Several people have asked my questions regarding the connector on that adapter that comes with the XDA II and allows you to use the AC/DC charger without the cradle. :idea:
THis info is quite usefull, also if you are building your own usb sync/charge cable.
First off, the AC/DC charger is rated at 5V and 1 amp, though it has a no-lead voltage around 6.3V (GND is on the outside of the charger plug, +5 Volts on the inside hole/pin). You don't really need the 1 amp to charge the XDA, it's just there so that you can also charge the second battery, which you can insert into the cradle .
Now for the Pinout on the adapter. See here for more info on the XDA connector: http://www.xda-developers.com/connectors/
Pin 20,21,22: +5 Volt
Pin 16,17,18: GND
Pin 5: GND
Shorting the lines across three pins provides current load leveling for charging.
Now for the usb sync/charge cable. Here we need to add the following pins:
Pin 2: GND (my usb charge/sync cable does not connect to pin 5, just pin 2, so these are probably shorted inside the XDA)
Pin 13: +5 Volt
Pin 14: USB Data H(+)
Pin 15: USB Data L (-)
From the design, it becomes evident that the pins 16-18/20-22 are only used for the charge circuitry. There is probably a current sensing circuit in this set.
Pins 2 and 5 are the digital ground. Pin 13 powers the usb circuitry, also waking the XDA and starting AxctiveSync.
BTW: The PDA will only charge if at least one of the pins 16,17,or 18 isconnected to ground and at least one of the pins 20,21 or 22 are connected to +5V. Otherwise, though the XDA may say it is charging, it will actually just drain the battery.
[email protected] said:
Several people have asked my questions regarding the connector on that adapter that comes with the XDA II and allows you to use the AC/DC charger without the cradle. :idea:
THis info is quite usefull, also if you are building your own usb sync/charge cable.
First off, the AC/DC charger is rated at 5V and 1 amp, though it has a no-lead voltage around 6.3V (GND is on the outside of the charger plug, +5 Volts on the inside hole/pin). You don't really need the 1 amp to charge the XDA, it's just there so that you can also charge the second battery, which you can insert into the cradle .
Now for the Pinout on the adapter. See here for more info on the XDA connector: http://www.xda-developers.com/connectors/
Pin 20,21,22: +5 Volt
Pin 16,17,18: GND
Pin 5: GND
Shorting the lines across three pins provides current load leveling for charging.
Now for the usb sync/charge cable. Here we need to add the following pins:
Pin 2: GND (my usb charge/sync cable does not connect to pin 5, just pin 2, so these are probably shorted inside the XDA)
Pin 13: +5 Volt
Pin 14: USB Data H(+)
Pin 15: USB Data L (-)
From the design, it becomes evident that the pins 16-18/20-22 are only used for the charge circuitry. There is probably a current sensing circuit in this set.
Pins 2 and 5 are the digital ground. Pin 13 powers the usb circuitry, also waking the XDA and starting AxctiveSync.
BTW: The PDA will only charge if at least one of the pins 16,17,or 18 isconnected to ground and at least one of the pins 20,21 or 22 are connected to +5V. Otherwise, though the XDA may say it is charging, it will actually just drain the battery.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just received my iMate XDA2. I have a charging connector/USB cable combo left over from my XDA1. I inserted it into the XDA2 and the amber glowed (charging) and got to green (charged). Your comment about if pins aren't grounded, unit appears to be charging but actually isn't. Is there a way to confirm the charge/USB combo is actually okay for my XDA2?
from what ive heard/been reading the XDA 2 charger kicks out 2Amp max not 1A
and cahrging via usb will drain your battery more then it will charge it?
so i dont think modding the cradel to charge via usb will do nothing but drain your xda2 whilst sitting on it as it will be lit up and activesync will be open
gaz
XDA2 Charging
gazzaman2k said:
from what ive heard/been reading the XDA 2 charger kicks out 2Amp max not 1A
and cahrging via usb will drain your battery more then it will charge it?
so i dont think modding the cradel to charge via usb will do nothing but drain your xda2 whilst sitting on it as it will be lit up and activesync will be open
gaz
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The charger is rated actually at 1 amp and for purposes of charging the 2nd battery in the cradle if one had a spare. Thus 500mA or less will charge the unit. It did mine.
oh how come on xpansys their chargers kick out 2A :? :shock:
Just for those without an electrical engineering degree:
Important for charging is the voltage, not the current. Sure, a large charge current could charge the battery faster, but even then only if the charge voltage were high enough. And then, these batteries are highly sensitive beasts, requiring a complex charge strategy - if the current is too high they just blow up! If the current is low, it just takes longer.
The MDA/XDA has an intelligent charge circuit, which is software controlled and most likely senses and controls the actual charge current. When doing a "full blow" charge it probably limits the current to around 0.5 amps (though I haven't measured this), but will decrease this current considerably once the battery gets nearly full (otherwise we would cook the battery).
Aes, you can charge the XDA without problems from the usb bus. The only caveat: check that cable -see above!. I do it all the time and in fact, have often gone into internet cafe's whilst on the road just to charge my XDA (cause the charger was defect).
And yes, you can see if the battery is really charging: if the light is on and the %-age full increases over a few minutes, then the battery is really charging.
ah cool cheers for clearing that up then lol so it does work my bad :\ just thought it was weird how their cahrgers are 2A meaning it will be charged in like 2 seconds like :\ thats what confused me
gazzaman2k said:
oh how come on xpansys their chargers kick out 2A :? :shock:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The rated output is 5V / 2A for the XDA2 AC adapter. My math was a little in error. If you don't have a 2nd battery charging in the cradle, than a 5V / 1A charger would suffice. Howver, it did a great job of charging just thru the USB cable. I can't remember off the top of my head what a USB line is capable of - 500mA??
Sorry for the confusion.
i've got the solution!!!
Hi everyone, i think i have the solution of XDA II not charging on USB port using XDA sync/charger cable... if u want the XDA II charging from USB, just open up the connector and disconnect the 20,21,22 pins from USB bus power line. After that, u can use XDA sync/charge cable in any USB port and they will sync and charge the XDA II.
How i know this??? 'cos i "reverse-engineered" the connection of the cradle... i was wondered y using the same usb port, the cradle can charge while the sync cable can't... so i test all the connection of the cradle and found that pin 20,21,22 and also pin 2 is disconnect. The pin 20,21,22 only connected to power when u plug in the DC into the cradle. This mean that pin 20,21,22 connected to DC (+) while the pin 2 is connected to DC (-) only when u plug in the external DC supply to the cradle.
I've modified my XDA sync cable and now i can charge my XDA II on any USB port even from my laptop. Hope this helps for those who purchased the XDA sync/charge cable to use with XDA II. :wink:
To those who like to go further....
The only problem that i can c now is that if u modified the cable and u use it with a car adaptor, will it charge the XDA II as fast as possible like when u plug in the external DC supply? OR will it only trickle charge the XDA II as using USB port? i really don't know 'cos i don't have a car here with me to try it out... but i think it will only trickle charge the XDA II only...
Therefore, to those who like to get charge faster in the car, u can install a small switch connected between the USB power line and pin 20,21,22. By switching the switch, u can choose between trickle charge and fast charge. 8)
Re: i've got the solution!!!
[so said:
hai®]Hi everyone, i think i have the solution of XDA II not charging on USB port using XDA sync/charger cable... if u want the XDA II charging from USB, just open up the connector and disconnect the 20,21,22 pins from USB bus power line. After that, u can use XDA sync/charge cable in any USB port and they will sync and charge the XDA II.
How i know this??? 'cos i "reverse-engineered" the connection of the cradle... i was wondered y using the same usb port, the cradle can charge while the sync cable can't... so i test all the connection of the cradle and found that pin 20,21,22 and also pin 2 is disconnect. The pin 20,21,22 only connected to power when u plug in the DC into the cradle. This mean that pin 20,21,22 connected to DC (+) while the pin 2 is connected to DC (-) only when u plug in the external DC supply to the cradle.
I've modified my XDA sync cable and now i can charge my XDA II on any USB port even from my laptop. Hope this helps for those who purchased the XDA sync/charge cable to use with XDA II. :wink:
To those who like to go further....
The only problem that i can c now is that if u modified the cable and u use it with a car adaptor, will it charge the XDA II as fast as possible like when u plug in the external DC supply? OR will it only trickle charge the XDA II as using USB port? i really don't know 'cos i don't have a car here with me to try it out... but i think it will only trickle charge the XDA II only...
Therefore, to those who like to get charge faster in the car, u can install a small switch connected between the USB power line and pin 20,21,22. By switching the switch, u can choose between trickle charge and fast charge. 8)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would be most carefull about this solution. I know that the charge-light will go on, but I'm not sure it will actually charge the battery (just check after 5-10 minutes if the batteries have really charged.
As you noted, the external charger goes across pins 20-22 (+5V) and 16-18(GND). This is where the XDA is meant to charge the battery - and it will do so under any conditions if the +5V is applied here. Pin 13 is meant to power the usb circuitry and it wakes the XDA II up, starting ActiveSync at the same time, it is not meant to charge the battery.
Hi, i've checked and tried on few machines... it really works... trust me... maybe the charging circuit on XDA II is different from XDA???
And as i said in the post b4, the connection is "copied" from the original cradle, so it's absolutely correct unless i did something wrong on my side... but well i've double checked it... :wink:
If u've some time to spare, can u pls check the connection of the cradle as well? it's good to verify so that all XDA II users will benefit from this... Thanks!
Should work, since I only use the cradle without power supply to charge my MDA II. Full or empty doesn't matter, the MDA II always gets fully charged.
Didn't measure the pin layout yet in my cradle.
Upgrading from T-mobile pocket pc phone edition to imate
In reveiewing this thread - it appears that I will be able to use my car charging cradle, and my USB chrger/synch cable, perhaps with some minor pin adjustments.
I would like to know if anyone has experienced any damage/ problems relating to using xda1 accessories with the xda2.
Also, I have the thumb-keyboard, and wonder if anyone has tried using the xda1 thumbboard with the xda2. Would like to avoid re-buying all my accessories if possible. Help is appreciated.
Thom Hall
Upgrading from T-mobile pocket pc phone edition to imate
In reveiewing this thread - it appears that I will be able to use my car charging cradle, and my USB chrger/synch cable, perhaps with some minor pin adjustments.
I would like to know if anyone has experienced any damage/ problems relating to using xda1 accessories with the xda2.
Also, I have the thumb-keyboard, and wonder if anyone has tried using the xda1 thumbboard with the xda2. Would like to avoid re-buying all my accessories if possible. Help is appreciated.
Thom Hall
Re: i've got the solution!!!
[so said:
hai®]Hi everyone, i think i have the solution of XDA II not charging on USB port using XDA sync/charger cable... if u want the XDA II charging from USB, just open up the connector and disconnect the 20,21,22 pins from USB bus power line. After that, u can use XDA sync/charge cable in any USB port and they will sync and charge the XDA II.
How i know this??? 'cos i "reverse-engineered" the connection of the cradle... i was wondered y using the same usb port, the cradle can charge while the sync cable can't... so i test all the connection of the cradle and found that pin 20,21,22 and also pin 2 is disconnect. The pin 20,21,22 only connected to power when u plug in the DC into the cradle. This mean that pin 20,21,22 connected to DC (+) while the pin 2 is connected to DC (-) only when u plug in the external DC supply to the cradle.
I've modified my XDA sync cable and now i can charge my XDA II on any USB port even from my laptop. Hope this helps for those who purchased the XDA sync/charge cable to use with XDA II. :wink:
To those who like to go further....
The only problem that i can c now is that if u modified the cable and u use it with a car adaptor, will it charge the XDA II as fast as possible like when u plug in the external DC supply? OR will it only trickle charge the XDA II as using USB port? i really don't know 'cos i don't have a car here with me to try it out... but i think it will only trickle charge the XDA II only...
Therefore, to those who like to get charge faster in the car, u can install a small switch connected between the USB power line and pin 20,21,22. By switching the switch, u can choose between trickle charge and fast charge. 8)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just to check with you, i am going to test my car charger....are you saying that the +ve needs to be connected to either one of the pins (#20,21,22) and -ve to gnd pins (16,17,18).
Is all the gnd #2,#5, #16, #17 & #18 shorted? and pin#20, 21 and 22 shorted as well?
Thanks. :?:
Hi i've made a "not-so-nice" layout... which i think explained better than myself... :lol:
The lower part showed the connection needs to sync and charge with USB only. The upper part become valid when u plug in the external DC into the cradle. I do think that pins 2,5 is somehow shorted internally.
So, if u test ur car charger, i think pins 20,21,22 should shorted with pin 13 to the power(+) while pins 2,5,16,17,18 are shorted to ground(-).
The XDA car charger shouldn't be a problem to charge the XDA II... it's just the XDA USB sync and charge cable that causing the non-charge bug on XDA II...
Hope this clear all the confusion... :wink:
Best regards,
[so said:
hai®]Hi i've made a "not-so-nice" layout... which i think explained better than myself... :lol:
The lower part showed the connection needs to sync and charge with USB only. The upper part become valid when u plug in the external DC into the cradle. I do think that pins 2,5 is somehow shorted internally.
So, if u test ur car charger, i think pins 20,21,22 should shorted with pin 13 to the power(+) while pins 2,5,16,17,18 are shorted to ground(-).
The XDA car charger shouldn't be a problem to charge the XDA II... it's just the XDA USB sync and charge cable that causing the non-charge bug on XDA II...
Hope this clear all the confusion... :wink:
Thanks for the clarification. As i am not able to tell where i should start count on the pin and also which leg it belongs to, can you shed some light on this.
I have attached 2 pics of cable end.
Best regards,
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Anyway to modify a Boxwave cable for use with an XDA II?
Have read the posts with interest. Can someone confirm what needs to be done to get a USB cable to charge.
Many thanks
o2xda2 said:
[so said:
hai®]Hi i've made a "not-so-nice" layout... which i think explained better than myself... :lol:
The lower part showed the connection needs to sync and charge with USB only. The upper part become valid when u plug in the external DC into the cradle. I do think that pins 2,5 is somehow shorted internally.
So, if u test ur car charger, i think pins 20,21,22 should shorted with pin 13 to the power(+) while pins 2,5,16,17,18 are shorted to ground(-).
The XDA car charger shouldn't be a problem to charge the XDA II... it's just the XDA USB sync and charge cable that causing the non-charge bug on XDA II...
Hope this clear all the confusion... :wink:
Thanks for the clarification. As i am not able to tell where i should start count on the pin and also which leg it belongs to, can you shed some light on this.
I have attached 2 pics of cable end.
Best regards,
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The odd pins (1,3,5...21) are located on one side, the even pins (2,4,6...22) on the other side. Your left picture shows the even and the right picture the odd pins.
Fidl
Hi all,
I'm sure this will infuriate those guys who are trying their best to explain this to us thickies....but.....
I have purchased the L'il Sync cable from eXpansys (from PPCTech I think) and, obviously, it won't charge the XDA-II.
Now I have a soldering iron, and I'm prepared to use it, but I need to know EXACTLY which wires to chop, or where to solder. I'm still having trouble woking out whether to solder pin 16,17 or 18 to somewhere - or whether to cut other wires off. I fact - I don't really know which pin is which!
I know you guys have the know-how - but you need to make it really simple for me to understand!
Please help!!
Thanks,
MB
Related
Is it only me or the USB craddle of the new XDA also works as a a chrager through the USB port ????
Every time i hook up my XDA II to the craddle the charging led lids even it is not connected to the charger and i can see in the power options that it is chraging.
Is it by design or something wrong with my usb port????
Thanks
Similar but related observation.
I have a Sync-n-Charge cable - you know, one of those wizzy little cotton-reel ones that rewinds itself for easy storage. I bought it for my XDA and it works a treat, but I have since tried it on my new shiny XDAII and although it sync's beautifully and says it is charging, it doesn't actually charge the battery, the %age under Settings-Power continues to go down. I assume that this has got something to do with the fact that we now have 1200ma batteries rather than the 800ma or soriginal o in the XDA. Is this true. :?
ArcticCat - does the cradle actually charge the XDAII?
I've got an MDA II and it does charge when in the cradle which is good because I've only got a german AC adapter and I'm in the UK.
ArcticCat said:
Is it only me or the USB craddle of the new XDA also works as a a chrager through the USB port ????
Every time i hook up my XDA II to the craddle the charging led leds even it is not connected to the charger and i can see in the power options that it is chraging.
Is it by design or something wrong with my usb port????
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes. My Xda II charges while on cradle. Sometimes, when there is no problem with ActiveSync, I can also have internet access.
These are my questions about XDA II cradle:
1. I just wanted to know if the extra slot at the back of the cradle can charge a 2nd battery. If yes, can I place a 2nd battery on the additional slot and cradle my XDA II at the same time?
It worries me now that it might explode right on my face. I usually place my cradle on top of my pc desk, so, that whenever I find cab files and new softwares, online, for XDA II, I can test them immediately. Perhaps, I'll just take the 2nd battery off from the cradle for the meantime.
2. The back of the cradle has a hole that seems to fit nokia cellphone charger. What is it for? Is it a socket for wall charger/ac adapter? If Yes, can I use nokia charger instead?
3. And how about the AUX BATTERY led at the lower right side of the cradle, what is it for? Does it lights up when in usb or wall charger/ac adapter mode?
4. Finally, how about the 3 dots at the lower left side of the cradle, is it a speaker? What is it for?
I can't find the answers yet. Please help.
my cradle have the option of both getting power from usb and the psu plug'd into the cradle
depending on the computer it's connected to it should charge both when the computer is on and off over usb
but some older pc's and of cause laptops without any power will not charge over usb when they are off
with the psu connector in the cradle it charge no matter what
elmoxdaII said:
Yes. My Xda II charges while on cradle. Sometimes, when there is no problem with ActiveSync, I can also have internet access.
These are my questions about XDA II cradle:
1. I just wanted to know if the extra slot at the back of the cradle can charge a 2nd battery. If yes, can I place a 2nd battery on the additional slot and cradle my XDA II at the same time?
It worries me now that it might explode right on my face. I usually place my cradle on top of my pc desk, so, that whenever I find cab files and new softwares, online, for XDA II, I can test them immediately. Perhaps, I'll just take the 2nd battery off from the cradle for the meantime.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Perfectly safe, i do it all the time.
2. The back of the cradle has a hole that seems to fit nokia cellphone charger. What is it for? Is it a socket for wall charger/ac adapter? If Yes, can I use nokia charger instead?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Any charger that puts out approx 5v DC at 1-2A with +ve centre will do.
I have them from various phones/PDAs/MP3 Players and they all seem to be interchangeable.
3. And how about the AUX BATTERY led at the lower right side of the cradle, what is it for? Does it lights up when in usb or wall charger/ac adapter mode?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It lights up when there is power to the wee socket on the back, see question 2.
4. Finally, how about the 3 dots at the lower left side of the cradle, is it a speaker? What is it for?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No idea, sorry.
I can't find the answers yet. Please help.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
deedee said:
Perfectly safe, i do it all the time.
Any charger that puts out approx 5v DC at 1-2A with +ve centre will do.
I have them from various phones/PDAs/MP3 Players and they all seem to be interchangeable.
It lights up when there is power to the wee socket on the back, see question 2.
No idea, sorry.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
YOU are very helpful. I appreciate you taking sometime answering my lengthy questions, in an orderly fashion.
Have a nice day!
my dad recently lend me his XDA IIs and i was wondering if i can charge it in my car using a usual ac chager (the one with the cig socket on the end and a circle ac with a yellow tip on the other) because the package came with an XDA IIs Connector Adapter.. a small connector that connects to the bottom of the xda and a plug where the xda 2 charger for the cradle on the other end..
can i use it to connect it with a normal AC plug for cars?
thanks a bunch!
ligther plugs from cars give DC i'm pretty sure not AC
and you may want to look at connectors in wiki
because ipaq's have the same plug as xda's
but different wireing and if the charger is made for ipaq's
then you need to mod them
you can buy xda2 2020i car chargers from any o2 shops for £19.99
jim
oh yeah cars give DC. sorry my bad.
my connector came with the xda IIs unit so i'm pretty sure its for the xda. i'm just thinking if i can charge it with a norml car cig plug DC.
well if the connector is the same
and + and - is connected the same
and it give the same volts
then you can use it
hmmmm + and - eh? hmm.. yeah.. i think it'll work. thanks!
It will not.
You need a 5 V DC outlet to your XDA II.
If you plug 12 V DC in you'll see what happens.
Sascha
Charging XDA2 from in-car charger
It does work fine. Have done this using 4.5v/600mA regulated dc/dc adaptor with plug matching that used on original XDA2 mains adaptor - centre is positive, outer negative . I know that mains unit is 5v/2A but my car adaptor works fine in car and boat. Of course you're not feeding 12v directly to your XDA.
thanks for the replies! yep. i wont put in 12v.. thanks for the advice. i'll probably do the same with tomdick. nice one. thanks.
This message is a summary of my previous messages. I hope that it will be useful. I wrote this to document what I found out about the Epic. I'm cheap, and I didn't want to buy ANOTHER charger for my car. I had a 3A, 2-port USB charger, and I was mad that my Epic was charging slowly. I managed to modify my charger to get it to perform just like the wall charger that came with my phone.
---
Q: How much current does the Epic draw from a normal (bus-powered) USB port when charging?
A: 380mA.
Q: How much current does the Epic draw from the OEM 700mA wall charger when charging?
A: 600mA
Q: How much current does the Epic draw from a car charger or an aftermarket wall charger?
A: It depends...
If the charger has the two data pins (D+ and D-) shorted, the Epic will attempt to draw 600mA. Otherwise, it will draw 380mA.
Q: How can I tell if my phone is charging at 380mA or 600mA?
A: Turn off USB debugging (Home Screen\Settings\Applications\Development\USB debugging).
If you plug into a 380mA source (D+ and D- not shorted), you get a "Charging/Mass Storage/Tethered Mode" popup when you unlock your phone.
If you plug into a 600mA source (D+ and D- shorted), you do not get a popup.
Q: I have a 1A micro USB charger from another phone. Can I use it to charge the Epic?
A: Yes, but you won't get it to charge any faster than the 700mA OEM wall charger. The phone will only draw 600mA at most, regardless of how many amps the charger can supply. (And that assumes that D+ and D- are shorted.)
Q: I have a Palm Pre wall charger. I've heard that it charges the phone faster than the Epic wall charger. Is this true?
A: No. The Palm Pre wall charger does not charge the phone any faster than normal. With my phone hooked up, I measured 590mA (600mA with cable loss). I also saw that the charger had D+ and D- shorted. It behaves exactly like the Epic's charger.
Q: Will these 1A chargers damage my phone?
A: As long as the charger is able to supply the necessary current without overheating, chargers from other phones will not damage the Epic. A charger may be rated for 3A, but the Epic controls how much current it draws.
If you buy a cheap charger, you run the risk of having the charger's chip burn up. Among other things, this could short the charger's input voltage (12V from a car) to the USB V+ line and fry your phone.
Q: I have a USB charger that seems to charge my phone slooooowly. What can I do?
A: Your charger is probably supplying 380mA (or worse). You have a few options:
NOTE: Before doing any of this, make sure that your charger is rated at 700mA or greater. If you have an unmarked charger, chances are that it will not be able to supply 700mA out of the box. Many car charger (such as those for the Nintendo DS) have built-in current limiters that prevent the device from drawing too much current.
1. Modify Your Charger: Open up the charger and look to see if D+ and D- are shorted. (They are the two middle pins on the standard size USB plug.) Modify your charger so that it shorts D+ and D-, and remove any pull-up or pull-down resistors that connect D+ and/or D- to power or ground.
2. Modify A Cable: Slice open a spare micro USB cable (or the cable from your charger), being careful not to damage the red or black wires. Cut the green and white wires (D+ and D-). Strip off a little bit of the insulation from the green and white wires that lead to the micro USB connector. Twist these wires together and wrap in electrical tape.
NOTE: This will prevent the cable from being used as a USB data transfer cable.
3. Buy a USB Charging Cable: Look for a special USB charging cable that already has D+ and D- shorted.
Q: If I buy or make a charging cable, can I get 600mA from a normal (bus-powered) USB port?
A: It depends. The USB spec says that a port can only supply 500mA max. There is usually an overcurrent monitor built into the port that will prevent an overcurrent condition. The OS will pop up a message telling you that you've exceeded the current sourcing capacity of the port.
There are some laptops, however that have ports that allow you to violate the USB spec and draw up to 1A from a port.
Use caution when experimenting.
Q: Can you tell how much current the device draws from the device?
A: No. You CAN, however, get a battery graphing app like Battery Graph.
http://www.appbrain.com/app/battery-...odroid.battery
If you set the monitoring interval to 1 minute and start charging your phone (which should be low on charge) with the wall charger, you'll see a battery curve. You can then repeat this process with your alternate charging method. If you compare the slopes of the charging curves, you'll be able to tell if your alternate charging method is performing the same as your wall charger.
It's not as quick as using a DMM, but it works. It's how I initially saw I was having a problem.
Q: How can you tell if your USB cable has D+/D- shorted?
A: 99% of all cables will not have the lines shorted. You have to buy a "charging cable". But if you are in doubt as to what cable is what, plug it into a PC's USB port. Either the PC will detect the device (not shorted), or you'll trip the USB port's overcurrent mode (shorted).
Or... You can buy a DMM and check the resistance between D+ and D-.
- N
Is there a way to display on the Epic how much current it is drawing? Or some other way to tell if the cable being used is D+/D- shorted?
Thank you. Very helpful.
jasonsf said:
Is there a way to display on the Epic how much current it is drawing? Or some other way to tell if the cable being used is D+/D- shorted?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good questions!
Q: Can you tell how much current the device draws from the device?
A: No. You CAN, however, get a battery graphing app like Battery Graph.
http://www.appbrain.com/app/battery-graph/com.modroid.battery
If you set the monitoring interval to 1 minute and start charging your phone (which should be low on charge) with the wall charger, you'll see a battery curve. You can then repeat this process with your alternate charging method. If you compare the slopes of the charging curves, you'll be able to tell if your alternate charging method is performing the same as your wall charger.
It's not as quick as using a DMM, but it works. It's how I initially saw I was having a problem.
Q: How can you tell if your USB cable has D+/D- shorted?
A: 99% of all cables will not have the lines shorted. You have to buy a "charging cable". But if you are in doubt as to what cable is what, plug it into a PC's USB port. Either the PC will detect the device (not shorted), or you'll trip the USB port's overcurrent mode (shorted).
Or... You can buy a DMM and check the resistance between D+ and D-.
Awesome! Thanks for the info!
Oh, one more thing. Are you saying that the wall charger shorts D+ and D- at the plug? So any cable is essentially shorted when using the wall charger?
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA App
jasonsf said:
Awesome! Thanks for the info!
Oh, one more thing. Are you saying that the wall charger shorts D+ and D- at the plug? So any cable is essentially shorted when using the wall charger?
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You are correct.
For the Epic, the wall charger shorts D+ and D- together.
For wall or car chargers that have a non-removable cable, 99% of the time the short will be inside the charger and NOT in the cable.
Every computer I've used gladly lets me draw 1A without complaints. My old TP was hacked to draw 1A and nothing complained. Didn't even damage the cheapest of the cheap ebay chargers.
Firon said:
Every computer I've used gladly lets me draw 1A without complaints. My old TP was hacked to draw 1A and nothing complained. Didn't even damage the cheapest of the cheap ebay chargers.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
YMMV. My netbook prevents me from drawing more than 500mA per port.
It all depends on how the USB port circuit is laid out. In the designs I've seen, there's usually a power distribution switch (PDS) in-line with the port that provides overcurrent protection. When that switch trips, it sends a bit to the hub chip that tells the hub that the port is in overcurrent state. (The PDS's secondary function is short-circuit protection. If you stick a car key in your USB port, your computer won't blow up.)
PDS's come in different current cutoff steps, so it is up to the PC manufacturer to choose the right one.
If your PC can't supply the 600mA on a single port to charge the phone, buy one of those USB power splitter cables that lets you draw from 2 ports at once.
I have found that if you plug in the phone and the options for charging, mass storage and tethering pop up, then you are only charging at 380mA. If nothing pops up then you are most likely charging at 600mA.
muyoso said:
I have found that if you plug in the phone and the options for charging, mass storage and tethering pop up, then you are only charging at 380mA. If nothing pops up then you are most likely charging at 600mA.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ding! You are correct. I never noticed because you don't get prompted AT ALL if you have USB debugging turned on.
This is a little off topic. Does the usb cable initiate Dock Mode? I know some other phones use magnets in the dock, but I think I read that the Galaxy S phones detect the car or home dock via the USB cable. Did you discover a mechanism for this in your usb research?
jasonsf said:
This is a little off topic. Does the usb cable initiate Dock Mode? I know some other phones use magnets in the dock, but I think I read that the Galaxy S phones detect the car or home dock via the USB cable. Did you discover a mechanism for this in your usb research?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No... I didn't find anything. Maybe I'll "rent" a dock from the Sprint store and find out.
Very nice write up. Answered all the questions I had about the slow charging of this phone. Thanks again.
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA App
I am getting substantially faster charges with a 1amp charger than the oem 700, it looks like it is using close to the 1000 ma on some chargers.
aero1 said:
I am getting substantially faster charges with a 1amp charger than the oem 700, it looks like it is using close to the 1000 ma on some chargers.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'll have to pay attention to mine. I started using the 1 amp charger that came with my Touch Pro. I charge it overnight so I don't pay attention to how fast it is charging, but I'll see if I can notice tonight.
aero1 said:
I am getting substantially faster charges with a 1amp charger than the oem 700, it looks like it is using close to the 1000 ma on some chargers.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Which chargers? I'll be happy to try any charger that you recommend.
I haven't tested charging by timing the charges, but I have installed a widget that tells me an approximate charge rate called currentwidget, and it gives me the EXACT same values for a 700 ma charger or a 1000 ma charger. Unless this widget is just straight up lying, the phone won't charge any faster than a 700 ma charger no matter how large of a charger you throw at it.
IBNobody said:
2. Modify A Cable: Slice open a spare micro USB cable (or the cable from your charger), being careful not to damage the red or black wires. Cut the green and white wires (D+ and D-). Strip off a little bit of the insulation from the green and white wires that lead to the micro USB connector. Twist these wires together and wrap in electrical tape.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was going to suggest just taping over the data pins in the USB connector (obviously, the regular, non-micro end), but I just tried it and it still popped up the Charging/Mass Storage/Tether, though selecting Mass Storage doesn't work -- the device is not detected by the computer for obvious reasons. I've been using this trick for a while for my mp3 player and my Hero at work and was surprised that it didn't work.
reauxgg said:
I was going to suggest just taping over the data pins in the USB connector (obviously, the regular, non-micro end), but I just tried it and it still popped up the Charging/Mass Storage/Tether, though selecting Mass Storage doesn't work -- the device is not detected by the computer for obvious reasons. I've been using this trick for a while for my mp3 player and my Hero at work and was surprised that it didn't work.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, you need to short those pins together. If you leave them open, it won't go into high-current charge mode.
Those other devices may have had D+ and D- connected across a termination resistor. Putting tape on the pins would have worked then.
IBNobody- I was wondering if you could explain this one- when I plug my epic into the usb port of the cheap charger that came with 2 batteries off of ebay (see here) my epic seems to freeze and the touch screen becomes unresponsive- the charger states it puts out 5.2V 800ma
Could it be that the phone is trying to figure out if its being plugged into a computer vs a simple charger?
Anyone wanting to know how to fast charge using the usb port on your pc/laptop?
This usually takes ages compared to charging via mains lead, the hack itself is quite simple and involves modifying the usb cable
my results are as follows (these can vary depending on what you are using your phone for, what background apps running, etc.
charging with mains lead :
4.2v
998mah
mains ac
charging with STANDARD usb lead:
422mah
3.999v
standard usb
and finally the MODIFIED usb lead hack:
4.161v
782mah
usb hack
as you can see it is a 53% increase in charging compared to standard usb charging mah, and slightly under mains ac charging mah,
as my phone is always plugged in at my work pc or home pc or laptop or whatever this works out good
TUT:
use at your own risk this is for information purposes only and I hold no responsibility to any damage that may arise
using a micro usb cable (charging cable for htc phones)
cut it using a pliers half way through the cable
using pliers again cut away the thick black wiring, the red and black small wiring, and white and green wiring
from the usb port end to the microusb connect the black and red cables together so they join
from the microusb end short out the white and green cables together
from the usb port end leave the white and green cables, do not touch these
use insulation tape/solder to clean it up and then your cable is ready
I will make a mod for car chargers also soon
see attached image showing which wires to cut and which to join up and which to leave alone, if this helped you in anyway (it should help you ) then please hit the thanks button
this mod will trick your pc/laptop/htc into thinking that it is not a pc usb cable and will allow higher currents and voltage to your phone
you can check this with current widget from market place
once this mod is done, you cannot use the same cable again for pc/usb tethering or usb disk drive, only cable can be used for charging
Care to explain how you did it? I got a spare Micro USB cable willing to try and make a tutorial with pictures.
So you forgot to put the directions for the mod...
Sent from my Sensation 4g using XDA App
directions are up with a picture
Seems awesome, but I'd be way too scared to try that on my own. >.<
First of all im not against this mod. Just want to share my experience just this morning.
I charge my phone via the stock usb cable to my pc and leave until morning approx 7hrs. What happen now my phone Menu button become unresponsive tried different method, shake google for answer , but nothing work. Worst come to worse i may return the phone to HTC for repair. So for anyone want to try this be careful, this could be a problem with HTC as it could result more problem.
HTH
Sounds dangerous and a bit risky. Why not just use a USB y cable and a micro USB adapter?
http://item.mobileweb.ebay.com.au/viewitem?itemId=370586078337
Its not dangerous nor risky in my opinion...
I am using this trick since I owned HTC TYTN2 and I`m using it now.
Hmmm...
I always thought the different voltages came from the charging adaptor..
The phone adaptors have normal charging voltages so thats why charge normal speed... however PCs have lesser voltage due to USB ports. I think the PC voltage varies on the device that's plugged in.
Thus, we can use the same cable for charging with an adaptor and also for data transfer and the phone knows what its plugged into.
Pardon me if i'm wrong... could be a misconception i had
Why go to that bother when you can just plug in the adaptor!
Sent from my Sensation using Tapatalk
thunderskain said:
Hmmm...
I always thought the different voltages came from the charging adaptor..
The phone adaptors have normal charging voltages so thats why charge normal speed... however PCs have lesser voltage due to USB ports. I think the PC voltage varies on the device that's plugged in.
Thus, we can use the same cable for charging with an adaptor and also for data transfer and the phone knows what its plugged into.
Pardon me if i'm wrong... could be a misconception i had
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's got nothing to do with the voltages, they are the same. The phone senses that the data wires are not connected together (open) and presumes that it is plugged into a pc / laptop usb port. Because of this the phone then restricts the current it draws from it's source so that it doesn't cause damage to the pc / laptop usb power supply.
Inside the phone charger the data connections will be shorted out so the phone knows it's the charger and can draw full current.
There is a chance that it could damage the pc / laptop if the usb port supply is not rated high enough
Just to update the thread, I've been using this for the last year and a half on all the HTC's I own and no issue at all,
I can connect my phone to my laptop if i dont have access to mains
I can use the cable in the car to a usb charger (which charge slow for some reason)
there are many reasons i.e. in work where I can only use a usb port and no extra plugs for a/c, it means I don't have to carry a plug around with me just a usb cable,
A good post, the issues around drawing to much power could effect older laptops
If I understand correctlly USB3 has the ability to supply more power than USB 2
Anyone any idea if this would reduce charge times without the mod?
battery will die soon enough...
you should place a 220 Ohm resistor between the data lines (green and white) if you do that, you will be able to use the where it was intended for, data
with the 200~220 Ohm resistor the phone recognizes the connection as AC-charger. i dit this with a DealExtreme carcharger
source: http://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Upgradi...-current-to-HTC-Hero-and-other-devices/5172/1
If you can get to the ID-pin of the USB-connector (pin4) and connect the following resistors to GND, you get interesting USB modes
Dock-mode = 44-49 kOhms
Car-dock = 5-16 kOhms
source: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1185431
I've done this, and soldered all the cables in the right positions, now I'm testing the charge times between this and a normal usb cable on my HTC G1.
First thing I noticed was that my phone says charging via AC, instead of usb.
Will edit this with the results.
Edit : Been a while, forgot about this, so I forget the exact numbers, but my phone charged around 1 and half hours faster with this mod, and yes, it was on USB 3.0 so its quite good.
Worthless to try if you don't have USB 3.0.
Sent from my GT-I9100 using xda premium
Does this mod increase charge with main AC lead that output 2A e.g. Ipad charger head???
usb3 provides up to 900ma
so usb3 should work without any problems
this is usb specification
http://www.usr.com/education/peripherals0.asp
by default usb2 provides 500ma unless it is asked for more by the device, this is where the mod of the cable comes into play, it provides up to 1000ma with this mod
johnerz said:
If I understand correctlly USB3 has the ability to supply more power than USB 2
Anyone any idea if this would reduce charge times without the mod?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have an Notebook with USB3.0 and also Power-USB. (Power usb only works with a dockingstation).
The charging is also bad. Takes about ~4 hours from 2% - 100%.
I thought about power reducement by phone, when dataconnection is available. Now I know it for sure :-/
I'm a soft - not a hard - guy!!
I bought a 2 port, 2A/1A charger offa hee-heebay. I doesn't charge so fast USB specs tell me to short the data pins, on here theres talk of resistor values across pins 4/5.
What do I need to do to get the most current down a USB cable for charging?? Well, apart from holding it in the air in an open field in a thunderstorm.....
Thanks, H.
Just go and buy an original Samsung car charger ... they're only 10 Euro or something like that.
The cheap ones from fleeBay have poor quality components that don't output enough current. I've tested one that from 5.3V on a 0mA load dropped to 3V on a ~500mA load and it didn't got past ~700mA, this adapter was rated 1A at 5V ... and don't make me get started on the safety .
Isn't it ok or simplier just to connect the phone to USB port on the CD Player ?
Yes, you can. but the USB port on most head units rarely have a high output so expect the charging to go very slowly or just keep your battery with the same power level. So a car charger is still recommended if you want to charge your phone fast.
Well I figured it out. Thanks. It might be that shorting the data will do it. The iCharger (tm) I bought has resistors across the data lines, presumably for charging the eyes.
Solution: 1A car USB and Semaphore / fastcharge.
Thanks
Sent from my MOMO9 using xda app-developers app