Fast charge cables: Sourcing, speed vs length, etc - General Questions and Answers

For years, I've been struggling to find a good, quality cord to replace the one that came with my OP6 years ago. The cords that come with phones that support fast charge (for the purpose of this post, I'll say "fast charge" is anything 15A or higher) seem to be getting shorter and shorter. My current phone is an OP8P, but I could honestly give two sh*ts about wireless charging. I got the wireless charger free with my order, but have used it twice (I have to take my Pulen case, which isn't even very thick) off the phone just to charge it). I also use the phone while it's charging at night, so wireless charging is just a waste.
While I'd love something faster than 30A, even that would be amazing. But I can't seem to find a cable anywhere that is longer than the stock cable that does over 3A... even 5A. I would be happy with a cable that would support 10-15A of charging speed at this point, but am having a very tough time finding one. Every "fast charge" cable on Amazon and other sites seems to only support 3A charging, which sorry... does not come across to me as "fast".
I am wondering if anyone has had this same dilemma, and has maybe found *the* longest cable that will support a higher charge rate than 3A. I have had good luck with Amazon Basics cables for other things (specs always seem to be exceeded), but they don't look they like they'd last five minutes plugged into the end of a phone while you're using it. Maybe I'm wrong.
Any help would be greatly appreciated!!

Try those 100w cables. They are awesome and can take whatever you throw at them.
But it is thicker than ordinary fast charging cables.
I'm using a 100w type c to type c for my samsung s20+ and I get the super fast charging speed.
Sent from my SM-G985F using Tapatalk

vash_h said:
Try those 100w cables. They are awesome and can take whatever you throw at them.
But it is thicker than ordinary fast charging cables.
I'm using a 100w type c to type c for my samsung s20+ and I get the super fast charging speed.
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Click to collapse
Where did you get them from? How long? Even 5ft would be better than the tiny one you get with new phones...
**Edit**
Can't seem to find one that is any significant wattage with type A on one end.

Related

alternative to the hp charging cable

I lost my wall charger that came with my HP touchpad. The round plug thingie is what I'm looking for. Searching on Amazon brings up a number of items, for example:
http://www.amazon.com/HP-North-American-Charger-TouchPad/dp/B0055QYJJM/ref=dp_cp_ob_e_title_3
However, is there an alternative that works? I was able to use the Evo cable rather than the original HP sync/charge cable that came with the wall charger, but is there an alternative wall plug that works as well? Paying almost $28 for a charging cable seems a bit ridiculous.
Any help and advice would be most appreciated.
[[FOUND MY ANSWER]]
I found that Walmart was having a sale on the North American charger with the barrel wall connector for $11.99 and Meritline was having a sale for 6' long USB to micro-usb cables (pair for $4.99 no tax/shipping).
The listing on the Meritline page says that the cables are compatible with the Evo.
Given that the cable that comes with the HP barrel charger is pretty much monkey spit and fails within a month, I found a solution that works for less than $20.
Links are below:
Walmart HP Touchpad charger
http://www.walmart.com/ip/HP-TouchPad-Accessory-Travel-AC-Wall-Adapter-Charger/16641536
Meritline Cables (use this code MLCK222YNL1 for discount (cannot guarantee how long this code is good for, drops the price for a twin pack of the 6' cables from $10.99 to $4.99)
http://www.meritline.com/showproduc...e=6-feet-high-speed-micro-hdmi-cable-ethernet
Pretty much any USB charger will work, but most give a notification on the Touchpad screen indicating that they may not be charging. This is because the official charger is at the high end of both voltage and current capability. I charge from laptop, desktop and a variety of Blackberry chargers with no issue, but the available current will determine how long it takes to charge and whether it charges much while the screen is on. Go for a USB charger that gives you 2 Amps and you should be fine.
dmarchant said:
Pretty much any USB charger will work, but most give a notification on the Touchpad screen indicating that they may not be charging. This is because the official charger is at the high end of both voltage and current capability. I charge from laptop, desktop and a variety of Blackberry chargers with no issue, but the available current will determine how long it takes to charge and whether it charges much while the screen is on. Go for a USB charger that gives you 2 Amps and you should be fine.
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Click to collapse
Thank you for the advice. To be more specific, can you recommend any alternative charging cables/wall charger units specifically?
Any brand name USB charger that gives off 2 amps should be fine. I tend to stay away from really cheap generic chargers. Any microUSB cable should be fine even a generic one if it has decent reviews. I worry about generic chargers since a poorly regulated one could send a voltage too high, but generic cables should be fine.
The chargers I am currently using, as well as the one that came with the TP, are the one that came with a Blackberry Playbook and the one from my HTC Desire HD.
The Blackberry charger gives an error on the screen that it may not charge the TP, but as it gives 2 amps, charges in pretty much the same time as the official unit.
The HTC again gives the warning and takes about twice as long to charge.
what about the nook color charger i know it higher amps might work as well
cesar2010 said:
what about the nook color charger i know it higher amps might work as well
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Click to collapse
I just tested the TP with a charger for the NC, and unfortunately, it still gives the same "may not charge" warning...
There is NO after market charger that will charge at full rate like the HP barrel charger!
At best they will trickle charge at a much lower rate and take considerably longer to charge.
The TP relies on precise signaling which it will only get from the OEM item or specially modded after market units or cables.
Do a google for further info ie webosnation.com forums.
I think your looking for a 5.1v charger, aka rapid charger. This is used by the iPad, and some android phones like the Motorola droid 3, razr and htc rezound.
I could be wrong though,I haven't gotten my touchpad yet.but I do own all said device above (except the razr) and they all use the faster charging technology.
Sent from my rezound.
Izeltokatl said:
I think your looking for a 5.1v charger, aka rapid charger. This is used by the iPad, and some android phones like the Motorola droid 3, razr and htc rezound.
I could be wrong though,I haven't gotten my touchpad yet.but I do own all said device above (except the razr) and they all use the faster charging technology.
Sent from my rezound.
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Click to collapse
They will not work at full rate!
No one else uses 5.2 volts
Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S2
Don't believe all the hype about using ONLY the HP charger, there are many that do the job perfectly well. Too many people make these authoritarian statements and all they do is cause FUD.
At my office, I use the AC charger from my last Samsung phone (mythic) and it works IDENTICALLY to the OEM one. I have also used a Moto and and LG with NO PROBLEMS. I have no issues getting to fully charged in little time.
At home, my OEM cable is plugged into a high-power USB port (2.1A, I believe) and it has no problem charging from near zero to full as well. Front or top-mounted USB ports tend to be 500mA or less, but the rear ones (coming directly off the motherboard) tend to have a higher supply. I also use a non-HP USB cable occasionally and it works fine.
(I got my TP during the original fire-sale and have been charging it these ways ever since with ZERO ISSUES.)
R1ptide said:
No one else uses 5.2 volts
Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S2
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The small voltage difference is marginal and isn't going to matter, the internal hardware should be able to tolerate a few tenths of a volt difference. In fact, I tested my Motorola charger rated at 5.1v and the Touchpad charger rated at 5.2v on a multimeter. The Motorola charger was outputting 5.20v and the Touchpad charger 5.16v. Granted this is at no load, but switching transformers are regulated so they should supply rated voltage at any current draw equal to or less than rated. Also depending on how well the voltage is regulated there may still be a slight AC ripple that the device has to deal with.
Does anyone know the time difference between using the TP charger and a standard droid/blackberry charger? Also curious if the charges last the same. I know theoretically they should since the battery is full either way, but electricals can be tricksiy..
sirclesam said:
Does anyone know the time difference between using the TP charger and a standard droid/blackberry charger? Also curious if the charges last the same. I know theoretically they should since the battery is full either way, but electricals can be tricksiy..
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Click to collapse
Its all down to the charge rate that the TP is able to draw.
2A which is theoretically possible from TP AC barrel charger would charge the 6A+ battery of the TP from flat to full in approximately 6.5 hours.
If the BB charger were able to have 500mA drawn by the TP then it would fully charge in approximately 26 hours.
The charges would be no different.
To convert any regular USB charger into a TouchPad charger you need to add 2 resistors as per the diagram attached.
The presence of the resistors will trigger the TouchPad to draw the full 2A from the charger rather than the trickle charge it does when they are not there.
Please do not modify a cheap charger that is only rated for 500mA as you will most likely overheat it and it could present a fire risk.
stuart_f said:
To convert any regular USB charger into a TouchPad charger you need to add 2 resistors as per the diagram attached.
The presence of the resistors will trigger the TouchPad to draw the full 2A from the charger rather than the trickle charge it does when they are not there.
Please do not modify a cheap charger that is only rated for 500mA as you will most likely overheat it and it could present a fire risk.
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Click to collapse
Just pointing out that you need to start with a charger that is rated at least 2Ah to start with.
You can't turn a low rated one into a high rated one.
pa49 said:
Just pointing out that you need to start with a charger that is rated at least 2Ah to start with.
You can't turn a low rated one into a high rated one.
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oh, for the love of gods. REALLY? I was just asking for a replacement cable. I don't want to reinvent the charging paradigm. I just need a simple recommendation for a cable. If a thread could be highjacked any further I don't know how it could be.
I appreciate all your "advice" but seriously, this is NOT what I was asking.
Anyone know if I can get a similar cable in the UK? Kind of lost my TP cable, and I miss the flexibility the long cable gave me, it was so much easier to use on charge!
well i know that my tbolt cable works. i have to use the tp adapter though. my tbolt adapter makes the touchpad say that the charger is incompatible.

[Q] Terrible charge rate?

One of the things I loved most about my Nexus 4 was just how quickly it charged. And unlike my SGSII before it, it could even gain a charge while being actively used for Waze. Really great.
With the 5 I'm back to where I was. And thanks to tools I picked up during the 4, I'm able to see why more easily. Seems on the exact same chargers I used my 4 on, I'm easily pulling 400+mA less than the 4 did from the same device and same cable.
I haven't had time to draw a correlation yet, but last night at home on a multi-out adapter from Monoprice I was able to pull over 1200mA which is more than I've ever seen ANY of my devices pull before. But today, on the same model at my office, but with a different cable, I'm pulling around 200mA. Same as what I was getting in my car, which would frequently dip into the negatives, and that was WITHOUT Waze running. Also of note, in ALL of these locations it's being listed as "USB plugged" instead of "AC plugged." I'd say that accounts for the difference there, but the 1200mA draw was listed the same way, so I doubt it.
So, has anyone else noticed this yet and found any correlations between devices, cables, etc., so we can figure this out? Using more power than it takes in will not be something I can survive with and will definitely make this phone a less-than-ideal upgrade over the 4 in the battery life department. But it's pretty clear it's not impossible to get a good charge.
(and yes, before anyone asks, all of my adapters have jacks with a minimum of 1A out, and each also has a 2.1A port. Surprisingly, unlike my 4 which tended to draw LESS power from the 2.1A port, the 5 appears to be unconcerned by the difference, pulling the same poor number from both)
Yes, i agree with you. I just check today, charging my phone from the pc and it seems fast charge isn't doing its thing.
duckied said:
Yes, i agree with you. I just check today, charging my phone from the pc and it seems fast boot isn't doing its thing.
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Click to collapse
Well, I haven't even dared test it from a PC yet. All I can say is from wall warts and car chargers it's terrible. I can't imagine how bad it is from the limited PC ports. Although it's probably exactly the same, since it seems to be identifying all my wall outlets as USB connections.
using my lg g2 charger and it charges my nexus 5 super fast. 1 hour charge will give me almost full battery
spadeace9 said:
using my lg g2 charger and it charges my nexus 5 super fast. 1 hour charge will give me almost full battery
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Click to collapse
Not too surprising. I've read other reports that it charges nice and fast with the stock charger, which is likely the same as the G2 charger since they share most of the same hardware. But that doesn't help with car charging or those of us who've consolidated into multi-port chargers.
When I get home I'm going to mix and match some cables and devices and try to narrow in a bit more. This sounds like the Nexus 7 (2012) goose chase all over again.
The USB/AC detection is done with a definied resistance. Some chargers don't meet those exact resistances (cheap resistors have a big tolerance) -> the phone detects it as USB.
The cable can make big difference, I've tested several different cables on the N4 once, charging rate was between 600mA and ~1100mA (which should be the max) on the same charger.
Maybe the resistance in the charger is right inside the resistance tolerance, so the slight difference in resistance between the cables is enough.
Since the N4 most probably uses a different charge IC than the N5 (I haven't checked tho), it could be that the N4 had a wider tolerance than the N5.
What should help are those charge cables , the one I'm using from Porta Pow can only be used for charging therefore ignoring the charger resistance -> phone should always detect it as AC(even on a PC). Another good thing about those cables is the big wire diameter. Or a kernel where you can force AC charging regardless of the actual source.("fast charge")
That all sounds pretty logical. Considering I got much better results with the Monoprice premium cables I used last night (which oddly, are much THINNER than the cheaper ones), I'm going to experiment with those this evening and see if that makes all the difference.
As for kernels, I'm not planning to root this one if I can help it. I managed to get through the life of my 4 without rooting, too. I know it's heresy on XDA not to root, and until I got Nexus devices I would have agreed. But since stock Jelly Bean I haven't felt that burning need to "take back" control of my phone. I seem to already have plenty.
I observed the same inconsistencies with the N5's charging behavior and did some qualitative tests. I've attached a screenshot with my findings.
The phone is clearly capable of charging rapidly. My primary focus is getting a high current off the car charger. Is there a way to force AC charging mode vs. USB charging, or should I focus on more quality cables / adapters?
Just did some additional testing of my own and found some interesting results. I didn't take perfect notes, but here's what I got:
With the Monoprice 4-port Wall Charger 2.1A 8856:
Cheap Monoprice cable: bad charging, fluctuating between -80A and 200A.
Cheap unknown cable: same as above.
Monoprice premium 3ft cable: 900-1200A.
Monoprice premium 6ft cable: 700-900A.
With the Monoprice 1A car charger 6765:
Bad charging with all cables tried.
With the Monoprice 2.1A car charger 8858:
Bad charging with all cables tried, with exception of Monoprice premium 3ft cable which had same low end, but occasionally bumped over 300A.
With 3.1 (split between two ports) charger purchased on Amazon (my standby for my Nexus 4:
Bad charging with all cables tried.
With Monoprice 2-port USB Car Charger 3.1A 10071:
Cheap Monoprice cable: Bad charging
Cheap unknown cable: Bad charging
Monoprice premium 3ft cable: 700-900A
So it looks like high-end Monoprice paired with high-end Monoprice pays off. Unfortunately there's a rather serious catch with model 10071: it KILLS GPS. At least it did on my Nexus 4, and other reviews reported it as well. I can't be certain yet about it on the 5, but the little experimenting I did in the parking lot showed some anomalies I didn't like. Which means I apparently get to choose between GPS killing my battery, or charging my battery killing my GPS.
Also tried Nexus 7 2012 charger with its own cable and got bad charging, too.
TurboFool said:
Just did some additional testing of my own and found some interesting results. I didn't take perfect notes, but here's what I got:
With the Monoprice 4-port Wall Charger 2.1A 8856:
Cheap Monoprice cable: bad charging, fluctuating between -80A and 200A.
Cheap unknown cable: same as above.
Monoprice premium 3ft cable: 900-1200A.
Monoprice premium 6ft cable: 700-900A.
With the Monoprice 1A car charger 6765:
Bad charging with all cables tried.
With the Monoprice 2.1A car charger 8858:
Bad charging with all cables tried, with exception of Monoprice premium 3ft cable which had same low end, but occasionally bumped over 300A.
With 3.1 (split between two ports) charger purchased on Amazon (my standby for my Nexus 4:
Bad charging with all cables tried.
With Monoprice 2-port USB Car Charger 3.1A 10071:
Cheap Monoprice cable: Bad charging
Cheap unknown cable: Bad charging
Monoprice premium 3ft cable: 700-900A
So it looks like high-end Monoprice paired with high-end Monoprice pays off. Unfortunately there's a rather serious catch with model 10071: it KILLS GPS. At least it did on my Nexus 4, and other reviews reported it as well. I can't be certain yet about it on the 5, but the little experimenting I did in the parking lot showed some anomalies I didn't like. Which means I apparently get to choose between GPS killing my battery, or charging my battery killing my GPS.
Also tried Nexus 7 2012 charger with its own cable and got bad charging, too.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There's a pattern obviously, the 6ft to 3ft drop seems high but is ok I guess.
I've never seen such a picky device when it comes down to charging, usually it just works as expected ^^
Have you tried your cables on the carger it came with ? Or the cable it came with on your other cargers ?
Is there something with "AWG" written on your cables ?
@random_dgp: Well you basically have 2 choices: get a kernel with (force) fast charge support (don't know if there is one yet) or get a charger/cable combo which works.
If you're planning on rooting your N5 anyway I would go for the kernel way I guess, since the charger and the cable are fine most probably, they just aren't in the specs the N5 requires.
maisi said:
There's a pattern obviously, the 6ft to 3ft drop seems high but is ok I guess.
I've never seen such a picky device when it comes down to charging, usually it just works as expected ^^
Have you tried your cables on the carger it came with ? Or the cable it came with on your other cargers ?
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The first-gen Nexus 7 was at least this bad. Actually its biggest problem was it refused to even ADMIT it was charging (even though it was) off of most devices. In fact everything I just listed it would claim wasn't even connected to it. A few hours later it was full, but it refused to recognize it. 4.2 fixed that, but it was still slow off of most devices. This at least admits it's being charged, but barely is.
And no, I haven't tried the stock charger yet. I guess I will, but it's not a high priority since it doesn't cover my issues.
TurboFool said:
One of the things I loved most about my Nexus 4 was just how quickly it charged. And unlike my SGSII before it, it could even gain a charge while being actively used for Waze. Really great.
With the 5 I'm back to where I was. And thanks to tools I picked up during the 4, I'm able to see why more easily. Seems on the exact same chargers I used my 4 on, I'm easily pulling 400+mA less than the 4 did from the same device and same cable.
I haven't had time to draw a correlation yet, but last night at home on a multi-out adapter from Monoprice I was able to pull over 1200mA which is more than I've ever seen ANY of my devices pull before. But today, on the same model at my office, but with a different cable, I'm pulling around 200mA. Same as what I was getting in my car, which would frequently dip into the negatives, and that was WITHOUT Waze running. Also of note, in ALL of these locations it's being listed as "USB plugged" instead of "AC plugged." I'd say that accounts for the difference there, but the 1200mA draw was listed the same way, so I doubt it.
So, has anyone else noticed this yet and found any correlations between devices, cables, etc., so we can figure this out? Using more power than it takes in will not be something I can survive with and will definitely make this phone a less-than-ideal upgrade over the 4 in the battery life department. But it's pretty clear it's not impossible to get a good charge.
(and yes, before anyone asks, all of my adapters have jacks with a minimum of 1A out, and each also has a 2.1A port. Surprisingly, unlike my 4 which tended to draw LESS power from the 2.1A port, the 5 appears to be unconcerned by the difference, pulling the same poor number from both)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
OOC what sort of dmm/ammeter are you using to measure this?
TurboFool said:
One of the things I loved most about my Nexus 4 was just how quickly it charged
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Click to collapse
i dont know if you're making this up, or if i have a defective nexus 4 lol
before i optimized my N4 i was getting about 4-5 hours of screen time, but it took at least 3 full hours to charge. that charge time to usage time ratio was killing me.
i am having much much much better results with my N5. i have no reason to charge it through a USB port on the computer(are you using an USB 1.0 port or something?), but charging it with the charger that it came with, i get a full charge in about 2 hours.
my N5 will charge a tiny bit over 1% per minute(while on or off), until it gets to 80% and then it charges at about .5% per minute or something
if you're getting the same charge times on the wall charger then i think you might have a defective charger/device. testing this will also be a good way to find out if it's just a slow usb port too
TurboFool said:
The first-gen Nexus 7 was at least this bad. Actually its biggest problem was it refused to even ADMIT it was charging (even though it was) off of most devices. In fact everything I just listed it would claim wasn't even connected to it. A few hours later it was full, but it refused to recognize it. 4.2 fixed that, but it was still slow off of most devices. This at least admits it's being charged, but barely is.
And no, I haven't tried the stock charger yet. I guess I will, but it's not a high priority since it doesn't cover my issues.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh that's bad , I didn't know that!
Would just be the "reference test" since the stock charger should meet all the specs (and works fine here with every cable).
@cutterjohn: "Currentwidget" can display those values.
Enddo said:
i am having much much much better results with my N5. i have no reason to charge it through a USB port on the computer(are you using an USB 1.0 port or something?), but charging it with the charger that it came with, i get a full charge in about 2 hours.
my N5 will charge a tiny bit over 1% per minute(while on or off), until it gets to 80% and then it charges at about .5% per minute or something
if you're getting the same charge times on the wall charger then i think you might have a defective charger/device. testing this will also be a good way to find out if it's just a slow usb port too
Click to expand...
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The problem he's having isn't about a computer USB port at all, the problem is that the N5 thinks it's plugged in a computer and limits the current to 500mA to meet the USB specs (and don't blow up some usb ports without a fuse somewhere) but in reality it's plugged in a wall charger.
His phone should be fine since it's working as expected on some carger/cable combos.
Btw. the N5 isn't pulling more current than the N4(both 1,2A), so it should charge almost exactly as fast/slow as the N4. It should even be a bit slower since the battery is slightly bigger I think.
cutterjohn said:
OOC what sort of dmm/ammeter are you using to measure this?
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I'm simply using the app Battery Monitor Widget. Really handy tool that solved some problems for me on the 4 with some weird charging situations. While I'm sure it's not insanely precise, it reflects my draining or charging rate well enough to show me what's going on.
Enddo said:
before i optimized my N4 i was getting about 4-5 hours of screen time, but it took at least 3 full hours to charge. that charge time to usage time ratio was killing me.
i am having much much much better results with my N5. i have no reason to charge it through a USB port on the computer(are you using an USB 1.0 port or something?), but charging it with the charger that it came with, i get a full charge in about 2 hours.
my N5 will charge a tiny bit over 1% per minute(while on or off), until it gets to 80% and then it charges at about .5% per minute or something
if you're getting the same charge times on the wall charger then i think you might have a defective charger/device. testing this will also be a good way to find out if it's just a slow usb port too
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think you're missing the fact that I'm comparing it directly to how well these same devices charged the 4. So they're clearly not defective so much as the 5's requirements have changed completely. And USB 1.0 (I think you mean 1.1) isn't relevant here, as I'm not charging off a computer, I'm charging off a wall and/or car adapter. But sounds like we had very different experiences with the 4. I could charge my 4 off my Monoprice pocket battery in crazy fast time, and my phone was always full by the time I reached my destination in the car, even with Waze running (once I figured out I couldn't use the long cable I was using initially).
maisi said:
Oh that's bad , I didn't know that!
Would just be the "reference test" since the stock charger should meet all the specs (and works fine here with every cable).
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Absolutely. A control of sorts. Might as well.
Btw. the N5 isn't pulling more current than the N4(both 1,2A), so it should charge almost exactly as fast/slow as the N4. It should even be a bit slower since the battery is slightly bigger I think.
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Exactly. That's why I was surprised. There's no way it SHOULD be this much slower. Yes, I can see percentage adjusting slightly for the larger battery, but that's why I'm going by mA input instead, and my 4 was getting WAY better in the car. Although I don't think it ever got the 1.2 I'm getting with the Monoprice wall combo, so THAT's impressive. Now if I can just get that in my car without the RF interference and I can call it a day.
maisi said:
@cutterjohn: "Currentwidget" can display those values.
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Well then your either have defective hardware or currentwidget just doesn't work. As I inferred hard to tell w/o proper tools.
[EDIT]
Oops, multiple responses and replied to incorrect one, but really if your recharge rate is that much lower v. n4 I'd say that your chargers or n5 are defective. It's going to take longer to charge the n5 obviously, and I have no idea what the max draw either can achieve as I've been strictly using inductive charging w/max 1A supply(as per Qi spec)... n5 takes longer to charge than n4, but thats to be expected by batt cap(and wear(decreased cap) of n4 batt)...
Subjectively, the n5 takes longer to charge, but not that much longer that I've noticed, again batt cap, etc. so...
Both USB/AC adapter chargers I know supply a max of 1.2A...
...(from last so) ask for a replacement n5, after they've been replacing them for a single dead pixel...
[/EDIT]
My n5 charging real fast fatter t than my n4!
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
cutterjohn said:
Well then your either have defective hardware or currentwidget just doesn't work. As I inferred hard to tell w/o proper tools.
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Neither I think, we don't need any mA values to see that something is wrong, android is telling us that it thinks that it's connected to a usb port while it isn't.
Of course if we would want to measure exact mA values we would need a different equipment, for cable comparisions in order to see a tendency, the values from the charge IC should be good enough.(IMO)
[EDIT]
Oops, multiple responses and replied to incorrect one, but really if your recharge rate is that much lower v. n4 I'd say that your chargers or n5 are defective. It's going to take longer to charge the n5 obviously, and I have no idea what the max draw either can achieve as I've been strictly using inductive charging w/max 1A supply(as per Qi spec)... n5 takes longer to charge than n4, but thats to be expected by batt cap(and wear(decreased cap) of n4 batt)...
Subjectively, the n5 takes longer to charge, but not that much longer that I've noticed, again batt cap, etc. so...
Both USB/AC adapter chargers I know supply a max of 1.2A...
...(from last so) ask for a replacement n5, after they've been replacing them for a single dead pixel...
[/EDIT]
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Just saw your edit ^^
Well it looks like the N5 has a very low tolerance for AC/USB detection, I'm sure that neither his chargers or Phone are defective, the chargers just aren't 100%in the spec which is obviously enough. I'm sure that the stock charger would be fine.
cutterjohn said:
Well then your either have defective hardware or currentwidget just doesn't work. As I inferred hard to tell w/o proper tools.
[EDIT]
Oops, multiple responses and replied to incorrect one, but really if your recharge rate is that much lower v. n4 I'd say that your chargers or n5 are defective. It's going to take longer to charge the n5 obviously, and I have no idea what the max draw either can achieve as I've been strictly using inductive charging w/max 1A supply(as per Qi spec)... n5 takes longer to charge than n4, but thats to be expected by batt cap(and wear(decreased cap) of n4 batt)...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Clearly neither is the case from my testing. The N5 charges beautifully off of the right combination of chargers, and all of those chargers charged the N4 beautifully. Neither is defective, but the N5 apparently has a different tolerance requirement than the N4.
Really, as opposed to anything being defective, it sounds more like a design flaw in the N5. It's WAY too picky about its power sources.
Mine charged REALLY slow the first day and that night. It also drained really quickly during that same time. I am now on my third day and it has long battery life plus it charged about 20% in 30 minutes on a car charger. Seems quicker than my S3.

PECHAM 2m USB C cable

So I was looking for a longer USB C to USB C cable. And found this one on Amazon.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B01...cham+usb-c&dpPl=1&dpID=41PDOVivm1L&ref=plSrch
It took ages to arrive but seemed like a reasonably decent quality cable. Does everything it should and I like the connectors and braided cable.
However it won't charge the phone nearly as fast as the stock cable / charger combo. That seems to charge at around 2700-2800mA.
This cable seems to top out at 1700mA.
I'm not sure if the length of the cable is a factor but I've contacted the seller to see what they say.
Moral of the story / topic - avoid this cable if you want guaranteed 3amp charging.
Give this a read. I personally just purchased the iOrange-E cable.
pahardie said:
So I was looking for a longer USB C to USB C cable. And found this one on Amazon.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B01...cham+usb-c&dpPl=1&dpID=41PDOVivm1L&ref=plSrch
It took ages to arrive but seemed like a reasonably decent quality cable. Does everything it should and I like the connectors and braided cable.
However it won't charge the phone nearly as fast as the stock cable / charger combo. That seems to charge at around 2700-2800mA.
This cable seems to top out at 1700mA.
I'm not sure if the length of the cable is a factor but I've contacted the seller to see what they say.
Moral of the story / topic - avoid this cable if you want guaranteed 3amp charging.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How do you know how fast your phone is being charged? Is there an app you use that gives you the "1700mA" number you quote?
qwertyuiop89 said:
How do you know how fast your phone is being charged? Is there an app you use that gives you the "1700mA" number you quote?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I used an app called ampere to show the charging rates.
I concur with OPs findings. Using this cable with the stock charger only gives medium speed charging. The phone will not report chatging rapidly. (Im using nexus 5x). I guess it's fine for me because I do overnight charging but needed the longer length, and in a pinch I sub in the stock white cable for a quick battery boost.
I do miss not having qi, that is my ideal bedroom charger.
Just for info I contacted pecham and got this in reply:
Dear Peter,
Thank you very much for buying from PECHAM, we are very glad to serve for you.
About the charging speed, we are trying our best to improve it. As you know, type c is a new technology, so far so good, but still need being upgraded, our engineering team is doing this .
This cable is a good choice as a backup , both for charging or transfering data.
Please let's know if there is anything we can do for you.
Best wishes
PECHAM Support
I'm not too worried its a decent cable and 2m long so does the job.
I have this cable and it works find for me. Build quality is excellent and it charges me to 100% from 20 of 30% in about an hour and a half(ish).

[Review] Choetech USB C Charging brick (lots of pics)

Yet another review for a charger. I was provided this charger at a heavy discount (not free) for an unbiased review.
UPDATE: Use code 6SLDGOIQ to get $6 off the charger from amazon, below. I don't know how many times this code will work, but it was provided by the Choetech rep that provided the charger to me. Comment here whether or not the code works for you please.
Get it here: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...etech usb c&qid=1452477270&ref_=sr_1_4&sr=8-4
Pros:
- rapidly charges Nexus 6P without issue (peak current of 2920mA according to Ampere) while using Choetech USB C cable
- packaging is mostly recyclable (except the polymer pouch)
- supports QC 2.0 tech (which I couldn't test because I don't have any devices to utilize this function)
Cons:
- charger heats up to 141*F whole charging the 6p, whole the Google brick only heats up to 94*F under the same conditions
Other thoughts:
- size is SLIGHTLY larger than the included Nexus 6P charging brick (see pics)
Would I buy it again: absolutely
Like the review? Click the button. Questions, comments, concerns? Post em here!
Check OP for $6 off code. I can't verify if it works, but it was provided by the Choetech rep. If it doesn't work, let me know and I'll remove it. Hope you guys can take advantage of it. Good charger [emoji106]
Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk
How hot does it get when charging? I just got mine and have noticed it gets really hot when charging. Much hotter than the OEM charger. Also, with the 2m c to c cable they make I have only seen a max of about 1850ma when the OEM charger was pulling 2950ma when I switched to it to see. Is it possible I got a bad unit?
Sent from my Nexus 6P
dgwood12 said:
How hot does it get when charging? I just got mine and have noticed it gets really hot when charging. Much hotter than the OEM charger. Also, with the 2m c to c cable they make I have only seen a max of about 1850ma when the OEM charger was pulling 2950ma when I switched to it to see. Is it possible I got a bad unit?
Sent from my Nexus 6P
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I definitely had closer to 3A charge rate with their 2m cable. I never noticed if it overheats or not. I'll charge my phone later tonight for half an hour and see if it heats up and report back
Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk
rice923 said:
I definitely had closer to 3A charge rate with their included cable. I never noticed if it overheats or not. I'll charge my phone later tonight for half an hour and see if it heats up and report back
Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
OK. I'm thinking maybe something is up with the one I got? I have their 2 meter cable and got no where near 3A. Did yours come with a cable? Mine had only a charger in the box. Thanks!
Sent from my Nexus 6P
dgwood12 said:
OK. I'm thinking maybe something is up with the one I got? I have their 2 meter cable and got no where near 3A. Did yours come with a cable? Mine had only a charger in the box. Thanks!
Sent from my Nexus 6P
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Charger and cable were separate items. I also use the 2m cable
Edit: charged the phone with Choetech charger and Choetech 2m cable from 6% up to 33%. Charging brick had a temperature of 141*F according to a handheld IR thermometer.
Edit 2: Charging with Google brick and Choetech 2m cable from 33%to 67%. Charging brick had a temperature of 94*F according to a handheld IR thermometer.
Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk
OP edited to reflect heating comparison.
My 6p was able to charge at the proper 3A current using the Choetech charger.
Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk
rice923 said:
Charger and cable were separate items. I also use the 2m cable
Edit: charged the phone with Choetech charger and Choetech 2m cable from 6% up to 33%. Charging brick had a temperature of 141*F according to a handheld IR thermometer.
Edit 2: Charging with Google brick and Choetech 2m cable from 33%to 67%. Charging brick had a temperature of 94*F according to a handheld IR thermometer.
Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That is quite a bit hotter than the OEM charger. Thanks for checking this!
Sent from my Nexus 6P
dgwood12 said:
That is quite a bit hotter than the OEM charger. Thanks for checking this!
Sent from my Nexus 6P
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Indeed it's a significant difference in temperature. I didn't put it under cons since the temperature wasn't scathingly hot, but worth noting. However, I've decided that the Choetech will be my back up charger, and the Google brick will remain the one used more often.
And thank you for actually bringing this to my attention. Appreciate it
Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk
I also received this charger along with both types of cables.
They work great! No temp issues at all, and this charger doesn't slow my phone to a crawl while charging like the OEM one does.
Honestly this is a great deal and a much nicer price point then the stock charger, and I prefer using it. Nice to see that inexpensive doesn't always mean cheap.
The actual female Type C plug feels cheap. You can hear something flexing when inserting it. It works though, will be a spare travel charger.
I reached out to the rep about the heating issue. I was basically told it's nothing more than a defective unit, as I was told that there is built in overheat protection.
Will update OP again when new unit arrives, again with temperature readings.
Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk
Kinda worries me it lists Qualcomm QC 2.0 on the charger itself since we know the phones don't support it.
MoNsTeReNeRgY22 said:
Kinda worries me it lists Qualcomm QC 2.0 on the charger itself since we know the phones don't support it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's also been on the back of my mind. But my rational for still using it is that the phone is the one that requests a charge from the brick, instead of the brick sending whatever charge it wants. My background for how these chargers work is extremely rudimentary compared to what's floating around in the USB C thread, but I'd think any device that inappropriately received 9v (QC 2.0) would have fried by now.
Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk
I got this charger to test and it performs identically to the stock charger for me. I got it with some CHOETECH cables as well and the performance was on par with what I got from stock cable and charger. I got a 6 foot type c cable so I could get a little more reach and while I was successful on that front, the cable matters 6 foot cable in question did charge slower than shorter cables. This has been my experience with most 6 foot and longer cables, not just with type c but usb in general. I usually charge over night so it's not much of a hassle. On the days I may need a quicker top up however, I just use the CHOETECH charger and cable or stock charger and cable, whichever I'm closest to!
Choetech USB C review
Let me preface this review with the statement that the adapter and usb c cable were given to me for free for the purposes of the review. That being said, I’m not going to say this thing is great, if it isn’t and waste your money.
Now. On to the review
Choetech sent me a usb type c cable, and a fast charge adapter. The adapter model number is TC0001. I don’t recall the model number of the cable itself, and I left the packaging at home (I’m a truck driver). But it’s a standard 6 ft usb c to usb c cable. If you want to see a visual of it, you can watch the initial review video I did here
https://goo.gl/photos/PoHcFtpvmTKZbNsi7
The short version of this review is that it works exactly as advertised. I didn’t get a chance to try it with an auxiliary input cord, since I didn’t have a chance to hit a Walmart or best buy. But, I’ve tried both in every other combination.
Cord with stock charger, cord with choetech charger, choetech charger with stock cord. All of this was on a Nexus 5x (my only usb c device), and they all worked almost identically. The combo of the choetech cord and charger took about 15 minutes longer to charge from 4% than the stock setup from 4%. But, I was also driving, and listening to a podcast, whereas I was still and sleeping on the stock setup. So, I’m pretty sure in a apples to apples setup they would’ve been perfectly matched
Fit and finish
I am HARD on electronics. There’s no way around it. Between crap falling off my bunk, or table because I forget to secure it, or just the vibrations of the truck, or whatever. My stuff gets beat up. I can’t give you a longterm review on this thing. But, after 3 weeks of usage, every day, I’ll say that the charger looks exactly the same as when it came out of the box. The cable doesn’t show any frays or nicks or crimps, and the whole assembly still works just as well as before. I’ll say that the connection for the port seems to be a touch looser. But, that’s not to say it’s loose at all. More like the newness has worn off so that it’s not so tight. I still get that satisfying ‘click’, and I can still dangle my phone by the cord, if I really want to. No. I don’t recommend that test.
The phone itself is just fine, while charging. No overheating, no performance lag (outside of the normal stuff you get with the 5x… please google, fix it?). it shows the ‘charging rapidly’ message on the lockscreen, if you need that to get your warm and fuzzy, as well.
All in all, thus far, I’ve not used my stock charger in 2 weeks. And, if you gave me a blind test based solely on charging performance, I’m not sure I could tell you the difference.
A note of caution. I don’t have a usb c – usb a adapter, so I haven’t had a chance to use this thing in a data transfer or adb/fastboot command situation. Since you should always be using the stock cord for the latter, anyway, I’m not too worried about that. But I did want to let you know about the unknowns regarding transferring files.
My only concern (and this is why I wanted to test the insulation with an aux input cord) is the fact that you can feel the wires under the external sheathing. It’s not ridiculously obvious, and it doesn’t make me worry anything is going to get exposed just by rubbing the cord across a corner. But you can feel it, which means that people who charge and listen to music in their car might have issues. I simply don’t know.
That’s it. Hope this helps anyone looking.
Choetech
After doing a few weeks of testing with the latest Choetech Type-C to C *9.9ft(3M) cable and the Type-C 2.0 rapid travel charger, I think it's time I say a few words about them.
From my first impressions I was like wow this cable is super long. *Which could be a good or bad thing. I've been using stock cables for all my devices for a long time, and they have all been 3 to 4ft long. Which in today's world not long enough and not really logical if you need to have it behind a desk or while using it.
But anyways the cable is very nice and it actually snaps into my Nexus 6p. You can literally hang your *device from the cable without it falling to the ground. I tested the cable with CheckR app and it is approved and never had a issue charging my precious Nexus.
*Now for the charger not much I can say about it except that it just works. Charges my device from 5% to 100 in just over a hour. My Nexus says its charging rapidly on the lock screen. I have noticed sometimes when the charger is working really hard it makes a slight buzzing sound. But once the device gets to a certain percentage it stops. Now this isn't all the time just every so often. But it never effected charging. I highly recommend you all purchase these two products. You won't be dissatisfied.
Links:
CHOETECH Hi-speed USB-C to USB-C Cable 10ft(3m) for USB Type-C https://www.amazon.com/dp/B017W2RWAO/ref=cm_sw_r_other_awd_5qXNwb614QDTE
USB Type C Charger, CHOE 5V/3A 15W Rapid Wall Charger with the Latest Charging Tech *https://www.amazon.com/dp/B017I7EX46/ref=cm_sw_r_other_awd_CNXNwbRDTYX41
Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk
RANDYRKELLY said:
But anyways the cable is very nice and it actually snaps into my Nexus 6p. You can literally hang your *device from the cable without it falling to the ground. I tested the cable with CheckR app and it is approved and never had a issue charging my precious Nexus.
Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How did you use CheckR with a USB C cable? Far as I know, CheckR is strictly to test if a USB A-C cable has the correct resistors in place.
Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk
rice923 said:
How did you use CheckR with a USB C cable? Far as I know, CheckR is strictly to test if a USB A-C cable has the correct resistors in place.
Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
By plugging it up to a USB type c PC port
Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk
RANDYRKELLY said:
By plugging it up to a USB type c PC port
Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When you open the CheckR app, there is an "i" symbol next to the donation symbols at the top. Clicking on that reveals a pop up that states the app is strictly for use with USB A-C cables. I'm aware you can still plug the cable into a USB C pc port, but my point is that it's a redundant test since the app isn't made for a USB C-C cable
Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk

Charging Pixel with old phone chargers

As I'm sure is the case for many of you, I have a ton of typical USB chargers around the house, which supply anywhere from 0.8A to 1.5A output. Going with the assumption that I don't care how long it takes to charge, is there any risk with using the USB C-A cable that came with my pixel and plugging into any of those old USB chargers? They should all work, right? Just as different speeds depending on the output current?
I am not an expert, but from my research into the safety of USB-A to USB-C cables, the "risk" will generally come as a result of purchasing a cheap cable that does not have the appropriate (56k) resistor. The cable that came directly from google has the appropriate resistor and is not low quality, so it will be safe to plug into any functioning USB port (either on your computer or a charger).
That being said, if you have a malfunctioning charger, or there is power surge etc., that is an "act of god" and what happens happens
You may actually be better off using these old chargers if they work correctly. The slower you charge your phone, the better it is for the longevity (years) of your battery.
Yeah, that is why I didn't care about charging speed. For plugging it in next to my bed each night, I figure slower is better. However, I just received a mini USB to USB C from Amazon, and used that to plug my pixel in last night to a 1a charger. And while the phone did say charging over USB, it didn't gain any battery overnight and instead continued to discharge until I woke up in the morning. Is anyone else seeing anything like that?
Not trying to be mean or name call but I personally think you all are crazy. Buying a $700 phone and using a cheap charger that could have the risk to break your phone. Especially if you know better. Honestly, spending the $30-$40 from a charger from Google or an approved charger is just smart for the long term and not risk losing $700. Just my 2 cents. I did the same for the car charger.
Sure, I hear your point. But honestly I know that it is better for the battery to charge slower, so I would rather use a low power charger next to my bed each night, and only use the included quick charger when I need a quick top-off.
BlueWRXPride said:
Sure, I hear your point. But honestly I know that it is better for the battery to charge slower, so I would rather use a low power charger next to my bed each night, and only use the included quick charger when I need a quick top-off.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have to consider 2 points since there are so many inaccuracies about this subject:
1) Inadequate chargers with insufficient output cause batteries to become overheated, consequently reduce battery charging cycles. Smart batteries are not adversely affected by certified quick chargers.
2) Turbo chargers do not "top off". When a battery gets to around 80%, the appropriate charger begins its slower charging as to not overload it. Once at 100%, charging stops, and the maintenance process begins. As battery level drops to around 97.6%, trickle charging begins.
In sum, a certified, OEM-equivalent quick charger, even with higher output would not damage batteries.
The phone supports most standards however usb c and Qualcomm quick charge are not compatible and you fall back to 5v 3 amp at best. Make sure to fully insert the cable into the phone. It has to click. I've accidently not charged overnight that way.
I've got a bunch of turbo chargers that I've accumulated over the years. Using a non-[manufacturer of current phone] charger has never damaged my phone. I just bought a 10 pack of USB C adapters and popped one on every charger so I can continue using my old ones. No issues yet and I don't anticipate any.
Sent from my Pixel using Tapatalk
joshw0000 said:
I've got a bunch of turbo chargers that I've accumulated over the years. Using a non-[manufacturer of current phone] charger has never damaged my phone. I just bought a 10 pack of USB C adapters and popped one on every charger so I can continue using my old ones. No issues yet and I don't anticipate any.
Sent from my Pixel using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sure, you can use non-oem chargers. That's not the problem. Issues only potentially arise when the chargers do not provide adequate output, or their "smart" capabilities are not up to specs. I use all kinds of chargers bought at Verizon, Best Buy, etc. I also use Amazon chargers as long as they're not too far off OEM requirements. Also, people don't think about the importance of a good, thick cable.
I have a ton of Samsung fast chargers and Samsung USB a to c cables . Would those be safe?
parmend said:
I have a ton of Samsung fast chargers and Samsung USB a to c cables . Would those be safe?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Many will say no big deal. However, I'd say let's hear it from the horse's mouth. Here's Google engineer Benson Leung https://plus.google.com/+BensonLeung/posts/cEvVQLXhyRX. You be the judge.
Bottom line, to answer your question, no, quick charging methodology used by Samsung and Motorola is not supported by the Pixel. Your phone will charge at a slower rate. Will it damage the phone in the long run? Likely not. Well, I'll let you guys test for me.

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