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[Q] Faster Charger? Please advise

Hey,
I noticed that the droid charge has a bigger battery but it take a lifetime to charge.. is there a better charger I can get other than the one that came stock with the phone? Please let me know. I would really appreciate it.

The stock actually charges fast compared to USB...use a higher amperage charger with the stock usb cord (so it doesn't limit to 500ma). I use my Galaxy Tab charger...works great
Sent from my Droid Charge running GummyFroyo 1.9.1

kvswim said:
The stock actually charges fast compared to USB...use a higher amperage charger with the stock usb cord (so it doesn't limit to 500ma). I use my Galaxy Tab charger...works great
Sent from my Droid Charge running GummyFroyo 1.9.1
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Well I am using the USB in the pc and the battery has not moved once notch ... has to be the rom (gingerbread) or the combnation of usb cord and charger.

stepinmyworld said:
Well I am using the USB in the pc and the battery has not moved once notch ... has to be the rom (gingerbread) or the combnation of usb cord and charger.
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PC USB ports do not do a good job charging phones. they don't have a lot of power going to them. In addition, if you're using your phone while its charging from your computer you will not likely see it charging at all since all the power its getting is going to whatever it is your doing.
The same is true of car chargers. I had mine plugged in in the car for 45 minutes using the GPS. It charged 2%. The point is, the only real effective way to charge your phone is by using a regular outlet.

streetlightman said:
PC USB ports do not do a good job charging phones. they don't have a lot of power going to them. In addition, if you're using your phone while its charging from your computer you will not likely see it charging at all since all the power its getting is going to whatever it is your doing.
The same is true of car chargers. I had mine plugged in in the car for 45 minutes using the GPS. It charged 2%. The point is, the only real effective way to charge your phone is by using a regular outlet.
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Correct about the pc charging; it only runs at .5 amps (500 ma) while the stock charger has 1 amp. However, the car charger really depends on what kind you're using. I use a 2A and it charges fine.
Sent from my Droid Charge running GummyFroyo 1.9.1

streetlightman said:
PC USB ports do not do a good job charging phones. they don't have a lot of power going to them. In addition, if you're using your phone while its charging from your computer you will not likely see it charging at all since all the power its getting is going to whatever it is your doing.
The same is true of car chargers. I had mine plugged in in the car for 45 minutes using the GPS. It charged 2%. The point is, the only real effective way to charge your phone is by using a regular outlet.
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ok cool. so i could just look for a charger will higher voltage being delivered. I hope i get the right one that is compatible to the droid charge. Dont wanna burn the battery out etc

No, not voltage. Amperage. Big difference. Just get a charger with a USB port and a high amperage...I don't think you'll find a higher amp charger specifically compatible with the Charge.
Sent from my Droid Charge running GummyFroyo 1.9.1

kvswim said:
No, not voltage. Amperage. Big difference. Just get a charger with a USB port and a high amperage...I don't think you'll find a higher amp charger specifically compatible with the Charge.
Sent from my Droid Charge running GummyFroyo 1.9.1
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ok thanks!

You need a charger that won't be seen as a USB connection on the phone. If the phone thinks that it is plugged into your computer, it will charge at roughly half the rate of the wall charger. Wall charger will charge at ~700mA I believe, and the USB/Computer connection will charge at ~400mA. You can find the actual numbers in the power regulator driver in the kernel source though.

I have a motorola 950 amp car charger I got off amazon for $5. It works well but if the screen is full bright and I'm running navagation I have seen the battery level drop. To keep up you need a 1+amp charger. That being said the harder you charge the batteries the quicker they will wear out.

imnuts said:
You need a charger that won't be seen as a USB connection on the phone. If the phone thinks that it is plugged into your computer, it will charge at roughly half the rate of the wall charger. Wall charger will charge at ~700mA I believe, and the USB/Computer connection will charge at ~400mA. You can find the actual numbers in the power regulator driver in the kernel source though.
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This is pretty interesting. I'm not a phone dev or an electrician, but I assume these mA numbers are something that are 1) lower than what is actually safe and 2) might be able to be tweaked by a dev with nothing better to do. Not that you are even close to falling in that category, but I think many users would be quite interested in being able to get more charge out of shorter durations, albeit at the risk of burning out their phones.

Search for my responses here on charging cables... Sorry but I'm at 35,000 feet in an airliner and can't search very well to include a link. The "magic" to allow a charge current greater than 500ma is either in the stock AC charger or in a "charge only" cable. The data wires to the phone have to be shorted otherwise the phone will think that it is plugged into a computer and will start USB services and will limit the charging current. Cheapest to fabricate your own adapter!
Sent from my SCH-I510 using XDA Premium App

So it wont harm my battery at all to use my galaxy tab charger on my phone? What about in the long run will it degrade faster?

I think the phone has intelligent charging logic (like the newest iphones) so if you keep it cool it will take care of itself. YMMV however!
Sent from my SCH-I510 using XDA Premium App
Sent from my SCH-I510 using XDA Premium App

You could have a 10 amp charger, and if it is picked up as a computer/usb connection, the phone is going to pull the same amount of current as it would just plugging it in to your computer. The same goes for car and wall chargers that get picked up as a computer/usb connection. It doesn't matter what charge rate the charger supports, the phone is going to pull the same current as it is regulated to via the kernel. The only time it won't pull the full charge current it is setup to pull is if you have a charger that is rated for a slower charge rate than what the phone wants AND it won't allow charging above its stated capacity (any good charger should do this).
I have looked around (not much though) at how to make the charge rate faster before, but couldn't see how to do anything besides make the phone charge as fast over USB as it can via the wall charger. However, from what I have read, Li Ion batteries do better if they receive a slower charge to full and will not die as fast compared to being rapidly charged.

imnuts said:
You could have a 10 amp charger, and if it is picked up as a computer/usb connection, the phone is going to pull the same amount of current as it would just plugging it in to your computer. The same goes for car and wall chargers that get picked up as a computer/usb connection. It doesn't matter what charge rate the charger supports, the phone is going to pull the same current as it is regulated to via the kernel. The only time it won't pull the full charge current it is setup to pull is if you have a charger that is rated for a slower charge rate than what the phone wants AND it won't allow charging above its stated capacity (any good charger should do this).
I have looked around (not much though) at how to make the charge rate faster before, but couldn't see how to do anything besides make the phone charge as fast over USB as it can via the wall charger. However, from what I have read, Li Ion batteries do better if they receive a slower charge to full and will not die as fast compared to being rapidly charged.
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Slow charging is true to some extent, but there is no need to charge our battery's under 1.5amp.
And shorting the two data pins on the USB doesn't work it looks for a specific resistance, I saw the ohm load somewhere, but now of course I can't find it lol..
When I get really bored tonight I will edit this and figure it out. But yeah our phones can easily pull 800ma or more with full screen brightness and maxed out processor. So that would result in no charging at all on some chargers. I use a 2a wall charger that came with my evo and it charges very very quickly. Never more than 1 hour to full charge unless I am gaming on it while it charges lol. This is using the cord that came with the phone of course so that it knows it isn't in a data enabled usb slot.

MasterRy88 said:
So it wont harm my battery at all to use my galaxy tab charger on my phone? What about in the long run will it degrade faster?
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In electronics, when given a voltage source (as opposed to a current source) the Voltage is set to a fixed value. That is what our wall USB outlets are. Voltage sources
Think of Voltage like a waterfall. The water is always dropping from the same height. The voltage is always set to the same value.
The mA rating (the current) is determined by how much juice the phone can pull. Just because a charger is capable of supplying more current (say 1 or 2 amps), it doesn't mean that the Droid is going to draw that much current. However, if the droid is capable of pulling more current, it will benefit by charging faster.
Does that help at all?
*edit* Dang it. Didn't scroll down enough to see that imnuts posted already. Oh well, screw it. I'm leaving my post. lol. People who don't know about Voltage and Amperage need to hear the waterfall example at some point in their lives.

lane32x said:
In electronics, when given a voltage source (as opposed to a current source) the Voltage is set to a fixed value. That is what our wall USB outlets are. Voltage sources
Think of Voltage like a waterfall. The water is always dropping from the same height. The voltage is always set to the same value.
The mA rating (the current) is determined by how much juice the phone can pull. Just because a charger is capable of supplying more current (say 1 or 2 amps), it doesn't mean that the Droid is going to draw that much current. However, if the droid is capable of pulling more current, it will benefit by charging faster.
Does that help at all?
*edit* Dang it. Didn't scroll down enough to see that imnuts posted already. Oh well, screw it. I'm leaving my post. lol. People who don't know about Voltage and Amperage need to hear the waterfall example at some point in their lives.
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I don't really understand this because voltage and amperage are different things...
Sent from my Droid Charge running GummyFroyo 1.9.1

skydeaner said:
When I get really bored tonight I will edit this and figure it out. But yeah our phones can easily pull 800ma or more with full screen brightness and maxed out processor. So that would result in no charging at all on some chargers. I use a 2a wall charger that came with my evo and it charges very very quickly. Never more than 1 hour to full charge unless I am gaming on it while it charges lol. This is using the cord that came with the phone of course so that it knows it isn't in a data enabled usb slot.
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Did you read anything I posted The phone is only going to pull a set charge rate, depending on what type of connection it sees. It doesn't care what power rating the connection has, it will pull as much power as it can, up to the limit defined in the power regulator of the kernel. You can use a 1A charger, or a 2A charger, doesn't matter, the phone is still only going to pull a set. The phone will pull 475mA via USB connection (your computer) or 800mA via an AC adapter (wall charger). Unless you figure out how to hack the battery driver to allow a faster charge, those are the two rates you get, regardless of how much power the wall charger can supply.
kvswim said:
I don't really understand this because voltage and amperage are different things...
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A charger is going to provide a set voltage (5V I believe) and that is the only constant in the charging process for what is going into the phone. The amperage is going to be determined by the phone or the wall charger. The only time the wall charger will be the limiting part in charging is if its circuitry is setup to cut off charging over a certain level, and if it is rated for a lower charging rate, odds are, it probably won't cut it off and instead produce a fire hazard.
Something else people don't realize is that the charging rate isn't just bad for the battery if you charge to fast, pulling to much power in to charge the battery, especially while using the phone, creates a heat problem as well. While the phone will shut itself down before any major damage can occur, why would you even want to create a situation that could potentially damage the phone hardware?

imnuts said:
Did you read anything I posted The phone is only going to pull a set charge rate, depending on what type of connection it sees. It doesn't care what power rating the connection has, it will pull as much power as it can, up to the limit defined in the power regulator of the kernel. You can use a 1A charger, or a 2A charger, doesn't matter, the phone is still only going to pull a set. The phone will pull 475mA via USB connection (your computer) or 800mA via an AC adapter (wall charger). Unless you figure out how to hack the battery driver to allow a faster charge, those are the two rates you get, regardless of how much power the wall charger can supply.
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what about car chargers? i have one that I think is 2A and it seems to charge my phone a bit faster than my wall charger
blazing through on my VZ Droid Charge 4G

Slow charging, maybe there's a fix?

As we all know charging from anything other than the supplied charger takes forever. Using the phone as a satnav will also flatten the battery even tho its plugged into the cigarette lighter socket. I've been digging around and discovered why this happens. ALL usb devices can ONLY draw 500ma from a usb port. This is so that the supply is not damaged by too much current being taken. To get around this each manufacturer has a way of letting the phone know that it can safely pull more power to charge quickly. This is what your wall charger does. Have a look at this link about the way HTC phones do it, Motorola use a similar method.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=844284
Can some stick a test meter into the LG wall charger and see what LG is doing so we can alter a lead and get fast charge too.
Pete
Sent from my LG-P920 using xda premium

General battery questions and doubts

Well I'm little confusing now .
I have 2 charges.
One with out 5v 2000mah
Two with out 5v 10000mah
I noticed by my self but I need to be sure, big cables delays charge?
Before new systems, like ics and others updates on HTC Systems.
I always charged my phones with 1A.
Now even with 2A charger, some times my phone does not charge. Including some times if I use phone while charging battery decreases.
Maybe it is happening cause of my big cables?
What Is the influence of cables on wall charges?
Roms got influencing the charge time?
Sent from my HTC One X using Tapatalk 2

Actually out of the only 3 charging options I have the walk charging is the longest. Will reviece full charge in
3 hours but via computer about 7 and just over that for ps3. Surely isn't wall charging always meant to be the most efficient way? When you said big cable, how long? Is it a USB extender? If so I'd say its the cable having problems, generally at the point of transfer from the original USB cable to the extended one.
Sent from my Sensation using XDA

Well, longer cables means more resistance. Ohm's law says higher resistance, lower voyage and current. Longer cables could explain it in theory, but unless the cable is like 100 feet, I wouldn't be too worried.
Not sure where the issue lies.

Well, it's as simple as this, if you connect to a PC, the current through the USB cable is lesser (500-800mA). This means it will take a longer time to charge the device.
Now, for HTC standard wall socket charger, the output is 1A.
There are chargers that will definitely charge your phone faster, but it wouldn't be recommended as it will heat up the battery.
Now, as far as cables go, length isn't that important if we are talking about something less than 2-3 meters. But if you use an extension, there will be some current loss and also, if the extension quality isn't good enough, it will carry lesser current & take longer to charge your phone.
Also, it would be a good idea to leave your phone for a 5 hour charge on the standard HTC charger and then re-calibrate your battery. Often, a fresh ROM install may not give you the correct battery readings. So, charge to 100% and re-calibrate by flushing the battery stats bin file.

Well, the cables that i use is with more or less 4 meters.

brenopoubel said:
Well, the cables that i use is with more or less 4 meters.
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I think that one of the cables you use is bust then. It is true that longer the cable the increased reistance but its not even noticeable. Try experimenting with different cables and to see which one is deffective.
Sent from my Sensation using XDA

Charging slow???

Out of the blue I noticed my S3 was charging very slowly, it even was losing a charge while it was plugged in while I was using it. I figure it had something to do with my custom ROM so I reflash, still same outcome. The battery was still holding a good charge, so I figured it was something else. I then went out and bought a new charger, which came with a micro usb cord to see if that helped. Plugged in the new charger while using my old micro usb cord, still same outcome. Then used the new micro usb cord and old charger, charging went back to normal, problem solved! I would of never thought that the cord would malfunction from day to day use after such a short lifespan. Moral of the story, check your cords if you experience the same problem, it could save you some time and money!

I bought some cheap ones off Amazon. They won't charge the s3 but will my touchpad. But my s3 charger won't charge my touchpad. Stuff is weird at times.
Glad it was an easy fix.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda app-developers app

Must have been charging in USB mode.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda app-developers app

I believe it, using my old galaxy nexus cord for my s3 charges extremely slow (like 200 mAh) for some reason. I switched to a different cord and now it's all good, I have no clue why but that's how it is.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2

That's weird mine started doing the same thing just in the past few days. I have to unplug and plug it back in multiple times before it goes into AC mode
Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2

I really think that those cheap cables don't charge nearly as fast. Especially the Stock Sammy ones. I use the thicker LG cables and they seem to charge so much fast and transfer files faster..

I just went through the same thing. The phone was charging for twelve hours and only gained 50 percent. Took forever to figure out it was the cord.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda app-developers app

USB Cable
I think charging AC is not fast charge.
You should to charge USB cable.
Thanks.

cell128 said:
That's weird mine started doing the same thing just in the past few days. I have to unplug and plug it back in multiple times before it goes into AC mode
Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2
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That's what my phone was doing, I'd unplug then plug it back in and would go from USB to AC, but it still charged slow. That cable, no matter what it said, would still charge slow as balls.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2

I had heard of "Buy Cheap, Buy Twice", but now we've got "Buy Cheap, Charge Twice"

A lot of times it's the DC power brick that makes the difference. Not all of them have the same power output. Rarely, if ever, is it the actual cord itself. USB cables use pretty thin gauge wire already and the only way you're going to get a difference from one cable to another would be if it was REALLY cheap and using an ultra-thin wire or if it was a REALLY long cable (increases in cable length equate to increased resistance to electrical transmission...)
All USB cables are 5 volts. However, there can be significant differences in the milliamp output for each DC adapter. Aside from being a computer geek and gamer who builds custom PC's, I happen to be a hotel General Manager. I just checked our catch-all box of phone chargers and found that while every charger has an output of 5v, the amperage put out varied from 350 mA to 1000 mA from one charger to the next.
This variance in output is why some chargers take so long as compared to others. I don't know what the actual Samsung charger output is, since my charger is at home, but my guess is it's between 800 and 1000 mA.

I use the stock BB charger to charge both my 9900 and GS3, the BB charges pretty normal but lately I've been having a problem with the charging time on my S3, I have to charge it everyday now, my usage isn't that heavy, it lasts me a day and a half normally. Going to start using the stock charger to see if there is a difference.

I'm using the Samsung stock charger after not having used it for a month and noticing that my battery levels have deteriorated after using my BB stock charger. The battery seems to be discharging while on the charger! I'm in for a world of pain, going to monitor it for a while. I could be stressing over nothing.

Phone not charging while using GPS due to overheating

This is a continuation of the discussion that was started here. Since I do not want to crowd that thread with an offtopic subject, I am continuing here. I am quoting the relevant posts from that thread also.
unni_kmr said:
One issue bothers me a lot. I cannot use the phone for navigation for more than 2 hours even with car charger connected. In about 2 hours, it drains out fully. My latest theory is that after about 30 mins of charging, the battery starts heating up, and so it stops charging.
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mtdew said:
User error or bad unit I have zero issues with my GPS or car charging. Also what amperage is your car charger capable of outputting.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I727 using Tapatalk 2
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unni_kmr said:
I am not 100% sure in terms of the amperage. But I tried with a car charger capable of charging a laptop, using the wall charger and cable which came with the phone. I was sitting in the passenger seat, phone was in my lap (not mounted in windshield) and Google Maps was running in navigation mode. For the first 15 minutes or so, I saw that the phone was charging. The charge level increased by 1% or 2%. After I think 20 minutes, it stopped charging. CPU-Z app was showing battery status as
health: over heated or heated (don't remember clearly the text)
power source: connected
status: not charging or discharing
Phone's back was very hot. I unplugged the USB cable and connected it back, and it started charging again! I waited for it to cool down, removed the phone case, repeated this and got the same result.
This is why I believe the phone is doing something to protect it from over heating. I am not sure though.
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mtdew said:
Amperage is important son too little it will discharge, I think it will limit if too much. Nav can cause some heat for some of these guys but I've never heard of it getting that high my guess is something was wrong.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I727 using Tapatalk 2
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acejavelin said:
I have gotten my last few chargers at Sam's Club, they are about $10, and are rated at [email protected]
In an older phone I had a similar issue where my phone would overheat and not charge properly, once I got a new charger I cut the end off the old one and read the voltage with a meter, it was putting out almost 7.1v (should be 4.75-5.25vDC for USB 1.0-2.0 standard, and 5.25-5.75vDC for USB 3.0), pretty sure that is what caused it... cheap components equals cheap quality and flaws. Current rating should be irrelevant, as long as it meets the devices minimum requirements (most modern phones are [email protected]), even if a charger is rated at 2, 3, or even 5 amps, the device should not draw more than it can handle. Current is drawn, not pushed, a device will draw the needed current at the expected voltage, you can't really "over-current" a device by using a power source that is rated at the proper voltage but a higher current. Similar instance can occur by using a charger that has too low of a current rating, the device will try to draw more current than the adapter is rated at and the adapter will eventually fail or fall out of specifications.
Some other good chargers are by Anker, PowerGen, or RAVPower, and of course a Samsung branded adapter will work well, most all of these can be purchased for $8-$15 on Amazon. If the adapter is not rated with a current rating, then skip it, it is probably only 600ma-750ma and will be more headache than it's worth in the long run.
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bps119 said:
Good to see that we're getting a new user who actually does their homework. :thumbup:
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I727 using Tapatalk 2
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technoid1964 said:
The Skyrocket (and several other Samsung phones) need special "type 2" chargers. Apple charges are type 6, so if it says compatible with Apple, don't use it as it may not work. If the two center pins on the USB port doesn't have a 50 ohm resistor across them (or not shorted) , the Skyrocket will only draw 350 mA. Samsung and older Curve BlackBerry chargers have the resistor. At 350 mA, the phone draws more than the charger is providing, and the charger circuitry heats up trying to keep up with demand.
Jrockttu has a great thread under General called "Fix your Skyrockets battery life"
I've MOD'd all of my chargers, now my phone is happy with the screen on all day while driving and it stays charged, or charges slowly...
Tim
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I727 using xda app-developers app
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To eliminate the possibilities mentioned above, I bought the following:
1. Car Charger: PowerGen Black 3.6Amps / 18W Dual USB Car charger
2. USB Cable: Mediabridge USB Charging Cable
I also installed this app (Skyrocket Charger Info).
Summary of what happened:
With new car charger: Fast Charge (A/C) - Charging at 898 ma
With old car charger: Charger Wakelock - Charging at 497 ma
When connected to mains using factory charger: Fast Charge (A/C) - Charging at 898 ma
When connected to PC USB port: Slow Charge (USB) - Charging at 497 ma
Even with this new charger, phone stops charging once it heats up.
The full story:
Once I plugged in the phone to the new car charger using the new USB cable, the app showed the charging current as "Fast Charge - Charging at 898 ma". This is the same mA value it shows when I plugin into the mains with the phone's factory charger. I drove around with maps for around 15 minutes. Once I stopped, I saw that charge level had dropped by around 9%. I immediately launched CPU-Z app. It was showing battery overheated & not charging (see attachment 1). The phone was hot.
I removed the charger. After I think 1 minute, the battery status became 'good'. I plugged in the charger again. It started charging. While I was looking at the CPU-Z screen, battery status changed from 'good' to 'overheated' and 'charging' to 'not charging'.
Attachments:
(Please note that these screenshots are from another test where I had driven for around 30 minutes, and is not based on the above story.)
1. Phone state once I stopped the car. Charger is connected, but phone is not charging. Note that ignition is on.
2. After removing the charger.
3. After connecting the charger again. Within a few seconds of taking this screenshot, it changed to what is shown in attachment 1.
So I guess I can't do much about this, right?

I can't remember if you replaced the battery or not.... That could also be any issue if it's getting old and can't absorb the charge as fast as it used to... It will heat up quicker.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I727 using xda app-developers app

How old is your battery? And how many times a day do you plug it in?
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I727 using xda app-developers app

Sorry. I somehow missed your replies.
technoid1964 said:
I can't remember if you replaced the battery or not.... That could also be any issue if it's getting old and can't absorb the charge as fast as it used to... It will heat up quicker.
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I will try to purchase a new battery if its not too costly.
hotbyz168 said:
How old is your battery? And how many times a day do you plug it in?
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My phone and battery are now 18 months old. When I am in office, I charge it twice. It doesn't drain much, but I keep it fully charged just before leaving office.

Phone can overheat when under direct sunlight with GPS, screen and CPU working (the most power-consuming activity on the phone happens to be navigation), and also charging. Nothing unusual in that - its internal temperature in this case can reach beyond 100 degrees C. The battery can't charge when above 60-70 degrees C, because it can get physically damaged or even explode.
Concealing the phone from direct sunlight might work.
Limiting the CPU frequency might work.
A new battery might work.