Develop Bugs

Travel charger

I had a question about a charger - I'm interested in getting a second charger for the Vibrant. I see that the charger that comes with the Vibrant says it has an output of 5.0V and 0.7A.
If I have an old LG charger that has an output of 5.1V and 0.7A, would that work. Could it damage the battery in my Vibrant, in anyway.
Thanks.

Not sure about your old charger, but it should work. Try it out at your own risk though.
I did want to comment on the chargers for the Vibrant. The phone seems to want a lot of current to charge properly. I was using an older 5V 500mA charger that served me well with my G1 and older BB Pearl. I had the Vibrant on it and it wouldn't charge fully. I also noticed the same thing when I would hook-up the vibrant to my notebook (typically 500mA max per port).
The good news is that there are a lot of cheap 5V 1A chargers on eBay. Just make sure to check a charger's spec before buying one.
$1.75 wall charger - http://cgi.ebay.com/US-AC-Power-USB...er_MP3_Player_Accessories&hash=item4aa03f4b9a
I also bought 5V 1A car chargers and mini USB to micro USB adapters so that I can use my old USB to mini USB cables when I am on the go.
$2.40 car charger - http://cgi.ebay.com/1000mA-1A-USB-C...er_MP3_Player_Accessories&hash=item4399e189d1
Charge only $1 - http://shop.ebay.com/i.html?LH_BIN=...r&_dmpt=PDA_Accessories&_trksid=p3286.c0.m301
Charge + Data $2 - http://shop.ebay.com/i.html?_nkw=mi...adapter&_osacat=0&_trksid=p3286.c0.m270.l1313

I have used my iphone charger a couple times. Very small letters on the back but I think it says it is 1.0A. Worked fine bit I went back to my vibrant charger. I also found a car charger at a circle K for $9.99. Probably could of got one a little cheaper on ebay but it was there and i needed a charge...lol
Sent from my Samsung Vibrant using XDA App

Vegastouch said:
I have used my iphone charger a couple times. Very small letters on the back but I think it says it is 1.0A. Worked fine bit I went back to my vibrant charger. I also found a car charger at a circle K for $9.99. Probably could of got one a little cheaper on ebay but it was there and i needed a charge...lol
Sent from my Samsung Vibrant using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Tried my old charger .. it works but is really slow compared to the one that came with the Vibrant. Probably going to end up purchasing an extra one for when I travel.

Personally I don't mind something charging slower when I travel as long as I'm getting more power to the phone than I'm using of course.

Monoprice has 1000mA
Anyone has experience with this wall charger from monoprice? (can't link, please look up Product ID: 6767)
It's rated at 1000mA. The stock charger that came with the vibrant is 700(I think). Will extra 300mA damage my phone?

sonnyg95 said:
Anyone has experience with this wall charger from monoprice? (can't link, please look up Product ID: 6767)
It's rated at 1000mA. The stock charger that came with the vibrant is 700(I think). Will extra 300mA damage my phone?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The extra 300mA will not damage the phone. Most smart phones require 700mA-1A to charge properly. But be careful, cheapo charger has potential to fry your phone. Anytime I buy a charger from ebay or cheap vendor, I plug it in to my old MP3 player for a week before I use it with my newer devices.
I have the same one that you see on monoprice. I've been using it for almost 2 years with no problem at all, YMMV tho.
I'd recommend this one. Looks identical to the charger that comes with my 3GS. Works well, I use it every day at work for more than 6 months now. Again, YMMV.
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.26446#open full view

sonnyg95 said:
Anyone has experience with this wall charger from monoprice? (can't link, please look up Product ID: 6767)
It's rated at 1000mA. The stock charger that came with the vibrant is 700(I think). Will extra 300mA damage my phone?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
the max charge rate for a Li-ion battery is 1C. So you could charge at up to 1500mA.
I ordered that exact charger a few days ago.

sonnyg95 said:
Anyone has experience with this wall charger from monoprice? (can't link, please look up Product ID: 6767)
It's rated at 1000mA. The stock charger that came with the vibrant is 700(I think). Will extra 300mA damage my phone?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The amperage rating only tells you the *maximum* possible output. The device (your phone) controls the current draw. As long as the voltage matches (5v), you can use a charger with any amperage rating which is 700mA (0.7A) or higher.
(Note that this only applies to chargers that your phone plugs into. You have to be more careful with the self-contained spare-battery chargers (where you remove the battery from the phone and put it into the charger). But those are normally battery-specific anyway.)
Also, you *might* risk damaging the battery through long-term usage of a charger that can't supply at least the minimum amperage (such as the sfsilicon's 500mA transformer). The end of a charge cycle draws the most power which is probably why sfsilicon couldn't fully charge his battery.

MV10 said:
.......
. The end of a charge cycle draws the most power which is probably why sfsilicon couldn't fully charge his battery.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
that might explain why my laptop wouldn't always charge to 100% - first few times it did, and i'd find the notification msg when i'd close the laptop, but last few times it didn't
learn something every day
as i use the vibrant tethered every nite while browsing (which is when it was charging), any problem with finishing the charge with the samsung wall charger? ie interrupting the charge when i take it off the laptop?

[Q] Portable Chargers

The stock charger provided with the Note 2 charges my phone extremely fast, after all we do know that it is rated at 2A. But naturally being a power hungry device I carry around a portable charger (5V 1A). It worked fine on my previous S2 but with the Note 2 the charge is insanely slow. Less than 10% per hour on standby. With that being said, if I use it while it's being charged, the battery % does not even budge.
Is this normal? Because if it is that slow, it defeats the purpose of carrying it around since it barely charges my phone. Are there alternatives? Do I need to resort to looking for a portable charger that also has a 2A output?
For the other Note 2 Users out there, do you experience similar issues?

Yes sir, normal.
Sent from my GT-N7100 using Tapatalk 2

Friend. I STRONGLY suggest you to get a Samsung Battery Charger Cradle Kit.
It comes with:
One Battery Charging cradle + Phone Stand
One Extra Battery
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I bought it for around $35USD. It may get cheaper but it solves all my problems. It charges your second battery while you use your phone, whenever your phone's battery is low, you swap the charged battery with the low battery one. That way you never have to keep your phone charging! Hell, one extra 3100mAh battery is less than $20 bucks, imagine Hurricane Sandy and you have saved up some leisure money to get a few extra batteries instead. You can last for a week without power.
It's a very good investment. Trust me. You can even ebay the used batteries when you upgrade your phone. Cos they are official accessories. Not those ugly battery sleeves.
BTW if you do want fast chargers, I recommend the Apple USB charger for iPAD. It is rated 2.1A. Any 1.0A chargers result in slow charge. Oh one more benefit, the battery cradle charger charges FASTER because there is no power drain on phone while you charge (compared to charging the battery inside the phone itself)
Hope it helps!

I'm curious on how you use the phone. The original charger fits in a pocket, and you can detach the cable and put that in a other pocket if you like. You travel around for so long that you are able to drain the battery and do not have access to either a usb port or a wall-outlet?
Regarding the stand/charger mentioned... The flimsy battery cover alone is a reason for me not to change batteries, unless the battery is broken. My future Otterbox totally wipes out any battery changing thoughts Personally I do not drain the battery so fast that I do not have time to access a usb port or a wall-outlet before it shuts down... I've even beat my record this weekend. 34% at 3d 6h 58m, 3.5h screen time with Juice Defender controlling the screen brightness. Some Facebook, surfing with Firefox, 10 minutes phone calls, reading (g-)mails, installing some apps and such...
A tip on portable chargers: https://powertraveller.com/iwantsome/primatepower/powermonkeyextreme/

swejuggalo said:
I'm curious on how you use the phone. The original charger fits in a pocket, and you can detach the cable and put that in a other pocket if you like. You travel around for so long that you are able to drain the battery and do not have access to either a usb port or a wall-outlet?
Regarding the stand/charger mentioned... The flimsy battery cover alone is a reason for me not to change batteries, unless the battery is broken. My future Otterbox totally wipes out any battery changing thoughts Personally I do not drain the battery so fast that I do not have time to access a usb port or a wall-outlet before it shuts down... I've even beat my record this weekend. 34% at 3d 6h 58m, 3.5h screen time with Juice Defender controlling the screen brightness. Some Facebook, surfing with Firefox, 10 minutes phone calls, reading (g-)mails, installing some apps and such...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks everyone for their comments. Yes indeed I do agree the stock charger isn't all that hard to carry around. But it's a good question that you asked about my usage. So to shed some light, my heaviest usage is during lectures. Some use notes, others fire up their laptops, another group their tablets. For me I whip out my Note 2, put it on a stand and I'm good to go. Wall outlets don't appear often, and even if I sit close to one, the cable length disallows me to use my note while charging. Other than that I would be on the move or in some classroom somewhere.
And yes I too am reluctant to remove my phone case and the flimsy back cover. But I will keep the spare battery option in view.
Right now what I'm doing is plug in my portable charger during lectures. It at least still can sustain the battery. My portal charger has a 5000 + mAh capacity. But the charging speed is so slow, it really doesn't matter. I also use it to listen to music while travelling, but that itself puts minimal strain on battery consumption.

Don't know if you have scanned through this post:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=33585646&postcount=31
You can actually take out your favorite portable charger and test the charger v.s. cable combination to find the best match.
I am now using the YOOBAO 8400mAh which is a famous brand in China. I do not dare to use unknown brand in China, but this brand is famous and the quality is great. You can easily search on Amazon.
When I use the original Samsung USB cable with that portal charger, I can get a stable of 1.4A current during charging. Which is by far the best current I tested on 1A output portable charger. Some statistics for your reference:
When using USB cable with computer: 0.46A
When using bad cable with 2A output charger: < 1A
When using Samsung original charger + USB cable: 1.8A
So, if you could get a value between 1A and 1.8A, it is good enough to charge the note 2 in a quite reasonable short period of time!
Cable is very important, if you use an iPad charger (2A output) with a bad cable, you may get less than 1A output to the phone...

ardatdat said:
Don't know if you have scanned through this post:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=33585646&postcount=31
You can actually take out your favorite portable charger and test the charger v.s. cable combination to find the best match.
I am now using the YOOBAO 8400mAh which is a famous brand in China. I do not dare to use unknown brand in China, but this brand is famous and the quality is great. You can easily search on Amazon.
When I use the original Samsung USB cable with that portal charger, I can get a stable of 1.4A current during charging. Which is by far the best current I tested on 1A output portable charger. Some statistics for your reference:
When using USB cable with computer: 0.46A
When using bad cable with 2A output charger: < 1A
When using Samsung original charger + USB cable: 1.8A
So, if you could get a value between 1A and 1.8A, it is good enough to charge the note 2 in a quite reasonable short period of time!
Cable is very important, if you use an iPad charger (2A output) with a bad cable, you may get less than 1A output to the phone...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have read your link. My phone is rooted, unfortunately due to known errors between Samsung and Windows Updates regarding the drivers to access the phone via USB, I at the moment cannot view my phone on my laptop. And unfortunately the app CurrentWidget does not work with Note 2.
My portable charger has a rated output of 1A. Provided along with it is a retractable charging cable that is much thinner than your conventional USB cable, presumably a dedicated charging cable. Now since it is the provided cable, I'm going to assume that the cable can release the full 1A? And here's another observation. Before this phone I had a Galaxy S2. It charges fine, and over time I can actually see the portable charger's power being drained. (It has 4 LED lights, 1 corresponding to 25%). Meaning from 4 lights, it becomes 3. So far, even after 2 hours of charging the note 2, the charger still registers at all 4 lights. Which is baffling, because this indicates that the charger, is charging my phone slower than it was compared to charging my previous S2. And indeed it does feel that way. A stock S2 charger is rated an output of 0.7A. So in the same amount of time, wouldn't my charger be drained faster from charging the Note 2? Is there some property of chargers that I'm not aware of? Like the phone only recognizes the stock charger to enable fast charge? It seems pretty apparent to me that somehow my phone is not tapping on to the full 1A output of the portable charger. I bought the charger at my local electronics store, also it worked well with my previous S2. So it's hard to imagine that the problem lies with a defective charger.
I'll add in some more information in case it helps:
- I have Juice Defender Plus and Advanced Task Killer. They do save my battery consumption.
- My brightness is always at 0% (I hate the glare, I do this on every screen I use. Laptop etc)
-I have the habit of restarting my phone after heavy use to ensure all background apps are closed properly (e.g. Lecture has ended and I'm hanging out with friends; or before I sleep)
- My phone is rooted, I use Gemini App Manager to disable the bloatware, so the respective background processes do not run anymore
- My ram usage is typically in the low 500s. After a restart It's in the 400s. I also have the habit of clearing my RAM via the task manager.
Edit:
I used ES File Explorer to view the files. And this is very weird. Using the charging cable, on both the laptop and portable charge, it showed an result of 100! I also tested it on my spare, micro-usb charger registered at 0.4A. The result is 400, which is correct.
So what happened here???

Guys the rear battery cover is not flimsy. It is thin But it has very high flexibility. It will not crack or deform unless you deliberately try to destroy it. It can be bent to 90 degrees without deformation.
I have put the cover on and off so many times that not even a single plastic clip has broken off. This is material science.
Get the charging cradle and battery pack. We are not iPhones with undetachable batteries. Utilize this advantage!
THE N7100 has a high power draw when you use it. It charges slowly especially when you are using it. Also, the USB cable grade and length IS VERY CRITICAL also. Try using a long micro USB cable n u will see How even more slowly it charges.
I have three batteries now n one charging cradle. I use my phone like I'm driving a Ferrari. Instant refuel When I'm out of batts.
Sent from my GT-N7105 using Tapatalk 2

Ok an update. I experimented with the combinations. Using the default charger and cable, looking at the current_max, it gives me 1800. Current_now is 1698. But for that thin cable, it only gives me 100mAh.
Now here's the interesting thing. When I tried using the default cable with my portable charger, I also get the same numbers. 1800 and 1698. Also, by using other USB cables with the portable charger, I also get the same numbers.
My problem is solved. But for curiosity why is a charger, registered to have an output of 1000mAh, able to squeeze out as much as an 2000mAh wall charger? Or is it my phone that dictates how much power it wants to draw?

GreenBot said:
Guys the rear battery cover is not flimsy. It is thin But it has very high flexibility. It will not crack or deform unless you deliberately try to destroy it. It can be bent to 90 degrees without deformation.
I have put the cover on and off so many times that not even a single plastic clip has broken off. This is material science.
Get the charging cradle and battery pack. We are not iPhones with undetachable batteries. Utilize this advantage!
THE N7100 has a high power draw when you use it. It charges slowly especially when you are using it. Also, the USB cable grade and length IS VERY CRITICAL also. Try using a long micro USB cable n u will see How even more slowly it charges.
I have three batteries now n one charging cradle. I use my phone like I'm driving a Ferrari. Instant refuel When I'm out of batts.
Sent from my GT-N7105 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i'm using the xtra battery kit with my s3, and now looking forward to purchase it for my note 2 also.
heavy user must buy this kit due to no time to wait/waste for it to be charged, enough said!
x3ternalx said:
Ok an update. I experimented with the combinations. Using the default charger and cable, looking at the current_max, it gives me 1800. Current_now is 1698. But for that thin cable, it only gives me 100mAh.
Now here's the interesting thing. When I tried using the default cable with my portable charger, I also get the same numbers. 1800 and 1698. Also, by using other USB cables with the portable charger, I also get the same numbers.
My problem is solved. But for curiosity why is a charger, registered to have an output of 1000mAh, able to squeeze out as much as an 2000mAh wall charger? Or is it my phone that dictates how much power it wants to draw?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
must be the thin/cheap cable not having the right amount of circuit

Now I have a new question. Just now I have been monitoring my phone's charging speed. Looking at the current_max, it was at 1100. This was when the phone was at 40+ %. After 50%, no matter what combinations I used, even with the default charger, the max_current freezes at 400. Is this some feature the Note 2 has? That it cuts the charging speed after 50%?

Just to ask, how long did your phone take to charge completely with the stock charger and cable? And how do you monitor current charging value?

jujuburi said:
Just to ask, how long did your phone take to charge completely with the stock charger and cable? And how do you monitor current charging value?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
From the method described by ardatdat here:http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=33585646&postcount=31
As I'm doing work I just open up the current_max file to have a look. Starts off at 1000+ but after a couple of minutes it'll go right down to 400.
Now I've never actually timed it so I'm not sure.

Does the number of pins affect charging? Upon close inspection the micro usb end has 4 pins instead of what I believe usually is 5. I need to reconnect a few times for the charging rate to be stabilized at 1300. So perhaps that accounts for the weird numbers I've been getting?

Mine has 4 pins too, that's the way it is I think.
Btw- What other chargers are there with same freq/spec as Note 2's Stock charger, i.e 2A/5V? iPad or anything?

I have current max 1100 and current now 1700 with original charger. Isn't it supposed to be the other way around?
Edit: with the galaxy s III's charger it's the same. Wtf
Sent from my Note II using Tapatalk

GreenBot said:
Friend. I STRONGLY suggest you to get a Samsung Battery Charger Cradle Kit.
It comes with:
One Battery Charging cradle + Phone Stand
One Extra Battery
I bought it for around $35USD. It may get cheaper but it solves all my problems. It charges your second battery while you use your phone, whenever your phone's battery is low, you swap the charged battery with the low battery one. That way you never have to keep your phone charging! Hell, one extra 3100mAh battery is less than $20 bucks, imagine Hurricane Sandy and you have saved up some leisure money to get a few extra batteries instead. You can last for a week without power.
It's a very good investment. Trust me. You can even ebay the used batteries when you upgrade your phone. Cos they are official accessories. Not those ugly battery sleeves.
BTW if you do want fast chargers, I recommend the Apple USB charger for iPAD. It is rated 2.1A. Any 1.0A chargers result in slow charge. Oh one more benefit, the battery cradle charger charges FASTER because there is no power drain on phone while you charge (compared to charging the battery inside the phone itself)
Hope it helps!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thanks for this tip. bought a ipad car charger and it did charge faster than my old charger :good:

quertiy said:
I have current max 1100 and current now 1700 with original charger. Isn't it supposed to be the other way around?
Edit: with the galaxy s III's charger it's the same. Wtf
Sent from my Note II using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's supposed to be that way. Refer to the post by ardatdat (Link in previous post). He says to look at current_max and current_avg. Not current_now. The value of current_now doesn't change no matter what charger you use. current_max and current_avg will display the amount of current going through at that moment. You can try plugging the usb cable to your PC. current_max will drop to probably 400 while your current_now is 1700. For me it always shows 1698.

I have some powerbank, which my friend bought to me in Singapore. It is 12000 mah with 2 outputs : 1A amd 2.1A. When i use cable that i got with powerbank i get 400 in max on 1A and 700 on 2.1A.
When i use Samsung cable with 2.1A i got 1400 in max.. Is that ok?
Handwritten from my Note 2

Laynee1 said:
I have some powerbank, which my friend bought to me in Singapore. It is 12000 mah with 2 outputs : 1A amd 2.1A. When i use cable that i got with powerbank i get 400 in max on 1A and 700 on 2.1A.
When i use Samsung cable with 2.1A i got 1400 in max.. Is that ok?
Handwritten from my Note 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes it's ok. I get 1400 from the stock charger. I believe when you compare the stock usb cable to that of your power bank, it is thicker?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Monoprice Premium USB Cable Charging Speeds

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Charger observations: Nexus 5 vs. Galaxy S4

I have been on the hunt for good charging solutions for my Nexus 5 (and other devices). During this process I have made some observations that many of you probably already know but I wanted to post them here for others and hopefully gather more information as well.
It started off with me looking for dual port chargers that could fast charge my devices. Much to my dismay, I found that all the dual chargers I found had one Apple port and one non-Apple port which meant decreased charging rates for devices that weren't meant for its port. With that I decided to do a little non-scientific study. This was not meant for getting exact performance numbers, just to get an idea of what kind of performance I could get with different phone/cable/charger combinations.
Phones used:
Nexus 5 running 4.4.4
Samsung Galaxy S4 (SGH-I337) running 4.4.2
Method of measuring charge amperage:
Current Widget. Set to update every (1) second and I put 2 instances of each type of widget on the screen (total of 4 widgets): https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.manor.currentwidget
Although I did the measurements with the phones connected to WiFi and not in airplane mode, the differences with the phones in airplane mode were insignificant for the purposes of this observation. The bigger factor was the difference between screen on and screen off (the rates you see immediately after turning the screen back on). I only used screen on rates. The readings I used below were when the phones batteries were below 90%.
Chargers that I have tried so far:
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From left to right, starting at the top left: Nexus 7 (2012) stock charger, Galaxy S4 stock charger, Nexus 5 stock charger, PowerGen dual port charger, GT Max 2 port car charger, LectronicSmart by Conair 2 port car charger.
Charger ratings:
Nexus 7: 2A
Galaxy S4: 2A
Nexus 5: 1.2A
PowerGen: 2.4 total divided between an Apple port and a Non-Apple port (NA)
GTMax: 2.1A and 1A
LectronicSmart: 2.1A each
Cords I used: Motorola SKN6378A, stock Nexus 5 cable, stock Galaxy S4 cable. All these cables had the same performance.
Nexus 5 results:
N5, N7 and PowerGen (NA port) all peaked in the 900mA range but the readings were constantly fluctuating between the peak and the 600mA range except for the PowerGen NA port had lows in the 300's. The PowerGen Apple port could barely peak in the 300's with lows in the single digits. The Samsung S4 charger had peaks in the 1500mA range and lows in the 1400 range.
Both car chargers were miserable, with peaks in the 300's and lows in the single digits.
Samsung Galaxy S4 results:
The Samsung values didn't fluctuate like the Nexus did. In spite of it being set to update every second, it just showed a constant charge value. I'm not smart enough to divine what might be the cause but I am assuming it may be due to the widget compatibility or how the S4 reports charging amperage, I cant imagine that it doesn't fluctuate.
On all chargers it showed 1200mA charging rate, even on the Apple port of the PowerGen charger. It is interesting that the N5 pulls a better charging rate off of the Samsung charger than its own phone does.
I also decided to try out some 3rd party cables to see how they might perform. On the S4 power adapter with a generic eBay/Amazon cable the N5 pulled around 400mA and the S4 pulled 600mA. With a generic cable from Fry's the N5 pulled into the 900's while the S4 pulled 1200mA.
I have a couple more chargers on order and will update this along with links if anyone is interested.
I am still on the hunt for a good dual port charger (both car and wall) that can fast charge a Nexus 5 and another Android device (Nexus 7, Galaxy S4, etc) so if anyone has any good leads, it would be appreciated.
Here is a screenshot of the N5 with the 4 widgets to illustrate the wide fluctuations:

Ok, It turns out that not all cables that report "Charging (AC)" are created equal, more on that below.
I got more chargers in the mail:
From left to right: Anker dual port car charger with PowerIQ, CHOETECH, Pwr+ single charger, Pwr+ dual charger.
The Anker dual port car charger with PowerIQ is great. I can get 1A+ on either port on the Nexus 5.
Both the Pwr+ chargers gave 1A+ charging. They have fixed cables. The power supply for the dual charger is a bit big but its still better than carrying two single chargers.
The CHOETECH also worked great, giving 1A+ charging with the included cable. Here is where the interesting part with the different USB cables come in. The included cable showed Charging (AC), as expected. However, when I plugged the stock Samsung or the Motorola SKN6378A from A4C they only reported USB which is odd because they report Charging (AC) on other chargers. They could also only pull around 400mA from the CHOETECH. The CHOETECH's included cable showed Charging (AC) and pulled 1A+ on the other chargers. It was even able to pull 1A+ on both ports of the PowerGen charger when the other "good" cables could only pull good amps off of the NA side.
So it seems that it can be important to be able to pair the right USB cable with the right charger.
Here are the Amazon links to the chargers listed above:
Anker car charger: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00D82O68Y/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
CHOETECH: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00IG05402/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Pwr+ single charger: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009STIJWA/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Pwr+ dual charger: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00JKSMXLC/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Reserved again.. cuz the first one was so much fun!

phoenyx said:
N5, N7 and PowerGen (NA port) all peaked in the 900mA range but the readings were constantly fluctuating between the peak and the 600mA range except for the PowerGen NA port had lows in the 300's. The PowerGen Apple port could barely peak in the 300's with lows in the single digits. The Samsung S4 charger had peaks in the 1500mA range and lows in the 1400 range.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's very odd. I have a 2012 N7 charger and I am able to get an average of 1.6A with my Nexus 5. I do my measurements differently (I take the charge time between two known percentages and use that to calculate the average current) but it shouldn't cause that significant a difference. The issue with the current meter widgets is that they're measuring the total current flowing into the battery. That means that anything that is using power on the device (screen, CPU, etc...) causes a fluctuation in the current reading. The charger itself is providing a fairly flat current, your phone's usage is changing rapidly over time.
The reason you see low charging rates on the car chargers/apple chargers with the Nexus 5 is probably due to the charging method being used. Apple chargers put a voltage across the data pins to tell the phone the charging rate of the adapter. Android chargers short the two data pins to tell the device that it's a charger and not a USB port. When you plug the Nexus 5 into a charger designed for an Apple device, the Nexus 5 thinks it is a computer and won't pull more than 500mA off of the charger. If you check the battery menu during that time you will likely see that it says "Charging (USB)" instead of "Charging (AC)." Some of the cables I have cause this issue as well. Monoprice's Premium USB cables are super cheap, guaranteed for life and charge every phone I have tested properly assuming the charger itself isn't an issue.
http://www.monoprice.com/Product?c_id=103&cp_id=10303&cs_id=1030307&p_id=9762&seq=1&format=2
As far as a charger recommendation, I love Anker products. Their "PowerIQ" chargers will charge any device at its maximum rate.
http://www.amazon.com/Anker®-Dual-P...MK/ref=sr_1_14?ie=UTF8&qid=1405347957&sr=8-14
Two Nexus 5s will charge at 1.6A each on this charger. The only issue is that they don't have a good wall charger with PowerIQ. The only option is this "desktop" charger.
http://www.amazon.com/Family-Sized-...ETFG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1405348099&sr=8-1
I followed up with them and they said that more PowerIQ chargers were coming over the summer, but I haven't seen anything yet.
You can also use a "charge only" cable to get the maximum from any charger.
http://www.amazon.com/PortaPow-Micr...TYUE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1405348221&sr=8-1
That should allow you to get a better charge out of the "Apple" port on the "A/NA" charger you have.

raptir said:
That's very odd. I have a 2012 N7 charger and I am able to get an average of 1.6A with my Nexus 5. I do my measurements differently (I take the charge time between two known percentages and use that to calculate the average current) but it shouldn't cause that significant a difference.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the reply. Admittedly, it wasn't a very scientific approach and I could have been more accurate but my goal was to just show that two Android phones using the same chargers and cables were getting different vastly different results. Especially that the Galaxy S4 could get 1200mA on the Apple port while the Nexus 5 couldn't even get half that.. and they are using the same charger, same cable and both widgets are showing AC charging (FWIW I tested all the cables on each charger, each showed AC and all had the same results across setups).
raptir said:
The issue with the current meter widgets is that they're measuring the total current flowing into the battery. That means that anything that is using power on the device (screen, CPU, etc...) causes a fluctuation in the current reading. The charger itself is providing a fairly flat current, your phone's usage is changing rapidly over time.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, I am aware of that and I guess I should have explained it better. I had two points about this. The first was that the Galaxy S4 didn't fluctuate while the N5 did, but I suspect that has to do with the way the app is interacting with the phone.
The second was that on the Nexus 5 with 4 instances of the widget from the same app, all set to update 1 second apart were showing 4 very different amperage readings when they were supposed to be getting the sample at the same time. I just found it curious is all.
raptir said:
The reason you see low charging rates on the car chargers/apple chargers with the Nexus 5 is probably due to the charging method being used. Apple chargers put a voltage across the data pins to tell the phone the charging rate of the adapter. Android chargers short the two data pins to tell the device that it's a charger and not a USB port. When you plug the Nexus 5 into a charger designed for an Apple device, the Nexus 5 thinks it is a computer and won't pull more than 500mA off of the charger. If you check the battery menu during that time you will likely see that it says "Charging (USB)" instead of "Charging (AC)." Some of the cables I have cause this issue as well. Monoprice's Premium USB cables are super cheap, guaranteed for life and charge every phone I have tested properly assuming the charger itself isn't an issue.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That it what I understood as well. Which is why I am mystified why one Android phone (S4) can pull 1200mA off an Apple port but a different Android phone (N5) can't, using the exact same cable and showing AC Charging on the widget. I would be interested to hear if you have any ideas on why that would be.
raptir said:
As far as a charger recommendation, I love Anker products. Their "PowerIQ" chargers will charge any device at its maximum rate.
http://www.amazon.com/Anker®-Dual-P...MK/ref=sr_1_14?ie=UTF8&qid=1405347957&sr=8-14
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I ordered that when I was having issues with the Nexus 5 on my current car charger, it should be here any day now. It was one of the ones I mentioned in the original post that is on order. Their description of PowerIQ made me hopeful, but then I read a product description of one of their other products with PowerIQ on their website and it talked about Apple and non-Apple ports so now I'm just hoping that it will work the way I originally thought/hoped it would.
It was the car charger that alerted me to the possibility of a difference in charging performance between the Galaxy S4 and N5. I noticed that when I drove around with navigation on the Galaxy S4 could charge up decently while the Nexus 5 wouldn't charge much if at all using the same cable and charger.
raptir said:
Two Nexus 5s will charge at 1.6A each on this charger. The only issue is that they don't have a good wall charger with PowerIQ. The only option is this "desktop" charger.
http://www.amazon.com/Family-Sized-...ETFG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1405348099&sr=8-1
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I almost ordered that last week until I ready that other product description. I decided to wait to see how the car charger above works.
raptir said:
I followed up with them and they said that more PowerIQ chargers were coming over the summer, but I haven't seen anything yet.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That is great news! If this PowerIQ works like I hope it works, I'll be happy. Thanks for that info!
raptir said:
You can also use a "charge only" cable to get the maximum from any charger.
http://www.amazon.com/PortaPow-Micr...TYUE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1405348221&sr=8-1
That should allow you to get a better charge out of the "Apple" port on the "A/NA" charger you have.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That is also one of the cables I mentioned in the OP that are on order. Unfortunately since my other cables here are showing AC Charging, I am assuming they have the data pins shorted and so I'm not expecting anything from this. This still doesn't really answer the question of why the Samsung can pull a better charge out of an Apple port than the Nexus 5. Any ideas? Same cables and all.
Thanks again.

phoenyx said:
Thanks for the reply. Admittedly, it wasn't a very scientific approach and I could have been more accurate but my goal was to just show that two Android phones using the same chargers and cables were getting different vastly different results. Especially that the Galaxy S4 could get 1200mA on the Apple port while the Nexus 5 couldn't even get half that.. and they are using the same charger, same cable and both widgets are showing AC charging (FWIW I tested all the cables on each charger, each showed AC and all had the same results across setups).
That it what I understood as well. Which is why I am mystified why one Android phone (S4) can pull 1200mA off an Apple port but a different Android phone (N5) can't, using the exact same cable and showing AC Charging on the widget. I would be interested to hear if you have any ideas on why that would be.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, what I posted mainly applies to the Nexus phones. I think Samsung has put some more intelligent circuitry in the Galaxy S4/S5 that allow it to charge on Apple ports as well. It's not a hard and fast rule, it's just the "standard." The S4 is hard-capped at 1200mA though, so the Nexus 5 will charge faster on an appropriate charger.
phoenyx said:
Yes, I am aware of that and I guess I should have explained it better. I had two points about this. The first was that the Galaxy S4 didn't fluctuate while the N5 did, but I suspect that has to do with the way the app is interacting with the phone.
The second was that on the Nexus 5 with 4 instances of the widget from the same app, all set to update 1 second apart were showing 4 very different amperage readings when they were supposed to be getting the sample at the same time. I just found it curious is all.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Interesting. My guess would be that even though they're supposed to poll at the same time, they're really pulling the data in quick succession. As in they end up in the service's queue and receive the data at slightly different timepoints as a result.
phoenyx said:
I ordered that when I was having issues with the Nexus 5 on my current car charger, it should be here any day now. It was one of the ones I mentioned in the original post that is on order. Their description of PowerIQ made me hopeful, but then I read a product description of one of their other products with PowerIQ on their website and it talked about Apple and non-Apple ports so now I'm just hoping that it will work the way I originally thought/hoped it would.
It was the car charger that alerted me to the possibility of a difference in charging performance between the Galaxy S4 and N5. I noticed that when I drove around with navigation on the Galaxy S4 could charge up decently while the Nexus 5 wouldn't charge much if at all using the same cable and charger.
I almost ordered that last week until I ready that other product description. I decided to wait to see how the car charger above works.
That is great news! If this PowerIQ works like I hope it works, I'll be happy. Thanks for that info!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, I don't have a Galaxy device but I do know that the PowerIQ chargers work great for the Nexus 5. I get the full 1.6A current that the Nexus 5 can accept. It charges it from dead in under an hour and a half. It's great for recharging on my way home from work.
I did see on their website that they have a two-port wall charger on their PowerIQ page, but when you click through to Amazon it shows as the old A/NA charger.
http://www.ianker.com/poweriq/poweriq.html
Hopefully they actually update it soon.
phoenyx said:
That is also one of the cables I mentioned in the OP that are on order. Unfortunately since my other cables here are showing AC Charging, I am assuming they have the data pins shorted and so I'm not expecting anything from this. This still doesn't really answer the question of why the Samsung can pull a better charge out of an Apple port than the Nexus 5. Any ideas? Same cables and all.
Thanks again.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As far as Samsung vs Nexus, see above. I've personally never experienced a slow charge out of a charger that showed "Charging (AC)." Very odd. If you're getting the Anker chargers, I would pair them with the Monoprice Premium cables.
http://www.monoprice.com/Product?c_id=103&cp_id=10303&cs_id=1030307&p_id=9762&seq=1&format=2
I can attest that the Anker charger or my Nexus 7 2012 charger plus a Monoprice cable will charge all the devices I've tried at full speed (Nexus 7 2012, Nexus 5, Nexus 4, Kindle Fire HDX, and my friend's Razr M). Their "non-premium" cables work well also, but I find that they wear out. They do replace them for free though.

raptir said:
Well, what I posted mainly applies to the Nexus phones. I think Samsung has put some more intelligent circuitry in the Galaxy S4/S5 that allow it to charge on Apple ports as well. It's not a hard and fast rule, it's just the "standard." The S4 is hard-capped at 1200mA though, so the Nexus 5 will charge faster on an appropriate charger.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I see. I was assuming it was the standard that all Android phones used to determine charge rates... lol. Silly me. What you say makes sense and is what I was afraid of. I was hoping I was "doing it wrong" or there was some other trick to getting more charge out of the PowerGen wall chargers that I have. I will give it another shot with the cables I have on order when they come in. I will see how it goes and maybe I'll order that Monoprice to try out as well.
raptir said:
Interesting. My guess would be that even though they're supposed to poll at the same time, they're really pulling the data in quick succession. As in they end up in the service's queue and receive the data at slightly different timepoints as a result.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's kind of what I was thinking too but then again, the widgets are only reporting information the main app is seeing. You would think that when the app takes a sample at a given time, it is that info that is transmitted to all the app instances so the info should be the same. Apparently not. It's not a big deal, I just notice and am curious about strange things sometimes.
raptir said:
Well, I don't have a Galaxy device but I do know that the PowerIQ chargers work great for the Nexus 5. I get the full 1.6A current that the Nexus 5 can accept. It charges it from dead in under an hour and a half. It's great for recharging on my way home from work.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That is great news! I'm looking forward to getting mine in the mail soon. I'll post what I find with that charger along with the other ones I have coming.
raptir said:
I did see on their website that they have a two-port wall charger on their PowerIQ page, but when you click through to Amazon it shows as the old A/NA charger.
http://www.ianker.com/poweriq/poweriq.html
Hopefully they actually update it soon.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Me too. I'll be keeping an eye out for that. Which PowerIQ chargers do you have? Just the car charger or do you have this 2 port wall charger too?
raptir said:
As far as Samsung vs Nexus, see above. I've personally never experienced a slow charge out of a charger that showed "Charging (AC)." Very odd. If you're getting the Anker chargers, I would pair them with the Monoprice Premium cables.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think the Nexus 5 only really got a slow charge with Charging (AC) showing out of the Apple port on the PowerGen and car chargers. When the same cable is plugged into the non-Apple, it works fine. Kind of disappointed that I cant get the same performance on the Apple port like the Galaxy does. I bought a bunch of these when I was using the Galaxy. Makes me apprehensive about buying more chargers that may not work that well.
I'll play around a bit more with the new cables and see what I can find. Thanks again for the info and the recommendations.

phoenyx said:
Me too. I'll be keeping an eye out for that. Which PowerIQ chargers do you have? Just the car charger or do you have this 2 port wall charger too?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have the two-port car charger and an external battery (second-gen Astro2). I really want a 2-port wall charger (to use with my Kindle Fire and Nexus 5 at home) but I haven't been able to find one.

raptir said:
I have the two-port car charger and an external battery (second-gen Astro2). I really want a 2-port wall charger (to use with my Kindle Fire and Nexus 5 at home) but I haven't been able to find one.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Check out this cable: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00JKSMXLC/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I just got it in the mail and it works good with the N5. Rated at 4A.
I put the new chargers in the 2nd post above and also noted that cables that report Charging (AC) on some adapters will only report USB (and lower charging rates) on other adapters.

phoenyx said:
Check out this cable: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00JKSMXLC/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I just got it in the mail and it works good with the N5. Rated at 4A.
I put the new chargers in the 2nd post above and also noted that cables that report Charging (AC) on some adapters will only report USB (and lower charging rates) on other adapters.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The only issue is a really want something with detachable cables. So I can change length/connect my wireless charger to it.

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=52142798

fyi samsung galaxy phones aren't really compatible with current widgets.
use an external meter for accurate measurements

Akoolive said:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=52142798
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yea I've seen that post.. It's a good one but like another poster here I'm after chargers with USB cables that are detachable and dual chargers. I created this mainly to cite some observations that all chargers may not perform equally on different phones.
Nevertheless, thank you for your reply and for posting the link.
sucsss said:
fyi samsung galaxy phones aren't really compatible with current widgets.
use an external meter for accurate measurements
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks. I kinda figured it must be a compatibility issue. However, an external would only show how much the charger could put out, which is not the same as how much the phone will take.. Unless you measure it inline. Other than that you'd have to take a sample over time and do the math.
I got the Anker dual car charger and it has been great. So I orders ordered a couple more. the PowerIQ seems to be the key for their chargers.
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

phoenyx said:
Thanks. I kinda figured it must be a compatibility issue. However, an external would only show how much the charger could put out, which is not the same as how much the phone will take.. Unless you measure it inline. Other than that you'd have to take a sample over time and do the math.
I got the Anker dual car charger and it has been great. So I orders ordered a couple more. the PowerIQ seems to be the key for their chargers.
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't want to sound condescending but that's exactly how it would work. A good charger can only output up to the max designed. It's completely dependent on what the phone wants.
To measure amps the meter is in serial circuit and to measure voltage it's in parallel. The prebuilt usb meters are only a few bucks on ebay. I use a multimeter to check that the usb meter is correct.
And most phones will attempt to do their max charge rate when below 80-90% battery. (if temperatures allow). So you don't need a fancy graph. Just plug in the phone with low battery and not overheating and it'll try to charge at the max rate it can.

sucsss said:
I don't want to sound condescending but that's exactly how it would work. A good charger can only output up to the max designed. It's completely dependent on what the phone wants.
To measure amps the meter is in serial circuit and to measure voltage it's in parallel. The prebuilt usb meters are only a few bucks on ebay. I use a multimeter to check that the usb meter is correct.
And most phones will attempt to do their max charge rate when below 80-90% battery. (if temperatures allow). So you don't need a fancy graph. Just plug in the phone with low battery and not overheating and it'll try to charge at the max rate it can.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
LOL.. You sound more confused about what I've said than condescending. I've never implied a charger will charge more than its rated for. If I did, please show me where I said that so i can correct it because that was not my intention.
I know it was probably a little bit of a confusing post since i kind of mashed several thoughts together (and this one is probably no better... I've been up way too long and sorely jet lagged.. LOL) but if you read the thread I stated that I observed different USB/phone combos will charge at varying rates... Even between "good" USB cables on the same charger.. even when they are showing AC charging. It was my impression that two "good" USB cables that report AC charging would perform similarly on the same charger or one would have similar performance across similar chargers. That is apparently not the case.
Also as I originally posted it's just observations... Not trying to geek out on it and be pedantic over it. However the USB meter you mentioned sounds interesting, maybe I'll pick one up. Thanks for the suggestion.
Anyway, I'm pretty happy with the Anker chargers so I think I'll stick with them.
Thanks for your input..
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk