[Q] Standard Car charger vs USB car charger - Samsung Epic 4G Touch

I recently sold my old Toyota Rav4 which only had a standard cigarette lighter car charger. I used a cheap charger I've had since my old Blackberry Tour to charge my ET4G. I work on the road a lot and used the car charger a lot for about the last 10 months til my phone started dying on me. Sprint store tested the phone and said the battery was slightly swollen and definitely showed signs of being damaged which in turn damaged the terminals on the phone causing constant reboots. I paid $35 to have Sprint/Samsung replace the phone as it was less than a yr old and under warranty.
I now have a new car and new ET4G. New car has USB port under the radio as well as 2 standard car charging ports. I've done several searches and read several threads about different voltages and which ones actually charge phones and tablets etc but none have answered my question. The question is is USB charging any safer than standard car charger? I've been told by a friend that fluctuations in the cars battery can send different amounts of charge to the phone and damage it over time. Both methods charge my phone so I don't care which one I use though I'd rather use USB as my USB cord is just 1.5 feet long (perfect length to reach my phone mount).
For some reason they actually gave me a new ET4G not a refurb and it works great. I don't want to damage the battery on this one and would like to keep it alive and sell it when I upgrade phones around December. That's only a few months away but I'd like to know I'm not damaging the battery in the mean time. Any input would be great. Thanks in advance and sorry for the lengthy write up.

Anyone with any input? Anyone use USB to micro USB in their cars?

Don't know if the new car is also a Toyota but here goes...
04 and 10 Toyotas - tried a cheapo MicroUSB charger and the voltage actually drained the battery! So I bought a $10 lighter to USB port charger, plugged in the cable and charges like a champ!
It really depends on how much power they're pushing through the USB port and whether the E4GT can regulate it. I'm finding it to work great - and MTP mode should give you access to the music on the head unit. (Again, *if* it's a newer Toyota...)

Most radios and internal usb ports will be 500ma (same as a standard computer usb port). That is only enough to charge the phone when it is sleeping. Just snag a $10 adapter that puts out 1a.
Sent from my SPH-D710 using xda app-developers app

Thank you both. I just drove 2 hours with Bluetooth on and GPS running while connected to USB. Battery drained 8% which isn't much so it wasn't strong enough to charge it but slowed down drain.
The new car is a 2013 Hyundai Elantra GT (It's a new model to Hyundai). The cigarette charger doesn't seem to over heat the phone like my Toyota did. I'll ask Hyundai how much charge the cigarette lighter port puts out I guess.
Sent from my SPH-D710 using xda app-developers app

I highly recommend the OEM Motorola car charger. Got mine on Amazon for $6. It was the only charger that would work on my old phone because it had voltage control. Any generic charger would only drain my battery while still displaying the charging animation.
Plus it has a cool blue glow to it.

Ravaged Pheonix said:
I highly recommend the OEM Motorola car charger. Got mine on Amazon for $6. It was the only charger that would work on my old phone because it had voltage control. Any generic charger would only drain my battery while still displaying the charging animation.
Plus it has a cool blue glow to it.
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Sweet, I'll take a look at it. I heard back from Hyundai and the guy said he has no documentation on it yet since its a new model but if I wanted to swing by he could test it real quick and let me know. Today was hot as hell. I got in the car and blasted the AC. Put the phone on the USB charger and after about 10 minutes I got a warning on my screen saying phone is too hot and charging has stopped. I didn't even have GPS on or anything. I quickly unplugged the phone and it was fine after that. How can the USB overheat the phone when it can't even charge it while I run GPS and Bluetooth? I wasn't too happy. I used a brand new USB to micro USB cord from Monoprice (5 pin if that makes a difference).

Related

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.
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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).
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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
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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.
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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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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.
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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?
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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?
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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.
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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.
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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.

[Q] Non-HTC/Sprint Chargers OK?

So I have a few car and home chargers laying around that are Micro USB, just like the EVO. Is it safe to use them? I would think so since all the charging circuitry is internal to the phone. But, I figure i would double check.
Also, are there certain micro USB > Std USB cords that are designed for charging and data VS data only?
I use a Rocketfish (Best Buy) car charger in my truck and sometimes use my wife's Blackberry 9800 wall charger or USB cable and haven't had a problem at all. I remember this was a huge problem with my old Pre but I don't know if the EVO has the same issue.
I have been usin my old Blackberry's one and works perfect!
Just check the MilliAmps rating. The EVO uses some healthy juice to charge it. Most chargers will charge it slowly as generics are typically in the 500-700mA range. But they are typically safe, I use them sometimes.
Thanks for the info. I will check out the LG home and car chargers I have left over and see what they are capable of.
I use the chargers from my old LG verizon phone. They charge very fast so obviously they have enough juice. And they don't make a humming noise when at full charge like the htc oem ones that came with my evos.
Posted from my Atari 2600
I have a pointmobl car charger I bought from Radio Shack when I got the phone and I use a USB travel charger from my old Razr VE20 in my bedroom, both work great. The Razr charger is about 700mA I think, so it charges a bit slower but it still works fine. My car charger is 1A so it charges on that pretty quickly.
My EVO is quite the slut when it comes to chargers: I like it! My old HTC Universal was PI-CKY about chargers! Pretty much had to rely on a USB cable and a device.
The 500ma charger I bout with the phone back in June died a few months ago, so I think you can't expect to cheat THAT much. I have tested 4 different car chargers and they all work (rocketfish, verizon, and 2 no-name brands).
Mindspin_311 said:
So I have a few car and home chargers laying around that are Micro USB, just like the EVO. Is it safe to use them? I would think so since all the charging circuitry is internal to the phone. But, I figure i would double check.
Also, are there certain micro USB > Std USB cords that are designed for charging and data VS data only?
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Click to collapse
I've never heard of a cord that was data only. Never seen one either.
Sent from my (insert daily ROM name here) Evo 4g
They are OK but watch the amperage. The HTC one is the only one providing a full 1A. Most other ones are 250-500mAh and I've seen as low as 125mAh. That means 8 times longer to charge.
I tried buying a no-name Chinese/HK 1A charger off eBay and it ended up freezing my phone anytime it was plugged in (and resuming like nothing happened when taken out.) Weirdest thing ever since I'm not sure how a charger could affect the phone that way, but be careful.
The cheapest I've seen for the official HTC one is here: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=150574209506
Looks legit and hopefully it's not a knockoff.

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...
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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.

[Q] Car charger recommendations

Hello. I'm trying to pick a car charger that would work with the galaxy nexus. from what I've read so far the samsung CAD300UBEB/STD model seems to do the trick but a few review says that the battery discharges faster than the charger can charge it back under heavy usage. can anybody confirm or deny this?
and also, I would like to know if that same charger would work for a galaxy S2. I'm looking for a charger than can be used with both models because I have both phones. the listing of models in amazon website doesn't list the nexus or the S2. so I want to make sure before buying it. thanks!
I'm also interested. I was just looking at this discussion on Reddit taht goes a little more in depth
http://www.reddit.com/r/Android/comments/nwerk/why_is_my_galaxy_nexus_losing_power_while_plugged/
KidCuda said:
I'm also interested. I was just looking at this discussion on Reddit taht goes a little more in depth
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The motorola charger listed there seems work well for the nexus and also for the S2 according to amazon reviews.
I went with one of these and a USB cable, and it seems to work just fine. Also gives me a spare USB port for additional charging.
mb_3000 said:
The motorola charger listed there seems work well for the nexus and also for the S2 according to amazon reviews.
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I have the Motorola one already (the one with the blue LED) when I had my Droid 3, now it can't keep up with the Nexus' power drain. Just using it moderately on 3G only in the car today had it drain 3% over 40 minutes.
TheKaz said:
I went with one of these and a USB cable, and it seems to work just fine. Also gives me a spare USB port for additional charging.
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Click to collapse
not according to this guy
I have a galaxy nexus cell phone which requires probably around 1.5 Amps when using GPS. The phone does not come with the car charger. It only comes with a 2A wall charger. My temporary solution has been to use a car power inverter that has house-type outlets on it (which I already had) so that I can use the wall charger in the car. This has been working fine, but for obvious reasons, is not my desired long-term solution.
Enter this piece of crap. Now, the phone and only requires a little over 1 A with GPS. With the real two amp wall charger, I am able to both run GPS and charge the battery pretty darn fast. But, with this charger, not only can I not use GPS without draining the battery, but even when not using anything special, the battery charging times are horrendous.
Stay far, far away.
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mb_3000 said:
not according to this guy
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Wow... granted, I am not using a GPS, but I never really checked the charge times. I don't rely on it for a fast full-charge.. usually just plug it in on the trip home and charge as much as it can until I plug it in at home.
Thanks for the heads up.. I am gonna have to keep an eye on it now.
TheKaz said:
Wow... granted, I am not using a GPS, but I never really checked the charge times. I don't rely on it for a fast full-charge.. usually just plug it in on the trip home and charge as much as it can until I plug it in at home.
Thanks for the heads up.. I am gonna have to keep an eye on it now.
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Click to collapse
I've researched this pretty thoroughly, and the key question is whether or not your GN shows "AC" when you check the Battery status, or if it shows "USB."
With most car chargers, it is seen as "USB" as if it's plugged into a computer, and will draw minimal current, generally not enough to keep up. I had 2 different chargers in my cars, none of which showed as "AC". I bought and then returned the Griffin PowerJolt Dual USB Micro Charger - it also showed as only "USB."
Finally, in one of the other Android forums I've been monitoring on this issue, somebody came across this one:
HTC T-Mobile myTouch 3G Car Charger
$3.12, free shipping. Mine came yesterday, plugged it in, and finally my GN showed charging as "AC".
Hope this helps!
When your smartphone shows your charger as ''USB'' this means that the USB data lines in the charger are not short-circuited. Then smartphone reduces its charging current to avoind any problems with USB laptop power sources
I made some experiments to check this point : see http://78michel.unblog.fr/?p=184.
I also opened a car charger and short-circuited the data lines on USB the plug . That way I have solved my previuos charging problem in my car during long trip.
DLCPhoto said:
I've researched this pretty thoroughly, and the key question is whether or not your GN shows "AC" when you check the Battery status, or if it shows "USB."
With most car chargers, it is seen as "USB" as if it's plugged into a computer, and will draw minimal current, generally not enough to keep up. I had 2 different chargers in my cars, none of which showed as "AC". I bought and then returned the Griffin PowerJolt Dual USB Micro Charger - it also showed as only "USB."
Finally, in one of the other Android forums I've been monitoring on this issue, somebody came across this one:
HTC T-Mobile myTouch 3G Car Charger
$3.12, free shipping. Mine came yesterday, plugged it in, and finally my GN showed charging as "AC".
Hope this helps!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It helped indeed, thanks for the link!
this is what i bought: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000S5Q9CA/ref=oh_o03_s00_i00_details
i've used it now 4 times, twice on a trip from south florida to orlando.
It charges the phone just as fast, if not faster than my home charger. On the way back, my phone was at 35%, within 2 hours it was back up to 100%. No GPS and a couple phone calls.
on the way up, GPS on and it never dropped below 97%.
so i can tell you without any doubt what-so-ever that this charger works perfectly with the galaxy nexus and will charge it with Navigation and phone calls running.
TheKaz said:
I went with one of these and a USB cable, and it seems to work just fine. Also gives me a spare USB port for additional charging.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I bought a charger very similar to this one and it works great in my car. I make sure any charger I get is rated 5V DC at 1000mAh at least.
I have 2 USB 2.5A dongle chargers, one by Belkin and the other by Kingston. Both register as charging via "USB mode" and do not provide sufficient power while the phone is in use(loses charge usually). I also have that Motorola Rapid charger but the way the cable is designed it tugs on the USB port and comes loose often. I ended up just using the normal USB cable that comes with the phone and a 140W power inverter. Granted, it's not the most compact of devices, but it works well. I got it from Walmart for $20. Here's a link to it:
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Schumacher-XI14-Power-Inverter/15140199?findingMethod=rr
(and yes, using a power inverter will have the phone registering as "charging AC" and give a full proper charge.)
I'm using a Scoshe (sp?) dual USB port charger I picked up from Staples. It has a 1amp port and a 2.1amp port and I just use the micro usb cable the GNex came with
neok44 said:
this is what i bought: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000S5Q9CA/ref=oh_o03_s00_i00_details
i've used it now 4 times, twice on a trip from south florida to orlando.
It charges the phone just as fast, if not faster than my home charger. On the way back, my phone was at 35%, within 2 hours it was back up to 100%. No GPS and a couple phone calls.
on the way up, GPS on and it never dropped below 97%.
so i can tell you without any doubt what-so-ever that this charger works perfectly with the galaxy nexus and will charge it with Navigation and phone calls running.
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Click to collapse
Thanks! that's what I wanted to hear. I'm getting this one. it works for both Nexus and GSII
trueislander said:
I'm using a Scoshe (sp?) dual USB port charger I picked up from Staples. It has a 1amp port and a 2.1amp port and I just use the micro usb cable the GNex came with
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Click to collapse
Does it charge as USB or AC with the scosche? I'm looking for a dual USB car charger that will work properly with the GN.
jhuynh said:
Does it charge as USB or AC with the scosche? I'm looking for a dual USB car charger that will work properly with the GN.
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Click to collapse
There was another thread, I think in the General that discussed all of this, what people came up with was the best combination if you want a dual port usb charger is to make sure you have a "charging only" USB cable. This cable will not make your phone think it is connected to a computer. You can tweek a data/charging cable to work but some people messed that up so it is probably worth just spending the $4 on a cable that works.
Here is my combination that works great. With this set up I can have on my navigation going with the screen on the whole time and stream Pandora over Bluetooth into my car and the battery still charges really quickly.
Dual USB Port with a 1 amp port and a 2.1 amp port (2.1 amp port is for tablets or power hungry devices - like the phone while navigating). http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0056VNVV8/ref=oh_o01_s00_i01_details
Charging Only USB cable:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003VYBCAY/ref=oh_o00_s00_i00_details
This combo has me as "Charging AC" whenever I am in the car and I still have a port open to charge another one of the 27 or so different electronic devices that seem to clutter my life!
Some details on the changes I made on my car chargers
Text is in french but photographs speak by themselves http://78michel.unblog.fr/?p=212
jhuynh said:
Does it charge as USB or AC with the scosche? I'm looking for a dual USB car charger that will work properly with the GN.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just like bmolly said, it works as AC is you use a "charge only" cable
bmolloy said:
There was another thread, I think in the General that discussed all of this, what people came up with was the best combination if you want a dual port usb charger is to make sure you have a "charging only" USB cable. This cable will not make your phone think it is connected to a computer. You can tweek a data/charging cable to work but some people messed that up so it is probably worth just spending the $4 on a cable that works.
Here is my combination that works great. With this set up I can have on my navigation going with the screen on the whole time and stream Pandora over Bluetooth into my car and the battery still charges really quickly.
Dual USB Port with a 1 amp port and a 2.1 amp port (2.1 amp port is for tablets or power hungry devices - like the phone while navigating). http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0056VNVV8/ref=oh_o01_s00_i01_details
Charging Only USB cable:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003VYBCAY/ref=oh_o00_s00_i00_details
This combo has me as "Charging AC" whenever I am in the car and I still have a port open to charge another one of the 27 or so different electronic devices that seem to clutter my life!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for this. It's been driving me mad how car chargers and cables are so inconsistent. Pun intended.
Seriously, why can they come up with a standard and call it a day?
I have a had a few GPS/Pandora runs. Even while it says AC charging and my charger is rated for 1A, it drains the battery by 300-400ma.

Extremely slow charging with micro USB 2.0

This weekend I manged to leave my included Note III Micro USB B 3.0 charger at a friends. I didn't think it was a big deal because I knew I had plenty of micro USB 2.0 Cables I could use in the meantime as they are supposedly backwards compatible.
I was home watching football for most of the day yesterday. The phone charged all day yesterday but I don't remember it ever getting as high as 45%. I didn't get worried until last night when I looked closely and realized the percentage was declining as I used and charged it.
When I went to sleep at about 12:30am I was at 9%. My WiFi and 4Glte were both off and I wok up at 5:30 am to find my phone at 63% only after 5 hours. This is the same charger I used with my Samsung Galaxy S3 just over a week ago til I got this. Why isn't it charging. I'm afraid I'm harming my battery somehow. That's why I'm writing this at 5:45 am instead of sleeping. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.
P.S. In the 10 minutes it's taken me to write out this thread my battery has declined to 62. (Still on charger)
Sent from my SM-N900T using xda app-developers app
ThattOneKiddMichael said:
This weekend I manged to leave my included Note III Micro USB B 3.0 charger at a friends. I didn't think it was a big deal because I knew I had plenty of micro USB 2.0 Cables I could use in the meantime as they are supposedly backwards compatible.
I was home watching football for most of the day yesterday. The phone charged all day yesterday but I don't remember it ever getting as high as 45%. I didn't get worried until last night when I looked closely and realized the percentage was declining as I used and charged it.
When I went to sleep at about 12:30am I was at 9%. My WiFi and 4Glte were both off and I wok up at 5:30 am to find my phone at 63% only after 5 hours. This is the same charger I used with my Samsung Galaxy S3 just over a week ago til I got this. Why isn't it charging. I'm afraid I'm harming my battery somehow. That's why I'm writing this at 5:45 am instead of sleeping. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.
P.S. In the 10 minutes it's taken me to write out this thread my battery has declined to 62. (Still on charger)
Sent from my SM-N900T using xda app-developers app
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Click to collapse
I had a usb2.0 cable plugged in in my car and I went skiing and streamed music and did the same while plugged in on the way home. I don't know if the cable just slowed battery usage or not but it was plugged in for 2 hours on the way home and I still lost like 5% while plugged in. I bought a USB3.0 cable off Amazon and it works well in my car, not as fast as plugged in to the wall charger but much better than 2.0
ThattOneKiddMichael said:
This weekend I manged to leave my included Note III Micro USB B 3.0 charger at a friends. I didn't think it was a big deal because I knew I had plenty of micro USB 2.0 Cables I could use in the meantime as they are supposedly backwards compatible.
I was home watching football for most of the day yesterday. The phone charged all day yesterday but I don't remember it ever getting as high as 45%. I didn't get worried until last night when I looked closely and realized the percentage was declining as I used and charged it.
When I went to sleep at about 12:30am I was at 9%. My WiFi and 4Glte were both off and I wok up at 5:30 am to find my phone at 63% only after 5 hours. This is the same charger I used with my Samsung Galaxy S3 just over a week ago til I got this. Why isn't it charging. I'm afraid I'm harming my battery somehow. That's why I'm writing this at 5:45 am instead of sleeping. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.
P.S. In the 10 minutes it's taken me to write out this thread my battery has declined to 62. (Still on charger)
Sent from my SM-N900T using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I understand that 3.0 will be faster but this is horrendous. It's now 8 hours since I plugged it in and I'm at 74%. And it's plugged in to a wall adapter not a computer or car. Haven't even had this phone for two weeks. Samsung you're killing me here.
Sent from my SM-N900T using xda app-developers app
Not sure. My phone charges the same on both 2 and 3. I know data transfer is faster on 3. I don't think charging is.
Sent from my SM-N900T using Tapatalk
patrao_n said:
Not sure. My phone charges the same on both 2 and 3. I know data transfer is faster on 3. I don't think charging is.
Sent from my SM-N900T using Tapatalk
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Click to collapse
It's not, at least, not from a wall charger that follows the specs. USB3 will charge faster from a computer with the drivers set up properly, but the stock wall plug is 2A (max), all the time. If you get better charging from a USB3 cable, your USB2 cable is probably using really thin wires or just is wearing out.
Some generic chargers are all over the place. Some don't short the data lines so the phone doesn't know if it should be able to fast-charge. Some don't actually put out the current they are rated for.
IF you use the charger the phone came with, and a GOOD USB2/3 cable, it will charge properly. If its not, you have something wrong in your setup. I use the charger that came with the N3 (and the N2), and a Nook or a Monoprice.com USB2 cable. Nice fast charging. I have never used the USB3 cable as I prefer to be able to charge other devices from the same cable and I don't own any USB3 computers.
I also get good charge speed from an older HTC 1A charger. Not as fast, but faster than I expected to get. Note that's a charger that came with a G2 and G2x, not some ebay crap. That's not to say that generic ebay chargers can't be good chargers, just that many of them aren't. If in doubt, use all OEM stuff, at least for testing.
What's probably happening for most people having slow charging on older and/or generic charging setups is one of these...
1) The charger doesn't short the data pins so the phone thinks it's connected to a computer USB and limits charge current to 500mA.
2) The charger doesn't output what the writing on the side claims, and the phone detects this, so it limits itself to charging as best it can.
3) The USB cable uses small, cheap wires and creates too much voltage drop, causing the phone to limit its charge rate.
4) Connector wear is causing voltage drops due to a bad connection. Try a new cable. Not a different cable, a NEW cable.
5) Your Note3 is defective and needs to be replaced. This isn't real likely, but damage to the USB port could cause it.
The Note wants a lot more current than older devices. It also has a system to detect issues that older phones didn't have. I think the first I saw with it was the N2. The phone detects voltage fluctuations under load and adjusts its current draw to keep the voltage as steady as it can. This makes the device more picky about having a good charger and cable. That can be a pain, but it also prevents overloading the charger, which could be something expensive like a computer, which prevents damage. Note that this doesn't harm the battery, it just won't charge as fast as you might like. At 500mA, it's actually possible for the phone to use more than that, so your charge will go down while plugged in. That's not going to hurt anything, it's just how it is.
For the OP: Try a decent wall charger. If you don't have anything better, you'll have to turn the Note OFF while charging. That should at least get your battery charged overnight. If it's a long cable, try a shorter one, that can make a difference. Or try to find a thicker cable, but that's not always a guarantee the wires inside are any thicker.

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