Anybody come across a car charger that is high current like the HTC wall charger?
Most car chargers are classified as "rapid".
Anything designed to charge an iPad (2.1A versus the typical 1A) will give you plenty of juice. I use the Scosche reVIVE II with Pandora, Bluetooth, and GPS Navigation all on and still have enough power to positively charge my battery.
Fair warning, though, this will cause the phone to get real hot (I've had the overheating warning lights flash twice so far), so make sure you have plenty of ventilation around the phone, keep it out of the sun, etc etc.
Any charger that is at least 1 amp. will do. The phone 'pulls' a max of around 0.85 amps. No need for more then 1 amp.
If it has a replaceable cable, it must be the heaviest gauge, shortest cable, that you can use. I have seen long cheap thin cables that drop over a volt, and the Thunderbolt charges really slowly.
The charger or cable have to state that they for rapid charging. To rapid charge, you need to have the USB D- and D+ lines shorted. If that are not shorted, the Thunderbolt limits the charge current to around 0.35 amps. thinking it is connected to a PC. If they are shorted, letting the Thunderbolt know it can be rapid charged, you get up there around 0.85. You can easily modify the charger for high rate if it is good for at least an amp.
And in the end is heat. Heat and lots of it. It will damage the battery. So put it out of the sun and in cool air like near a vent.
Motorola Rapid Charger on Amazon is the best. I bought two.
http://www.amazon.com/Motorola-Vehi...Q9CA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1309959388&sr=8-1
Review off Amazon
Genuine Motorola charger in retail packaging. 4.75-5.25V 950mA output, works w/ most micro-USB phones like Incredible, etc., June 11, 2010
By
David Pearlman "sound fanatic" (Arlington, MA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER) (VINE VOICE) (REAL NAME)
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
There are so many sketchy sellers selling phone chargers out there, that it can be a bit scary. The problem is that if the charger is poorly made, the output of the charger can be out of spec and can, in some cases, fry the phone you connect to it.
For that reason, when it comes to phone chargers, you should stick to name brands. (They are all made in China, but the name brand ones are usually subject to stricter QA).
When I found this charger on Amazon, SOLD BY AMAZON, I jumped on it. It's a MICRO USB car charger, made for Motorola and sold under the Motorola name, in retail packaging. The rated output is 4.75-5.25V and 950mA.
This charger should work fine with most any phone that uses the MICRO USB connector. The key number to pay attention to is the second one, the rated amperage. This is the MAXIMUM amount of current that the phone can request from the charger. A typical USB port on a PC provides as little as 100mA, and few provide more than 500mA. So this charger should charge your phone faster than when it's connected to a PC. A few phones out now can use up to 1000mA. But that just means they CAN use that amount. If 950mA is provided, they'll still charge, just a bit more slowly.
Note that the amperage (second number) merely tells you how much the charger CAN supply, if requested. The phone itself is responsible for asking for the current. That is to say, if this charger can provide 950mA, but your phone can only use 300mA--no problem. Your phone asks for 300mA and the charger provides all of what is requested. If, on the other hand, your phone can use 1000mA, this charger will provide all it can, which is 950mA--a wee bit less than the max asked for. That's also not a problem; it just means your phone will charge a little bit (not much in this case) more slowly. The rated voltage for this charger is presented in a range of 4.75-5.25V. The "ideal" voltage for a USB charger of any type if 5V. And most chargers for home use are rated right at 5V. But car chargers work in a noisier environment and thus you have the range. This is where a cheapo charger can really do damage, as some of them are poorly regulated and can provide voltages that are WAY out of spec. Again, when you can get a name brand charger from a seller you can trust (Amazon) for such a reasonable price, it's very foolish to consider the cheapo no-names.
This is an excellent quality name brand travel micro USB charger at a price that beats the no-name junk from third party sellers. What's not to like?
BE SURE TO ORDER IT FROM AMAZON AND NOT ONE OF THE THIRD PARTY SELLERS, as some of those have been known to make mistakes with respect to what they ship relative to the listing. I can confirm that Amazon is shipping the P513 /89143N charger, as pictured.
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ddgarcia05 said:
Motorola Rapid Charger on Amazon is the best. I bought two.
http://www.amazon.com/Motorola-Vehi...Q9CA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1309959388&sr=8-1
Review off Amazon
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Click to collapse
I've been contemplating buying this one, but I'd like to ask you if it charges your battery with navigation+music going? I have a usb charger in my truck, and with both of those going it just manages to keep my battery level where its at, sometimes losing a % or two.
kr0n1c said:
I've been contemplating buying this one, but I'd like to ask you if it charges your battery with navigation+music going? I have a usb charger in my truck, and with both of those going it just manages to keep my battery level where its at, sometimes losing a % or two.
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Click to collapse
From what I've read in the past here on XDA and on the reviews for the charger (on amazon) you shouldn't have a problem. The second review for the charger on amazon states that the reviewer was looking for a charger which actually charged his phone will using GPS and that he found it. It's a very well built charger and cheap. It's made my Motorola and sold by Amazon so buy with confidence.
kr0n1c said:
I've been contemplating buying this one, but I'd like to ask you if it charges your battery with navigation+music going? I have a usb charger in my truck, and with both of those going it just manages to keep my battery level where its at, sometimes losing a % or two.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It does indeed charge. I've had it since my original Droid and was concerned when I updated to the TB but it will charge the TB no matter what you're doing (I've had Nav running while on a phone call with BT and searching the internet and it still showed it was charging). Just be prepared for your phone to get HOT!! Great charger.
worwig said:
Any charger that is at least 1 amp. will do. The phone 'pulls' a max of around 0.85 amps. No need for more then 1 amp.
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Click to collapse
Actually, the phone will pull more than 850 mA. You're probably basing that on using a battery monitor, which only shows the flow of current into/out of the battery. I've seen 800 mA into the battery at the same time I have display, GPS and a phone call going, which is definitely more than an additional 50 mA. It wouldn't surprise me if the phone can take advantage of something more than 1A, since I see a battery drain of more than 200 mA with all of that going when not on the charger.
kr0n1c said:
I've been contemplating buying this one, but I'd like to ask you if it charges your battery with navigation+music going? I have a usb charger in my truck, and with both of those going it just manages to keep my battery level where its at, sometimes losing a % or two.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have that Motorola charger and am a heavy GPS user. It charges the battery as if it were plugged into the wall. You'll be very satisfied.
mike.s said:
Actually, the phone will pull more than 850 mA. You're probably basing that on using a battery monitor, which only shows the flow of current into/out of the battery. I've seen 800 mA into the battery at the same time I have display, GPS and a phone call going, which is definitely more than an additional 50 mA. It wouldn't surprise me if the phone can take advantage of something more than 1A, since I see a battery drain of more than 200 mA with all of that going when not on the charger.
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Click to collapse
No, that was measured at the 5 volt power supply, based upon a lab power supply. I did a lot of experimenting when I developed the charger and phone mount for my motorcycle. And to get the 850ma from the power supply, I used a very short, maybe 8 inch, USB cable, and a charge voltage close to 5.3 volts. With 5 volts at the power supply, it would only pull about 650ma from the power supply. That was due to the voltage drop in the USB cable. With the 5.3 volts at the power supply, I was getting close to an actual 5 volts at the Thunderbolt. I never measured the current at the battery, but I could see it being a bit more then the 850ma in, if there were a switch mode supply in there.
Though I like the Battery Monitor widget as a rough guide, I never tested to see if the battery current and the battery monitor are accurate.
Does anyone know if the included HTC ac adapter and cable will charge faster than using your pc with the included USB cable?
happimeal said:
Does anyone know if the included HTC ac adapter and cable will charge faster than using your pc with the included USB cable?
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Absolutely.
A PC USB port is limited to under 500ma. The Thunderbolt appears to to limit PC USB draw to about 350ma. I haven't measured the actual current in the HTC charger, but it is a high current charger, and charges my Thunderbolt very quickly. Battery Monitor widget shows high battery charge rates. I suspect it is getting near the max rate up near 1 amp.
worwig said:
Absolutely.
A PC USB port is limited to under 500ma. The Thunderbolt appears to to limit PC USB draw to about 350ma. I haven't measured the actual current in the HTC charger, but it is a high current charger, and charges my Thunderbolt very quickly. Battery Monitor widget shows high battery charge rates. I suspect it is getting near the max rate up near 1 amp.
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Click to collapse
HTC charger states 5V/1A on the charger itself.
You can use the Palm car charger for $3.75+tax, free shipping. it is 5V/1A, same rating as the HTC wall charger.
Go here for 25% off
http://www.wireless.att.com/cell-ph...otion/accessories.jsp?source=EC0A0011600jtl10
Add product here, must add to cart to see 25% discount.
http://www.wireless.att.com/cell-ph...027&q_sku=sku4720234&q_manufacturer=&q_model=
Also, if so inclined, you can lop the top off of the charger so that you can use any usb cable (ipod, iphone, anything)
dpham00 said:
HTC charger states 5V/1A on the charger itself.
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Click to collapse
That doesn't mean much. That is the MAX the charger can output. The amount that the Thunderbolt will pull varies. If it thinks it is plugged into a USB, it will be less then 500ma. even if the charger is capable of 10 amps.
worwig said:
That doesn't mean much. That is the MAX the charger can output. The amount that the Thunderbolt will pull varies. If it thinks it is plugged into a USB, it will be less then 500ma. even if the charger is capable of 10 amps.
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Click to collapse
i have used the Palm car charger, checking with bmw, it shows around 850ma, same as on my htc charger.
worwig said:
Any charger that is at least 1 amp. will do. The phone 'pulls' a max of around 0.85 amps. No need for more then 1 amp.
If it has a replaceable cable, it must be the heaviest gauge, shortest cable, that you can use. I have seen long cheap thin cables that drop over a volt, and the Thunderbolt charges really slowly.
The charger or cable have to state that they for rapid charging. To rapid charge, you need to have the USB D- and D+ lines shorted. If that are not shorted, the Thunderbolt limits the charge current to around 0.35 amps. thinking it is connected to a PC. If they are shorted, letting the Thunderbolt know it can be rapid charged, you get up there around 0.85. You can easily modify the charger for high rate if it is good for at least an amp.
And in the end is heat. Heat and lots of it. It will damage the battery. So put it out of the sun and in cool air like near a vent.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
um, i am aware that any charger that will do 1A will do. that was my question, what car charger will do 1A. Alot of times, they dont have that info listed on pages that are selling them.
and the whole thing about the D- and D+ shorted together, i do not believe. the HTC cable that came with the phone does rapid charging and i use it for data all the time too. if they D- and D+ was shorted, i would not be able to use it for data transfer. not unless the HTC charger shorts them internally inside the charger.
leoingle said:
unless the HTC charger shorts them internally inside the charger.
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Click to collapse
Bingo!!
leoingle said:
um, i am aware that any charger that will do 1A will do. that was my question, what car charger will do 1A. Alot of times, they dont have that info listed on pages that are selling them.
and the whole thing about the D- and D+ shorted together, i do not believe. the HTC cable that came with the phone does rapid charging and i use it for data all the time too. if they D- and D+ was shorted, i would not be able to use it for data transfer. not unless the HTC charger shorts them internally inside the charger.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, it is hard to find the current info online or even on the package sometimes.
Yes, it is shorted in the charger. I have seen it done in the cable and the cable can't be used for data of course. Not sure why anyone would do that, but they do.
Related
Is this the highest?
http://www.seidioonline.com/product-p/pmc.htm
Post links if you know of higher ones, thank you.
Sent from my ADR6400L using XDA App
There are 2.1A usb adapters, but I don't think microUSB can take advantage of it. The one you linked is a 1A, which is the same as the wall charger HTC gave with the phone. I'm currently using a 1A usb adapter in my truck.
Ok that's probably what I'm looking for then. Are there wall chargers greater than what came with the phone that I can take advantage of?
Your best bet would be to try the USB adapters made for iPads. The Apple products can utilize the 2.1A chargers with their sync cables, but I'm not sure if a microUSB cable can though. I have some 2.1A wallchargers from some of my Apple products, I'll test them later and let you know what I find out.
http://www.verizonwireless.com/b2c/...ryDetails&archetypeId=12299&accessoryId=46370
I just got an Enercell from Radio Shack with dual usbs. Max output is 2.5A divided between the two ports.
http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=11329448
on sale now for only $14.99. Seems to be of good quality.
The Motorola rapid chargers rock.
Guys, unless you mod the usb adapter 5V spec, you aren't doing squat with a "high power" adapter. The device has an input impedence that will draw a certain amount of current at 5v., and that's it.
Standard battery: 1400 mAh
Time to charge: 4 hrs (according to manual)
That's 1400/4 = 350 mA.
Most adapters on the market spec more than that, they're usually 500 mA or above. And again, unless you boost the volts, you're not going to be able to push more than 350 mA or so.
So don't waste you're money.
On the other hand, if your going to share a car outlet with another device like mp3 or ipod, then yeah, you'll need a higher output, two port, adapter.
Edit: It just occurred to me that if you're using the phone heavily while charging, then yeah you may need more than 500 mA. My currrent widget shows the phone can draw another 250 mA or so during use. That plus the charge totals to around 600 mA. But depending upon design, the phone may not be able to pull in all 600 mA. A test with a current meter would be real interesting.
The charger shipped with the Thunderbolt is a 1 Amp charger.
If I use a 500 mA charger the Current Widget shows a +450mA charge current. However if I use the 1A charger, I get a charge current of about +850mA.
Given that the google navigation gobbles over 400mA when running, you need a car charger with greater than 500mA capacity of you want the phone to charge at the same time.
Sent from my ADR6400L using XDA App
boingboingbilly said:
The Motorola rapid chargers rock.
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Click to collapse
Good to hear, I ordered one today for $11 on ebay. I had heard other people say they liked that one too.
Ecomaniac said:
Guys, unless you mod the usb adapter 5V spec, you aren't doing squat with a "high power" adapter. The device has an input impedence that will draw a certain amount of current at 5v., and that's it.
Standard battery: 1400 mAh
Time to charge: 4 hrs (according to manual)
That's 1400/4 = 350 mA.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're making the incorrect assumptions that the charging rate is constant, and charging is 100% efficient. Li-ion batteries can be charged at up to a 1C rate (i.e. 1.4A for a 1400 mA cell). Add the power drawn by the phone itself, and a 1.8 Amp charger might not be unreasonable (1.8 A is the specified limit for micro USB connectors). Whether the phone will actually do a maximum rate charge, I don't know.
This, from a TI Application Note (Google for SLAA287, board won't let me post links):
A Li-Ion battery charging process consists of three stages:
· Slow Charge: Pre-charging stage using current of 0.1C
· Fast Charge: Constant current charging stage using current of 1C
· Constant voltage charging stage
During the slow charge stage, the battery is charged with a constant low charge current of 0.1C, if the battery voltage is below 2.5V. The slow charge stage is rarely used during the charging process of a Li-Ion battery.
The fast charge (constant current) and constant voltage charging are the most important stages during a recharge process. Most Li-Ion batteries have a fully charged voltage of 4.1 or 4.2V.
The battery is first charged with a constant current of 1C until a battery voltage reaches 4.1 or 4.2V. The firmware continuously checks the charging current by sensing the voltage at the current sense resistor (Rsense) and
adjusts the duty cycle of PWM output from the MCU. The battery's voltage is checked frequently.
Whenever found the battery's voltage reaches 4.1 or 4.2V, the charger will switch to constant voltage charging mode. The battery is then charged with a constant voltage source at a fixed battery voltage of 4.1 or 4.2 V...When the charging current falls below 0.1C, the charging process must stop.
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Monoprice has Cig to USB(1A) chargers and the USB to Micro cables in multiple lengths(I ordered 6' ones) for far cheaper than you will find anywhere else
mike.s said:
You're making the incorrect assumptions that the charging rate is constant, and charging is 100% efficient. Li-ion batteries can be charged at up to a 1C rate (i.e. 1.4A for a 1400 mA cell). Add the power drawn by the phone itself, and a 1.8 Amp charger might not be unreasonable (1.8 A is the specified limit for micro USB connectors). Whether the phone will actually do a maximum rate charge, I don't know.
This, from a TI Application Note (Google for SLAA287, board won't let me post links):
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
very useful, thanks!
walbuls said:
Monoprice has Cig to USB(1A) chargers and the USB to Micro cables in multiple lengths(I ordered 6' ones) for far cheaper than you will find anywhere else
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I second monoprice.
I tried bunch of cig to usb car charger and none matched advertised output... They all showed Charging (USB). I now use AC inverter and it charges just like a wall charger.
eccenpix said:
I tried bunch of cig to usb car charger and none matched advertised output... They all showed Charging (USB). I now use AC inverter and it charges just like a wall charger.
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Click to collapse
I suspect you need to find one which properly follows the USB Battery Charging Specification. That link is to the most recent version, which came out on 7Dec2010 (remember Pearl Harbor!). Version 1.1 is easier - a Dedicated Charging Port is indicated by shorting together the data lines (the two middle conductors on a full sized USB connector. By doing so, it indicates the device may try to draw up to 1.8 A of current (although a dedicated charging port is allowed to limit the current to less than that, it must provide at least 1.5 A).
I bought a cheap USB hub with 5 ports, used an exacto knife to cut the traces going to the data lines (the middle two) on all the ports, and then shorted them together on each port. It's now no longer a USB hub, but a USB charger with 5 ports I can used to charge stuff (phone and Bluetooth, quite often). The AC adapter which it came with does 2 Amps. My Thunderbolt says "Charging (AC)" when plugged into it.
So, if you can open up one of your adapters, just solder a jumper between the middle two contacts (make sure they're not connected to anything else).
Just got the Rocketfish premium microUSB at Best Buy and it has a captive coiled cord and a USB port. TBolt says "AC plugged" and reads +670 mA.
Good choice on the Motorola Rapid Charge - I've burned through 3 other cheap car chargers trying to keep my phone alive while using Google Nav and this is the first one to work!
i have the rapid motorola one on amazon
lippstuh said:
i have the rapid motorola one on amazon
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1 Works great! Battery widget usually shows about +800mA while only charging. Real close to the wall charger
i bought that Motorola Rapid Car charger recent and have been using it about a week now. i've noticed that it doesn't seem to charge my Thunderbolt any faster then it did when i was using the Thunderbolt's USB cable with this USB car charger adapter.
so, my question is, why is it called "rapid" if it doesn't charge any faster?
and i suppose secondly, is there an actual microUSB charger that will charge the Thunderbolt faster?
they make one for the iphone that will fully charge it in 30 minutes so i know they are out there.
voxigenboy said:
i bought that Motorola Rapid Car charger recent and have been using it about a week now. i've noticed that it doesn't seem to charge my Thunderbolt any faster then it did when i was using the Thunderbolt's USB cable with this USB car charger adapter.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Maybe you should try this one.
Install the battery monitor widget. Monitor the battery for about 20 minutes while charging. Tell us what the charge current is.
Does the Motorola charger include a cable? If not, you may just have a weak cable. I have seen cheap cables with wire so thin that the charging current is no better then charging off a weak USB port.
My experience has been that the phone typically recognizes car charges as USB charging and uses a different charging profile. My solution to that is use a wall charger through an inverter or a kernel that doesn't use radically different charging profiles for A/C and USB.
loonatik78 said:
My experience has been that the phone typically recognizes car charges as USB charging and uses a different charging profile. My solution to that is use a wall charger through an inverter or a kernel that doesn't use radically different charging profiles for A/C and USB.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No need for that.
Cut a small piece of aluminum foil. Carefully place it where it shorts the two center conductors in the charger. Plug the USB cable into the charger. Make sure the foil stays in place over the two center conductors.
It is now a high rate charger. (assuming it can put out 1 amp.)
The limiting factor is typically the usb cable itself. Most usb cables can't support the 1amp that is provided to it. Since you used the original usb cable that came with the thunderbolt (that's been "shorted" as mentioned above" ) it will be just as fast as the moto car charger. the 1amp charging rate that the moto charger charges at (i have one) and that the original one charges at are already "rapid". if you plugged a normal usb cable from somewhere else into the other usb car charger, it'd be much much slower
squeakyl said:
The limiting factor is typically the usb cable itself. Most usb cables can't support the 1amp that is provided to it. Since you used the original usb cable that came with the thunderbolt (that's been "shorted" as mentioned above" ) it will be just as fast as the moto car charger. the 1amp charging rate that the moto charger charges at (i have one) and that the original one charges at are already "rapid". if you plugged a normal usb cable from somewhere else into the other usb car charger, it'd be much much slower
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The stock charger is what shorts the connections. The cable is NOT shorted on the two inner pins because they are the data connections used for connecting your phone to a computer.
doodlebro said:
The stock charger is what shorts the connections. The cable is NOT shorted on the two inner pins because they are the data connections used for connecting your phone to a computer.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To meet the USB charging spec (which the TB uses), the two inner (data) contacts should be shorted with no more that 200 ohms.
But, the cable can also be an issue for rapid charging. The voltage drop for a 1A/5V source, across only .5 M of 28 gauge copper is ~220 mV. If you use a longer cable, there's more voltage drop. The TB likely current limits itself when the voltage drops below a certain threshold. Best to buy 24 gauge USB cables, if you can, especially if getting longer ones (monoprice has them).
voxigenboy said:
i bought that Motorola Rapid Car charger recent and have been using it about a week now. i've noticed that it doesn't seem to charge my Thunderbolt any faster then it did when i was using the Thunderbolt's USB cable with this USB car charger adapter.
so, my question is, why is it called "rapid" if it doesn't charge any faster?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think its a matter of rated output current. BUT on the other side, the phone must be capable of drawing/using that much current. If the adapter is rated for more current than the phone can charge, the "extra" current wont be supplied.
Initially, Moto's standard car chargers output 5V and up to 550ma max (just like a standard PC USB port) so they didn't charge phones all that fast. Moto then came out with chargers that had higher current output, so they were capable of charging the phones "faster" than the original car chargers (but on par with the home/travel/AC chargers) and called them "rapid car chargers"..
Today, the current output on the Moto SPN5400A car charger is 0-950mA, and I've seen it sometimes referred to as "Rapid Car charger."
But as far as I know, Moto no longer makes/sells the lower current car chargers, and their web site only shows one MicroUSB and one MiniUSB car charger for sale, both of which appear to be of the 0-950mA output variety.
voxigenboy said:
and i suppose secondly, is there an actual microUSB charger that will charge the Thunderbolt faster?
they make one for the iphone that will fully charge it in 30 minutes so i know they are out there.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just because someone makes such a charger for the iPhone, doesn't mean one must exist for the TB, or other phones, does it? I know the iPad uses a 2A charger. What happens if you connect an iPhone to that? will it charge faster? I guess that depends on if the iPhone is capable of drawing more than 1A to charge it.
I've not seen a "home" or AC charger that can charge the TB any faster than the Stock 1A charger. Does such a thing exist?
A proper car charger with 950mA to 1A output should charge the TB at almost exactly the same rate as the stock 1A wall/AC charger.
And btw, the Moto SPN5400A car charger DOES charge my TB in about the same amount of time that it takes me to charge my TB at home with the stock HTC charger. So while its not "rapid" compared to the stock home/travel/AC charger, its "rapid" compared to PC USB Port charging, or a plain lower current car charger.
KidJoe said:
I've not seen a "home" or AC charger that can charge the TB any faster than the Stock 1A charger. Does such a thing exist?
A proper car charger with 950mA to 1A output should charge the TB at almost exactly the same rate as the stock 1A wall/AC charger.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I made a charger for my motorcycle. I use it as a GPS, screen on MAX, phone active with marginal signal. And I wanted to actually charge the battery at the same time. I did a lot of experimenting with the Thunderbolt. It would not exceed a pull of about 850ma from the supply, even at 5.5 volts. IMHO, you are wasting time looking for any charger over 1 amp.
Also, even with about 850ma in, not much over 500ma is getting to the battery. So a totally dead battery is still going to take between 2 and 3 hours to charge, no matter what charger you have. And twice that long if the charger looks like a PC USB port.
worwig said:
I made a charger for my motorcycle. I use it as a GPS, screen on MAX, phone active with marginal signal. And I wanted to actually charge the battery at the same time. I did a lot of experimenting with the Thunderbolt. It would not exceed a pull of about 850ma from the supply, even at 5.5 volts. IMHO, you are wasting time looking for any charger over 1 amp.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was asking because of the OP's statement about knowing "they must exist" because they are out there for the iPhone.
I'm perfectly happy with my Moto car charger, and how fast it charges my phones.
I see that the wall charger for the Galaxy Nexus outputs 5V and 1A. Unfortunately, none of the extra chargers I'd like to use as additional chargers have this output. Some of them are 5.1V, and some of them all put out under 1A.
From what I understand, using a charger w/ a higher voltage could potentially damage the phone. I know that this unlikely considering it's only an extra .1V in my case, but I don't want to risk it.
As for the amps, I believe that using lower amps isn't dangerous, but may result in charging taking longer than normal.
Are these two assumptions correct? Also, does anyone know of any cheap chargers that put out 5V/1A? If you put in "phone charger" in Amazon, the second hit is a Samsung OEM charger that puts out 5V/0.7A, but I'd rather get one that is going to be an exact match.
700-800mah are fine and acceptable for charging. But if wanting to play games on a charger and still get some kind of charge, go with a 1000 mah charger. 1000 mah charger is also best to use while using mhl so you can hopefully not lose battery charge while streaming video over hdmi.
Sent from my samsung gt i9250 which is in the wrong country.
Speaking of the charger... anyone found a cheap charger adapter for the Nexus? I don't like the massive brick of a "international adapter" Handtec packaged with the phone >.>
Dmw017 said:
Speaking of the charger... anyone found a cheap charger adapter for the Nexus? I don't like the massive brick of a "international adapter" Handtec packaged with the phone >.>
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http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-Micro-Travel-Charger-M540/dp/B002HJBM04
http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-Travel-Charger-Adapter-MicroUSB/dp/B0049IE70I
Dmw017 said:
Speaking of the charger... anyone found a cheap charger adapter for the Nexus? I don't like the massive brick of a "international adapter" Handtec packaged with the phone >.>
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I'm using a Griffin charger for the iPhone (1 amp)... it's very small and the plug blades fold up, making it very pocketable. Give the included iPhone cable to a friend.
http://www.amazon.com/Griffin-NA231...?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1322795627&sr=1-33
alee said:
I'm using a Griffin charger for the iPhone (1 amp)... it's very small and the plug blades fold up, making it very pocketable. Give the included iPhone cable to a friend.
http://www.amazon.com/Griffin-NA231...?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1322795627&sr=1-33
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it's.. 24 bucks ... for a charger..
lol fml
Dmw017 said:
it's.. 24 bucks ... for a charger..
lol fml
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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.
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...you say it folds too huh :/ ....
but for that price, i wonder if there are any samsung chargers that are just as good if not better..
that is Apple, after all
hey isnt http://www.amazon.com/Griffin-Techn...al-USB-Charging/dp/B004EYH5WY/ref=pd_sim_e_10 the same product , it says it does 5 volts at 5 watts ... thats the same right?
edit: some people are reporting that the charger only charges at 0.5A instead of the full 1A on [some] android devices. if you have the charger, can you confirm your nexus charges at the full 1A watts
I've been doing fine with just plugging it into my computer like I always do with every other phone.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium
Dmw017 said:
hey isnt http://www.amazon.com/Griffin-Techn...al-USB-Charging/dp/B004EYH5WY/ref=pd_sim_e_10 the same product , it says it does 5 volts at 5 watts ... thats the same right?
edit: some people are reporting that the charger only charges at 0.5A instead of the full 1A on [some] android devices. if you have the charger, can you confirm your nexus charges at the full 1A watts
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Same one.
Good question on whether it's putting out a full 1A. I guess what I do is check the charge times tomorrow with a few different 1A chargers to see if it measures up.
I use this for home:
http://www.amazon.com/Cellet-Charger-Retractable-Cable-myTouch/dp/B004XVM1T0
And this for the car:
http://www.amazon.com/Griffin-Powerjolt-Dual-Universal-Micro/dp/B0042B9U8Q
Both are dual-USB and put out 1amp. Charges my GNEX and iPhone 4 (work) at the same time without issues.
Just feel like to chime in here for another question.
I know typical USB port from a PC outputs 0.5A while the wall charger outputs 1A, so besides charging time, is there any particular advantages to use wall charger over USB from PC?
I've read somewhere else states that despite the longer charging time using a USB port from a PC, it provides more thorough charges hence is better for the battery than using a wall charger, is this true?
Thanks!
assisterah said:
Just feel like to chime in here for another question.
I know typical USB port from a PC outputs 0.5A while the wall charger outputs 1A, so besides charging time, is there any particular advantages to use wall charger over USB from PC?
I've read somewhere else states that despite the longer charging time using a USB port from a PC, it provides more thorough charges hence is better for the battery than using a wall charger, is this true?
Thanks!
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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!
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I'm not an expert on the subject but I was under the impression that cycles (charge + discharge) were a bigger factor on battery life than something like this. The longer a current is running through the battery (charge or discharge) is detrimental to it's life span.
Leaving a laptop plugged in all the time ruins its battery is my source on this one. I would say it's because it has a constant charge running through the battery.
qreffie said:
I've been doing fine with just plugging it into my computer like I always do with every other phone.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium
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That takes a lot longer vs plugging it into the wall
rashad1 said:
That takes a lot longer vs plugging it into the wall
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True dat. Unless it has changed , USB only outputs 500mA.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk
[hfm] said:
True dat. Unless it has changed , USB only outputs 500mA.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk
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500mA is the max before the PC will disable the port. So your actually get less current.
There are some ports, depending on the motherboard that have a option of outputting more power for charging devices, and also have the port powered when the computer is off. But a normal usb 2.0 port is limited to 500mA max per spec... so a normal usb 2.0 port charging a phone is drawing less then 500mA, or it would get and over current condition and disable the port.
I design electronics and work with USB and batteries often, so let me clear some stuff up in no particular order:
- PC ports are limited to 500mA so will only ever output a max of 500mA
- You can use a wall charger that outputs 1000mA but on most devices the data pins on the micro USB need to be shorted to tell the phone it can try to draw more than 500mA. This is true for HTC devices for example. That means if you get a cheap charger that doesn't short the data pins, when you plug your standard micro-usb cable into it, it will still only charge your phone at 500mA.
- The charging controller is actually in the phone. It decides based on temperature (there's a sensor in the battery), current, voltage across the battery (current charge) and characteristics of the type of battery to figure out how much current to allow into the battery. Although its true that a 500mA charger may have different affects than 1000mA chargers, there usually is very little perceivable difference. Which is (slightly) better really depends on the charging controller and how it decides when to stop charging.
- When the battery is full, the phone continues to 'trickle charge' for a period of time. This isn't a bad thing. Overcharging a Lithium battery can be extremely dangerous, so normal charging occurs at a high speed and then slows down at a safe limit below the 'true' 100%. After that the phone continues to trickle charge to top up the battery. This is the reason you read in phone manuals you should charge the phone for 8 hours or overnight for its first charge.
- When charging at 500mA, the battery does not get as hot. This usually means you get closer to the true 100% before 'trickle charging' starts. With a 1000mA charge the battery heats up a lot more so charging may switch to trickle much sooner. Here's an example with made up figures.
Lets say you charge your battery with a 500mA charger, and it takes 2 hours. When the phone shows 100% it may actually be at 99%, and trickle charging. Leaving it for another 30 mins may take it to its full capacity.
Now, lets say you charge your battery with a 1000mA charger, and it takes 1 hour. When the phone shows 100% it may actually be at 98%, and trickle charging - It stopped sooner because the battery was hotter. Leaving it for another 30 mins may take it to full capacity.
Conclusion.. the 500mA charger took 2.5 hours, while the 1000mA charger took 1.5 hours. However if you unplugged both when the phone showed 100%, the 500mA charged battery may last longer, and so you think the 500mA somehow resulted in a more thorough charge!
At the end of the day, it doesn't matter which you use. the absolute charge cycles is what counts. Charge to 100%, then dont charge till its 0 for best battery care. Constantly plugging into a charger or dock all day on and off is bad. But having said that, your phone is there to be used, so a sensible balance of the two is the best bet.
Thank you so much for the detailed response, kam187. Would you recommend avoiding using a 5.1V charger, considering the phone came with a 5V charger?
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk
I wouldn't use it. The 0.1v probably won't make any difference, but it may not be regulated. Chargers with these odd values sometimes don't have any regulator inside them. That could damage your phone as the voltage could shoot up and down as the current draw changes.
Just search amazon/ebay for any MicroUSB charger, and pick one from a reputable manufacturer like Motorola, HTC, Samsung etc. Since all phones now use MicroUSB, there's loads of these chargers around from previous phone models etc.
Here's just one I saw on amazon.com:
http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-Trave...E70I/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1322808220&sr=8-3
So, I have powerbank and I have 2 ways of charging: 1A and 2.1A. which one to use when charging my note 2?
Handwritten from my Note 2
Depends on the cable you'd use. Samsung cable will go near 2amp, generic ones do about 1 amp
kebabs said:
Depends on the cable you'd use. Samsung cable will go near 2amp, generic ones do about 1 amp
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I have samsung cable.. So is it smart to charge via 2.1 A ? Can it do some damage on the phone ?
I have a Momax external battery and have charged the phone with the 2.1A port. It didn't heat up, it didn't have any problems. I was planning on measuring the exact amperage that comes out of the samsung charger and the momax battery (iPower Pro), but I didn't get around to it, because I suspect the difference is actually smaller. There are many people who used more powerful chargers to charge their phones faster, and the only thing that degraded was the battery lifespan, but the difference in those cases was upwards of 0.5A between the original and the new charger. I find the 0.1A to be a small difference and I have no problem using the 2.1A port on the iPower.
So to answer your question, no, it won't damage your phone. Theoretically it damages your phone's battery, but it degrades anyway due to charging cycles, so you won't notice any damage caused by the extra 0.1A unless you plan on still using the note 2 10 years from now.
sandulea said:
I have a Momax external battery and have charged the phone with the 2.1A port. It didn't heat up, it didn't have any problems. I was planning on measuring the exact amperage that comes out of the samsung charger and the momax battery (iPower Pro), but I didn't get around to it, because I suspect the difference is actually smaller. There are many people who used more powerful chargers to charge their phones faster, and the only thing that degraded was the battery lifespan, but the difference in those cases was upwards of 0.5A between the original and the new charger. I find the 0.1A to be a small difference and I have no problem using the 2.1A port on the iPower.
So to answer your question, no, it won't damage your phone. Theoretically it damages your phone's battery, but it degrades anyway due to charging cycles, so you won't notice any damage caused by the extra 0.1A unless you plan on still using the note 2 10 years from now.
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Thanks for reply mate ! I was thinking the same, but i needed some sort of confirmation tho
Use the 2.1A one.
The phone should only draw 2A from it anyway, that just means the port is capable of supplying 2.1A.
Using the 1A port will just charge your phone slowly, the 2.1A port should charge it as quick as the official charger, depending on which cable you use.
It is a matter of supply and demand. All USB devices can safely be plugged into any USB charger. Given an unlimited amount of current available from the charger, each device will still only draw only as much current as it is designed to draw. If the charger is rated 2.1 Amps or 5 Amps or 10 Amps, a 1.5 Amp device will still only draw 1.5 Amps. The charge rate will be at maximum Think of it like your house wiring. The circuit may have a 20 Amp circuit breaker in the basement but we plug in 40 Watt bulbs and 100 Watt bulbs and TVs and electric shavers that all draw different amounts of current. The 100 Watt bulb uses less than an amp but is unharmed being plugged into a 20 Amp receptacle (charger). Now we come to the flip side. If the charger Is rated lower than the device it just charges slower than it would if the charger could supply at least as much as the device uses. To go back to our example, the 1.5 Amp device plugged into a 1 Amp charger will take longer to charge that it would with a charger rated 1.5 Amps or higher. My analogy has one hole. If the stuff plugged into the house receptacles exceeds 20 Amps the circuit breaker pops. This will not happen with USB chargers as they limit the current and will not try to supply more than they are rated for. Stick to chargers rated as high as the one that came with your device or higher and you will be fine
Just wondering because I don't want to mess up my battery but would rather not have to buy another car charger if I don't have to.
fatmando2 said:
Just wondering because I don't want to mess up my battery but would rather not have to buy another car charger if I don't have to.
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I would use it personally, but hopefully someone in the know can give a better answer.
I would compare the amp against the charger.
if it's less which most car chargers are, than you are ok..
only prob. you'd have is if a charger was putting out too much amp and toast the battery.
my 2 cents
take with grain of salt.
I believe it's actually the other way around. You can use a more powerful charger on a device that requires less, because the device will only draw the power it needs.
However don't use a charger that doesn't have enough power to charge the device, as the device could draw more power than the charger can provide and you risk catching the charger on fire.
This is how MacBook chargers work anyway. For example you can use an 85 watt charger to charge a 45 watt MacBook but you should not use a 45 watt charger to charge an 85 watt MacBook. (I have a few MacBooks that's why I used that reference).
I would assume cell phone chargers are the same concept.
Sent from my HTC One.
josh995 said:
I believe it's actually the other way around. You can use a more powerful charger on a device that requires less, because the device will only draw the power it needs.
However don't use a charger that doesn't have enough power to charge the device, as the device could draw more power than the charger can provide and you risk catching the charger on fire.
This is how MacBook chargers work anyway. For example you can use an 85 watt charger to charge a 45 watt MacBook but you should not use a 45 watt charger to charge an 85 watt MacBook. (I have a few MacBooks that's why I used that reference).
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Yep. A device will only pull the current that it needs, so high-powered PSUs on low-current devices is fine and dandy. The only difference in electrical output that would fry the phone would be voltage, but since all USB chargers "are supposed to" put out 5VDC, you're safe.
As for using chargers with less than sufficient current, I can only speak to my experience. Personally, I've never had an issue charging any of my more beefy devices (Nexus 7, Galaxy Nexus, or HTC One) off of an old 500ma charger that came with my Galaxy S (or a car charger with that same output, for that matter). The devices just charge slower. The PSU gets noticeably warm, but I'd never say it got hot to the point where the threat of combustion was even remotely possible. And as for the comparison to the MacBook charger, you're talking a difference of 40 watts, whereas these little USB chargers have a difference of maybe 2.5 watts (from the 500ma to 1A models). Not a lot of power there, really.
That said, if I were to buy a new one, I'd definitely get a charger that has the output spec to match or exceed the device's OEM charger.
I have been using the Moto charger (both USB and car, borrowed from previous Razr Maxx) and they both work great. No issues.
Your phone will regulate the power so you will have nothing to worry about with almost any charger. I plug my phone into my tablets charger all the time which is 2.1a and have never had a problem. My HTC DNA was the only one that had an issue, it would say it's not the proper charger and it's enabling slow charging. Long story short, you should have no issues