Database Info

[Q] Usb Charging

I was surfing the net when i come across this:
.verizon-cellphones.org/motorola-xoom-usb-and-pc-charging-driver-download(dot)html
does this mean that you now can charg the xoom throug the usb interface(i dont own a xoom myself )

No. you cannot charge the Xoom over USB.

Why do people want to use the usb to charge. It would take forever to do that.

Being able to charge over USB in a pinch would be better than nothing if you're without your charger. Plus, my USB car charger can put out 1A, and you can buy iPad specific USB chargers that put out 2A, so it actually wouldn't be much different than the regular charger. It certainly doesn't hurt to have the capability. For all the crazy stuff we hackers add to our devices on XDA, I am blown away that people still ask "why would you want to do that"... Why not?
-Taylor

Just-in-time said:
Why do people want to use the usb to charge. It would take forever to do that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My car has a USB port built into the stereo, on my Droid when plugged in via USB I could play my music and also have the phone always topped off with a charge... With the Xoom I'd need a charging cable too... Hassle. Guess that's a part of why I keep my Droid around...

Somebody should try it out
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA Premium App

jvs60 said:
Somebody should try it out
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA Premium App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Plenty of people have rooted their Xoom's using those charging drivers, they don't do anything for the Xoom other than allow it to work with adb.

Facegarden said:
Being able to charge over USB in a pinch would be better than nothing if you're without your charger. Plus, my USB car charger can put out 1A, and you can buy iPad specific USB chargers that put out 2A, so it actually wouldn't be much different than the regular charger. It certainly doesn't hurt to have the capability. For all the crazy stuff we hackers add to our devices on XDA, I am blown away that people still ask "why would you want to do that"... Why not?
-Taylor
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
From what I have noticed I have yet to have wished that I had a charger SD or the one that came with it as it has a great battery and is more than enough to get me througn the day and i have been neglecting my droid Inc and macbook pro while using my Xoom for 6-8 hours a day plus a gppd 10-15 stand by time

Battery life is so good you don't even need to charge during the day

xlGmanlx said:
Battery life is so good you don't even need to charge during the day
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When you're at 1.5ghz you might

Guys, there are lots of reasons to want to charge over USB. Like, say, when you're on a road trip and won't be spending much time around an outlet. Even if it doesn't charge quickly, if it provides enough juice to keep it from dying, that may be enough. I'm sure motorola sells a car adapter but I'd rather just use the USB chargers I already have.
Can we not make this discussion about if we *should* be able charge over USB, and keep it purely about *how* to charge over USB? I think we all understand that not everyone cares about this feature, but some people do.
So, I heard that there is an official dock that charges it over USB? Or does it use contact points or something else?
If the official dock charges it over USB, it may be simple to mod a USB charger to work with the Xoom.
-Taylor

Facegarden said:
Guys, there are lots of reasons to want to charge over USB. Like, say, when you're on a road trip and won't be spending much time around an outlet. Even if it doesn't charge quickly, if it provides enough juice to keep it from dying, that may be enough. I'm sure motorola sells a car adapter but I'd rather just use the USB chargers I already have.
Can we not make this discussion about if we *should* be able charge over USB, and keep it purely about *how* to charge over USB? I think we all understand that not everyone cares about this feature, but some people do.
So, I heard that there is an official dock that charges it over USB? Or does it use contact points or something else?
If the official dock charges it over USB, it may be simple to mod a USB charger to work with the Xoom.
-Taylor
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The docks use a pair of contact points, those 2 gold spots next to the HDMI plug.

I get over 12 hours use over clocked baby, 24 hours between charges
Elysian893 said:
When you're at 1.5ghz you might
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Facegarden said:
Guys, there are lots of reasons to want to charge over USB. Like, say, when you're on a road trip and won't be spending much time around an outlet. Even if it doesn't charge quickly, if it provides enough juice to keep it from dying, that may be enough. I'm sure motorola sells a car adapter but I'd rather just use the USB chargers I already have.
Can we not make this discussion about if we *should* be able charge over USB, and keep it purely about *how* to charge over USB? I think we all understand that not everyone cares about this feature, but some people do.
So, I heard that there is an official dock that charges it over USB? Or does it use contact points or something else?
If the official dock charges it over USB, it may be simple to mod a USB charger to work with the Xoom.
-Taylor
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agreed. Why does it seem like everyone has such a pissy attitude on this forum? It seems like 75% of all OPs in regards to do something new are negative and completely non-constructive. "No, you can't do that" "why the hell would you want to?" "That sounds useless. I have my phone/laptop/TV/mother for that"
I don't think that I would need the USB trickle charging ability because the battery lasts plenty long (yes, even at 1.5Ghz), but why get on here and make the OP feel like an idiot for trying to spur some innovation?
Sent from my Xoom using XDA Premium App

Hey Guys,
I posted a long comment on the thread in the Moto forums. Hopefully we get a real response from Motorola. So far they have only said "you can't do that", but haven't explained if its a hardware limitation, or if it was just disabled in software (which is my hope).
Here's my comment:
https://supportforums.motorola.com/message/336752#336752
-Taylor

It's really pretty simple why you can't charge over USB. USB does not provide the correct voltage. The Xoom requires 12vdc to charge and USB is only 5vdc. It's like trying to charge your car battery with a charger made for 2 D cells. Amperage does play into charge time but can not be made to compensate for the lack of voltage. If the Xoom were to be modded pretty extensively inside it's possible. You would need to add a step up converter, make the respective connections from the USB port, and have to be willing to void your warranty. All in all it would be easier to carry a car charger. I have one and it works great.
Sent from my Xoom using XDA Premium App

kz810rider said:
It's really pretty simple why you can't charge over USB. USB does not provide the correct voltage. The Xoom requires 12vdc to charge and USB is only 5vdc. It's like trying to charge your car battery with a charger made for 2 D cells. Amperage does play into charge time but can not be made to compensate for the lack of voltage. If the Xoom were to be modded pretty extensively inside it's possible. You would need to add a step up converter, make the respective connections from the USB port, and have to be willing to void your warranty. All in all it would be easier to carry a car charger. I have one and it works great.
Sent from my Xoom using XDA Premium App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Its is very possible that they included a step-up converter circuit, but later disabled it because they decided it takes too long to charge. The circuit would add less than a dollar to the unit in volumes, so if they wanted to be safe they could have included it and made the decision later if they would use it. That is what I am trying to find out. The high resolution images of the teardown show what may be a stepup circuit by the USB connector, but it is too hard to tell:
http://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/Motorola-Xoom-Teardown/4989/1
-Taylor

what are all these USB chargers on eBay about?
My question is now (and I am sure I've seen it in another thread): How do sellers on eBay get away with advertising generic USB chargers to be used with the Xoom (e.g. this)? Of course, the USB cable has to be provided... I checked yesterday because I want to equip my car with a mount and charger in the future. Either the Chinese have found a way to charge the Xoom via USB or it's all a load of owl droppings! Has anyone tried one of these magic chargers yet?

funnycreature said:
My question is now (and I am sure I've seen it in another thread): How do sellers on eBay get away with advertising generic USB chargers to be used with the Xoom (e.g. this)? Of course, the USB cable has to be provided... I checked yesterday because I want to equip my car with a mount and charger in the future. Either the Chinese have found a way to charge the Xoom via USB or it's all a load of owl droppings! Has anyone tried one of these magic chargers yet?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They put the word Xoom in the auction listing, that's the only thing they did to make this Xoom compatible. Do not buy that.

funnycreature said:
My question is now (and I am sure I've seen it in another thread): How do sellers on eBay get away with advertising generic USB chargers to be used with the Xoom (e.g. this)? Of course, the USB cable has to be provided... I checked yesterday because I want to equip my car with a mount and charger in the future. Either the Chinese have found a way to charge the Xoom via USB or it's all a load of owl droppings! Has anyone tried one of these magic chargers yet?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A lot of people just assume things. I was readings specs for the xoom at another popular android forum. They had listed that not only did it support USB charging, but it supported flash 10.1 as well (which of course it never will).

Charger Outputs

I know some people use chargers other than the stock HTC charger...
does using a different charger with lower or higher milliamp ratings make a difference or hurt the battery in any way?

Dont know anything about damage, wouldnt think so.
In my experience, my HTC desire has two modes of charging USB (500mA) or AC (1A).
If the two middle pins of the usb cable are shorted it assumes its connected to an ac charger so it pulls 1A. This is due to the max rating of a pc usb connection being 500mA, so everytime it thinks its connected to a pc it wont draw too much and damage your pc motherboard etc.
Now coming back to your question, some chargers have their pins shorted, some not. Apart from longer charging times, the only real issue is for car chargers, where some poeple have found that if you use one that sets the phone to USB mode, and you are running lots of thing like nav software etc, the battery will still drain even with the charger connected. ie its using more juice than its taking.
Personally I have charged my desire with many USB devices, like ipod chargers, etc etc with no ill effect. I found out thtat my ipod WONT charge from the HTC charger, whereas my phone would happily charge from the apple charger. Prob due to some usual Apple rubbish about who gets the accessory money, so for travelling I just take the Apple charger now.

k.aalai said:
Dont know anything about damage, wouldnt think so.
In my experience, my HTC desire has two modes of charging USB (500mA) or AC (1A).
If the two middle pins of the usb cable are shorted it assumes its connected to an ac charger so it pulls 1A. This is due to the max rating of a pc usb connection being 500mA, so everytime it thinks its connected to a pc it wont draw too much and damage your pc motherboard etc.
Now coming back to your question, some chargers have their pins shorted, some not. Apart from longer charging times, the only real issue is for car chargers, where some poeple have found that if you use one that sets the phone to USB mode, and you are running lots of thing like nav software etc, the battery will still drain even with the charger connected. ie its using more juice than its taking.
Personally I have charged my desire with many USB devices, like ipod chargers, etc etc with no ill effect. I found out thtat my ipod WONT charge from the HTC charger, whereas my phone would happily charge from the apple charger. Prob due to some usual Apple rubbish about who gets the accessory money, so for travelling I just take the Apple charger now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Both my kid's iPod 3G charge from their Htc chargers just fine so I'm not sure why yours wont. I bought a dock last week for the phone and when I plugged it in I got the screen problem that a lot of others have had where it doesn't respond much. It was like this for a while after too. The charger was some cheap **** 800mA that came with it but I doubt it was just down to mA.

> Both my kid's iPod 3G charge from their Htc chargers just fine so I'm not sure why
> yours wont.
The Problem is with the generation and Software of the Ipod, older ones charge from
normal wall chargers i.e. HTC just fine, but newer ones are more picky. Notices this
myself with my Ipod Nanos...

you should be able to use anything up to 1.5A just fine with a usb port. Just watch for excessive over heating when the phone is on and charging. When its off and the usual over charge protection in many chargers these days they will stop once the charging has finished. I have a bunch of RC lipo batteries and have never had a problem with anything up to 2A+ for ANY battery i have charged no matter the battery makeup.. over this and you can get quick and significant problems...

Houwald said:
> Both my kid's iPod 3G charge from their Htc chargers just fine so I'm not sure why
> yours wont.
The Problem is with the generation and Software of the Ipod, older ones charge from
normal wall chargers i.e. HTC just fine, but newer ones are more picky. Notices this
myself with my Ipod Nanos...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Funnily enough mine is a very old 4G white one, the one with the round click wheel in the middle! But somehow it just refuses to charge...

joshndroid said:
you should be able to use anything up to 1.5A just fine with a usb port.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
??
Per Wikipedia:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USB
A maximum of 5 unit loads (500 mA) can be drawn from a port in USB 2.0
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
odd.. claims I did not hit 10 char...

zim2dive said:
joshndroid said:
you should be able to use anything up to 1.5A just fine with a usb port. /QUOTE]
??
Per Wikipedia:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USB
odd.. claims I did not hit 10 char...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
that doesn't mean the device is not capable... you have 2 ends, the charger/usb port and the phone side.. the charger gives 1A, normal USB gives 0.5A, and only HTC knows what the phone side can take.. but at least 1A
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Good Car Charger?

Does anyone know of a good car charger? You know, the kind that plugs into your cigarette lighter socket.
I had one at one time but it died after only a week of usage.

I got this one and it works fine with a spare microusb cable. Best part is that I can now have two phones charging at once.

Thanks!
At only $8, that's a steal of a deal! Just bought it with free two-day shipping.

Should have checked Monoprice
http://www.monoprice.com/mobile/Pro...Id=103&categoryId=10321&subCategoryId=1032102
There used to be a twin plug one (I have it) but I can't find it now.
Sent from my SCH-I510 using xda premium

trparky said:
Does anyone know of a good car charger? You know, the kind that plugs into your cigarette lighter socket.
I had one at one time but it died after only a week of usage.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In my opinion... I have wasted alot of $ on trying to get away cheap on a car charger. By far the best one is the official verizon one. It charges to 100% from 0 in less than 2hrs and charges while I am navigating, wifi tethering and using bt at the same time. Well worth the extra cash.
Tweakstock v1.4, XDA Premium

imnuts said:
I got this one and it works fine with a spare microusb cable. Best part is that I can now have two phones charging at once.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I got a similar one, but it has one port meant for an ipad/tablet, which outputs 2A - that is helpful for when I am running car navigation and wifi hotspot at the same time. I also had to get a charging-only usb cable because regular cables would trigger usb storage mode on the phone.

ddh819 said:
I got a similar one, but it has one port meant for an ipad/tablet, which outputs 2A - that is helpful for when I am running car navigation and wifi hotspot at the same time. I also had to get a charging-only usb cable because regular cables would trigger usb storage mode on the phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To bad the Charge won't draw more than ~0.8A... Also, it is the charger causing the phone to go to mass storage mode, not the cable. A microUSB cable is a microUSB cable, and if the cable says "charging only" they have the data pins shorted out (I believe that's what is done) and it really isn't fixing the root cause of the issue.

imnuts said:
I got this one and it works fine with a spare microusb cable. Best part is that I can now have two phones charging at once.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
nowai! That's the same car charger I use!
Only thing about it is, its a little short, so it may not fit perfectly in every car's cigarette lighter port. Won't work in my dad's car. :/

imnuts said:
To bad the Charge won't draw more than ~0.8A... Also, it is the charger causing the phone to go to mass storage mode, not the cable. A microUSB cable is a microUSB cable, and if the cable says "charging only" they have the data pins shorted out (I believe that's what is done) and it really isn't fixing the root cause of the issue.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you ever try fastcharger script? It suppose to speed up your phone charger using USB.

mtmerrick said:
nowai! That's the same car charger I use!
Only thing about it is, its a little short, so it may not fit perfectly in every car's cigarette lighter port. Won't work in my dad's car. :/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It is short, but works perfectly in my car. I don't even have to take it out to close my cigarette lighter, so it just stays there
buhohitr said:
Did you ever try fastcharger script? It suppose to speed up your phone charger using USB.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The only way you could speed up charging would be to modify it via the kernel, or try to force load a module that does the same thing. Odds are the fastcharger script just gets the system to recognize USB charging as a wall charger. Either way, I wouldn't recommend using anything that says it'll make your phone charge faster unless there was SIGNIFICANT data to support the claim as well as evidence that it doesn't harm the hardware.

Charging the battery too fast is very dangerous too. I tried "supercharging" one of my batteries and it almost caught fire.
Sent from my SCH-I510 using xda premium

I would suggest this one http://www.amazon.com/Motorola-Rapid-Vehicle-Power-Adapter/dp/B002N8HG0Y/ref=sr_1_2?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1329181948&sr=1-2 since it is made by moto and provides 1 ampere instead of .7 or .5 others provide.

trparky said:
Does anyone know of a good car charger? You know, the kind that plugs into your cigarette lighter socket.
I had one at one time but it died after only a week of usage.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is a great charger I have been using at it charges my battery quick too.. http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000S5Q9CA/ref=mp_s_a_1?qid=1323055371&sr=8-1
Sent from my SCH-I510 using XDA App

jager420 said:
This is a great charger I have been using at it charges my battery quick too.. http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000S5Q9CA/ref=mp_s_a_1?qid=1323055371&sr=8-1
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've been using this for the past 5 months and have been very happy with the charging speed. It seems faster than my standard wall charger.

wahanlato said:
To bad the Charge won't draw more than ~0.8A... Also, it is the charger causing the phone to go to mass storage mode, not the cable. A microUSB cable is a microUSB ee
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It could be the cable, but the odds are against that. The way to tell if it was the cable would be to try it in another AC charger to see what it does.

, I wouldn't recommend using anything that says it'll make your phone charge faster unless there was SIGNIFICANT data to support the claim as well as evidence that it doesn't harm the hardware.

I tried a 2.0 amp USB car charger and the factory cable.. .my battery got really hot and didn't charge at all.. .not sure why but the 1.0 amp charger seems to work the best...I have seen a 5.0amp at Walmart in the car department.. .but I don't feel like experimenting with that
Sent from my SCH-I510 using xda premium

Samsung smartphones and Tablets charge in std mode (Charging USB) unless the two data wires are "shorted". (I have seen it done directly in a high speed charge only cable or in the Samsung chargers. Some say they use a resistor.) When the data pins are "shorted", Samsung switches to high speed charging. (Charging AC). I have been harassing a factory overseas for a dual car charger (2100mA) with one std. Port (iPad) and one Samsung port. It should be available soon.
Sent from my Samsung Captivate running ICS 4.0.4 AoCP CP v2.1 w/KG3 Modem

Hindle1225 said:
In my opinion... I have wasted alot of $ on trying to get away cheap on a car charger. By far the best one is the official verizon one. It charges to 100% from 0 in less than 2hrs and charges while I am navigating, wifi tethering and using bt at the same time. Well worth the extra cash.
Tweakstock v1.4, XDA Premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I haven't tried another car charger personally, but can vouch for the Verizon one. Always works for me and I just leave it plugged in the lighter outlet in my center console so whenever I need it, it's easy and quick to plug in the phone. Also has the scrunchy style cord to keep things neat. But at the same time, it makes it more difficult to use the phone while it's plugged in as it keeps wanting to pull back lol

Charger?

Ok, I've tried to search the net before posting but I can't find anything. I have no idea how to use this charger, the actual wire part on the end isn't a usb plug to go into the plug part, it's like an over sized iphone 5 type deal. What do I do as I tried to put it in the plug but didn't want to force it?

Hold charger facing 1+ logo up.
Hold USB cable with the gold-plated contacts facing up
Now push USB cable into Charger.
Is it so difficult?

You put the angled end into the base unit on the side that has the red one.
Sent from my One using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

Wow such a silly thread hahahahahahahahahahaha

oh lord, its the same as a usual charger

Wooooooooowwwwee
Sent from my One using Tapatalk

C-4Nati said:
Ok, I've tried to search the net before posting but I can't find anything. I have no idea how to use this charger, the actual wire part on the end isn't a usb plug to go into the plug part, it's like an over sized iphone 5 type deal. What do I do as I tried to put it in the plug but didn't want to force it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I THINK you talk about the cable not looking like your average USB cable, correct?
While it's a rather uncommon format, I've seen several USB thumb drives in this rather strange format, it fits a normal USB-port perfectly.
The only downside is that you may be able to plug it in the wrong way - resulting in no juice and no data.

Don't like the charger that comes with the OPO the uk adaptor makes it look awful and sticks out a lot. I am going to use my old HTC adaptor that has USB. Currently using my blackberry charger but it seems to be taking ages.
I know this is to do with voltage or whatever, can someone with more knowledge tell me what volts/amps the OPO charger is compaired to other USB AC chargers?

paul211b said:
Don't like the charger that comes with the OPO the uk adaptor makes it look awful and sticks out a lot. I am going to use my old HTC adaptor that has USB. Currently using my blackberry charger but it seems to be taking ages.
I know this is to do with voltage or whatever, can someone with more knowledge tell me what volts/amps the OPO charger is compaired to other USB AC chargers?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The OPO Charger has an output of 2Amps. Quick charging..
Likely your older Blackberry chargers have an output and slower charge rate because it is 0.8A or 800mAh

C-4Nati said:
Ok, I've tried to search the net before posting but I can't find anything. I have no idea how to use this charger, the actual wire part on the end isn't a usb plug to go into the plug part, it's like an over sized iphone 5 type deal. What do I do as I tried to put it in the plug but didn't want to force it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Haahaha, don't be worry man I had the same problem when I first got mine. I was just being too cautious, just push the little bugger into your device . In fact I was so cautious i actually put a support ticket in, when I realized i just didn't push the charger piece in all the way i felt pretty stupid.

PECHAM 2m USB C cable

So I was looking for a longer USB C to USB C cable. And found this one on Amazon.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B01...cham+usb-c&dpPl=1&dpID=41PDOVivm1L&ref=plSrch
It took ages to arrive but seemed like a reasonably decent quality cable. Does everything it should and I like the connectors and braided cable.
However it won't charge the phone nearly as fast as the stock cable / charger combo. That seems to charge at around 2700-2800mA.
This cable seems to top out at 1700mA.
I'm not sure if the length of the cable is a factor but I've contacted the seller to see what they say.
Moral of the story / topic - avoid this cable if you want guaranteed 3amp charging.

Give this a read. I personally just purchased the iOrange-E cable.

pahardie said:
So I was looking for a longer USB C to USB C cable. And found this one on Amazon.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B01...cham+usb-c&dpPl=1&dpID=41PDOVivm1L&ref=plSrch
It took ages to arrive but seemed like a reasonably decent quality cable. Does everything it should and I like the connectors and braided cable.
However it won't charge the phone nearly as fast as the stock cable / charger combo. That seems to charge at around 2700-2800mA.
This cable seems to top out at 1700mA.
I'm not sure if the length of the cable is a factor but I've contacted the seller to see what they say.
Moral of the story / topic - avoid this cable if you want guaranteed 3amp charging.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How do you know how fast your phone is being charged? Is there an app you use that gives you the "1700mA" number you quote?

qwertyuiop89 said:
How do you know how fast your phone is being charged? Is there an app you use that gives you the "1700mA" number you quote?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I used an app called ampere to show the charging rates.

I concur with OPs findings. Using this cable with the stock charger only gives medium speed charging. The phone will not report chatging rapidly. (Im using nexus 5x). I guess it's fine for me because I do overnight charging but needed the longer length, and in a pinch I sub in the stock white cable for a quick battery boost.
I do miss not having qi, that is my ideal bedroom charger.

Just for info I contacted pecham and got this in reply:
Dear Peter,
Thank you very much for buying from PECHAM, we are very glad to serve for you.
About the charging speed, we are trying our best to improve it. As you know, type c is a new technology, so far so good, but still need being upgraded, our engineering team is doing this .
This cable is a good choice as a backup , both for charging or transfering data.
Please let's know if there is anything we can do for you.
Best wishes
PECHAM Support
I'm not too worried its a decent cable and 2m long so does the job.

I have this cable and it works find for me. Build quality is excellent and it charges me to 100% from 20 of 30% in about an hour and a half(ish).