Develop Bugs

Change your charger from USB to AC

I have been on the hunt for a charger for my car and home that shows up as an AC charger so that I can get a faster charge. After a bit of tinkering I have found that all you need to do to get ANY charger to show up as a AC charger is to have 5V on the standard USB + & - leads and simply connect the two data wires together. This will tell the phone that this is an AC adaptor.
I actually bought a cheapo 1A USB car charger from DealExtreme and it was supposed to show up as an AC adaptor but it didn't. So I carefully opened it up and de-soldered the resistors that were connected to the data pins on the PCB and verified that there were no more connections going to the two data pins on the USB connector (the two middle pins) and then put a small dab of solder across them. I plugged my MonoPrice USB cable into it and went to my car. Lo and behold it shows up as an AC adaptor AND actually charges at the full 1 AMP capacity!
Just wanted to share this with you guys. If people want to send me their chargers I would be happy to mod them for you (just pay shipping). I was also thinking about picking up a bunch of the USB 1A car chargers from DealExtreme, modding them, and then re-selling them. Would anyone be interested?

houseofbugs said:
I have been on the hunt for a charger for my car and home that shows up as an AC charger so that I can get a faster charge. After a bit of tinkering I have found that all you need to do to get ANY charger to show up as a AC charger is to have 5V on the standard USB + & - leads and simply connect the two data wires together. This will tell the phone that this is an AC adaptor.
I actually bought a cheapo 1A USB car charger from DealExtreme and it was supposed to show up as an AC adaptor but it didn't. So I carefully opened it up and de-soldered the resistors that were connected to the data pins on the PCB and verified that there were no more connections going to the two data pins on the USB connector (the two middle pins) and then put a small dab of solder across them. I plugged my MonoPrice USB cable into it and went to my car. Lo and behold it shows up as an AC adaptor AND actually charges at the full 1 AMP capacity!
Just wanted to share this with you guys. If people want to send me their chargers I would be happy to mod them for you (just pay shipping). I was also thinking about picking up a bunch of the USB 1A car chargers from DealExtreme, modding them, and then re-selling them. Would anyone be interested?
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Thanks for the post! I just wanted to add to it a link which includes some more information about performing this "mod." I haven't done mine yet, but I intend to soon.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=767961

Sb22 said:
Thanks for the post! I just wanted to add to it a link which includes some more information about performing this "mod." I haven't done mine yet, but I intend to soon.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=767961
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Thanks for that link! I didn't know if anyone else tried this yet. But I can verify that it works perfectly! The best part is that my car charger looks stock as I used 2-part epoxy to glue it back together.

i have said it before and i will say it agai , fast full 1amp charges a bad for your battery and do not allow proper charges this you get **** for battery life.
nice mods but not good for battery life
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App

v_lestat said:
i have said it before and i will say it again , fast full 1amp charges are bad for your battery and do not allow proper charges. you get **** for battery life.
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i heard you say that before, and i thought you were full of crap. after trying it for several charge cycles, it is plain as day. your battery charge WILL last longer from a slow usb half amp charge. seriously.
sometimes, however, it isn't worth waiting for. in a "non-primary" charging location such as a car, I can see the benefit in catching a quicker "top-off" charge.

I know your post is old, but THANK YOU MAN !!, i was having trouble obtaining only 100mAh from a AA-battery portable charger, modded a cable and now it's working so fine !!

Hmm, I could probably modify one of my short USB extension cables and cut off the data pins and keep that cable somewhere for cases where i'd prefer the turbo charge... Just snap on this usb extension cable (or maybe even an adapter) and boom you're getting the 1A charge
PS: my old WinXP box actually complains and shuts off the usb port if it sucks more than usual 500 mA, you would need to solder two usb connectors in parallel to fix that

Automobile Quick Charging Solution

What is the best solution for quick charging the Galaxy Nexus in an automobile?

I have started to use 12-220 volt converter so I can use wall chargers.

I have bought a few of the low profile car usb chargers but they were never recognized as an AC charge. Come to find out, it was the USB cable. I bought a usb charging cable from Amazon last week and it goes in the USB charger and the phone does not think it is a USB charge. I have not timed it but it is recognized the same as the wall charger.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003VYBCAY

ellisz said:
I have bought a few of the low profile car usb chargers but they were never recognized as an AC charge. Come to find out, it was the USB cable. I bought a usb charging cable from Amazon last week and it goes in the USB charger and the phone does not think it is a USB charge. I have not timed it but it is recognized the same as the wall charger.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003VYBCAY
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+1 .. this solution has been working great for me, as well.

I've been getting 2.1A car chargers (look for ones for the iPad), most of the ones I had prior to this were 700mA or so and they can't keep up with my 1A phones. Be careful of dual port chargers advertising 2A, they may only be 1A each and may be "optimistic" about that rating. And don't worry about getting one rated for too much current, the Galaxy Nexus won't pull more than an amp no matter what the charger rating.

Some really good solutions here and thank you all for the help.
I'd really hate to use an inventer in my car just to maintain a clean install, so that really isnt an option for me.
Was really hoping to be able to use a off the shelf car charger with the correct pins to trick the GNexus into thinking that it was charging from a USB port, but the above solution should work well with using a socket USB charger.

I've never run into a car adapter that looks like a USB port, including the VZW charger with a spare port or the cheap 2.1A chargers I got from Amazon. My guess is that a charger not built correctly and leaving the data pins open only supports ~500mA anyway. Even if that's not the case I have a moral objection toward buying a cable to fix a design flaw in another cheap product - but that's just me

Grant H said:
Some really good solutions here and thank you all for the help.
I'd really hate to use an inventer in my car just to maintain a clean install, so that really isnt an option for me.
Was really hoping to be able to use a off the shelf car charger with the correct pins to trick the GNexus into thinking that it was charging from a USB port, but the above solution should work well with using a socket USB charger.
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I've got a charger similar to http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/USB-Car-...ccessories&hash=item4ab18358f4#ht_1638wt_1392
All I had to do was undo the screws at the top, put a bit of solder between the middle usb pins, and my phone recognises it as a AC source rather than USB.

There has got to be a standard car charger on the market with the middle usb pins already soldiered!
I found this on Amazon which advertises itself as a rapid charging device.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000S5Q9CA

Grant H said:
What is the best solution for quick charging the Galaxy Nexus in an automobile?
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Make sure the charger has the IC (rapid) chip. I use this one:
http://www.amazon.com/Motorola-Vehicle-Adapter-micro-USB-Charger/dp/B000S5Q9CA

I've heard that Motorola one mentioned a lot as a good one.
The nice thing about having the low-profile usb plug is (a) it is low profile, (b) I can use it to charge other devices. The charge-only cable is only about $4, so I had no issues buying it to work with this to charge as an AC charge over a USB charge.

Grant H said:
There has got to be a standard car charger on the market with the middle usb pins already soldiered!
I found this on Amazon which advertises itself as a rapid charging device.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000S5Q9CA
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I have this one and it charges just like it does from the home outlet and its says "AC" charging. I bought another 8 for family and friends and they all love it.

I think I've figured out the disconnect, I've run into chargers that appear as a USB host which limits the charging to 500mA on previous phones I've had.
You guys are concerned about USB vs. AC charging mode. Of the chargers I've got, this one lists as AC while the rest as USB. However, the fact that the other chargers all work just fine keeping up with GPS+streaming music indicates that the USB vs. AC really has no bearing on the charge current delivered. I'd stay away from charge-only cables just because they'll get mixed in with your standard USB cables and you'll knock yourself out wondering why they don't work. On the other hand, if you really want AC in your battery info order the one I linked.

I keep it in my car... i think I've heard on other threads that USB charging doesn't keep up with GPS (for Directions). Any verify?
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA App

TheKaz said:
I keep it in my car... i think I've heard on other threads that USB charging doesn't keep up with GPS (for Directions). Any verify?
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA App
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What's much more important is the rating on the power source. The GN can pull up to 1000mA, if your charger is only rated for 800mA (like many car chargers) it doesn't matter if it's in AC mode.

jdbower said:
What's much more important is the rating on the power source. The GN can pull up to 1000mA, if your charger is only rated for 800mA (like many car chargers) it doesn't matter if it's in AC mode.
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makes sense.. the one I use has dual usb (1.0 and 2.1)

You went and gave me a project for the weekend, and once again science prevails over anecdotal evidence. I took each of my 5 chargers and hooked them up to a 12V power supply that measures current. I then recorded whether the charger reported AC or USB, for the ones with USB I modified a right-angle adapter to short out the data pins, and I measured the current. The contenders:
Verizon Wireless Dual Charger
XTG Dual Port Charger
Griffen Powerjolt Dual USB Charger
Griffen Portjolt Micro
CostMad Dual USB Charger
The VZW model was USB out the external port as I had tested before, however AC out the built-in cable which I hadn't bothered to test. It pulled 0.25A @12V via the USB port and 0.59A via the cable. Hmmm... A hole develops in my previous observation. While I had used this on a long car trip with no issues, it was via the built-in cable.
The XTG was new, I hadn't used it before as it's in the car I rarely drive. It reported USB and 0.22A. With the adapter to make it report AC it pulled 0.48A.
The pattern was set. I had expected the Griffen adapters to be built more appropriately but the dual charger reported 0.22A without the adapter and 0.42A with. I had used this without losing charge in the past so this was surprising to me, but it's possible I just wasn't drawing as much current because the screen was dimmer or something.
The compact Griffen adapter (which is great for a laptop bag, BTW) pulled 0.21A and 0.47A respectively.
The cheap CostMad adapter was the only one that performed well out of the box, both reporting AC and pulled 0.57A.
In theory, a perfect adapter should pull 0.42A. Anything more is waste, anything less means it's not keeping up. I have doubts about the Griffen 2x allowing for a full amp, but the VZW and CostMad chargers are pretty lossy. What's even worse is that I'm pretty sure the VZW charger is rated for 800mA (but I can't find an actual spec on it) which would mean that it pulled the most power for the least current. Not that this really matters unless you've got an electric car.
Sorry for misleading you earlier, I should have checked the other port of the known-good VZW charger and probably doublechecked the numbers on my other "known good" charger. Still hating cables that work for charging but not for data, I ended up modifying each of the chargers to short the middle pins (except for the VZW one). If I didn't have the soldering iron for this, I probably would have gone for some of these instead.

Grant H said:
There has got to be a standard car charger on the market with the middle usb pins already soldiered!
I found this on Amazon which advertises itself as a rapid charging device.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000S5Q9CA
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Click to collapse
CyberPunk7t9 said:
Make sure the charger has the IC (rapid) chip. I use this one:
http://www.amazon.com/Motorola-Vehicle-Adapter-micro-USB-Charger/dp/B000S5Q9CA
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I'm using the same one and it works perfect. Charges even when GPS navigation is running.
Make sure you select Amazon as the seller though. I heard there are a lot of fake ones.

Grant H said:
There has got to be a standard car charger on the market with the middle usb pins already soldiered!
I found this on Amazon which advertises itself as a rapid charging device.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000S5Q9CA
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Click to collapse
+1 to those recommending this one. I have this exact model and it does indeed charge at the "AC" rate, about twice as fast as the "USB" rate.

TheKaz said:
I keep it in my car... i think I've heard on other threads that USB charging doesn't keep up with GPS (for Directions). Any verify?
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA App
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The Motorola one will charge even when using GPS. I have a friend I bought one for that uses his GPS all day and loves the Motorola charger.

Cheap, easy way to incorporate Wireless Charging

I know it's lazy, but thoughts? It's 1000 mA
I've never had wireless charging before and always told myself that my next phone would have wireless charging...
Intsun® Universal QI Wireless Charging Receiver film for micro-USB of All Android Mobile (Narrow-Interface Down) by Intsun http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00JIN22JM/ref=cm_sw_r_udp_awd_dlEXtb1VYP476
Sent from my One XL using Tapatalk

That one I believe is rated as 500mA so it's going to take a long time to charge. A 750mA one is better, but it will be thicker as well and the microUSB on them are shoddy. I would like it if someone knows the exact location of the +5V and Ground solder point on the mother board, that would be the best solution.

http://www.amazon.com/Universal-Wir...TF8&colid=3OC2TRSSGA72P&coliid=I1NLS41WJ2XY3W
This one looks like the same thing. Both say "Charging current: DC 5V/500mA-1000mA" but I wouldn't expect anything over 500mA. I ordered one anyway even though my case won't be here for another week.

interesting, if it is possible to "install" it under the back cover.!?

I wonder how long the OnePlus One will take at 500mA. I ordered the same one with "500-1000". Waiting on my case to arrive so I can actually use it.

Hilbe said:
I wonder how long the OnePlus One will take at 500mA. I ordered the same one with "500-1000". Waiting on my case to arrive so I can actually use it.
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I was going to make a thread today on this but I can confirm that most of these are actually 500mA regardless of what it says in the description. I already received the case I ordered from Amazon so I put it all together yesterday and it all plays nicely. You obviously loose the usb port but that's why I did all my rooting and unlocking first. It's plastic so it will likely not damage the usb port on the phone. I have not tested the charge time, will try today and let everyone know.
Originally I was thinking of putting the receiver behind the actual phone backing. Decided against it because you never know if you need the usb port. Also, I hate the feel of the back of the phone and much prefer the case.
If someone can identify the pins to make a direct connection, that would be great but for now it works!

funCrash93 said:
interesting, if it is possible to "install" it under the back cover.!?
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Read my thread here about how I soldered on internally. http://forum.xda-developers.com/oneplus-one/general/internal-wireless-charging-t2819398
The one that I purchased was rebranded as 750mA, but on the original sticker under the one put over it it says it's rated for 1000mA. I have a couple of the black ones OP is talking about and they don't provide enough juice to even reliably charge the one. Check out my thread above and the link to my original post on the opo forum. I have a link to the one I purchased on ebay there that worked the best for me.

@inaudible101 - what tools did you use to remove the back cover?
At 500mA, it should take about 6 hours to charge a battery at around 5%. This assumes that you are getting the full 500mA, too, not less.

AJ RIMMER! said:
@inaudible101 - what tools did you use to remove the back cover?
At 500mA, it should take about 6 hours to charge a battery at around 5%. This assumes that you are getting the full 500mA, too, not less.
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Yeah I tried a 500mA one and it just didn't cut it. The 1000mA one works much better. I may hook it up to my multimeter just to see what the real output is for my own sake. I used a pocket knife to get the corner up and then slid my thumb nail under and the hooks pop off easily. They have a video on their website showing that you can push on the back with your thumb and then just pry the bottom but I'm not sure how well that works.

Guys, what receiver do you have and how much does it really output? On mine it says 500 mAh but in reality it only has an average of 300 mAh. I measured this with Battery Monitor Widget.
This is my receiver: http://www.aliexpress.com/item/Univ...less-Charging-Receiver-Module/1973302276.html

Has anyone found a 1000ma version?

Is it safe to leave the receiver plugged in even if i'm not charging it, like would it damage my usb port?
Cause I just ordered one for my OPO and a wireless charger from aliexpress.

Wireless charging

Anyone using wireless charging on the MI3? It's only possible with a receiver, btw, it's not built in.

Wireless Charging
reneftw said:
Anyone using wireless charging on the MI3? It's only possible with a receiver, btw, it's not built in.
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I am curious has anyone tried using a wireless charging add on and know if it works properly?

I'm a writer for Qiwireless.com and I use my Mi3 with a universal wireless charging receiver to charge it.

I saw something here: facebook.com/MiuiCzechSlovakXiaomi/posts/10152284167068959
Manufacturer named Lencow doing this type of chargers for MI's. You can find the net for the price.

is it for real that mi3 supports wireless charging??

sdnavale said:
is it for real that mi3 supports wireless charging??
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Note, WITH a receiver. A receiver is a piece of hardware which sits under the base of the phone, and is connected to the charging circuit. Just google the term.
You'd have to be really motivated to take your phone apart, just to attach that. Without considering the space that module would need vs the available space inside the phone, which is pretty slim to start with. Actually with a metal phone back, I believe the module would have to sit outside of the phone, between the plastic cover and the back - so the phone back would not be flat.
I have had a Nexus 4 with wireless charging for the last 2 years, and I rarely use the wireless charger I bought:
- charges slower than a wall charger
- if you pick the phone up - as we all do - you stop charging and additionally multiply the number of charging cycles.
Cables are not as cool as a Qi pad, but a Qi pad also needs its cable...
Anyway, out of the box, the mi3 doesn't do wireless charging - just confirmed that with my wireless charger

stupid!!! pls improve yourself bout the 'Electronic Science and Technology' knowledge~ don't ask such an idiot question!!!

Wireless charging

Hey guys,
Since the OPO has NFC I'm assuming wireless charging will work... What are some good and cheap wireless charging options?
Thanks!

NFC and wireless charging are two completely different things. You could add wireless charging via a universal QI receiver but that's it

freestylejunki32 said:
NFC and wireless charging are two completely different things. You could add wireless charging via a universal QI receiver but that's it
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Ohh didnt realize that! So would I just need a QI receiver and I can put my phone on it? Or do I need a special case for my phone?

You need a wireless charger receiver, you will lose the USB port, when you want to use USB you will have to take the case off and take the charger plug out.
Since it's pretty thin you can use any case, or none (Maybe not metal cases).
You also need a wireless sender, this is the pad that the phone sits on.
Notes: Since these are only 500ma (have not found a pad > 500) and with less efficiency (so its actually less than 500ma), it will take a very long time to charge the phone. I dont even know if its able to keep up with the power requirements of the phone if it's in use.

Powerbot chargers are supposed to put out 1000mah. I think its partially dependent on the actual charging cord plugged into the qi charger though

freestylejunki32 said:
Powerbot chargers are supposed to put out 1000mah. I think its partially dependent on the actual charging cord plugged into the qi charger though
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that is true. all parts need to be compatible to get a decent charge rate. i had a charger that put out 2amps and a cord that supported it too but most receivers put out 500-750mah which results in a slow charge. and i havent found a decent receiver yet either. Most of them are really finicky and need to have the phone placed just right on the receiver for it to charge.