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TBolt discharges while using in car as navi/pandora

When using in car, playing music from Pandora, and using google navigation phone uses more power than what charger can provide. Ive got it on a fast charger, so its supplying more current than a standard one,....its not overheating because when it does the charge light blinks green then red. Screen is on all the time during navigation and set at 30%. Anyone have same experience? My Droid X would keep charging in same situation. This is going down in charge %. I was using das bamf rom, just switched to Perfect Storm 1.2, maybe will make a difference?
Also when plugged in to power its underclocked to 768mhz.

Would switching kernals make a difference?

What is the amp output of your car charger? I'm pretty sure you need at least 1amp to feed this device while using GPS and data. maybe 750ma will do it, but most recent phones, tablets, mifi devices, etc. require at least 1a.

Same thing is happening to me, I dont think the charger puts out enough juice. I've ordered a verizon 2amp dual USB adapter, hopefully it will put out enough to charge the device.

ilogik said:
Same thing is happening to me, I dont think the charger puts out enough juice. I've ordered a verizon 2amp dual USB adapter, hopefully it will put out enough to charge the device.
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This is the charger,..
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Rocketf...&skuId=1114106&st=phone car charger&cp=1&lp=9
Not sure of its output.
Let me know how the 2 amp works for you.

I use the one sold at the Verizon Corp stores and use Pandora daily with no issues when charging.. Chrages up if it was under 100 and stays at 100 when it gets there..

wctaylor79 said:
I use the one sold at the Verizon Corp stores and use Pandora daily with no issues when charging.. Chrages up if it was under 100 and stays at 100 when it gets there..
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But I am using GPS with screen on the whole time, curious if you are too?

Turn your screen off. Navigation and Pandora will keep playing and your battery will slowly charge.
Sent from my ADR6400L using Tapatalk

I guess your right,...it must be more of a power hog than my X was using the same charger.

I've used Last.fm streaming with GPS navigation and screen on for multiple hours at a time without any battery drain. I don't know what car charger I'm using (an unofficial one that I bought for my Moto Droid), but I've been running the Das Bamf kernels for the most part. Even before I installed any of those kernels I never noticed any battery drain while plugged.

Same problem here.
I have a Belkin micro-charge 1A. Can't use navigation and Pandora without losing charge. I had the same problem with the iPhone before I bought the 1A charger, the 500mah wasn't powerful enough.
And turning off the screen when you're in navigation mode defies the purpose.
Do you turn off the screen of your Garmin or Tomtom while navigating? I didn't think so...
Let us know if a 2A charger does help.
Thanks for the feedback.

I called Rocketfish to try and find out just how much powa the charger I posted earlier put out. They didnt know, lol. They said usually its posted in their system, but that one wasnt.
But, after thinking about it, I had the screen on 100% brightness because of glare I was getting. Will tone it down and went to utkanos kernal and see how that rides out.

You need to get a charger with more power. I got one made for an ipad. It has 2 USB ports. Made by scouche or something like that. Had this issue with multiple chargers even on my droids.

this is completely normal for other phones too, like the nexus one. using NAvigation with the car dock pulls more power than the charger can supply, so the phone slowly drops while charging. not much can be done about it. i bought a 1.3 amp car charger. helps a bit.

Skyrocket can't function as GPS Navigator?

This weekend I went on a trip and decided to try out using my Skyrocket as a GPS navigator using Google Navigation. I had my phone mounted and plugged in the whole time for about a 2 hour trip. The screen was on the whole time usually at high brightness (it would dim every once in a while.) When I removed my phone from the mount I noticed the power was down to the low 60's, which struck me as slightly odd since it was plugged into the charger the whole time. The next day I tried to use it as a GPS system again, but even as it was plugged in, this time I literally saw the battery gauge draining. When I turned off navigation and the screen the phone would finally start charging.
Is this a common thing or is there an issue with my phone or possibly my charger? Does doing all those things really drain the battery faster than it can charge it? One last note is that I was not in an LTE area during this, or at least not the whole time (I only noticed it was LTE at one time during the trip.) When I saw my battery draining in front of me I definitely was not in an LTE area.

Might be your charger. I'm having no problems using it as my primary driving, hiking and general outdoor GPS unit. When on car charger, it's charging faster then it drains.

I believe my charger is an old Motorola car charger that came with my wife's old dumbphone. It's actually not even a Micro-USB charger, but rather a Mini-USB with an adapter.
This may be a dumb question, but the actual charging port shouldn't be the issue right? I'm assuming those are always the same standard.

Check the car charger amperage output. I have an old car charger to USB that only puts out 750mA and another thats puts out 1A. Anything less than 1A with the navigation running (which means the screen and GPS stay on, of course), and it'll still drain the battery (and even at 1A it may still drain).
I've been putting off getting a powerful enough car charger myself. You'll need one that puts out 1-2A I would think. Most of the common ones off the shelf are 1A or less, and I've heard that some chargers reported max output is not as good as reported.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I727

jslanger said:
Check the car charger amperage output. I have an old car charger to USB that only puts out 750mA and another thats puts out 1A. Anything less than 1A with the navigation running (which means the screen and GPS stay on, of course), and it'll still drain the battery (and even at 1A it may still drain).
I've been putting off getting a powerful enough car charger myself. You'll need one that puts out 1-2A I would think. Most of the common ones off the shelf are 1A or less, and I've heard that some chargers reported max output is not as good as reported.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I727
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i second this...my phone won't even charge on some wall chargers, unless 700mAh or higher. let alone do any battery heavy functions like GPS. get something with at least 1a output

I'll try swapping the chargers. I have an overpriced AT&T one that I got for free that is collecting dust.

If the charger has 1A output then it should be OK

I'm having the same problem with my Skyrocket and cheapy charger that I bought at Fry's. Use the navigation with screen on and my battery is less than when I plugged it in.
Going to buy this combo 2A and 1A charger.
http://www.amazon.com/GTMax-2-Port-..._1_5?s=wireless&ie=UTF8&qid=1329796381&sr=1-5

Its the amount of mah your charger is putting out. Not the phone. The charger is not supplying enough power
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I727 using Tapatalk

CZ Eddie said:
I'm having the same problem with my Skyrocket and cheapy charger that I bought at Fry's. Use the navigation with screen on and my battery is less than when I plugged it in.
Going to buy this combo 2A and 1A charger.
http://www.amazon.com/GTMax-2-Port-..._1_5?s=wireless&ie=UTF8&qid=1329796381&sr=1-5
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Click to collapse
When I was looking for a more powerful option, I saw that one on Amazon as well. My only hesitation at buying it was why it was so much cheaper than all comparable options at local stores, or even online...I've heard that the cheapie chargers may not actually output what they say...though for $4 plus shipping, I guess it's not much of a gamble. Let us know how it performs!
P.S.-Pulled up the reviews...not too many positive ones (though 1 or 2 were good): http://www.amazon.com/GTMax-2-Port-...iewpoints=1&sortBy=bySubmissionDateDescending

Its actually more than just the charger output that is a problem. If the center two pins on the USB connection aren't shorted, the phone will treat it as a USB connection to a computer, not an AC connection from the wall, and only draw a max 500mah. I had bought a 1amp and 2 amp charger for my car and would get the same results as the 500. I started to think it was my car limiting my output!
But I then found an article detailing this problem that I've since lost the link to, but the method worked. Pop open the charger and solder the 2 middle connectors together and all is good.
I don't know why the charger manufacturers don't know this... Or maybe this phone is doing something new? Maybe someone makes a USB-> micro USB with the center pair shorted in cable?
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I727 using Tapatalk

Just Google "Solder USB Car Charger" and you'll find plenty of tutorials about how to do that. Personally I'd rather just buy one that out of the box works.

Tried out my AT&T charger (which can be found here) and it worked perfectly. Set up the GPS and everything and now it will charge even while doing all that stuff. Thanks for the help

I have the same issue with my SkyRocket. LTE makes no difference. If I'm using Google Navigation or Waze and the Screen is on my charger/phone can't keep up with the battery drain. If I turn the screen off and keep the GPS app running the battery either doesn't drain or doesn't drain as fast.
I've checked my car charger and it's one of those dual usb ones, with a 1 amp port and a 2.1 amp port. It has no indication of which port is which, so I don't know what port I'm using at any particular time. I've tried both and the effects are the same.
Regardless, when the phone is plugged in to that charger the phone reports that it's an AC charger. Supposedly that means I'm getting at least 1 amp, right? So why is 1 amp not enough?
I don't like the car charger you guys suggested because it has the curly cord. I'd rather use a car charger that doesn't come with a cable so I can plug in my own usb cable.
Any suggestions?

Phone discharging in car while using navigation although connected to power

Hi,
I recently had to drive ~200km and I was listening to music via Spotify and using Google Navigation. I had the phone plugged in the entire time via this charger (sorry, only found it on the german amazon page) and the charge on my phone constantly decreased so after about 150km (~1,5h) my phone charge dropped from about 70 to 15 percent and I had to stop listening to music and start praying that my phone would last.
I know, that there are some chargers who don't deliver that much of power, but since I bought a pretty expensive charger, I thought that should not be a problem.
Any suggestions what I could do to track the amount of power that my phone got? (500mA / 1A) or similar?
Thanks

In siyah kernel you can increase the charge juice amount with extweak from googleplay. Its simple math, charger cant charge as fast much as phone can spend the battery juice.
You can do this: If your navigation app says to turn in abou 100km, you can turn off screen for 95kilometres and save battery juice.
Sent from my GT-I9100 using xda premium

donverse said:
Hi,
I recently had to drive ~200km and I was listening to music via Spotify and using Google Navigation. I had the phone plugged in the entire time via this charger (sorry, only found it on the german amazon page) and the charge on my phone constantly decreased so after about 150km (~1,5h) my phone charge dropped from about 70 to 15 percent and I had to stop listening to music and start praying that my phone would last.
I know, that there are some chargers who don't deliver that much of power, but since I bought a pretty expensive charger, I thought that should not be a problem.
Any suggestions what I could do to track the amount of power that my phone got? (500mA / 1A) or similar?
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
HTC phones will only request 1A from the charger if the two middle pins are shorted, this at least works on every non HTC car charger I've used.
Sent from my HTC One S using xda premium

I found that USB chargers don't work as well as an AC adapter. I got the Enercell™ 150W Power Inverter and it worked perfect with GPS and music.
Sent from my HTC One using XDA

Same for me I'm using the same car charger that I've used to use with my desire S. If you want to use the gps you better charge your phone at home before leaving !!!

6gex said:
Same for me I'm using the same car charger that I've used to use with my desire S. If you want to use the gps you better charge your phone at home before leaving !!!
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I use the HTC cc c200, works fine for gps, music etc.
Sent from my HTC One S using xda premium

Charger problem
I had the same problem with cheap ebay universal chargers. When I am on trip I use GPS, streaming pandora, Sync is on and some chargers can't keep up with this drain.
So I bought this Motorola charger that has 1300+ reviews on amazon and works very well. http://www.amazon.com/Motorola-Vehicle-Adapter-micro-USB-Charger/dp/B000S5Q9CA
I suggest you buy this one and try it. If this charger does not work I doubt it any other will do. The inverter above is a good alternative, but I think you will be fine with the moto charger.
ps. also if you are in some country side area where the coverage is weak the phone uses more power to find cell towers. My experience above is mixed city-urban area/non urban

I also had the same issues with two different 12V to USB chargers.
I'm now enjoying this charger I got from my old Nokia N97 and it works great.
Sometimes, the USB cable is the issue and not the Charger!

Seriously, just get the HTC CC C200, its not even expensive....
Sent from my HTC One S using xda premium

Fasttech QI charger A021527514 $35

Ordered 19/2 Arrived 26/2 - 7 days from China / Singapore.
Comes with supplied charger.
Only had it one day.
Takes about twice as long to charge as a normal 2amp pregnant plug.
Looks good

After 2 weeks use
The charger works quite reliably with a TPC case on. The only problem is efficiency.It still takes twice the time to charge, and sometimes excessively long. Last night the phone was at 26% charge, put on mat, went to bed, after 10 hours was only at 76%. A cable charges it from flat in about 2 hours.

where did you buy it from?

toge64 said:
where did you buy it from?
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Fast Tech
Waiting for mine now, ordered on March 2nd...

AW: Fasttech QI charger A021527514 $35
Bought mine from Fast Tech too:
Charging speed is satisfactory but the battery temperature worries me a little...
The back of the device says:
Input: 5V 2A
Output: 5V 1A
And even apart from that it's pretty obvious, that it takes more time to charge wirelessly.
I'll try keeping the temperature lower by adding some sort of distance piece between charger and phone, maybe even charger and table - the little 'feet' on the charger's back are tiny...

Mine also gets much warmer on it than it does on the orb charger from Google/LG. Seems to charge fine though, I just use this one to top the phone off at work because its not secure or reliable enough to trust charging overnight.

How much did you pay for the original orb charger?
Google Play Hardware isn't available in my country

Eiertschik said:
How much did you pay for the original orb charger?
Google Play Hardware isn't available in my country
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Like $70US shipped. Worth every penny to me. It secures the device (I have had no slipping with the 3 Orbs in my house) and charges reliably. To place the phone on it where it wouldn't charge would require it to be placed at a very unstable position that is unnatural.
IT sucks they aren't available but it probably has something to do with regulations in your country on these types of devices. Google probably needs some sort of certification first. Id offer to bootleg one to you but by the time its all said and done it would probably be $100US before it got to you.

I don't think it's because of regulations - no Google hardware has ever been available in Austria. It's just a small european country.
I could wait until it's available in Germany - they got all devices so far.
In the meantime I'll keep testing this Fast Tech charger.
The LEDs are enjoyably dim and it works pretty good.
But sometimes when the phone is at 100% already and it receives a message the charger beeps as if the phone has just been placed on it.
I'll keep investigating
Here's two pictures, display at maximum brightness.

ive got one but i cant connect and use it by any other input eg xbox 360 usb or a standard usb socket only uses adapter included ,I've sent 5 email saying this but they don't understand they keep saying check the charger supplied but that's not the problem,it will not work with any other usb powered input
Sent from my KFOT using xda app-developers app

I also tried using it with another adaptor (5V 1A) - whenever I placed the phone on the charger the right LED that flashes blue when charging turned red and the phone emitted a notification sound.
Using a Samsung Galaxy Note 2's adaptor (5V 2A) works - but only if the phone is placed directly onto the charger - using the adaptor that was shipped with the carger it also works if there's a gap of ~2mm.
Here's another picture of the charger, this time in a well-lit office.

good news and bad news ,good news is they have admitted its doest work on my usb charger or any other one apart ftom a pc or original charger and bad news is there still advertising it as powered from any usb port anywhere
Sent from my KFOT using xda app-developers app

Just found the iluv iPad charger from asda works at £9 saves risking the adapter shame I can't use it with my 360
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda app-developers app

Could you provide a shop link or something? I can't find anything...
@Topic:
There seem to be multiple discussions regarding this charger: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2074862

http://m.direct.asda.com/on/demandware.store/Sites-ASDA-Site/default/Product-Show?pid=000546056
i tried it works sometimes
s ent from my KFOT using xda app-developers app

Well, after a few weeks my resumeé is: It works - but only kind of...
- It emits lots of heat. It seems to stop charging at 40°C (red fault LED visible). Definitely not the best way to treat your battery.
- It's unreliable. Sometimes it doesn't start charging, sometimes it stops prematurely.
- It beeps.
So if you just want to use it in your office to keep your phone charged with short and sporadic usage periodes in between it should work, if you and your colleagues can stand the beeping each time you place your phone on the charger.
If you plan to use it as overnight charger or when the battery is rather dry, prepare to face disappointment.
But I guess that's all you can expect from a charger half the price of the original one.

Now I've got a new qi charger air box gonna set it up tonite box looks okay and theyvre even sent UK plug adapter looks good fast tech didn't Send one as far as I could tell they really was not bothered with my problems with there charger if you don't like it post it ,if its faulty its at your expense . fingers crossed with the air box one
Sent from my Amazon Kindle Fire2 using xda app-developers app

Problem with using car charger

I have a new Hyundai sport suv and I am trying to use this adapter to charge the Asus while traveling:
http://www.amazon.com/Mini-Universa...keywords=silver+bullet+car+charger+ac+adapter. To indicate it is working it has a blue lightthat lights up, which it does. When I plug the Asus cord into the the tablet there is no charging symbol showing over the battery icon. I check the battery settingand it says it is not charging. When I get home I plug the regular ac plug into the home socket (using the same cord) and it starts chsrging. I also tried using my wifes adaper that she uses on her phone but it did not work either. Any suggestions on where to start diagnosing?

The Transformers use 15 V instead of 5 V. You can charge the tablet (but not the dock) on 5 V, but it will not indicate that it is charging and it will take very long (> 10 hours).

How about having it plugged into the adapter and using it, will it keep the battery at the same charge level or will it just slow down battery drain?

If you are using it for anything more than playing music with the screen off, it most likely will drain much faster than the trickle charge can provide.

Well hell, none of this is happy news!

How about this then: Buy a power converter for your car from 12v > 110v. Use the original charging cable - bingo.
Just be careful - one of those went up in flames in my truck [emoji12]
Sent from my K00C using Tapatalk

Which ones would you recommend and please which one caused the fire because I will definitely stay away from it.

Man! That was years ago - I don't remember.
But I'm cheap, so probably the converter was too! [emoji23]
Just get a quality one, read reviews on amazon and you should be fine.
Sent from my K00C using Tapatalk

I use one of these to charge my TF700
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Ring-Automotive-RINV120-12V-240V/dp/B002XDERD8/ref=pd_sxp_grid_pt_1_1
The other advantage of it is that it has USB out also so can charge more than 1 device from the plug. A little expensive, but there are cheaper places.

I got curious and went looking on eBay.
You can get a 12VDC to 15VDC power converter for around $30. It's 70W (you won't need more than 20W - but that's fine)
http://www.ebay.com/itm/DC-DC-12V-15V-5A-70W-Step-Up-Power-Converter-Shockproof-Waterproof-/290998109551?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item43c0d6c56f

Guess what, I went digging into my tech boxes and found a 12volt ac/110 volt dc inverter that I had taken out of a motor home I'd sold and had forgotten all about it. Lucky day.:laugh: