into Airplane mode, turn the screen off, and pause any music. This would cause it to conserve enough power that it could last a long time until I started the car again. (I cannot reach the tablet's power button once it's installed in the dash). This worked fine for years. However, this tablet was so slow due to no OS updates ever that I couldn't stand it any longer.
I recently decided to upgrade to the Verizon Asus Zenpad Z8. The issue I am now having is that no matter what I do, the tablet dies when the car is sitting. I cannot keep up with its power demands. Tasker does not have the options available to put it into airplane mode. But I have gone into the developer mode menu and set it so that the screen goes off whenever the tablet is not receiving power and it goes into super saving mode during the night. It still dies. It cannot get enough power from the cigarette adaptor to charge it fast enough to recharge what it has lost when it was parked. I have upgraded to the fastest cigarette charger I could find (3A). The battery life barely moves while the car is on, it charges soooo slowly. But the battery drains very quickly when off. This means that every time I get in the car, the tablet is off and I have to pop the panels off the dash to turn it back on.
I recently tried to use a small power inverter (powered from the cigarette adapter). This caused a massive feedback loop that was unbearable (and not fixed by an inline noise filter). I then tried a true sin wave inverter, same result. Although this did solve the power problem, it charged fast enough that there would be enough battery life that the car could sit overnight and not completely die.
I had to go back to the cig adapter. This tablet is thus far, un-rootable. That limits my options with shuttings things down and limits the features available in Tasker.
If I switch the cig adapter to power the tablet all the time, then I don't have a way to tell the tablet when to shut the screen down (so that people walking by don't see a tablet in my car and break in). I'd like some way for the tablet to know when the car is off so that it can shut things down. The easiest way to do that was by making the cig lighter turn off when the car turns off.
If anyone has any other ideas, I'm open to about anything at this point. This is getting really frustrating. Thanks.

I bought this tablet because my whole family has USB-C devices. No more stupid micro USB what an abortion that connector was. At any rate at first we used USB-A to USB-C adapter cables with USB-A charging devices. I noticed right away that most of my chargers would overheat quickly or simply charge quite slowly...the charger could not keep up with the demand if you were trying to stream video to the phone or whatever. Then I bought Google Pixel phones for me and my wife and noticed that the supplied charger has a USB-C port on it and the supplied charging cable is USB-C to USB-C. These Google supplied chargers would completely charge a dead pixel phone in 20 minutes. After reviewing the USB-C standard on Wikipedia I noticed a much higher ampacity available using USB-C to USB-C devices. So for my car I bought an LM317T integrated circuit and with a resistor and a heat sink I cobbled a little 3.5 amp 5v charging port in my dash. You could also use an LM7805 if you wanted and insert a small value resistor on the ground reference if you really want the extra .5 volts. Make sure and attach the ic to a small heat sink with heatsink compound. You will need to solder your female port to a female USB-C and use a USB-C to USB-C cable as the USB-A connector on the Asus supplied cable cannot pass enough current.

ninasmith said:
I recently decided to upgrade to the Verizon Asus Zenpad Z8. The issue I am now having is that no matter what I do, the tablet dies when the car is sitting. I cannot keep up with its power demands. Tasker does not have the options available to put it into airplane mode. But I have gone into the developer mode menu and set it so that the screen goes off whenever the tablet is not receiving power and it goes into super saving mode during the night. It still dies. It cannot get enough power from the cigarette adaptor to charge it fast enough to recharge what it has lost when it was parked. I have upgraded to the fastest cigarette charger I could find (3A). The battery life barely moves while the car is on, it charges soooo slowly. But the battery drains very quickly when off. This means that every time I get in the car, the tablet is off and I have to pop the panels off the dash to turn it back on.
I had to go back to the cig adapter. This tablet is thus far, un-rootable. That limits my options with shuttings things down and limits the features available in Tasker.
If I switch the cig adapter to power the tablet all the time, then I don't have a way to tell the tablet when to shut the screen down (so that people walking by don't see a tablet in my car and break in). I'd like some way for the tablet to know when the car is off so that it can shut things down. The easiest way to do that was by making the cig lighter turn off when the car turns off.
If anyone has any other ideas, I'm open to about anything at this point. This is getting really frustrating. Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Here's something you can try:
Use a different signal to trigger sleep mode, like WiFI. You could use a cheap 3G router and have the tablet connect to it via WiFi. When you exit the car take the router with you = no WiFi = tablet goes to sleep.