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Usual Car charger vs. USB Car Charger

It is not a secret, that charging over data cable is slower, rather than over electrical plug. I think it is due to USB max current is 500mAh, while my direct charger output in 1000 mAh.
I wondering if the same is relevant to car chargers. I'm having the one of so-called USB Car Chargers, which has the USB plug as output, than you connect it to your phone thru the data cable.
If I buy a usual mini-usb car charger, would I get any benefits in charging speed?
Thanks.

usb max current is 500ma on the spec, you can draw much more than that over the copper.. as long as it's not being regulated by "compliant" circuitry/drivers, you should be able to draw 1000ma

Ive been looking into this tonight, and I checked my GF's iPhone wall charger (which is basically a wall USB charger) and it outputs 1000ma as well, and ive found a few usb car chargers putting out 700, 800, and even over 1000ma... only problem i have is i need it to be compact... i currently have a 500ma one in the car but that didnt seem to really charge the phone...

Wickedchild said:
Ive been looking into this tonight, and I checked my GF's iPhone wall charger (which is basically a wall USB charger) and it outputs 1000ma as well, and ive found a few usb car chargers putting out 700, 800, and even over 1000ma... only problem i have is i need it to be compact... i currently have a 500ma one in the car but that didnt seem to really charge the phone...
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Click to collapse
The reason I am asking is similar:
When I am driving with gps and 3G turned on my phone is never fully charged. In fact, it seems it even uncharging a bit. I am wondering if the same happening with usual mini-usb car charger.
And if I want to buy new on ebay, they never specify the mAh parameter.

I bought a 1000mAh USB car charger for a couple bucks at monoprice.com.

Wickedchild said:
Ive been looking into this tonight, and I checked my GF's iPhone wall charger (which is basically a wall USB charger) and it outputs 1000ma as well, and ive found a few usb car chargers putting out 700, 800, and even over 1000ma... only problem i have is i need it to be compact... i currently have a 500ma one in the car but that didnt seem to really charge the phone...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
worry said:
The reason I am asking is similar:
When I am driving with gps and 3G turned on my phone is never fully charged. In fact, it seems it even uncharging a bit. I am wondering if the same happening with usual mini-usb car charger.
And if I want to buy new on ebay, they never specify the mAh parameter.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
same here... when i have the turn by turn going on full brightness and such it does uncharge a bit over time... but look on the bright side, its not getting raped as much as it would be if it were just using the battery

uansari1 said:
I bought a 1000mAh USB car charger for a couple bucks at monoprice.com.
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Click to collapse
Can you share the link?

worry said:
Can you share the link?
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Click to collapse
yeah, lol... monoprice.com.

uansari1 said:
yeah, lol... monoprice.com.
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Click to collapse
I mean link to the item you've bought.
If I search for micro usb car charger I would get only this:
Motorola V8, V9 Series Car Charger for RAZR2

worry said:
I mean link to the item you've bought.
If I search for micro usb car charger I would get only this:
Motorola V8, V9 Series Car Charger for RAZR2
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Click to collapse
Hmmm... they don't seem to have it on their site anymore, which is odd cuz I ordered it only a month ago. Here's the info off my e-invoice:
Product ID-3523, Car Charger (Cigarette Lighter) to USB Female Converter - Black $1.16
You might want to email them and ask when they'll have them back in stock.

you can find them on ebay

here's a two USB port, 1000mA jobber for cheap.. $6.99
http://www.usbfever.com/index_eproduct_view.php?products_id=216

uansari1 said:
Hmmm... they don't seem to have it on their site anymore, which is odd cuz I ordered it only a month ago. Here's the info off my e-invoice:
Product ID-3523, Car Charger (Cigarette Lighter) to USB Female Converter - Black $1.16
You might want to email them and ask when they'll have them back in stock.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I see a white one atm

akifbayram said:
I can confirm the 1000mah, I purchased mine from Cimo, http://cimousa.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=22_27&products_id=113
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me too....this charger is awesome

Ordered 3 chargers off of ebay, none work

Ordered a universal one with wall attachment and car attachment and when I connect the USB to microUSB cord the phone doesn't charge. Ordered another stand alone car charger and it, also, doesn't charge. If I attach the USB cord that came with the phone to the wall/car charger it charges fine. Both, specifically said for the "Nexus One". Is it an amp issue? Most microUSB charger in the mall cell phone kiosks won't charge it either. Is it a proprietary microUSB cord that I need or a matter of amps or something?

Why not buy from Monoprice.com?!
I ordered 8 USB cords (2/each of 4 different lengths), 2 Car Chargers, and 2 Wall chargers. All work perfectly fine, and I paid under $25. (Wife has a CLIQ, so we got plenty to work for both of us.)
So, I don't know what your issue is... Other than just not going to Monoprice

JJackson9995 said:
Why not buy from Monoprice.com?!
I ordered 8 USB cords (2/each of 4 different lengths), 2 Car Chargers, and 2 Wall chargers. All work perfectly fine, and I paid under $25. (Wife has a CLIQ, so we got plenty to work for both of us.)
So, I don't know what your issue is... Other than just not going to Monoprice
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
well I havent ordered from monoprice since customers got slammed with bogus charges... i guess i could give them another try though, but still... kinda weary

Why? I had over $1300 attempted to be spent at Newegg, and my CC company called me and stopped the charges. Got a new CC in the mail the following day. Some random amount at Apple as well. LOL. Fun times.
(Yes, it happened to me. I'm fairly confident it was from the same issue as others..) But, that doesn't stop me from using a company that makes good products, expecially when they just made such a big mistake. Odds are, it won't be happening again for a long while
Either way... Those are risks with online shopping. You just have to make sure that your method of purchase has fail-safes.

I have a CRAP load of mini USB chargers (all HTC stock) and didn't want to buy more. I bought a bunch of Motorola mini to micro adapters off Overstock.com for $2 a piece and couldn't be happier. I also bought the official Google cradle to avoid additional wear and tear on the microUSB port.
-Mc

I bought a car/home charger from eBay when I had my Motorola Cliq, and my home charger would keep going on/off charging. I later found out that it was the voltage issue, where the charger was giving a maximum of 5 amps and the Motorola Cliq needed 5.1V or something like that.

But most chargers I've bought don't power the Nexus One. What specific voltage or amps should I look for it to have? The two I bought off of eBay specifically said they were for the Nexus One. Neither worked. Sellers are putting any micro SD chargers up for sale assuming they will change the phone. They will not. What technical spec will tell me if it really will charge it?

Could someone post a link to a USB charger that absolutely works? I just bought another one from Best Buy that doesn't charge the Nexus. Made by Rocketfish and is suppose to be universal.

Thats really wierd. Every charger i've tried works fine.
You're charger should be outputting 5V and anywhere from 300mA upwards. There is no max mA limit because the phone will only draw what it needs.
This might sound patronising, and I really dont mean it to, but when you say doesnt charge how do you know?
Do you mean from totally flat it won't turn the phone on and start charging it, or do you mean when the phone is on the battery indicator doesnt show a charging, and the LED doesnt go orange/green?
Or do you mean it never charges to full?

When I plug it in it's as if nothing happens. No light, no thunderbolt symbol on the battery, no screen wake-up, nothing. Nada. Now, the HTC wall charger and usb charger work fine. But if a MicroUSB charger calls itself "universal" it does not mean it will charge the Nexus. The HTC HD2 charger my wife has works fine on the Nexus though.

Hmm strange.
The charge process works like this:
- Charger plugged in causes voltage change on +ve USB line - potential charger detected.
- Phone draws minimal current (50 to 100mA) and tries to negotiate USB power
-- If that suceeds it tries to increase power to 500mA if the USB port supports it. If yes charging starts at 500mA, if not charging starts at 100mA
- If USB negotiation fails, it checks if D+/D- are bridged.
-- If D+/D- are bridged, the phone draws as much current as it can/needs
-- If D+/D- are not bridged, the phone draws a max of 500mA
There's nothing special about the chargers unless they have been wired in some special way for a specific phone. Thats why I'm very surprised these chargers dont work.
I know that if I chop a USB extention cable and cut out D+/D-, my nexus charges at 500mA. I've tried this myself for a totally different purpose. Thats no different to ground and power being wired to a 5v source.

Odd, I have three car USB adaptors and two AC USB adaptors.. All charged the phone, although only the AC charger shipped with the Nexus would do a fast charge, and none of my car chargers would. I found one that was rated 1Ah and soldered the two middle pins, now it works as a fast charger too.

The Motorola P513 car charger (OEM designed for a Droid) gives out 950mA, is super cheap (~$3+shipping), and works great for a fast charge with the Nexus One.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000Y8IH2Q/ref=oss_product

pakraider said:
The Motorola P513 car charger (OEM designed for a Droid) gives out 950mA, is super cheap (~$3+shipping), and works great for a fast charge with the Nexus One.
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Thank you sir. I've been trying to find a car charger that guarantees a fast charge.
Just ordered one from Play.com for £3.99 w/ free shipping.
Maybe now I can use GPS for more than an hour...

I dunno.
My motorola charger for my old bluetooth (H780?) works fine, as well as the original google charger. I also have a car charger for my old bluetooth as well.
My suggestion, is to only buy name brand chargers?

b0dge said:
Thank you sir. I've been trying to find a car charger that guarantees a fast charge.
Just ordered one from Play.com for £3.99 w/ free shipping.
Maybe now I can use GPS for more than an hour...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This P513 has also been the best fast charger for me...

[Q] HTC sensation charging with cigaretlighter on motorcycle

Hi
I'm having a problem with charging my HTC devices on my Honda Fireblade.
My motorcycle dealer added a cigaretlighter so I can charge the HTC while driving and using it as GPS.
The problem is that the Sensation (and even my Desire HD or HD2) won't charge although the indicator light on the charger is on. So I've tested the charger with other equiment and it works.
Does anyone knows what can be the problem? The battery of the Honda is 12V
thx for any advise!

What is the charger output?
It should have 5V and 1A or 2A. If voltage lower, it will not charge..
Sent from my HTC Sensation Z710e using XDA App

naimmkassim said:
What is the charger output?
It should have 5V and 1A or 2A. If voltage lower, it will not charge..
Sent from my HTC Sensation Z710e using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I use this charger also in the car and there it works.
I bought this charger when I was on a trip and it's original for nokia

He's right, your charger probably doesn't have enough output. I noticed that certain house chargers I already had were charging the phone extremely slow and others charged the phone quickly. That's when I noticed that the ones that charged the phone quickly were 5v and had at least 1A. The ones that were less were too low of an output to charge the phone properly. You're more than likely experiencing the same thing. I'm willing to bet if you check what the output is on the charger you're using you'll probably see it either isn't the right voltage or the amps are too low...or both.

mysterioustko said:
He's right, your charger probably doesn't have enough output. I noticed that certain house chargers I already had were charging the phone extremely slow and others charged the phone quickly. That's when I noticed that the ones that charged the phone quickly were 5v and had at least 1A. The ones that were less were too low of an output to charge the phone properly. You're more than likely experiencing the same thing. I'm willing to bet if you check what the output is on the charger you're using you'll probably see it either isn't the right voltage or the amps are too low...or both.
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All right, I'll check it first....it's in the car now

The nokia charger is
input 12 V
output 5V - 550mA
So you guys are right....it still doesn't explain to me why the charger works in car and not on motorcycle. Maybe because the battery output in car is higher A?
I'm not into electrical stuff :-(

So, if I order for example this one....it could work on my motorbike?
http://www.netimes.com/shop/usb-car...ung-galaxy-tab-p1000-p-3018.html?cPath=80_818

tsmetjen said:
The nokia charger is
input 12 V
output 5V - 550mA
So you guys are right....it still doesn't explain to me why the charger works in car and not on motorcycle. Maybe because the battery output in car is higher A?
I'm not into electrical stuff :-(
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Bear in mind I'm just speculating with this but your car's cigarette lighter may be putting out more power than your motorcycle's (especially since it wasn't original). Also though it may have been charging in your car, that doesn't mean it was charging at the rate it should have been (it might have been barely charging). Sort of like what I was saying I had experienced when I used a lower output charger (the really slow charging).

Yeah that looks ok. I'd imagine that you be sufficient.

The charger I have is a Nokia DC-4. Bought from Nokia themselves as lots of shops sell copies. The copies don't seem to have the right electronics in them to power the more expensive (read: power hungry) phones. I have to have a converter on the end to go to micro-usb (also a Nokia part) but it means we can also use it for the wife's Nokia.
I'd make sure you went genuine part, or at least one that someone else says works.
Dave

tsmetjen said:
So, if I order for example this one....it could work on my motorbike?
http://www.netimes.com/shop/usb-car...ung-galaxy-tab-p1000-p-3018.html?cPath=80_818
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It should be working. But better you try it first, borrow from a friend that have this charger and try it on your motobike. If still not working. My conclusion is that your motobike most probabily produce a low voltage or current than what it were suppose to.

tsmetjen said:
So, if I order for example this one....it could work on my motorbike?
http://www.netimes.com/shop/usb-car...ung-galaxy-tab-p1000-p-3018.html?cPath=80_818
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've received the charger. Did a test last night and test....failed. Still not charging.
So :
could it ba the usb cable itself?
can I measure the output current on my bike?
I'm with stupid on these matters, and my mecancic is on holiday

help finding a Wall charger

hey guys, Its been driving me nut to find a right charger for my lg g2x from wind. I bought the phone used and it only came with a crappy usb car charger that doesnt have the right voltage. when i plug it in it goes crazy on the touch screen and stuff.
I already know it the charger and i had use my old blackberry charger on it and it work ok. but the thing is the amp on the BlackBerry charger is lower then the stock charger.
I need help finding a 4.8v 1a wall charger.
I already try ebay and got a cheap charger that is 5.1v and 700mah but it doesnt work it does the same thing where the screen goes nut.
I have an extended battery with charger but i would like to have a really ac wall charger as well. if anyone out there know where i can find the orginal or something that works just as good an doesnt do that funny touch screen crazinesss then I am all ears.
thanks in advance.

Amazon had them. I picked a extra one for a few dollars.
Hope that helps you out.
Sent from my LG-P999 using xda premium

it makes no sense that a 5.1V charger would not work, i use my computer to charge most of the time and it is 5.05V on the USB. i think that you just got a bad cheap charger.
here is a moto 1st party one on newegg, it should do all that you want
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=09N-000R-00002
i have also had good luck with the rosewill 2A for ps3 controllers
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16855992031

Car charger for Samsung Galaxy S4

Has anyone managed to get a car charger for this phone?
I've just tried to charge the phone with my car charger modded to "AC" mode by shorting the middle pins... and the S4 gets nada...
Have they changed the charging mechanics?

Is that what's going on? I was wondering what the heck was wrong with my charger!

Yup, the car charger still charges my old HTC, even with the Samsung cable... so there's definitely something different inside the charger...

I have a 2A usb car charger with generic cable to charge my devices. It's nothing special, but it works with my S4. Hope that helps.
http://www.monoprice.com/products/p...=10826&cs_id=1082603&p_id=8858&seq=1&format=2

I have this charger and it charges my GS4. Of course, I bought it 2 years ago.
EDIT: I guess it helps when I paste the link. Duh... http://www.amazon.com/Verizon-Vehicle-Charger-USB-Port/dp/B003NA0658

I have a 500mA car charger and it didn't work. Even though it worked on my Xperia Z. I bought a 2A charger from Maplin and it works just fine.
Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk 2

delete

moobieboobie said:
I have a 2A usb car charger with generic cable to charge my devices. It's nothing special, but it works with my S4. Hope that helps.
http://www.monoprice.com/products/p...=10826&cs_id=1082603&p_id=8858&seq=1&format=2
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Click to collapse
I also have the same charger works just fine.
Sent via Galaxy S4

Hmmm will have to look into getting a decent 2A charger then and NOT modifying it...

So I opened up my car charger and un-modded it back to original and it works like a charm now

I've got a 1A Belkin car charger and it seems to overload after a while when charging my gs4.
The green light on it blinks and my phone makes that sound when you plug in the charger.
Takes a while for it to happen but gets more frequent the longer you have it plugged in.
The charger works fine with my gf's nexus 4.

ttsprnkls said:
I've got a 1A Belkin car charger and it seems to overload after a while when charging my gs4.
The green light on it blinks and my phone makes that sound when you plug in the charger.
Takes a while for it to happen but gets more frequent the longer you have it plugged in.
The charger works fine with my gf's nexus 4.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm using the Motorola charger (big blue circle). Got it for my Razr Maxx a year or so ago (I've gone through like 4 phones since then) and it works wonderfully. It's the best micro-USB car charger I've ever seen. Coiled cord, huge blue light (but not too bright since it's an ambient-style light), and charges quickly.
http://www.amazon.com/Motorola-Vehicle-Adapter-micro-USB-Charger/dp/B000S5Q9CA
Seriously, the best car charger I've ever owned. 950mA is also one of the highest car chargers I've used.

I used to have that same motorola charger but I just switched to this one by SPIGEN: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0069EGLFY/ref=oh_details_o04_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
It charges at the same amperage as the stock wall charger that came with the S4. I use the Galaxy Charging Current app to check.

5280WRX said:
I used to have that same motorola charger but I just switched to this one by SPIGEN: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0069EGLFY/ref=oh_details_o04_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
It charges at the same amperage as the stock wall charger that came with the S4. I use the Galaxy Charging Current app to check.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
really 1900mAh??
if you say "yes" i'll order one

5280WRX said:
I used to have that same motorola charger but I just switched to this one by SPIGEN: ...
It charges at the same amperage as the stock wall charger that came with the S4. I use the Galaxy Charging Current app to check.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you use it with the original cable or a generic one? I read that there are some differences in charging amount using also different cables. This SPIGEN Car charger looks very interesting. Thanks!

TrueTenacity said:
Has anyone managed to get a car charger for this phone?
I've just tried to charge the phone with my car charger modded to "AC" mode by shorting the middle pins... and the S4 gets nada...
Have they changed the charging mechanics?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have tired a few most only charged at 400-500 m-amps (aka running with gps and screen on discharged it faster then it was charging) with some random picks at fry's i found one that was marked 3 amp charger that whould do 780 m-amps so the phone still makes head way chargeing while being used as GPS
FYI the tool i use to measure says the Samsung charger is 1900 M-amps and my apple ipad charging brink is 1400 just for reference.
tool is Galaxy Charging Current Lite i would link it but the forum will not let me

Trueglich said:
I have tired a few most only charged at 400-500 m-amps (aka running with gps and screen on discharged it faster then it was charging) with some random picks at fry's i found one that was marked 3 amp charger that whould do 780 m-amps so the phone still makes head way chargeing while being used as GPS
FYI the tool i use to measure says the Samsung charger is 1900 M-amps and my apple ipad charging brink is 1400 just for reference.
tool is Galaxy Charging Current Lite i would link it but the forum will not let me
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can also use elixir 2, the battery stats will give amps while discharging and change when charging. I think it uses the current_now as reference.

I have a 2a usb car charger and I just use the usb cable from the phone. I bought the car charger from best buy.
Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk 4 Beta

fabian_b_m said:
Do you use it with the original cable or a generic one? I read that there are some differences in charging amount using also different cables. This SPIGEN Car charger looks very interesting. Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Different USB cables do pass different current even if using the same charging main. From tests I've done so far, a generic 3 ft USB 2.0 cable I randomly purchased online only allowed around 400 mA. An old Blackberry Torch 9810 cable allowed around 1200 mA. Original cable that came with the S4 allows 1900 mA. These numbers are from using the original wall charger main that came with phone.
Sent from my SGH-I337M using xda app-developers app

I bought an anker car charger and mediabridge charging usb cable and it's a great combo. The images of the anker car charger is different, should be dual usb ports.
http://www.amazon.com/Anker®-2-4A-2...=1375543576&sr=1-1&keywords=anker+car+charger
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009W34X1I/ref=oh_details_o01_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I don't know the exact current I'm getting, but from the battery monitor widget app, I'm seeing at least 1amp or higher of positive current.