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[Q] Charging ASUS transformer using computer?

I wanted to know if it is possible to charge the ASUS transformer using a computer?
Is there any hack for it?

umasood said:
I wanted to know if it is possible to charge the ASUS transformer using a computer?
Is there any hack for it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
IIRC it will charge if the transformer is turned off but very slowly
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using Tapatalk

When I was driving the other day with it connected to the USB charger in the car (same as PC USB) and it got 4% in about an hour.

isnt this the biggest DOWN SIDE of TF.
Like this is such a basic feature these days that you should be able to charge your android device using PC usb/ charger etc.
I thought there would be some hacks for this. or is this a hardware specific lacking?

The USB plug on the Sync/Charge cable of the Transformer is a USB 3.0 plug. It uses the extra pins of the USB 3.0 for the electricity to charge.

umasood said:
isnt this the biggest DOWN SIDE of TF.
Like this is such a basic feature these days that you should be able to charge your android device using PC usb/ charger etc.
I thought there would be some hacks for this. or is this a hardware specific lacking?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't think this issue is specific to the Transformer. I seem to recall that the iPad comes with a high-current charger, and charges slowly if done via a computer. I think the issue is that the battery is much larger than any smartphone battery, and the USB port spec was created to power things like mice and USB memory sticks, and provides a low current. This way it also won't overload the host computer's power supply and cause stability issues on the computer.

nxt said:
The USB plug on the Sync/Charge cable of the Transformer is a USB 3.0 plug. It uses the extra pins of the USB 3.0 for the electricity to charge.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
the extra wires in USB 3.0 cables are for higher speed transfers the voltage is still 5.0V the TF uses one of the wires to signal the power supply to provide 15V vs 5 V. The connector is not a true USB 3.0 If you want to charge mobile ,just connect the 12VDC from your vehicle to pins 1 and 4.

After reading this i put my transformer in the USB 3 socket and hey presto... trickle charge enabled! It doesnt say that its dojing it but mine went up from 95 - 96% in the 10 mins i had it pluged in (whilst on it)

mazimo said:
After reading this i put my transformer in the USB 3 socket and hey presto... trickle charge enabled! It doesnt say that its dojing it but mine went up from 95 - 96% in the 10 mins i had it pluged in (whilst on it)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Awesome, it would only take like 16h to charge it from empty to full then! ... compared to ~1.5-2h depending on use with the 15v charger.
But if you want to charge it from the PC, just hook it up to the 12v rail on the PSU (build a molex to usb adapter or similar)
Edit: what would be interesting though, is if you could charge and sync at the same time by connecting the data cables to a usb port, but keep the power cables hooked to the 12v rail. Or maybe the TF shuts down all sync stuff when its charging...

Just a quick update... After 6 hours if gone up to a whapping...... 76%
I guess it was just playing trick on me!!!! sorry to get peoples hopes up.

Go look at USB3.0 specs. You do not have the current and Voltage necessary to do anything more than a slow trickle charge. 3.0 os basically 2.0 with an extra pair of wires for faster data transfer not higher voltage. The connector on the TF charger is not wired to USB3.0 standards.

The AC adapter reconfigures itself when it recognizes the asus tablet and it gives 12v instead of 5volts. Just tried now and it's working.

Question about charging

Reading the manual, it says after charging the first time, that the tablet can be charged by USB if there is enough power through the USB port. I put an extension between the Asus adapter and the proprietary cord, and it won't charge unless directly connected to the adapter. I have USB 3 port on my computer that gives out higher than standard power, and I have a USB port in my car, and this tablet won't charge on anything except a direct single asus wire connection to the Asus adapter. Is this correct? It seems that I may have a defective tablet.
Are there any other people having this issue.

USB 3.0
pixel-painter said:
Reading the manual, it says after charging the first time, that the tablet can be charged by USB if there is enough power through the USB port. I put an extension between the Asus adapter and the proprietary cord, and it won't charge unless directly connected to the adapter. I have USB 3 port on my computer that gives out higher than standard power, and I have a USB port in my car, and this tablet won't charge on anything except a direct single asus wire connection to the Asus adapter. Is this correct? It seems that I may have a defective tablet.
Are there any other people having this issue.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The USB extension also needs to be USB 3.0. Is the one you're using?

The extension was to the power outlet in the wall.
I wonder if the Asus chord is made for USB 3 then?
Sent from my brain to my hand to XDA

Is your extension just a USB extension or a powered USB extension? Maybe it carries data but not power? Can you charge other devices with the extension (and do they actually charge at a decent rate)?

Yes! I charge my htc sensation on it all the time. But I more than that, I am trying to find out if others are able to charge via the Asus proprietary USB cord to another source such as a computer or car etc.....
as opposed to using the wall power adapter from Asus
Sent from my brain to my hand to XDA

I also can't get the tf700 to charge with any adapter other than the supplied charger. I've tried 500mA, 1A and 1.9A (from a Nook color) USB chargers and none work.
Sent from my ASUS Transformer Pad TF700T using xda app-developers app

pearl62 said:
I also can't get the tf700 to charge with any adapter other than the supplied charger. I've tried 500mA, 1A and 1.9A (from a Nook color) USB chargers and none work.
Sent from my ASUS Transformer Pad TF700T using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am quite certain that it says in the user manual that it is possible to charge via USB, i don't have it with me at work, but can someone verify this.... it could be a major issue for some, and needs to be addressed. I know that the battery power at full charge is not going to last all day for me, and being able to charge via USB is really important since i am in sales so i do not have access to an electrical outlet, but i do have a USB port in my car.
Sent from my ASUS Transformer Pad TF700T using xda premium

I'll add my personal experience to this...
When I got the tablet I put in a basic USB extension cable between the tablet cable and the outlet adapter. I didn't notice for an hour or so that it wasn't saying it was "charging".
Except...in that hour the battery hadn't gone at all.
And with the screen off and left to its own devices it will charge to 100%.
So I guess the point is this, it may not say its charging but it is getting power. If you're using it as like an overnight charging thing, it should work just fine.

Doesn't the manual say that you need to power it off before changing over USB?

Splaktar said:
Doesn't the manual say that you need to power it off before changing over USB?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for pointing this out.
I'll have to check this out, but I hope one doesn't need to have to restart a tablet, just to change the power source. Kind of a pain

troa11 said:
I'll add my personal experience to this...
When I got the tablet I put in a basic USB extension cable between the tablet cable and the outlet adapter. I didn't notice for an hour or so that it wasn't saying it was "charging".
Except...in that hour the battery hadn't gone at all.
And with the screen off and left to its own devices it will charge to 100%.
So I guess the point is this, it may not say its charging but it is getting power. If you're using it as like an overnight charging thing, it should work just fine.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So maybe it is charging a little, even though it says it isn't. I think I will try this out and leave it for a few hours or overnight as a test.

pixel-painter said:
So maybe it is charging a little, even though it says it isn't. I think I will try this out and leave it for a few hours or overnight as a test.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So I plugged into the USB port and the power level was at 78%, I left it plugged in for about 5 hours and when i rechecked, it read 97%. The whole time it read as Not charging. This is good news, I really need that feature. It is interesting that it reads as Not charging, this must be a software error.
Sent from my ASUS Transformer Pad TF700T using xda premium

See this thread:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1788055

TF700 charger/cable requirements?

I was planning on using my iPad charger to charge my phone, iPad, and TF700 while on the road. It puts out more than enough current at +5 volts but doesn't work with the TF700. The Asus charger outputs +15 and +5 and works with the Asus cable and an OEM cable, and also works charging my phone using a micro-B cable. Is the TF700 charged using +15 volts?
The TF700 booklet says it can be charged from a USB port, which is +5 volts. While that may be an impossible task on a PC, it still means that the TF700 can be charged using a USB cable and +5 volt charger. Why doesn't it work? Has anyone gotten a 2A +5V OEM charger to work with the TF700? Is there a pinout diagram for the Asus cable and charger anywhere? Thanks.

Not sure if this helps, but the keyboard dock (unlike the tablet itself) can only be charged from the charger, not usb, so it must draw more power than a standard usb.
It's also possible your Apple charger usb port is pinned to only work with "apple approved" products? Have you been able to charge other devices from it?
Sent from my ASUS Transformer Pad TF700T using xda app-developers app

phiffoo st o
Studiozut said:
Not sure if this helps, but the keyboard dock (unlike the tablet itself) can only be charged from the charger, not usb, so it must draw more power than a standard usb.
It's also possible your Apple charger usb port is pinned to only work with "apple approved" products? Have you been able to charge other devices from it?
Sent from my ASUS Transformer Pad TF700T using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't have a dock nor am I trying to charge the TF700 from a PC USB port. The Apple charger puts out +5 volts to anything plugged into to it and the TF700 apparently "knows" when the Apple charger is connected to it because it turns on if it's off.

Haidozo said:
I was planning on using my iPad charger to charge my phone, iPad, and TF700 while on the road. It puts out more than enough current at +5 volts but doesn't work with the TF700. The Asus charger outputs +15 and +5 and works with the Asus cable and an OEM cable, and also works charging my phone using a micro-B cable. Is the TF700 charged using +15 volts?
The TF700 booklet says it can be charged from a USB port, which is +5 volts. While that may be an impossible task on a PC, it still means that the TF700 can be charged using a USB cable and +5 volt charger. Why doesn't it work? Has anyone gotten a 2A +5V OEM charger to work with the TF700? Is there a pinout diagram for the Asus cable and charger anywhere? Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It will charge VERY SLOWLY on 5v USB while turned off. Will not charge via 5v USB while on. The TF700 requires at least 12V/2A to charge while on. 15V/1.2A is what's recommended by Asus (based on their proprietary charger specs).
Here's a battery I use to charge my TF700 while on the go, and it also charges my phone, BT headsets and other devices. http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1796750. Great battery, I highly recommend it.

AspenMan said:
It will charge VERY SLOWLY on 5v USB while turned off. Will not charge via 5v USB while on. The TF700 requires at least 12V/2A to charge while on. 15V/1.2A is what's recommended by Asus (based on their proprietary charger specs).
Here's a battery I use to charge my TF700 while on the go, and it also charges my phone, BT headsets and other devices. http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1796750. Great battery, I highly recommend it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You are correct. With the TF700 turned off, an hour of charging with the 2A Apple charger had increased the battery level from 29% to 34%. I expect the TF700 to be fully charged in only 14 hours!
Thanks.

Have you considered a power inverter? I use this one with my A100 though I use a FM transmitter to charge my phone.

Somewhat related to this: in the past, when using devices that have a power block with a USB port and a charge/sync cable, such as an iPod or even my Galaxy Nexus, I've used a USB extension cable to give me a little extra slack. For some reason, that doesn't seem to work with the Infinity. I've tried three different USB extension cables and the tablet never shows that it's charging. Is there a certain USB cable I can use for this?

AspenMan said:
It will charge VERY SLOWLY on 5v USB while turned off. Will not charge via 5v USB while on. The TF700 requires at least 12V/2A to charge while on. 15V/1.2A is what's recommended by Asus (based on their proprietary charger specs).
Here's a battery I use to charge my TF700 while on the go, and it also charges my phone, BT headsets and other devices. http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1796750. Great battery, I highly recommend it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have that same exact charger. do you use the "I" or the "S" USB port?
I never knew what the difference between the two were
EDIT...i shouldve read the thread lol...you modified yours

I ordered a pair of cables from eBay item # 320942102464. A house charger and a car charger. I just plugged in the dock and seems to be working fine.

USB 3.0?
FrontRowJoe said:
Somewhat related to this: in the past, when using devices that have a power block with a USB port and a charge/sync cable, such as an iPod or even my Galaxy Nexus, I've used a USB extension cable to give me a little extra slack. For some reason, that doesn't seem to work with the Infinity. I've tried three different USB extension cables and the tablet never shows that it's charging. Is there a certain USB cable I can use for this?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are you using a USB 2.0 or 3.0 extension cable? It's my understanding that the Infinity uses USB 3.0.

You need 15v to charge the Pad (I kept thinking 11, but the adapter says 5V or 15V output). This makes sense since there are more pins. Standard USB has 5v rails (ther are 4 pins, I 5v power, Data+, Data-, ground). Since our chargers are 40 pins, my assumption is that there are more pins dedicated to charging and multiple pins dedicated to data (possibly a few that are dedicated and some that are for whatever data is being passed through (assumption)). If the adapter is outputting 11v then it can send more power through the cord and multiple pins can push electricity through. When you are only pulling 5v (i.e. most AC->USB transformers) you will need a lot more time to charge, hence the trickle effect (and don't turn on the screen!)

It can be charged with 5v if the tablet is off.
There is a jumper in the USB cable itself that kicks the Asus charger into 15v mode so it doesnt accidentally fry your devices if you plug in, say, your cell phone to charge for a bit.
To make a custom cable just throw 15v across three pins in the connector (5v each). You can find all the info here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1633747
Yes, i know its for the prime, the connector is exactly the same, the pinouts SHOULD be identical.

DIY approach?
I've got a TF700T and a TF201 dock and a misplaced charger. I ran into the same trouble that a lot of people here did ....... generic chargers not working, USB on my computer only trickle charges the tablet, nothing for the dock, etc.......
After much poking around I learned that both require 12 volts to charge. That said I dug thru my junk and found a 2.2a 12v DC wallwart. I hacked apart a USB extension cable for it's female end, broke out my breadboard and put together a 12v USB connector... that after several days of charging and draining.... charging and draining .... works like a champ.
So to be a bit more specific, pin 1 that's normally 5+ volts I'm supplying 12+. Pin 4 is ground same as always and that's it. If you wish let me know I can probably throw up a little illustration or something.
Since I did that I've refined the whole thing a bit, cleaned it up, wired everything directly and heat shrinked the whole assembly.
It will charge both together or either one by itself in just hours EVEN while using them..... heavily. No overheating, no troubles.
HTH

AnakiMana said:
Are you using a USB 2.0 or 3.0 extension cable? It's my understanding that the Infinity uses USB 3.0.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think the cable type might only matter after the ics.30 update when I was on the ics.26 I could use a standard extention cable, I had my device plugged in when I updated and my device stopped charging, and I freaked out thinking I broke something. But after finally removing the extention my tablet would charge. I have not tried to use the extention cable since so I don't know if it works with jb.
Asus Transformer Infinity running CleanRom 2.7.x

Bluemgt06 said:
I think the cable type might only matter after the ics.30 update when I was on the ics.26 I could use a standard extention cable, I had my device plugged in when I updated and my device stopped charging, and I freaked out thinking I broke something. But after finally removing the extention my tablet would charge. I have not tried to use the extention cable since so I don't know if it works with jb.
Asus Transformer Infinity running CleanRom 2.7.x
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The Asus charger switches its output to 15V from 5V when a USB3 plug is detected. If you need an extesion cable to charge the Transformer, you'll have to use USB3 extension cable. If you want to use this charger on other devices, be sure to use a USB2 cable to not to fry it with 15V.

Kraka said:
If you want to use this charger on other devices, be sure to use a USB2 cable to not to fry it with 15V.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the warning - I hope there are no cables with USB3 and micro-USB2 plugs though.

[Q] Do you need the AC adapter to charge this tablet?

I went to europe recently and brought along my TF-700. I have come back and cannot find the part that plugs into the wall that came with my transformer. Plugging it into another ASUS adapter (from my N7, for example) doesn't seem to charge the dock, nor does plugging the cable into a USB port on my computer. So my question is this: will this thing only charge with the factory plug that came with the Transformer? I don't want to pay 40 bucks for a new one if I can avoid it.

This thread might shed some light -TF700 charger/cable requirements?
Long story short, you'll need something capable of pushing 15 Volts at 2 Amps to get charging while the device is on. Other variations of voltage might work while the device is off. Most computers won't push 2A through USB. I'm a little surprised the N7 adapter doesn't do you any good, I've used generic 120V AC to USB adapters to charge the TF700 in the past.

If you put the charger cable in the tablet and the usb end in the tf dock, it will charge the tablet!

Basically, Yes. Any other Transformer chargers will work, as will any 15V adapters from other sources. The N7 adapter gives off 5V. It may be 2A, but the voltage is too low.
The AC adapter gives 15 Volt. A USB port only gives 5v, as do all regular USB chargers. The TF700 starts detecting a charge at 12V (light/notificationbar). At 5V, it will charge about 1-3% an hour, which is less than/equal to the amount if drains whilst sleeping. Oh, and if you have any other USB cable attached between the TF700's charger cable and the charger, make sure it's a USB3.0. Anything else doesn't allow enough voltage to pass through.
The Infinity Manual: (People, READ THIS THING. Even if you didn't get it in the box, it's on the official website.)
Page 10:
- Ensure that your ASUS Transformer Pad is turned off before charging it via your computer's USB port.
- Charging through the USB port may take a longer time to complete.
- If your computer does not provide enough power for the ASUS Transformer Pad, use the wall outlet instead.
Page 83, not relevant in this case, but to others who try:
- The ASUS Transformer Pad cannot be charged through the USB dock when it is connected to the mobile dock.
usern ameisval idandnot said:
If you put the charger cable in the tablet and the usb end in the tf dock, it will charge the tablet!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you have the dock, you can just dock the tablet in the dock the way it's supposed to......

[Q] Charger/Charging Questions

I searched through some of the threads and I didn't see one directly related to my question so here it goes. I have been unable to get my tablet and or dock to charge with any other charger other then the one it came with. I'ver tried a samsun tablet charger, an 8w usb charger, other misc wall blocks etc. Will our tablet only charge with the asus charger? Any thought's or ideas on this would be great.

eeeeeeeeek said:
I searched through some of the threads and I didn't see one directly related to my question so here it goes. I have been unable to get my tablet and or dock to charge with any other charger other then the one it came with. I'ver tried a samsun tablet charger, an 8w usb charger, other misc wall blocks etc. Will our tablet only charge with the asus charger? Any thought's or ideas on this would be great.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
According to some it is possible to use a USB 5V charger to charge but you need the patience of Job and have it shut down. The simplest answer is that this tablet cannot be charged from ANY USB 5V power source.
The tablet charges at 12V 1.2A. The ASUS Charger is wired in such a way that when using the supplied cable it charges the tablet with 12V @ 1.2 A. When any other USB cable is used the charger will output 5V so that it can be used to charged other devices.
The only other source of chargers is from eBay. Just make sure you buy one that puts out 12Volts with a minimum of 1.2Amps.
There are other answers to this same question just maybe not the way you posed it!

eckka said:
According to some it is possible to use a USB 5V charger to charge but you need the patience of Job and have it shut down.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, the tablet (but not the dock) will charge from a 5V USB port, but it will be *very* slow (a few % per hour), and the tablet must be in standby or off.
eckka said:
The tablet charges at 12V 1.2A.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The original charger outputs 15V.

_that said:
Yes, the tablet (but not the dock) will charge from a 5V USB port, but it will be *very* slow (a few % per hour), and the tablet must be in standby or off.
The original charger outputs 15V.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes the original is 15V, it does actually switch to 5V if a non transformer USB device is connected. I'll add that a lot of the cheap eBay chargers output 11V to 12V which is why we have so many issues with the device trying to figure out what it is connected to.... imo.

A regular USB charger is 5V.
The tablet starts detecting a charge at 12V.
The original charger is 15V.
It CAN be charged from 5V, but you have to shut it down and it charges at 3-5% an hour. This isn't "some" mentioning it; it's in the bloody manual.
@sbdags If the cheap chargers indeed charge at between 11V and 12V, that explains the constant beeping people experience whilst using them. It keeps varying between "Charging" and "Not Charging".

So basically it sounds like the best way to charge is from the original charger/cable that came with the unit. This is no biggie. I was just trying to understand why a 8v battery back wasn't charging the tablet, but it wasn't idle, i had it on. So if I wanted to use that I would need to power off the device and it will essentially trickle charge. I don't see to many 15v usb car chargers on the market, though I haven't done extensive research. Thanks for the input.

It does charge (slowly) when on and idle - I regularly charge it overnight hooked up to my PC.