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Charger Compatibility - 550mA vs. 700mA

I have older chargers for that output 5.0v / 550mA and have noticed that the Captivate outputs 5.0v / 700mA.
1. Can I safely use the older, 550mA chargers with the Captivate and what will the effect be?
2. Can I safely use the Captivate's 700mA charger with the older phones and what will the effect be?
Thanks.

1. Yes, you can use it. But it will charge slower.
2. Yes, you can use it. I believe that just because the charger output is higher amperage doesn't mean that it will affect the phone adversely. Think of it this way: A lamp is plugged into the wall outlet at your house. That outlet is rated at 120v 15A. The bulb isn't using all 15 amps, so no problem. But if you were to turn the voltage up or down, the lamp will get brighter or dimmer respectively.
The Captivate can take up to a 1A (1000 mA) charger.

Truceda said:
1. Yes, you can use it. But it will charge slower.
2. Yes, you can use it. I believe that just because the charger output is higher amperage doesn't mean that it will affect the phone adversely. Think of it this way: A lamp is plugged into the wall outlet at your house. That outlet is rated at 120v 15A. The bulb isn't using all 15 amps, so no problem. But if you were to turn the voltage up or down, the lamp will get brighter or dimmer respectively.
The Captivate can take up to a 1A (1000 mA) charger.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Another question. You sound smart on this so how about using the nexus one car charger on this? Fits perfect and I don't see why not, but still Leary. .. what do you think?

As long as it puts out 5v, (which is USB standard), you are fine. The amperage is only relevant if the device REQUIRES it. For instance if the device draws 1A and your charger could only handle 550mA your device will charge very slowly.
On the other hand if your charger can handle 1.2A and your device only draws 700mA, then your charger will only output 700mA.
The important thing is the voltage, it needs to be 5v +/- 3% ...
I actually use a generic car charger I bought at walmart with 2 USB ports on it, and it works well for every USB powered device I own ... ZUNE, iPOD, phones etc.

OK. Thanks for the reply. I had read that a phone requiring 700mA that uses a 550mA charger could damage the charger and possibly the phone. That's what made me wonder. And that's what led to the question.
Let's make this a bit more interesting. There's a local, highly-reputable cell phone repair store that has stopped selling car chargers because, they say, the rapid charge is not good for the phone's battery. Their recommendation is to use an inverter (no, they don't sell them) so that you can then plug a standard wall charger into it or a USB cable if the inverter is so equipped. The AC current that results from utilizing the inverter is more consistent than the current flowing from a car charger. So...I purchased an inverter for less than $20 and use it to charge the Captivate in my car.

OK ... not sure we need to get this far down in the weeds on this but here goes ....
The USB2 standard for power distribution is 5v and the thresholds are 4.4-5.25V.
Power is supplied in units of 5v power ... 1 unit is 5v at 100mA, no device can draw more than 5 units from any one port. If you have ever seen a portable hard drive with 2 USB connectors it is because it requires more than 500mA to operate and by using 2 ports the device can draw up to 1A. For dedicated chargers the 4.4-5.25v still applies but shorting the D+/- and disabling the data connection allows the device to detect that it is connected to a dedicated charging port and draw a maximum of 1.8A.
In keeping with the above guidelines, when connected to your computer the Captivate can draw no more than 1 unit of power which is [email protected], when connected to a dedicated charger the phone can draw [email protected] and stay within the standard. (yes, it caps itself at 1A, I know).
OK ... the next bit is going to be hard to digest because there are plenty of examples to the contrary ... there is a standard for mobile USB chargers, and it requires wiring them as dedicated charging ports. What this means to us is that, in theory anyway, a mobile USB charger should allow a device to draw up to 1.8A from it (highly unlikely ... but that's the standard as written).
Here is the problem, if the device is plugged into a dedicated charging port and tries to draw it's maximum rated current, that amount of current may not always be available or it may fluctuate. This fluctuation is what causes problems. Have you ever turned you car stereo up real loud and seen your headlights dim in beat with the music? Same thing, the power system is being drawn down. There are a couple of ways to stabalize your power system ... install a large capacitor (mine is 2 Farad) to provide "conditioning", or go the transformer route.A tansformer provides conditioning, but only on its own outputs... while a large cap will condition the entire power system if installed correctly.
So yes, using a quick charger on your phone can cause issues if your car has a ****ty power system or a large stereo system which is not set up properly (again, ****ty power system). Make sure your charging device is within the standard, and you should be fine wether it is USB via a cigarette lighter port or a 110V transformer.

I appreciate your detailed, helpful reply.
Other than the important 5v parameter, what I've taken away from your information is that a car charger can be used in a vehicle with a power supply that is known to be stable, and that either a whole-car conditioning system or an inverter should be used on one with a, shall we say, "less than stable" power supply (PG version ).

Jack45 said:
I appreciate your detailed, helpful reply.
Other than the important 5v parameter, what I've taken away from your information is that a car charger can be used in a vehicle with a power supply that is known to be stable, and that either a whole-car conditioning system or an inverter should be used on one with a, shall we say, "less than stable" power supply (PG version ).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Pretty much ...
There's more than one way to skin a cat, and that Transformer will cost you a whole lot less than a 2 Farad capacitor. I hate cats, but they serve a purpose.

@Battlehymn - one more question for you
I have converted from iPhone to the captivate (no haters please) - finally found a physical form factor with specs i like and the captivate rocks.
Anyway, I have some extra external batteries I used with my iphone that i want to use with my Captivate. I just bought a Female iPod connector and I am planning to connect it to a micro USB connector - the pinout is straight forward, but here is my question:
Should I connect the D+/- (short them together)? That is my plan. My batteries are 1900 or 1000 mAH - I assume that even if the phone tries to the draw 1.8A, the batteries have a circuit to only discharge so fast.

1 Amp Apple wall charger

Are all of Apple's OEM iPhone wall chargers (the white little square looking one's) rated at 1 amp? They're cheap on eBay and I like their small form factor and want to pick one up for my Captivate. Thx

I use one and they work fine.

^If you have your charger on hand, would you mind checking to see if it outputs 1Amp?

On your phone, go to Settings->About Phone->Status->Battery Status. If it says "Charging (AC)", it is charging at the max amperage the charger can offer (up to 1A). If it says "Charging (USB)", it is only charging at 500mA, the max a PC USB can offer. I'm pretty sure for iPhone/iPod chargers, it will show later case on our phone because it is not wired according to Samsung's AC charging requirement. I knew this because I had a 3rd party Car charger that was designed for iPhone/iPod and it won't let my Captivate to charge in AC charger mode. I have to open the charger and make a few mod myself to let Captivate to recognize this is an AC charger, not PC USB.
On the other hand, my 1A charger from Kodak Zi8 flash cam works w/o problem with Captivate.

foxbat121 said:
On your phone, go to Settings->About Phone->Status->Battery Status. If it says "Charging (AC)", it is charging at the max amperage the charger can offer (up to 1A). If it says "Charging (USB)", it is only charging at 500mA, the max a PC USB can offer. I'm pretty sure for iPhone/iPod chargers, it will show later case on our phone because it is not wired according to Samsung's AC charging requirement.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ty for the reply. I modded a usb retractable cable by shorting the middle connectors and when I go into settings it shows it's "Charging AC". This is with a generic 700mA usb wall charger I got with a cheap connector kit for my old iPhone.
Anyway, I recently got my Captivate and I find myself constantly playing with it, but it kills my battery doing so. I just want to charge my phone as quickly as possible so I can continue playing with it some more (in a good way).
I like Apple's wall charger because it's small.

From what I have read they are rated at 650 mv so fox is right that they will show as a usb connection. I have never really paid attention and am making a relatively uneducated, yet randomly tested, through my own purely subjective method of simply plugging my phone into anything that will allow my usb cord access, guess that anything with a female usb connection is fine.
Li-ion batteries are kinda dangerous so I am pretty sure there is some sort of idiot proofing built into the charging circuitry in the phone as well.

I'm pretty sure the Captivate will only draw the amps it needs so there should be no danger whether the wall charger is 1 or 2 Amps or more.

The difference is simply the charge time. The phone needs about 3 to 4 hours to get a full charge on the stock 700mA charger. When using generic USB chargers, it will be limited to 500mA max regardless what the charger is capable of and the full charge time will be proportionally longer. The bigger problem is that when your battery is really really low, 500mA may not be enough to even start the charging. That's why you need always keep the OEM charger handy for emergency.
BTW, for a car charger, 500mA won't keep your bettery from draining if you run navigation app that needs to power GPS chip, keep the screen on and download map from 3G connection at the same time. It requires 700mA or more. That is why it is very critical for a car charger be recognized by the phone as AC charger to draw more juice.

Ok, as I stated in my previous post I modded a USB cable by shorting the two middle data connectors, which tricks the Captivate into thinking it's charging with AC through my generic 700mA wall charger. It also says in settings it's "AC Charging" when I looked.
I just wanted to know if the iPhone's wall charger is rated at 1A or was it 650mA?? as newter55 stated.
thx for everyone's help.
Edit: My mistake, I thought I posted this in the Q&A section.

For some new PC motherboard with USB3.0,
they can output 900mA~1000mA(1A) in one single USB port.
You may check this out http://goo.gl/TUaef
If your PC is already 2 years old or older, the usb will only output 500mA in the max.
And, most Li-ion charger are smart enough.
In fact Li-ion charger circuit need to be well design in current control and over current/charge control.
The circuit will not pump full current to the battery in the beginning,
and it will not draw too much, so no need to worry about burn it up.
However if the current is too high let's say 10A.... it may possibly burn the circuit.
Maybe it is a bit difficult to measure current, you need to cut the wire and plug it to ampmeter....
Here is some reference.
500mA - full charge need over 3hrs
700mA - around 2hrs
1A - ~1.5 hr

johan8 said:
For some new PC motherboard with USB3.0,
they can output 900mA~1000mA(1A) in one single USB port.
You may check this out http://goo.gl/TUaef
If your PC is already 2 years old or older, the usb will only output 500mA in the max.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It is not about USB port side. The phone itself also detects and determines how much current it will draw. If it detects it is a PC USB, it will only draw 500mA max as Captivate is designed following USB 2.0 spec.

Ok, thanks for everyone's help. I was able to find out on my own after scouring the internet and talking to someone who has the Apple wall charger and it is indeed 1Amps. I believe all wall chargers that come with the iPhone 3g and all iPhone models after are 1Amps. Not sure about the original iPhone 2g.
Also, for curiosities sake, the iPad USB wall charger is 2Amps.

foxbat121 said:
It is not about USB port side. The phone itself also detects and determines how much current it will draw. If it detects it is a PC USB, it will only draw 500mA max as Captivate is designed following USB 2.0 spec.
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Click to collapse
Maybe.
I don't know the control circuit inside GalaxyS.
But USB2.0 doesn't means it is just 500mA.
iphone is just usb2.0, but it is the only thing can draw 1A from USB ?
http://goo.gl/GVqKl
(with designated m/b)

johan8 said:
Maybe.
I don't know the control circuit inside GalaxyS.
But USB2.0 doesn't means it is just 500mA.
iphone is just usb2.0, but it is the only thing can draw 1A from USB ?
http://goo.gl/GVqKl
(with designated m/b)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're missing the point. The charge port on the phone can draw more than 500mA but only if it detects it is connected to a AC charger. Like mentioned above, you have to short the data PINs on the USB port or cable to let the Captivate think it is connected to AC charger. For iPhone, the data pins need to be connected to certain specific voltages in order to let iPhone know it is connected to an Apple AC charger.
When the phone can not detect AC charger characteristics, it falls back to PC USB 2.0 spec which is 500mA max.

I use one to charge my Zune. Haven't had a problem.

foxbat121 said:
You're missing the point. The charge port on the phone can draw more than 500mA but only if it detects it is connected to a AC charger. Like mentioned above, you have to short the data PINs on the USB port or cable to let the Captivate think it is connected to AC charger. For iPhone, the data pins need to be connected to certain specific voltages in order to let iPhone know it is connected to an Apple AC charger.
When the phone can not detect AC charger characteristics, it falls back to PC USB 2.0 spec which is 500mA max.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I fully understand what you're saying.
In iphone3, it can only draw 700mA from USB,
IP4 can draw nearly 1A from "computer" USB.
While iphone are just USB2.0 !
GalaxyS can draw 1A in max.
But does it like iphone4 can draw 1A from PC USB ? I don't know.
Or just like IP3 can draw only 500~700mA ?
I don't have new m/b and ampmeter so can't testing on it.

[Q] Can HOX be charged by 2.1A car charger?

I am going to buy a car charger for my new HOX, but it only has one 2.1A usb output. I know the charging current of the HOX wall charger is 1A, but I think 2.1A should work fine or even charge faster. But my concern is if the larger current would hurt my battery or shorten its lifetime.
Some ppl said the phone itself would take 1A current anyway due to some kind of threshold control inside, but I am not sure about it. So pls let me know if you know the truth. Appreciate it!
ps. I sent an email about this problem to HTC customer care 2 days ago but still no response yet. I will post the official answer when I get their answer.
UPDATE: Here is the official response from HTC about charging current, it seems that HOX does not intelligently control its charging current:
Dear yydnl,
Thanks for getting back to me, yydnl. The One X was designed with the intention of only using 5V 1A chargers. Anything more will cause damage to the phone over time. The phone was not designed to alter the current coming into the phone through the charger. I recommend that you only use the supplied HTC charger with your device.

Yeah I'd like to know. I never opened the oem charger and am currently using my bb playbook charger which shoots out 1.8A. I'm hoping the answer is no damage with a faster charge.

Yep, it'll work fine. Chargers don't "push" the charge, the phone pulls it. If the phone is only designed to charge at 1000ma, then it will only pull that current. So you could use a 10 amp charger and it will be fine, only difference is that with that high a capacity, you'll be able to charge 10 phones at the full charging rate. Changing the voltage, that's a different story.
Sent from my HTC One X using xda premium

There is no problem of the voltage of the car charger because that is 5V as the oem charger, but do you know if HOX is designed to intelligently pull the proper amount of current? or will it take any current fed to it?

yydnl said:
There is no problem of the voltage of the car charger because that is 5V as the oem charger, but do you know if HOX is designed to intelligently pull the proper amount of current? or will it take any current fed to it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
All Li-ion batteries have intelligent charging circuits. Otherwise, it will simply explode.
I won't worry about 2.1A at all. The problem is other way around, i.e. whether or not the phone will take more than 500ma from your 2.1A charger. It depends on how your charger is wired. If the phone only detects a generic USB connection, it will only charge max 500ma. It requires special wiring from the USB port to allow phone to switch to AC charging mode to draw more current. Unfortunately, there is no way to tell until you have the charger and try it out. One thing for sure, those chargers designed for iPhone/iPad typically won't be recorgnzied by other phones as AC chargers.

foxbat121 said:
All Li-ion batteries have intelligent charging circuits. Otherwise, it will simply explode.
I won't worry about 2.1A at all. The problem is other way around, i.e. whether or not the phone will take more than 500ma from your 2.1A charger. It depends on how your charger is wired. If the phone only detects a generic USB connection, it will only charge max 500ma. It requires special wiring from the USB port to allow phone to switch to AC charging mode to draw more current. Unfortunately, there is no way to tell until you have the charger and try it out. One thing for sure, those chargers designed for iPhone/iPad typically won't be recorgnzied by other phones as AC chargers.
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Click to collapse
Gotcha, the car charger I am going to buy is for iphone, but it also claims to be able to charge phones of htc, sony etc. So I guess it is possible to have the ac charging detection.

yydnl said:
Gotcha, the car charger I am going to buy is for iphone, but it also claims to be able to charge phones of htc, sony etc. So I guess it is possible to have the ac charging detection.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My money is on that it won't be recognized as AC charger. iPhone has special requirement on data PIN wiring that is not compatible with other phone. Yes, you can charge other phones but probably not at anything over 500ma.

Pls see my updates, it seems that 2.1A charger is not safe.

[Resolved] Can i charge headphones with higher mA without issues?

I spent much time to research, ask sony support, google... but i dont have answer yet...
I have got: (Everything is 5.0VDC)
Xperia Tablet Z (It comes with 1500mA charger)
MDR1-RBT BT Headphones (It comes with no charger, charge only via USB PC port - 500mA?)
MW600 BT Headset (It comes with 350mA cherger)
Can i charge all with 1500mA charger without ANY issues?
Please help me i can't get answer for long...

Please help.

BUMP

It'll eventually damage it
Sent from my Karbonn A15 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

Will damage the headphones
Sent from my GT-I9100G using xda app-developers app

arvin07143 said:
Will damage the headphones
Sent from my GT-I9100G using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So i can charge it only via USB to PC?
Sony supporter said i can charge it with adaptor with specs 1500mA...
I don't understand it at all...

BUMP!

This one is not quite so straightforward without knowing about the internal circuitry of those devices you have in regards to how they charge.
Now, in general, it is safe to say that you must always match the voltage and polarity of the device you are charging, often you can use a higher rated current charger or power supply.
Why?
A device typically only draws how many amps it needs in order to function.
Take your TV for example, it probably only needs 2-3 amps to run yet it is plugged straight into the mains which has the capability of supplying many hundred of amps yet your TV doesn't "fry", it simply draws what it needs.
When it comes to charging its a bit more complicated and depends on the device (does it have internal charging circuitry or is the the item you plug into the wall and actual charger and not simply an AC/DC converter).
Most small electronics which contain a battery and are simply supplied with an AC/DC converter, say, Input 120V 1A output 5V 100ma have their own current regulating charging circuitry inside. This means that the thing you plug into the wall isn't actually a charger, its an AC/DC converter.
In that case the converter can have a higher rated amp output than your device states it needs because your device will only draw what it wants.
If what you are plugging into the wall is an actual charger which has the job of regulating the current flow to the device that needs charging then you will want to get one as close to spec as the original so as not to damage your device.
All the devices you list seem to charge via 5V, most likely a USB type interface.
This means that they are not supplied with actual chargers, simply power supplies, the charging and current limiting mechanism is inside each device.
In theory therefore you should be able to 'charge' all your devices via the 1500mA AC/DC converter, the products you have will only draw what they need in order to charge, the 1500mA will not be pushed or forced upon each device.
Also, think of this, you have been smart and come to ask for advice, how many people simply use the USB 'charger' of their husband/wife/sister/brother to charge their phone or product when they can't find their own and those devices aren't damaged.
The only thing is if the current is too low then it will either not charge or take much longer.
I hope that helps.

zasy99 said:
This one is not quite so straightforward without knowing about the internal circuitry of those devices you have in regards to how they charge.
Now, in general, it is safe to say that you must always match the voltage and polarity of the device you are charging, often you can use a higher rated current charger or power supply.
Why?
A device typically only draws how many amps it needs in order to function.
Take your TV for example, it probably only needs 2-3 amps to run yet it is plugged straight into the mains which has the capability of supplying many hundred of amps yet your TV doesn't "fry", it simply draws what it needs.
When it comes to charging its a bit more complicated and depends on the device (does it have internal charging circuitry or is the the item you plug into the wall and actual charger and not simply an AC/DC converter).
Most small electronics which contain a battery and are simply supplied with an AC/DC converter, say, Input 120V 1A output 5V 100ma have their own current regulating charging circuitry inside. This means that the thing you plug into the wall isn't actually a charger, its an AC/DC converter.
In that case the converter can have a higher rated amp output than your device states it needs because your device will only draw what it wants.
If what you are plugging into the wall is an actual charger which has the job of regulating the current flow to the device that needs charging then you will want to get one as close to spec as the original so as not to damage your device.
All the devices you list seem to charge via 5V, most likely a USB type interface.
This means that they are not supplied with actual chargers, simply power supplies, the charging and current limiting mechanism is inside each device.
In theory therefore you should be able to 'charge' all your devices via the 1500mA AC/DC converter, the products you have will only draw what they need in order to charge, the 1500mA will not be pushed or forced upon each device.
Also, think of this, you have been smart and come to ask for advice, how many people simply use the USB 'charger' of their husband/wife/sister/brother to charge their phone or product when they can't find their own and those devices aren't damaged.
The only thing is if the current is too low then it will either not charge or take much longer.
I hope that helps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I know that Xperia tablets and phones won't take more mA than it needs but does MDR1-RBT has the same thing? I did a lot of research but i still can't find the 100% answer. I don't want to try unless 100% sure. (Its expensive headphones)
EDIT:
Few sony supporters said: You can charge it only via USB cabble to Personal computer
Few sony supporters said: You can charge it only via USB cabble to PC or Adaptor (Linked me to USB/AC Adaptor with THE SAME specs like XTZ charger - 1500 mA)
Is Adaptor same as XTZ?
I found this on OFFICIAL Sony eSupport
http://docs.esupport.sony.com/portable/MDR1RBT_guide/en/contents/01/03/01/01.html?search=charg
OFFICIAL TIPS:
Tips
If the micro-USB cable is connected to a computer while the headset is turned on, the headset will be turned off automatically.
To charge the headset from an AC outlet, use USB Charging AC Power Adaptor* (sold separately). For details, refer to the manuals supplied with the USB Charging AC Power Adaptor.
The headset cannot be turned on while charging the battery.
* Refer to the Reference Guide on the recommended adapter.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

BUMP

Zas99 answer is spot on.once the voltage matches to your device your ok.most phone chargers you can pull out the usb charging cable. u could use that or buy a another usb charger at 1500ma to 2000ma.
Sent from my HTC Desire S using xda premium

E7ite: You should be fine, the fact that it charges via USB means that it must have its own internal charging circuitry.
I bet your Xperia tablet also charges via a USB type cable right, on a USB port?
All my USB 'chargers' have different mA rating yet they charge my products just fine as long as the mA rating is at LEAST what the device needs, not less, and hey, if its a little less it also works, just takes longer.
Look at it this way, the USB specs are always changing as is their current handling capability, now we are at USB 3.1, just recently we were at USB 3.0 which bumped up maximum device current usage during data transmission to 900mA or for dedicated charging 1.5A.
For USB 1.x - 2.0 it was 100mA before negotiation, up to 500mA thereafter, also with a dedicated charging capacity of 1.5A if the D- & D+ pins are shorted.
I bet Sony doesn't tell you that you can only charge via a USB 1.x - 2.0 port do they? Nope, that means if your computer has a USB 3 port that its has the potential to deliver more, remember, that's the key, it CAN deliver more if needed but it won't, it will only give the device what it draws.
The cable they supply with your headphone is most likely not a data cable but rather a so called charging cable so therefore is rated up to 1.5A or 1500mA but your headphones will only draw what they need to charge.
Everyone uses the term charger which is so wrong, when you put your AA or AAA batteries into the little black box and plug it into a wall, that is a charger, when you connect your car battery via the +/- terminals and clamps to the charger, that is also a real charger, they are directly responsible for charging the batteries.
All these other things we use to 'charge' our little electronic devices do nothing other than take the 120V A/C and convert it into for example 5V DC. The current rating they indicate next to the 5V is simply the max current handling capability, nothing more, it not what is pushed to the device, its what the device can request up to to be delivered. The actual charging goes on inside the device.
By the way, as the batteries charge the device reduces the current and sometimes also the voltage, batteries typically charge faster when they are low and able to absorb more current then as they fill up and can absorb less the charger adjusts to a more or less trickle such as 100mA or less in order to maintain but not overcharge the battery.
By the way, this is what I found on Amazon in about 2 minutes, a review from someone else who bought the headphones.
"For the price, sony should have included a wall charger. Instead they included a USB cable. The headphones will charge on any computer, but using a generic USB wall charger will show a blinking amber error light--but the headphones still charge."
Also, the link you indicated to the sony manual about charging gives absolutely no information at all.
You are over thinking it, just try it
If you are really worried why not get a regular cell phone USB charger and use that, one that states like 500mA on it and has a female USB plug on it. That way you can use your headphone USB cable and plug it into the 5V 500mA phone 'charger'.
One last thing, just don't use Apple product 'chargers' to charge non Apple products, why you ask, because Apple does strange things with the pins on their 'chargers' in order to indicate the supply current. This can sometimes lead to adverse effects for non Apple devices.
Good luck.

zasy99 said:
E7ite: You should be fine, the fact that it charges via USB means that it must have its own internal charging circuitry.
I bet your Xperia tablet also charges via a USB type cable right, on a USB port?
All my USB 'chargers' have different mA rating yet they charge my products just fine as long as the mA rating is at LEAST what the device needs, not less, and hey, if its a little less it also works, just takes longer.
Look at it this way, the USB specs are always changing as is their current handling capability, now we are at USB 3.1, just recently we were at USB 3.0 which bumped up maximum device current usage during data transmission to 900mA or for dedicated charging 1.5A.
For USB 1.x - 2.0 it was 100mA before negotiation, up to 500mA thereafter, also with a dedicated charging capacity of 1.5A if the D- & D+ pins are shorted.
I bet Sony doesn't tell you that you can only charge via a USB 1.x - 2.0 port do they? Nope, that means if your computer has a USB 3 port that its has the potential to deliver more, remember, that's the key, it CAN deliver more if needed but it won't, it will only give the device what it draws.
The cable they supply with your headphone is most likely not a data cable but rather a so called charging cable so therefore is rated up to 1.5A or 1500mA but your headphones will only draw what they need to charge.
Everyone uses the term charger which is so wrong, when you put your AA or AAA batteries into the little black box and plug it into a wall, that is a charger, when you connect your car battery via the +/- terminals and clamps to the charger, that is also a real charger, they are directly responsible for charging the batteries.
All these other things we use to 'charge' our little electronic devices do nothing other than take the 120V A/C and convert it into for example 5V DC. The current rating they indicate next to the 5V is simply the max current handling capability, nothing more, it not what is pushed to the device, its what the device can request up to to be delivered. The actual charging goes on inside the device.
By the way, as the batteries charge the device reduces the current and sometimes also the voltage, batteries typically charge faster when they are low and able to absorb more current then as they fill up and can absorb less the charger adjusts to a more or less trickle such as 100mA or less in order to maintain but not overcharge the battery.
By the way, this is what I found on Amazon in about 2 minutes, a review from someone else who bought the headphones.
"For the price, sony should have included a wall charger. Instead they included a USB cable. The headphones will charge on any computer, but using a generic USB wall charger will show a blinking amber error light--but the headphones still charge."
Also, the link you indicated to the sony manual about charging gives absolutely no information at all.
You are over thinking it, just try it
If you are really worried why not get a regular cell phone USB charger and use that, one that states like 500mA on it and has a female USB plug on it. That way you can use your headphone USB cable and plug it into the 5V 500mA phone 'charger'.
One last thing, just don't use Apple product 'chargers' to charge non Apple products, why you ask, because Apple does strange things with the pins on their 'chargers' in order to indicate the supply current. This can sometimes lead to adverse effects for non Apple devices.
Good luck.
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Thank you for reply.

New wireless charging chip, same speed as wired charging?

just spotted this
http://www.qiwireless.com/toshiba-starting-production-faster-wireless-charging-chip/
Wireless charging at wired speeds. I am avoiding wireless charging due to the slow speed of it but if this thing works I wont need to avoid it anymore.
When available, would this work with an S5? It says it uses Qi as "its base for wireless charging". This is unclear to me, does this mean it is a Qi charger or that it simply uses some Qi stuff and then goes beyond it to provide the extra power, so it isnt actually Qi at all (if Qi is a standard then I assume this new thing doesn't confirm to that standard and so it isnt Qi, in which case it wont work with existing Qi devices?)?
What I would also like to know is does this new chip need to be in the phone itself, or would the chip they talk about be inside the back cover, or in the charging pad? Obviously if the phone itself needs to support this specific chip then its not going to be any good for s5 users, but if it is independent of anything in the phone and work would on an s5 then it may be worth waiting for it, it is apparently already in mass production so should be around soon I guess.

Based on the (albeit limited) numbers they provide in the article, it appears this is still a low-power Qi spec device like the ones we have today, which have a maximum output of 5W.
The wireless charging integrated chip will be following the Qi wireless charging standard as its base for wireless charging, which is great since this is currently the most used wireless charging standard for current devices. Along with this, the chip will be able to have a maximum output of 5 watts, which is comparable to a wired charger.
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Unfortunately they say nothing about how this would differ from your run of the mill ebay Qi solution.
Mathematically (which admittedly is not my forte), if we assume "Wired" charging rate is 1800mA, 5W @ 5V requires 9W to hit 1800ma, which is outside the low-power Qi spec.

Then it is even more confusing as the entire article seems to be suggesting that it will charge at the same rates as wired chargers and much faster than current Qi systems.

Standard wired charging rate is 1amp, at 5v that is 5w
So if the new induction/wireless charger can supply 5w that means it will supply 1amp which is the same as wired
These will be roughly the same charging speeds

by the way, if you look at the charger your phone came with it clearly says "5.3V and 2A" so no the wireless charging will not compare to the conventional wired charging using your stock charger

cpgifford said:
by the way, if you look at the charger your phone came with it clearly says "5.3V and 2A" so no the wireless charging will not compare to the conventional wired charging using your stock charger
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This is correct, sorry should of also made my post more clear
5v 1amp is most common on many devices now and the qi statement relates to many devices so technically what they say is right BUT now some devices including the S5 do use slightly higher voltages and some draw more current now meaning wireless charging on our device will not be as good as wired BUT for most people that simply charge overnight it will make no difference
Those that charge overnight wireless charging will be perfect
Those that excessively use their phone and need as much charge as possible in short periods/quick charges throughout the day etc should use wired charging