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[Q] TF Charging Indicator?

Sorry if this has already been asked and answered - the XDA Search has been down for the past couple of hours and I just want to be sure I'm not missing anything here..
From what I can see in the reviews, the TF does *not* have any sort of charging indicator / LED on it - correct? I read that there will be one on the keyboard dock - but there is not one on the tablet.
So what are you guys doing? Just plugging it in and letting it sit overnight to give it its full charge - and then going by the battery indicator when you turn it on?
I've got my new TF sitting next to me here, and I'm trying to be a good dad to it by charging it up first before using it - but not having any sort of an indicator on it - I have no idea if it's doing anything or not!!!
Screw it - I think I"m gonna unplug it and start futzing it with it! Battery be damned!!
btw - damn this charge cable is SHORT!!

No charging LED that I can see on mine, and yea, I hate this stupid charging cable, guess you can always get a USB extension cable.
pogul said:
Sorry if this has already been asked and answered - the XDA Search has been down for the past couple of hours and I just want to be sure I'm not missing anything here..
From what I can see in the reviews, the TF does *not* have any sort of charging indicator / LED on it - correct? I read that there will be one on the keyboard dock - but there is not one on the tablet.
So what are you guys doing? Just plugging it in and letting it sit overnight to give it its full charge - and then going by the battery indicator when you turn it on?
I've got my new TF sitting next to me here, and I'm trying to be a good dad to it by charging it up first before using it - but not having any sort of an indicator on it - I have no idea if it's doing anything or not!!!
Screw it - I think I"m gonna unplug it and start futzing it with it! Battery be damned!!
btw - damn this charge cable is SHORT!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Monoprice has the USB 3.0 extension cables, but they won't be in stock until tomorrow (their estimate). When they are back in stock, a 6ft extension will run you about $7-$8 shipped.

I plan to order a few cables from Monoprice with a mini hdmi to hdmi cable.

Does it need to be usb 3.0 or will usb 2.0 do the trick ?
dfin13 said:
Monoprice has the USB 3.0 extension cables, but they won't be in stock until tomorrow (their estimate). When they are back in stock, a 6ft extension will run you about $7-$8 shipped.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

USB 2 cables don't supply enough power.
It will charge, but I think it has to be off and it'd be really slow going.

But usb 2.0 extension cable will work fine with the supplied charger? Also would you not require a usb 2.0 to usb 3.0 converter ?

Asus really overlook the inclusion of an charging indicator. Or, they are trying to make more $$$ on the keyboard/dock?

jake21 said:
But usb 2.0 extension cable will work fine with the supplied charger? Also would you not require a usb 2.0 to usb 3.0 converter ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Has anyone got some definitve experience on USB2 vs USB3 for charging and/or with an extension cable. The whole charging process and adaptor are making me a little nervous in general.

there is no reason to invest in USB 3 gear when all you really need is higher amperage, wich you often get from stand-alone chargers like the one supplied or you can buy in stores (just check that the output is 1000mah or more, 2000 mah is desired for effective charging).
The reason you might want to use a usb 3 PORT (cable makes no diffrence) is that usb 3 deliver more juice then usb 2, but unless it is a dedicated charger port that can supply 2000mah+ charge the port still require you to have the pad either off or stand by and even then charging will take ages.
Consider this, the supplied charger delivers 2000mah on 5v and my HTC charger to my phone has 1000mah @ 5v. Compared to the standard 550mah on a singel non-charger adapted USB port on a computer.

The TF charger output at 15V @ 1.2A with using the supplied USB3.0 cable. If you use a USB2.0 extension cable, it will drop the charging voltage down to 5V. You will need a USB3.0 extension cable

eli.kennedy said:
Has anyone got some definitve experience on USB2 vs USB3 for charging and/or with an extension cable. The whole charging process and adaptor are making me a little nervous in general.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There's a thread about this issue here. Several USB 3.0 cables have been found to work, but not for everyone. I have this one that I received today. It charged both the tab and the dock with the wall charger. I've also got a Tripp Lite that's worked for others on the way in the case the other didn't work.

it has to be USB 3.0 extension since the tablet recognizes the extra pin which is what lets it charge at the full rate.

jmkhenka said:
there is no reason to invest in USB 3 gear when all you really need is higher amperage, wich you often get from stand-alone chargers like the one supplied or you can buy in stores (just check that the output is 1000mah or more, 2000 mah is desired for effective charging).
The reason you might want to use a usb 3 PORT (cable makes no diffrence) is that usb 3 deliver more juice then usb 2, but unless it is a dedicated charger port that can supply 2000mah+ charge the port still require you to have the pad either off or stand by and even then charging will take ages.
Consider this, the supplied charger delivers 2000mah on 5v and my HTC charger to my phone has 1000mah @ 5v. Compared to the standard 550mah on a singel non-charger adapted USB port on a computer.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not quite correct. The charger senses a gnd connection on pin 7 of the USB 3.0 connector and delivers 15V @2a to the TF and or Dock. There are only 4 conductors in a USB 2.0 Cable. so the charger only delivers 5V as it does not see the gnd on pin 7. For all the technical details see the thread started by DevCake where the voltages and currents have actually been measured. A 5V 20A charger will not be as good as one with 11-15V at about 2A as the charger is not a constant current charger but a power source for a charge controller ( controlling the current) in the TF.

I appreciate that it is a slightly older thread and not sure if what I'm about to post is already known by TF owners but here goes anyway.
The discussion has moved on to cables but the threqad title is about a charging indicator. I've discovered that the battery icon in the bottom RH corner has a lightning symbol through it when it is being charged.
Sorry if it's old news but I've only had my TF one week and thought other users might not be aware

Really wish they would have put in a fancy multicolor LED somewhere on the housing but we can't win them all. Even the Nook Color had an LED on the cable itself.

Why won't my TF charge via USB hub?

[Q] I have a USB charging station that has worked for every device I've thrown at it. I know the TF trickle charges on USB, but this hub is plugged directly into an outlet, and it's not charging at all. Why?

Because the TF needs a USB 3.0 lead to charge it while it is being used / screen is awake
USB 2.0 only charges when the device is powered down or in sleep mode / screen off

The usb2.0 can provide only 500mAh and as far as i know the usb3.0 provides 800mAh.

Seems to be the voltage, USB 2.0 = 5v, USB 3.0 = 12v
Just from what I have read so far, I don't have USB 3.0 so can't test

Nonentity018 said:
I have a USB charging station that has worked for every device I've thrown at it. I know the TF trickle charges on USB, but this hub is plugged directly into an outlet, and it's not charging at all. Why?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Because, as user DevCake figured out, if you look closely at the AC adapter it is dual voltage 5v & 15v. He determined (summary): if pin 7 (USB 3.0 spec) in the AC adapter is triggered by the tablet or dock then the voltage switches from 5v to 15v. Also, if you apply 11v-15v directly to the tablet or dock (via USB 2.0 power leads in the 40 pin cable) the charging indicators work. In my opinion, this triggering mechanism makes the AC adapter *more* proprietary than the ASUS 40 pin cable.
Thereafter, everyone went looking for ways to provide 15v optimally (12v also works) to charge the tablet. Over 15v is a mistake, and if you plug any of your other USB 2.0 5v devices into 12v-15v you will burn them out.
There are a bunch of DIY charging threads and comments if you look around.
Good luck.

Well, I've ordered a USB 3.0 hub from Amazon, and hopefully that works.
I know 2.0 will only give the TF a trickle charge, but it wasn't giving me anything, and the indicator was not coming on.
Anyway, I'll be sure to post the result!

Yea keep us updated, and you wouldnt see the indicator as the screen needs to be off for it to charge via USB 2.0 - so as soon as you turn the screen on, it stops charging, kinda like trying to see if the light in the fridge really turns off when you shut the door lol

magicdave26 said:
Yea keep us updated, and you wouldnt see the indicator as the screen needs to be off for it to charge via USB 2.0 - so as soon as you turn the screen on, it stops charging, kinda like trying to see if the light in the fridge really turns off when you shut the door lol
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, I got my USB 3.0 hub, today. Long story shor: it doesn't charge, either. I haven't left it long enough to see if it trickle charges, but it doesn't seem to.

Nonentity018 said:
Well, I got my USB 3.0 hub, today. Long story shor: it doesn't charge, either. I haven't left it long enough to see if it trickle charges, but it doesn't seem to.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My laptop (Asus G73) has a USB 3.0 port. I just tired it and it doesn't seem to charge (not indicator on my battery widget or "charging on the lock screen).

RojasTKD said:
My laptop (Asus G73) has a USB 3.0 port. I just tired it and it doesn't seem to charge (not indicator on my battery widget or "charging on the lock screen).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You would at least think Asus would make their devices work well together! This blows; I'm sure some dev could figure out a way around this, if we knew exactly what was going on.

Read the reply from above. The tf needs 15V in order to charge. Usb was not designed with this kind of charging power in mind. Usb provides a max of 5.25 V.
Sent from my mopho

Can charger be used with other phones?

My charger that came with the SGS4G is not an official Samsung one. This is because I bought my phone used and it came with a 3rd party charger.
The charger is just a one-piece charger. I cannot remove the cable. It says:
AC Charger
Model: Micro USB
INPUT: AC 90V-240V
OUTPUT: DC 4V-8V
Can I use this charger with other phones that charge over MicroUSB? Do I need to make sure the other phone can handle 4V-8V?
Also I intend to buy another charger as backup, but I have this adapter which I plug in my USB cable into and then it goes to the power outlet. When I used this, my phone acted very erratic, swipes would not register correctly, phone became unstable, etc. Any reason for why this would happen?

It's sounds like your generic USB charger, and should charge anything that would charge if you were to plug it into a computer's usb port. I have a belkin usb plug, except it has a usb port on it instead of a cable, and it charges everything, even PS3 controllers lol.
Who makes this charger? If it's a super cheapo, the power may be dirty and may cause your phone to act funny.

avrillapete said:
It's sounds like your generic USB charger, and should charge anything that would charge if you were to plug it into a computer's usb port. I have a belkin usb plug, except it has a usb port on it instead of a cable, and it charges everything, even PS3 controllers lol.
Who makes this charger? If it's a super cheapo, the power may be dirty and may cause your phone to act funny.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It is some cheap USB to AC charger I got from Dealextreme. Never had a problem with my old Huawei U8100 or DSLite.

arclite00 said:
My charger that came with the SGS4G is not an official Samsung one. This is because I bought my phone used and it came with a 3rd party charger.
The charger is just a one-piece charger. I cannot remove the cable. It says:
AC Charger
Model: Micro USB
INPUT: AC 90V-240V
OUTPUT: DC 4V-8V
Can I use this charger with other phones that charge over MicroUSB? Do I need to make sure the other phone can handle 4V-8V?
Also I intend to buy another charger as backup, but I have this adapter which I plug in my USB cable into and then it goes to the power outlet. When I used this, my phone acted very erratic, swipes would not register correctly, phone became unstable, etc. Any reason for why this would happen?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I actually like to use chargers that are identical to stock one or better, I actually use the gf's old iphone charger: more amp
Sent from my SGH-T959V using xda premium

I use the same charged that came with my old pre plus. Use it for all my phones actually. Even my touchpad and nook color. Works just fine.
Sent from my SGH-T959V using XDA App

The quality of the charger can make a huge difference.
Honestly at the moment I'm using a droid bionic charger lol

arclite00 said:
Can I use this charger with other phones that charge over MicroUSB? Do I need to make sure the other phone can handle 4V-8V?
Also I intend to buy another charger as backup, but I have this adapter which I plug in my USB cable into and then it goes to the power outlet. When I used this, my phone acted very erratic, swipes would not register correctly, phone became unstable, etc. Any reason for why this would happen?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes and yes to the first two questions but it normally isn't a problem depending on what is charging.
To the third, I had that same problem with my ZuneHD and a generic manufacturer's cable and I still don't know why.
Sent from my SGH-T959V using XDA App

The major issue is "are the data lines shorted together?". If they are not, your phone (and other devices that use USB for power) will see it as a simple USB port and limit draw to what a PC USB port can supply (not much).
There are also some ways (particular resistors used across... pins 1 and 3?) to indicate how high the charger can go.
Most of the USB car chargers (at least the ones with USB ports) do NOT do this, so they take forever to charge a phone.
Easiest way to tell: with the charger charging, go into device settings. If it says "Charging(AC)" you're good; "Charging(USB)" not so good.

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] 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.