[Q] Should there be any concern using off brand car chargers. - AT&T Samsung Galaxy S II SGH-I777

I scored a deal somewhere off the web not to long ago for micro usb car chargers for .98 cents free shipping. Didn't have a use then but figured one day I might. The day has come and now I wonder if I need to be concerned with these killing the battery prematurely or not?

Just make sure the voltage and amperage on the device is ok for the phone you're connecting. It won't hurt the battery, but if your using something too low you won't get a charge and if it's too high you'll destroy the device.

You don't really have to worry about it...all USB car plugs should be @ 5VDC (USB standard) even if they are incredibly cheap. Something with 1A output should be great, though this is not the amount that is force-fed to your phone but the max amount the charger can put out (so a 2A one will NOT damage your device & may end up charging the phone faster.)

Just make sure it's 5 volts and provides at least 700 mA.
Also, if the charger doesn't short D+ and D- together the phone will assume USB charging and drop charge current to 400 mA.
If it's $0.98, then most likely it's only good for 300-400 mA. I know monoprice has some dirt cheap "1A" car chargers that if you open them up, prove to have a current limiting resistor set for around 350-400 mA. About the only time in my life I've been unhappy with a monoprice product.

Thanks guys!

Related

Maximum charger amperage?

Alright, so I have a mini USB car charger that is rated at 2.0A (got with GPS) and I just want to make sure the extra amperage is not going to charge my battery too quickly and then kill it in the process. All I have to go on is that my wall charger is capable of only 1.0A and the computer USB is on the level of mA. Does anybody have a car charger or know the maximum amperage possible that these phones can take?
Thanks in advance.
Its to Strong ! I have Crash a PDA with 1.5A
I've used a 2.0a charger but noticed that the battery didn't charge right.
On that note, also noticed that a .5a or 500mA charger after about 6 months killed my battery. (burned out and won't take a full charge anymore)
Recommendation is to stick to 1.0A charging as much as possible as the Wizard's charge circuit is designed at 1.0A charging and monitoring.
DOESN'T MATTER ..if u know the basic Ohms Law..its the max capacity of the charger.(or any source) the current regulating circuits will take care of the real charging current fed to the battery
I charge my phone on my computers USB connection all the time, all computers have a maximum of 500mA USB current.
Amps are pulled from the charger, not pushed to the phone.
Voltages are pushed to the phone, not pulled from the charger.
If the phone draws too much current from the charger, the voltage drops to a point where the maximum power (P (Watt) = U (Voltage) * I (Amps)) of the charger isn't exceeded.
According to the USB specification you need at least 200mA with 500mA recommended +5VDC.
More is never a problem, you could even use a 50A power supply without breaking your phone. Practically spoken: I wouldn't do that.
huh?
I have messed up a few devices before by putting the wrong charger on the device (2.0 amp charger on a droid eris and 1amp charger on the MOTOACTV) Is this a problem with the device's charging circuit? In general it should only pull up what it needs to charge but my devices were messed up?
I returned the first MOTOACTV after it wouldn't leave the boot screen and the second one I got acted funny on 1 amps as well. It charged fine on .75amp charger that came with the device but when I put it on my HTC Dinc charger it shot up from 10% to 20 to 30 etc. all within minutes. Hope I didn't mess this one up too.
Just trying to figure out what the deal is. My phone for sure charges faster when connected to 1amp vs .5amp (computer). This makes sense I understand because the device is able to handle 1amp, but I wonder if it would mess up with a 2amp charger.
Thanks!
The last two posts of 2008 are correct. Your phone is capable of drawing more than 500 mA but less than 1000 mA. If the charger is 1A, 1.5A, 2A, or 50A, it won't make a difference to the phone's charging time or life.
Wrong voltage can be bad, but phones are designed to support USB charging, as a minimum, and 1A to 2A is always safe. As was said in 2008, the charger pushes voltage to the battery, but the battery pulls current from the charger.
That's a really good way of describing it
Pushing and pulling current and voltage is a really good way of describing it.. Given that I am theoretically well within the charging parameters, how comes my phone (Galaxy mini/pop) becomes unusable when its charging (touch screen doesnt touch and screen jumps to new screen without touching?) Am I wrecking my phone?
No, your charger is to blame. Maybe it isn't properly grounded. Phones with capacitive touch screens (not the Wizard! but maybe your phone) can get really weird on some chargers. I have a Nexus One with an aftermarket charger that always makes the touch screen go haywire. When I use an HTC charger, the phone has no problem. As far as I know, the damage isn't permanent, it's just that the sensors get confused. When I disconnect from the charger, turn the phone off, then turn it on, all is well.
My wizards were never bothered by chargers, no matter what kind, as long as they were mini-USB, they were the right voltage. The wizard doesn't take as much current as more modern phones, either.
Hmm. Not properly grounded sounds very plausible. Viva mediterranean circuits. Thanks
Usb chargers will be rated at 5v, which is exactly the correct voltage to charge your device. What you want to make sure is you buy the correct "rated" amperage. Not because it will damage your phone. Amperage only exists as a sum of the power used by the device. You want to find a decent 1amp (1000mA) or higher if you wish, rated usb charger. The the mains charger for your phone is only rated at 1amp, so a 1amp charger is adequate. Avoid 500ma chargers as it will take twice as long to charge and gps / satnav applications will drain the battery even when charging at that rate.
Also if you have a new pc, most of the decent boards will specify 1amp charge even when off if it has on/off charge stated on manufacture details.
Newer phones will charge fine with higher amperage
The myth that charging your device at a faster rate will reduce the life of your device’s battery is false!
If you want quicker charging, look for a wall or car charger that delivers 2100 mA of current at 5 volts higher won't matter.... These lithium ion batteries can handle it... It was just back then if you were to try to put a faster charger in an older battery it (in any cases) just won't charge.

Extended battery for the S7?

Any third party extended battery options for the S7? I prefer the slim version if possible.
Sent from my SGH-T849 using XDA App
I rigged up a battery pack using 4 rechargeable Energizer AAA's and just plug it into the DC power socket and double-sided taped it to the back of the unit
I imagine I could use some left over spare Li-Ion batteries from other phones though.
UPDATE: someone asked how
STEP 1: Buy something similar to this http://www.littlebirdelectronics.com/products/4%2dAAA-Battery-Holder.html
STEP 2: Buy a male plug that fits the female power socket on the S7 Like this but the correct size http://www.littlebirdelectronics.com/products/1.3MM-PLUG%2d2.5MM-SOCKET-DC-ADAPTOR.html
STEP 3: Solder them together so that the + and - charge come out of the same wires as the wall-charger
STEP 4: Plug in batteries
If this looks/sounds difficult, don't even attempt it, you WILL break your tablet.
Since the original battery do last too long, i found this 2 option that i think that work with S7:
Good price and free shipping
lol i cant post links yet, sorry guys...
here goes the links for the battery extender....
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.4284~r.14121877
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.48449~r.14121877
Nice guys! I was searching for an internal battery solution.
These battery packs look nice but be carefull, the output is only 500 mA. The S7 charger is a 2amp output charger. I'm not sure how well it will run on a lower input.
Ives
mowermech said:
These battery packs look nice but be carefull, the output is only 500 mA. The S7 charger is a 2amp output charger. I'm not sure how well it will run on a lower input.
Ives
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The DC pack will only feed what the unit draws, and I doubt very much that it draws the entire 2000mA.
I have rigged up a USB charging cable for myself, USB pumps out 5v at 500mA max per port (I'm only using 1) and it charges a little slower than from the wall, depending on which computer I'm charging from, but apart from that it works great still and I can use the same cable to charge from other USB-charging devices like the one I have in my car.
The 500mA output will just mean it charges slower, and seeing how it's only a battery extender (IE, the oem battery is still required) and not a charging solution (the S7 can run without the battery off only the charge from the wall), the charge provided will be fine for extending the battery life.
davidcampbell said:
The DC pack will only feed what the unit draws, and I doubt very much that it draws the entire 2000mA.
I have rigged up a USB charging cable for myself, USB pumps out 5v at 500mA max per port (I'm only using 1) and it charges a little slower than from the wall, depending on which computer I'm charging from, but apart from that it works great still and I can use the same cable to charge from other USB-charging devices like the one I have in my car.
The 500mA output will just mean it charges slower, and seeing how it's only a battery extender (IE, the oem battery is still required) and not a charging solution (the S7 can run without the battery off only the charge from the wall), the charge provided will be fine for extending the battery life.
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Click to collapse
500mAh as supplied by standard USB will charge but as you say only slowly.
It will not start a charge if the battery has been allowed to drop too low. That's common with all Lion batteries and is why you get a high current wall charger to do the job.
If you are using the device at the same time (and depending on the functions in use and the state of charge of the battery) you will definately struggle with any positive charge and will experience heat build up in the USB port, cable and device so be carefull!
If you are also using the device as a phone and get a call there will be an extra high peak current draw that has to be contended with and that complicates things further.
With all the tests that I have done allong these lines 1000mAh is a bare minimum to cope with eventualities and even then it's borderline.
I have blown car adapter fuses and had low current phone chargers get really hot.
I now only use 2000mAH rated chargers.
Are there any? I would really want to have a battery that could last at least 6 hrs... Any suggestions?
Stjom said:
Are there any? I would really want to have a battery that could last at least 6 hrs... Any suggestions?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Energizer XPAL XP18000
That will give you about an extra 12-18 hours,
But no internal battery larger than standard. Why would you want one when the external packs are usable with any device and don't become redundant when you upgrade to a different model?
I made such a battery of two packages of Chinese Tablet battery voltage of 7.4V LiJon / 1500mAh connected in series and used a converter on the circuit LM2576 (with car charger navigation) [//chomikuj.pl/wibi) -> Huawei Ideos S7/Dodatkowa bateria]. This additional charger to recharge your battery voltage 8.4V. Pictures and diagrams from the following link will explain everything.

Car charger question

I have a USB car charger that doesn't seem to charge as quickly as I would like it to. I say that by comparing it to previous phones and the rate at which they charged when plugged into it.
I read that you can short out the Belkin or Griffin USB charges to make it look like your phone is plugged into the wall. I'm not agains doing this because i like to tweak.
The question really is, I see that Proporta has a 4000mA (2000mA per port) dual port USB charger available. Will this allow my phone to charge like it's plugged into the wall or will it still "look like" I'm plugged into a USB prot charging?
- Cyber
Not exactly sure what you're asking, but I assume that you mean that a wall charger charges the phone faster than a car charger.
Unfortunately, I don't know if this is the case. USB is a universal standard with specific power requirements. Although there are medium and high power chargers out there, I would be reluctant to get something so extreme. I think USB calls for 500 mA standard, so I'd be careful using the charger you mention. You might want to do some more research on it, or contact the company about it.
I'm not an expert but my opinion is that usually USB-Wall charger supplies up to 1000 mAh (written on power supply transformer) while the USB-OutPC is only 500 mAh, in fact, I've noticed that the full charge of my Titan takes double the time if charged via PC.
Not sure about the amount supplied by cars USB adapter.
...my two amperes...
Some of the chargers accomplish support for things like the iPad 2 by shorting the two USB connectors. Some advertise things like 2000ma, but fail to deliver much more than 500ma. I am not sure if this is due to the choice of shorting out the data connectors to trick your phone in to thinking it is plugged in to the wall.
Back in the WM 6.5 days, you could accomplish this at the phone driver level and did not need to modify your chargers.
I would not worry about trying something rated higher as your phone would regulate the current. I personally intend to do my experimentation by shorting out the cable rather than the charger (cables are more easily replaced). Unfortunately, there is no app for WP7 that can measure the charging current, so the only way to do this scientifically is to use the battery status app and measuring the charge rate over time.
If you do the mod, post back and let us know. When I get around to the USB cable experiment, I will post back as well.

Can't charge fast enough?

Using a New Trent External charger I noticed that the phone was still losing power, just at a way slower rate than without it charging. Phone showed charging. I was using netflix via 3g at the time. Would this be expected? Not super worried as the battery charges just fine when screen is off and not in use.
How many amp output is that charger??
My phone can't keep up with the charge if I'm veiwing a movie using HDMI unless I run incredible kernel with fastcharge enabled.
7000mAh. Think 1V output?
IIRC, the stock A/C charger is 1 amp.
A lot of aftermarket chargers do not have the balls to charge the Rezound.
you may need to modify a usb cable to short the Data wires to get the full charging potential out of it.
or try one of these cables from amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Naztech-Micro...3?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1328727460&sr=1-3
thatsricci said:
you may need to modify a usb cable to short the Data wires to get the full charging potential out of it.
or try one of these cables from amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Naztech-Micro...3?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1328727460&sr=1-3
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Does this cable work for sure with the rezound??
I don't need it right now with the incredicontrol running, but I ordered it just as a handy thing to have.
My new Trent works pretty well, but I wouldn't expect it to keep up with streaming vids. I found that it gives a charge to the idle phone at about 800mA, which is about the same as the stock wall charger.
Pick up battery monitor widget and you can track your plus and minus usage pretty well to decide if everything seems OK.
jmorton10 said:
Does this cable work for sure with the rezound??
I don't need it right now with the incredicontrol running, but I ordered it just as a handy thing to have.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, I'll answer my own question. The cable definitely DOES NOT force higher charging at least when using an HDMI adaptor.
If I use Incredikernel with fast charging enabled with Incredicontrol, it will actually GAIN charge while playing a full length movie through HDMI.
This morning, I flashed back to dsb 1.3 with no frills cpu control & hooked up the new cable for charging. I started with a 100% charged battery & after playing a 1 hour DVD RIP from my card, it was down to 89% charged. Using Incredicontrol, during the exact same test the battery still read 100% at the end.
Thanks for your results jmorton10. Good to know. I wonder if it's the connections inside the HDMI adapter messing with it.
Not sure why HTC can't just get this right to always pull the max possible from whatever it's hooked into!
-j
My understanding is because the MHL adapter needs the USB data pins to work properly and they can't be shorted out as mentioned above, the phone thinks it's on a USB connection and limits it's current draw to 500mA.
mjones73 said:
the phone thinks it's on a USB connection and limits it's current draw to 500mA.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That is definitely the problem, the battery monitor widget claims it is charging from USB even though it is plugged directly into an A/C charger.
I guess I will be flashing back to Incredikernel/Incredicontrol tonight. I do like dsb kernel slightly better as it never freezes/bootloops etc. ever on that kernel. It does stop responding occasionally on IC (requiring a battery pull) although it doesn't happen very often.
The Rezound complies with the USB charging specification. If your power source isn't compliant, it won't draw more that 500 mA (and probably less if USB doesn't enumerate, but I haven't checked). That's what the "short the USB data pins" thing is all about. Earlier USB charging spec said they should be shorted, the latest says 200 ohms. Any "USB charger" which doesn't do that isn't compliant, and shouldn't be sold as USB-anything, because it doesn't follow the USB spec. Return it to where you got it, and complain (loudly).
Regardless of how much power a charger can deliver, even if it meets spec you won't see more than about 800 mA go into the battery. There's a limit to how much current both the connector and the battery can safely handle, and the phone takes that into consideration.
Remember, the mA reported by utilities is (always?) what's going in/out of the battery. The charger would be delivering more than that (e.g. 800 mA into the battery, plus 400 mA to power a phone doing video streaming, etc.). AIR, the micro USB connector is limited to ~1500 mA, and I've never seen a battery charge at much more than 800, as reported by the kernel. Conversely, when charging from a non-USB charging spec compliant port, the phone won't draw more than ~500 mA from the port, and the battery only gets what's left after subtracting what's needed to run the phone.
Another thing which can affect charging is the cable. If you have a long USB cable using 28 gauge wire, there will be a significant voltage drop across it. USB specs say the voltage should be between 4.75 and 5.25 V, and Android seems to limit the charging current so the incoming voltage stays above 4.75V. Using 24 gauge USB cables, especially with longer lengths, can increase the charging current. Most vendors don't tell you the wire gauge used in their cables, but Monoprice does (no relation, etc.).

HTC Car charger 1amp vs generic 2.1amp car charger

When ever I drive, I have my phone hooked up to my Escort Red Line radar detector and my car's stereo via bluetooth (both). In order for me to use the radar detector effective, I need to have GPS and Blueooth enabled. This is a HUGE SUPER OMG battery drainer for my amaze. 20 minutes drive kills about 35% of the phone's power. My radar detector offers a slot to charge my phone BUT it still drains, not enough juice flowing in. Someone said it is because it's probably a .5amp.
So I am running a extension from the 12v lighter that's in the trunk to the front of my car. Amazon has a generic 2.1amp for 3 bucks.
http://www.amazon.com/Premium-Heavy...121&sr=8-1&keywords=htc+amaze+car+charger+amp
But on ebay, I found the original HTC car charger for 15 bucks which is a 1amp.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/HTC-Amaze-4...918506?pt=PDA_Accessories&hash=item27c867022a
What do you guys recommend? My logic says go for the 2.1amp, the phone will draw as much as it needs from it.
The 1amp.
Anything higher you'll damage the phone or the battery.
A wall plug power supply or a usb supply is 5.0v/1amp.
The 2.1 amp is probably 1 amp per port. Although it does not seem to specify.
F9zSlavik said:
What do you guys recommend? My logic says go for the 2.1amp, the phone will draw as much as it needs from it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Right!:good:
---------- Post added at 09:23 AM ---------- Previous post was at 08:41 AM ----------
soundping said:
The 1amp.
Anything higher you'll damage the phone or the battery.
A wall plug power supply or a usb supply is 5.0v/1amp.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That means a higher capacity battery (more current NOT MORE VOLTAGE) will damage the phone?!!!!
Totally wrong!
A higher current will not damage the phone. A higher voltage will do it!
Please do not mix the current with voltage!
Voltage is same 5 Volts (±5%) for these “USB like” applications (1A or 2.1A power supply our case )They use USB socket/connector but usually only pin 1 and 4 (+ and-)
Regular computer USB port can supply max 0.5-0.9 A depending on version.
For battery charging devices the current can go to 5A.
Higher voltage will trip a warning window telling you to disconnect and use official HTC equipment.
The phone monitors input voltage to protect the equipment.
nyc_tdi said:
That means a higher capacity battery (more current NOT MORE VOLTAGE) will damage the phone?!!!!
Totally wrong!
A higher current will not damage the phone. A higher voltage will do it!
Please do not mix the current with voltage!
Voltage is same 5 Volts (±5%) for these “USB like” applications (1A or 2.1A power supply our case )They use USB socket/connector but usually only pin 1 and 4 (+ and-)
Regular computer USB port can supply max 0.5-0.9 A depending on version.
For battery charging devices the current can go to 5A.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
and to add to that... unless you take the charger apart and short pins 2 and 3, it will only ever draw 500mA, as it assumes that it is hooked up to a regular powered USB port... I have bought multiple car charger usb adapters, and I have taken all of them apart and soldered the 2nd and 3rd pins together... otherwise charge time = forever, and sometimes it won't even charge if you have wifi or data/gps/bluetooth all going at once...
I recently got an Amaze and am generally happy with it. The biggest problem I have right now is finding the right car charger for it because the car charger I previously used (a 1A monoprice car charger) doesn't give it enough charge. I have been reading through the forums and some has been saying that if the charger is not working properly, it will recognize it as charging via USB rather than AC. In my case, the phone seems to be reading it as charging through AC, but there still doesn't seem to be enough current going through it. The phone will only charge if NOTHING is going on (i.e. screen's off, no GPS, etc.). I've been using CoPilot GPS and it draws the battery like crazy. Anyone has any idea as to which car charger would work properly with the Amaze such that I'll be able to charge (or at least maintain the charge) while using it as a GPS? Do I need to go up to a 2.1A charger?
I would look for a 4-5 star rated 2.1a car charger on Amazon.
Just read through the comments and feedback and you'll find one that's right for you.
I prefer the USB charger base itself and then using the OEM cable that came with the Amaze.
It seems to charge faster with that cable, at least to me anyway.
Remember though if it's rated 2.1a but has two USB slots that 2.1a will be cut in half if used to charge two different devices.
Hope this helps.
I couldve sworn we talked about this months ago. Let me see if I can find the thread.
nguyendqh said:
I would look for a 4-5 star rated 2.1a car charger on Amazon.
Just read through the comments and feedback and you'll find one that's right for you.
I prefer the USB charger base itself and then using the OEM cable that came with the Amaze.
It seems to charge faster with that cable, at least to me anyway.
Remember though if it's rated 2.1a but has two USB slots that 2.1a will be cut in half if used to charge two different devices.
Hope this helps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you won't get the full 2.1a unless you usee a charge only cable or modify the charger as I stated above...
I ended up getting a 2.1A car charger and a USB charge only cable, and it's working perfectly. When I have the screen on full brightness and doing navigation with Co-Pilot GPS, my phone's no longer losing charge and is actually charging. The combo also works with my tablet as well.
blast0id said:
and to add to that... unless you take the charger apart and short pins 2 and 3, it will only ever draw 500mA, as it assumes that it is hooked up to a regular powered USB port... I have bought multiple car charger usb adapters, and I have taken all of them apart and soldered the 2nd and 3rd pins together... otherwise charge time = forever, and sometimes it won't even charge if you have wifi or data/gps/bluetooth all going at once...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is damn helpful! So THAT is why when driving and using gps or whatnot I would always lose more battery even on charger.. So basically I can just solder the middle 2 pins together to trick it into thinking it is being powered like a home charger? No chance it will hurt anything I assume?
Silentbtdeadly said:
This is damn helpful! So THAT is why when driving and using gps or whatnot I would always lose more battery even on charger.. So basically I can just solder the middle 2 pins together to trick it into thinking it is being powered like a home charger? No chance it will hurt anything I assume?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have done this to every single one of my USB car chargers... not a single issue...

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