Battery charge current help needed - Fascinate General

Long story, but I bought a used Fascinate without the stock charger.
Could someone install, or hopefully already have, the "Battery monitor Widget". Then plug their Fascinate into the stock AC charger or stock car charger (NOT the USB on a PC), and let me know what the usage (ma) reading is on the widget.
More of the story. Basically, I know that at least on older HTC devices they would pull more charge/operating power from a non-USB connection. Actual USB is limited to 500ma load, so they had a system that kept the current low on USB and bumped it up for non-USB. All of the non-stock cables that I have show a very low charge rate on the Fascinate. It in fact runs the battery dead while on charge and I use the phone with GPS software.

i can tell you the factory charger is putting out 5v at .7a(700ma).

Mylt1 said:
i can tell you the factory charger is putting out 5v at .7a(700ma).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, it is good to know that they stick with 5V. But it just means that it can put out up to 700ma. I suspect it is using about half of that.
If you can cut open the wires and insert and ammeter in series, that is what I need to know.

edit: nvm ...

Found it. I have been searching for this for a couple of weeks and just now stumbled on the right search keywords.
For anyone that wants to know.
The Fascinate appears to pull about 350ma from the 5 volt supply normally. But, if you short out the USB D+ and D- lines in the charge connector, the charge current goes up to about 600ma.
That will help me not have a dead battery when using the GPS.
Oh, as an added bonus, you don't get the USB / Debug notification.

Related

USB Fast Charging?

Came from a TP2 and I could charge via USB at around 900 mA using fast charge driver.
Since I am a complete Android n00b, and an EVO n00b I have two questions.
1. Are there any apps out there that can show you how fast the battery is charging and discharging? I had one called Battery Monitor in WM, and I want an Android version of that.
2. It appears that USB charging is quite slow. Can anyone confirm the speed at which this phone charges via a USB port?
3. Is there a way to make this faster?
TIA!!
1. Are there any apps out there that can show you how fast the battery is charging and discharging? I had one called Battery Monitor in WM, and I want an Android version of that.
2. It appears that USB charging is quite slow. Can anyone confirm the speed at which this phone charges via a USB port?
3. Is there a way to make this faster?
A 1. I don't believe there is one (someone correct me if wrong), but there are apps to monitor your battery percentage.
A 2. Not sure, shouldn't be too long, how long is it taking yours?
A 3. I don't believe so.
Hero's Hero said:
1. Are there any apps out there that can show you how fast the battery is charging and discharging? I had one called Battery Monitor in WM, and I want an Android version of that.
2. It appears that USB charging is quite slow. Can anyone confirm the speed at which this phone charges via a USB port?
3. Is there a way to make this faster?
A 1. I don't believe there is one (someone correct me if wrong), but there are apps to monitor your battery percentage.
A 2. Not sure, shouldn't be too long, how long is it taking yours?
A 3. I don't believe so.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks...Not sure how long it takes as I havent had the phone too long. I know while plugged into my computer last night it wouldn't charge very well.
Computers have much lower power than a wall socket. If you want to charge the EVO fast use the wall plug. Anyone who uses a Mac and the wired keyboard should know what I am talking about.
Please search before posting...
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=591041
A USB port provides 500ma of power, you can get micro USB cable that will Y off and plug into two USB ports, providing 1000ma of power.
Grims said:
A USB port provides 500ma of power, you can get micro USB cable that will Y off and plug into two USB ports, providing 1000ma of power.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Every computer I owned charged my TP2 at around 800-900 mA as long as the fast charge driver was on the phone.
So I know for a fact that it's possible. It's limited by the phone, not the USB port. Appreciate the reply, but did you read Negrito's link?
And Negrito, I did search... This forum.... No hits. I see the link you provided was in the Hero forum. I didn't realize that the fast charge USB issue was affecting other Android phones as this is my first.
supdawg said:
And Negrito, I did search... This forum.... No hits. I see the link you provided was in the Hero forum. I didn't realize that the fast charge USB issue was affecting other Android phones as this is my first.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My bad broseph, totally forgot im still subscribed to Hero threads. I just switched to the Evo Launch day.
Its not really an issue per se as that's how all phones normally operate. On WinMo we just got spoiled my No2Chems hack. Anyone know if No2Chem made the jump to Android?
I have seen a lot of familiar names on the Evo forum, like OMJ, and Caulkin!!! I cant wait until someone comes up with an untethered root option and how to bypass the NAND cause I know the ROMs are just going to be simply amazing.
Was digging around in the custom menus, can't remember which one, but one of the ones that you type ##numbers# and enter your MSL and there was a check box for USB charging. Mine was unchecked for some reason. I left it alone but wonder if that makes a difference?
I've tested a few charging scenarios and can tell you that using a wall charger that outputs 1000 ma will help speed up the charge.
These from Monoprice work very well:
http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=103&cp_id=10311&cs_id=1031106&p_id=6767&seq=1&format=2
want the same thing for the car?
try this one.
Here's the link to a micro usb cable at monoprice for $1.20.
There's a nice Rosewill 4 port charger, that will output 2000 ma IF you have only one device plugged in. With two devices plugged in, it falls back to 1000 ma (still really good). I have this in the kitchen for the kids to jack their various usb things in for charging.
The thing to remember is that the phone will pull as much as it can (most recent phones can pull between 750 and 1000 ma.) What will cause it to charge slower is not usually a software setting, it's having a port that will only put out 500 ma or less...which is what many computers output.
Sean
there is an option in settings /devolopment for usb charging doesnt ssy what it does though
I don't think mine has taken more than 4-5 hours to fully charge and signal strength isn't the greatest at my house so that probably has an impact on it as well... I've no idea if that's normal for a smartphone or if it's considered slow, I don't think my Sony Ericsson feature phone was any faster but the battery indicator on that thing was wildly inaccurate anyway.
My EVO seems to charge just as fast w/the included HTC adapter as with a generic Philips one I had, as well as one of those retractable cables. I was afraid that cable wouldn't be very well shielded and it wouldn't charge right but it seems fine, I'll only be using it when I travel anyway.
Negrito said:
My bad broseph, totally forgot im still subscribed to Hero threads. I just switched to the Evo Launch day.
Its not really an issue per se as that's how all phones normally operate. On WinMo we just got spoiled my No2Chems hack. Anyone know if No2Chem made the jump to Android?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No one has seen nor heard from No2Chem in months... Some people think he may have died
I could charge my Touch Pro 2 in about an hour or two using a standard usb plug on any computer I owned.
Might I add the Touch Pro 2 and the EVO share the same identical battery. The EVO obviously draws more current..... I found while using my EVO while plugged into a computer, it barely charges at all. My guess is its discharging while charging at a very similar rate.
Contrary to what most of you are saying, the ma rating of the charger really makes no difference as the phone (and prior htc phones) will pull <500ma if they detect they are plugged into a computer or non-official charger and 1a if they detect an htc charger (which can even damage 500ma chargers). The way this is detected is through grounding of one of the microusb pins in the official charger (and indeed many generic chargers but not all will be detected this way). Absent this grounding (I forget which pin), it will charge at a slower speed. I know of cheap 500ma chargers which have been caused to smoke by attaching a cable with that grounding fooling the phone into thinking it is an oem charger. Many chargers labeled 1a will charge at the 500ma rate as well.
Also, modern computers are fully capable of outputting 1a of power through the usb port. While the spec indeed is 500ma, with a proper cable (or the fastcharge driver for windows mobile), you can force a 1a power draw without any issues. Cheap usb hubs or cheap usb power ports may run into issues.
I'd love to see a solution for android but I don't think one exists.
Actually the HTC battery Widget will show you if you are on AC (1A) or USB (500ma) charge. You can get this widget from the market (not sure why it is not included in the phone in the first place).
I think that the grounding pin is likely the trick and I will be searching the web to see if I can locate it. I have an older battery pack from APC that can output 1.6A but the only way to get the EVO to charge as if it was on "AC" is to use the HTC plug, and then quickly, before the charge light goes out switch to my alternate source. This seems to trick the EVO into thinking that it is still plugged in to the official charger.
This is of course trickier with my car charger, which has been very frustrating - using the phone for navigation and plugged in via usb usually has the battery draining rather than charging!
I wish there was an easy way to fix this, my old phones always attempted to pull as much current as they needed.
My friend uses a 2A charger for his HTC touch pro 2, and it uses the same battery as the EVO if u guys didnt know.
i havent tried it on my evo, but being its from htc too (and uses the same battery)... id expect it to work with that much current.
I currently use a 900mA one in my car, and i do notice that if i use something less than that i tend to get feedback from the audio jack that connects to my cassette player
Found a discussion on this on the android forums relating to the HTC Desire:
<Too new of a user, system won't let me post the link>
I opened a car charger and shorted pins 2 and 3, and the phone did show charging over AC (2 and 3 are the data pins, 1 & 2 are power). My multimeter was acting up, so I am not sure whether the EVO is actually pulling more current - it does appear to be charging faster.
If you try this make sure of 2 things:
1. You charger is capable of 1A.
2. If you choose to short the pins on a USB cable make sure this cable never gets plugged in to your PC.
Rennat said:
Computers have much lower power than a wall socket. If you want to charge the EVO fast use the wall plug. Anyone who uses a Mac and the wired keyboard should know what I am talking about.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I know what you mean! Haha
supdawg said:
Came from a TP2 and I could charge via USB at around 900 mA using fast charge driver.
Since I am a complete Android n00b, and an EVO n00b I have two questions.
1. Are there any apps out there that can show you how fast the battery is charging and discharging? I had one called Battery Monitor in WM, and I want an Android version of that.
2. It appears that USB charging is quite slow. Can anyone confirm the speed at which this phone charges via a USB port?
3. Is there a way to make this faster?
TIA!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For your Q #1 search the market for Battery Indicator, great simple app that gives you a battery percentage and how long you have been plugged in or unplugged.

Bricked Desire HD - power issues!

My battery discharged while I was travelling - it went to <10% and shut off by itself. I left the original HTC microusb over seas and so I used my old Motorola microusb to try to charge the phone. After leaving it overnight a number of times I thought the battery was dead. I ordered a new battery (from Mugen) and tried to charge that.
All I get is a flashing orange/red light. The phone does not turn on.
I have tried charging on both the AC charger and via PC usb port.
Are all MicroUSB cables universal? I can't get a straight answer about this from HTC's customer support. Every time I call someone gives me a different answer which leads me to believe that they have no clue what they are talking about.
Is there anything I can do to remedy this?
The HTC AC charger is rated at 5V 1A, while my old Moto charger is rated at 5.1V 850mA. Could I get a charge by using slightly higher voltage with lower amperes?
I really would like to avoid sending it back to manufacturer warranty so if there is any other alternate route I can take please let me know.
I have some cheap MicroUSB cables and they seem to charge very slowly compared to the HTC one. There may be a difference, but I suspect the cheap cables are just plain cheap.
No the Motorola charger wont have done it any harm, 0.1volt wont make a difference, and charging at a lower current is less likely to cause damage.
Could I have damaged the phone by using a different companies' cable?
Is there a chance that the phone is FUBAR? Should I be able to turn it on if its plugged into a power source even if the battery is dead?
please excuse the bump
need to know
*bump*
I've actually tried all the different combinations of charging and they all seem to work fine
I've tried a cheap microUSB cable with the official charger, official microUSB cable with iPhone charger, cheap microUSB cable with PC, another cheap microUSB cable in my friend's car, and even a Nokia microUSB cable in all the mentioned combinations
They all just gave different current readings (from CurrentWidget) but in the end they all worked well. I'm not sure if a Motorola microUSB would have modifications that cause incompatibilities though
I also tried different Micro-USB Cables and my DHD still works normally.
me too have the same problem. I got a total of 3 diff USB cable. One give me 330mA, one give me 120mA and one gave me only 50mA. i do not mind spending the money if i know how to choose a USB cable which can give me 330mA everytime i charge. Anyone knows how to spot the correct ones?
Neurosis said:
me too have the same problem. I got a total of 3 diff USB cable. One give me 330mA, one give me 120mA and one gave me only 50mA. i do not mind spending the money if i know how to choose a USB cable which can give me 330mA everytime i charge. Anyone knows how to spot the correct ones?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Any Blackberry USB cable should work..
used Motorola cable many times. No issues.
Might be a fluke that u busted ur phones charging system.
The USB cables are all the same and have no effect on charging current. The charging current is determined by how the two data lines within the cable are terminated in the charging device. If the data lines are left open ciruit, the phone interprets this as being a USB charger and will therefore only draw a maximum of 500mA to prevent damage to a PC's USB port. Chargers that are capable of delivering more current (such as a wall charger) connect the two data lines together. The phone then interprets this as being a charging device which is capable of delivering a higher current and will draw greater than 500mA. If you look at "Menu - Settings - About phone - Battery" it will state either "Charging (USB)" or "Charging (AC)" depending on what you are charging from.

Impossible to charge sg2 in car

Hi all, just came 3 days ago from an htc hd2, and so far I am more than happy with it.
I have only one complaint and maybe you guys will help me sharing your experience : I can't charge this phone in my car while using gps.
It seems that the power adapter is not powerful enough to charge the phone screen on.
The car charger has a 5v 1000ma output, more than the regular wall charger provided by Samsung and it was working well before with my HD2 so I have no clue about this problem.
Did you experience that issue too, else can you share what car charger do you use?
try to buy new standard car charger with micro plug.. 13 eur and you will be saved..
Sent from my GT-I9100 using XDA App
Charger doesn't matter unless the phone is dropping into USB charging mode - phone limits to around 600-650 mA by default.
Custom kernels can bump this limit up for I9100 users. I777 users are screwed - we've got a crippled charger chip.
I had the same problem, I used the samsung one, useless, so I used my iPad charger, which is 2A, and charges the iPad quick, still useless. We drove from Bathurst NSW, down to Melbourne, about 10 hour drive, plugged in all the way using GPS, and about an hour from home, the connect to charger warning came on!! So once I stopped GPS, it started taking charge. Looks like when the phone is in use, it draws more then it takes charge, plus I read somewhere on here the phone is limited on the charge it takes, so using the 2A does nothing different then the stock 500mA charger.
I always had this problem with my Nexus One, although they are different phones, the problem is the same, uses more power then it can recharge in USB mode.
After trying 3 or 4 different charges I remember that I found one ultra-cheap 'made in taiwan' from a street seller that worked very well.... so it's kind of a lucky shot!
good luck!
Im using a genuine Samsung SGS2 charger and I can charge and run Sygic just fine. I started my journey with 80% and 40mins later I was up to 91% when I stopped and got out. (not in aeroplane mode..)
Very interesting feedbacks... So that confirm that is clearly not a matter of output amperage power.
It is now the same problem on the galaxy tab 10.1, for quickly charge this tab you need the Samsung compatible usb adapter.
It can be likely with a tab bringing a proprietary plug, but I didn't thought it will be the same with a Samsung phone bringing a regular micro usb plug. Quite frustrating and disappointing!
I will search around a micro plug car charger as suggested by redzion, but actually I don't clearly see the difference with my usb charger + a micro usb cable.
Double post, sorry.
If I use the usb cable from my cd player I have the same problem but if I use the official Samsung car charger Ithe only problem I have is the phone getting stupid hot
Sent from my GT-I9100 using xda premium
Oh Samsung, when you will understand?!
Samsung DOES follow the USB charging standard - it goes to its highest current setting when a charger that follows the standard is connected.
Note that iPad/iPhone chargers do NOT follow the standard - Samsungs will treat these as USB hosts and limit to 450 mA instead of 600-650.
Modified kernels can increase both of these values on I9100s.
The only thing Samsung really did **** up is counting screen/CPU current usage against the charge current limits - that's just stupid.
So the charger has smarts. On the i9000 factory chargers, the data pins were bridged. Bridging these pins manually on a USB cable when connecting to a USB source (such as a PC) enabled full current charging. You can see this in Settings -> About; it will say either USB or AC charging.
Do you think this is the case with the i9100?
I don't condone testing this theory on your i9100. Increasing the max current via custom ROM may be a safer solution.
I had the same problem. Two things fixed it for me:
1) I bought this charger: Sony Ericsson AN300 Micro USB 10€
2) I am using a custom kernel now
Any charger that is rated at 1000mA or more (per port) will do just fine. The problem is the cable - you need a quality microUSB cable, or it won't provide all the juice you need. I had the same issue, and I swapped three chargers until I found the real culprit.
Try with the charger you have now and the mUSB cable that was in the phone box - it should work well with that one.
I just press the power button to turn the screen off. when i need the sat nav i press the power and it still tracks you so there is no delay. With the screen off it does charge.
same problem
Duffman19 said:
I just press the power button to turn the screen off. when i need the sat nav i press the power and it still tracks you so there is no delay. With the screen off it does charge.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You are right, but even if it is better than nothing the charging time is still a big problem.
Yesterday I drove for at least 40mn phone off. Arrived to destination, I turn the device on: it charged only from 0 to 5%
I would like to test the mariusi theory concerning the Samsung micro usb cable, unfortunately on my SgsII box I just have a wall charger, no a microusb-usb cable.
Entropy512 said:
Samsung DOES follow the USB charging standard - it goes to its highest current setting when a charger that follows the standard is connected.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is there a way to know before buying if the charger respect this charging standard?
I have some cheap usb chargers here and no one is a fast as the one provided by Samsung.
Entropy512 said:
The only thing Samsung really did **** up is counting screen/CPU current usage against the charge current limits - that's just stupid.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Maybe for safety purpose? Gps phones can become very hot behind the car glass.
Samsung are trying to "encourage" you to buy only their official accessories. To do this they've wired something differently in their chargers and cables. This "problem" exists on the Galaxy Tab too and can be solved with this adapter...
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/USB-car-w...ccessories&hash=item2c5c07736b#ht_3084wt_1163
It's cheap and turns a trickle charge into a full charge. I don't know the specifics of what they've done, but their USB charging just isn't the same as most others manufacturers.
Archer said:
It's cheap and turns a trickle charge into a full charge. I don't know the specifics of what they've done, but their USB charging just isn't the same as most others manufacturers.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Great find.
Pretty sure it just bridges the data pins.

Thinkpad tablet slow charge analyzed

I have TPT for 10 days now.
I have usual iisue with USB charging. When used like standard smartphone = put it to charger overnight. Not usable anyway. Charge rate about 5% per hour, which means 20 hours per full charge???
I even consulted it with local technical support. I was adviced to buy docking station with external power adapter .....
So ... I took regulated power supply, made a USB socket connected to it and started to measure
.. and look what I found
When device is switched on, usb power oscilates sligthly under 1000 mA. It is NOT using all available power of 2 Amps of stock power adapter!!!!!
But ... when I power the device off using power button. The current goes down to 300mA for about 5seconds and then raises to full 2 A!
Conclusion? It seems like control issue of the charging ciurcits. What if we can enable full 2A power even when turned on? SW issue?
Is there any chance, how to instruct internal power circuity to use all available power? ADB?
Well I guess that explains the slow charging that people have been reporting. I picked up a dock for my tablet from amazon for about $30 shipped. Now I just put my USB charger in my bag for when I am out and about and dock it when I get home. That being said when I was charging via USB before I had the dock, a full charge seemed to take about 6 hours or so.
As for your question regarding modifying the input charging rate while powered on, I am not sure that can be done via ADB. I am taking a stab in the dark here, but I wouldn't be surprised if the charging rate was hard coded into the power circuit. Which would make some sense so as not to draw to much power if someone wanted to try and charge their tablet while having it plugged into a laptop or USB hub. I am not sure if it has an auto sense capability to determine whether or not it is charging via USB from a port or from the power adapter. I do know when I hook it up to my computer to transfer files it offers me the option to charge via USB, but I think that is a software thing and not hardware. I could be wrong. Maybe if we had access to the board schematics I could figure out. I can read schematics and might be able to figure it out.
Any chance you could get a proper reading via the docking port on the tablet? I would be curious to see if it is always at 2A. I haven't counted the pins but I don't see why you would need more than VCC+, VCC-, GND and maybe a sense line. But I know there are more than 4 pins.
Sent from my ThinkPad Tablet using xda premium
I would say this is a SW issue. Maybe if we had the kernel source code someone could cook up a custom kernel with that control feature tweeked.
Temetka said:
~
Any chance you could get a proper reading via the docking port on the tablet? I would be curious to see if it is always at 2A. I haven't counted the pins but I don't see why you would need more than VCC+, VCC-, GND and maybe a sense line. But I know there are more than 4 pins.
~
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The best thing to use is a watt meter if anyone wants to pursue this.
My findings indicated that the dock has a similar issue as the USB charger when the TPT is on.
Maximum current allowed at the dock connector was measured at just over 1A . Dock should charge the battery at a maximum rate of just over 1% per minute provided the battery charge level is below 70%. So if you discharge the battery to around 50% and compare charge rates you should see the difference between TPT on/off.

Phone stops charging

My S4 has developed a problem where it seems to stop charging overnight, leaving me with a low battery in the morning. When I plug it into the charger the red light comes on, but when I return in the morning it has stopped charging and the battery has lost 20% of its charge.
A different USB cable, plugged into the same charger, seems to be charging it for now. Does this mean that the original cable is faulty, or do I need to get the USB connector on the phone checked out?
itm said:
My S4 has developed a problem where it seems to stop charging overnight, leaving me with a low battery in the morning. When I plug it into the charger the red light comes on, but when I return in the morning it has stopped charging and the battery has lost 20% of its charge.
A different USB cable, plugged into the same charger, seems to be charging it for now. Does this mean that the original cable is faulty, or do I need to get the USB connector on the phone checked out?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Maybe there is overheating problem so phone stops charging process. Try to start charging and observe it. When it stops charging again, check if it is hot.
Diamond 2 owner said:
Maybe there is overheating problem so phone stops charging process. Try to start charging and observe it. When it stops charging again, check if it is hot.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Seems to be, i've noticed this myself too on days my room is very hot. Ever since i've undervolted a little it hasn't happened again.
Sent from my GT-I9505 using xda app-developers app
Kenablo said:
Seems to be, i've noticed this myself too on days my room is very hot. Ever since i've undervolted a little it hasn't happened again.
Sent from my GT-I9505 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
First make sure that phone is placed on clean, flat surface with good air flow. Worst case is placing it on bed, blanket or pillow - it will overheat for sure.
Undervolting will not help a lot, as it only affect CPU/GPU heating, while they are usually idling during charging. Main source of heat in that situation is not a CPU/GPU but charging itself.
If you have really high room temperature, and you can do nothing about it, than you can slow down charging process, so it will decrease charging heating. Just use regular USB port (computer or generic USB charger) instead dedicated Samsung S4 charger. Charging current will be decreased from 1.9A to 500mA.
If you want to have more control over charging and temperatures you could install Battery Monitor Widget Pro (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=ccc71.bmw.pro). See example of data which you can got with on wireless charging thread: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=43224425&postcount=1018
My battery temperature goes up to 35C during charging (wireless charging).
The theory re. heat is interesting, but doesn't seem to explain why switching USB cables fixed the problem immediately in this case. Is the S4 particularly sensitive to the fit of the USB cable in the socket??
itm said:
The theory re. heat is interesting, but doesn't seem to explain why switching USB cables fixed the problem immediately in this case. Is the S4 particularly sensitive to the fit of the USB cable in the socket??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, S4 is not particularly sensitive to the fit of the USB cable in the socket.
Keep in mind, that max charging current on S4 is based on detection routine which tries to figure it out what is phone connected to (is it regular USB port specified for up to 500mA or dedicated 2 amps charger). It is necessary to accomplish down compatibility with generic USB hosts (you can connect S4 to every USB device) and fast charging feature (less then 2h charging time).
So, you can say, that S4 is sensitive to USB cable/device type. Switching from dedicated cable/charger to 3rd party, could decrease charging current and generated heat.
I hope, this theory explains all your doubts
Diamond 2 owner said:
No, S4 is not particularly sensitive to the fit of the USB cable in the socket.
Keep in mind, that max charging current on S4 is based on detection routine which tries to figure it out what is phone connected to (is it regular USB port specified for up to 500mA or dedicated 2 amps charger). It is necessary to accomplish down compatibility with generic USB hosts (you can connect S4 to every USB device) and fast charging feature (less then 2h charging time).
So, you can say, that S4 is sensitive to USB cable/device type. Switching from dedicated cable/charger to 3rd party, could decrease charging current and generated heat.
I hope, this theory explains all your doubts
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the explanation - it certainly does help. It looks as if the flaw may be with the detection routine, which was preventing it from charging when connected to the stock charger/stock cable, but was happy to allow it when using a different cable with the stock charger.
It also explains another anomaly - when using the S4 as a Sat Nav in the car with a TomTom High-Speed multi charger the phone will only charge if the screen is turned off. With the screen on it actually loses charge.
Is there any way to "hack" this logic to eradicate these anomalies and ensure that the phone charges when you want it to? Or could it be that there is actually a fault with my phone that needs to be checked out?
I suspect this may not be normal...I've just plugged the phone into the stock charger/cable. The phone/battery are not remotely warm, but the phone isn't charging, even though the battery icon in the notification bar says that it is (there's a lightning bolt in the battery icon but it just lost 1% charge in 2 mins with the screen turned off).
The LED went red when I first plugged it in, but the red light went out after a minute, although the lightning bolt remained in the battery icon in the notification bar.
???
itm said:
I suspect this may not be normal...I've just plugged the phone into the stock charger/cable. The phone/battery are not remotely warm, but the phone isn't charging, even though the battery icon in the notification bar says that it is (there's a lightning bolt in the battery icon but it just lost 1% charge in 2 mins with the screen turned off).
The LED went red when I first plugged it in, but the red light went out after a minute, although the lightning bolt remained in the battery icon in the notification bar.
???
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
At this point it sounds like you have a defective battery/phone Anyway, here's a sample test you can try:
Get this app: Galaxy Charging Current Lite
With the stock charger/cable you should be seeing (remember to keep refreshing):
- Not charging - -
- Screen on - 1200 mA
- Screen off - 1900 mA
(yes, there's a difference in the charging current depending on whether the screen is off or on)
Plugged to a standard USB port: 460 mA
Plugged to a car charger - depends on the output of the charger - most car chargers are 1A these days
Try with different cables plugged into a PC USB port - you should be getting a constant 460 mA charge. If it stops as described and you tried a few cable it's likely the battery/phone. HTH
Breach1337 said:
At this point it sounds like you have a defective battery/phone Anyway, here's a sample test you can try:
Get this app: Galaxy Charging Current Lite
With the stock charger/cable you should be seeing (remember to keep refreshing):
- Not charging - -
- Screen on - 1200 mA
- Screen off - 1900 mA
(yes, there's a difference in the charging current depending on whether the screen is off or on)
Plugged to a standard USB port: 460 mA
Plugged to a car charger - depends on the output of the charger - most car chargers are 1A these days
Try with different cables plugged into a PC USB port - you should be getting a constant 460 mA charge. If it stops as described and you tried a few cable it's likely the battery/phone. HTH
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks. The Galaxy Charging Current Lite app shows:
- Connected to stock charger, screen on, with stock battery: a steady 340
- Connected to stock charger, screen off, with stock battery: 380
- Connected to PC USB port, with stock battery: 460
- Connected to car charger, with stock battery: 500
- Connected to stock charger, screen on, with 3rd party battery: a steady 300
Can I assume from the above that the phone is faulty?
itm said:
Thanks. The Galaxy Charging Current Lite app shows:
- Connected to stock charger, screen on, with stock battery: a steady 340
- Connected to stock charger, screen off, with stock battery: 380
- Connected to PC USB port, with stock battery: 460
- Connected to car charger, with stock battery: 500
- Connected to stock charger, screen on, with 3rd party battery: a steady 300
Can I assume from the above that the phone is faulty?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just tried a few different USB cables with the stock charger - these gave me interesting results:
- Cable 1 : 1200
- Cable 2: 1200
- Cable 3: 420
So maybe it's the stock cable that's the problem?
itm said:
Thanks. The Galaxy Charging Current Lite app shows:
- Connected to stock charger, screen on, with stock battery: a steady 340
- Connected to stock charger, screen off, with stock battery: 380
- Connected to PC USB port, with stock battery: 460
- Connected to car charger, with stock battery: 500
- Connected to stock charger, screen on, with 3rd party battery: a steady 300
Can I assume from the above that the phone is faulty?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually it looks like more of a problem with your stock charger (as you're getting normal charge from a USB port)!
- Are you using the same cable with your stock charger, when connected to the PC USB port and your car charger? Try a different cable in all this scenarios to rule out the cable as a factor.
- What I'd recommend is to find another stock charger - go to a Samsung shop / service center - ask to test on site and see what input your phone is getting. You may test with any other mains charger but as you need to be sure of the power it delivers I'd test with an official Samsung 2A charger. If you don't get 1200/1900 with another official charger (and a working cable) then it's an issue with the phone/battery.
Re your car charger. It's possible that your car charger is 500 ma only (check the writing) if it's 0.5 A you need a new one (get a 2A one). Is it a real 12V cigarette charger or are you plugging the cable in a USB port on your car?
---------- Post added at 12:15 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:11 PM ----------
itm said:
I just tried a few different USB cables with the stock charger - these gave me interesting results:
- Cable 1 : 1200
- Cable 2: 1200
- Cable 3: 420
So maybe it's the stock cable that's the problem?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There you go I fried two old cables already so not all of them can sustain the 2A charge. Use Cable 1 or 2. Make sure it also charges at 1900 ma - plug it in, open the app, refresh so that it shows 1200 ma. Turn the screen off. Give it 5 seconds (red led should turn on). Turn the screen back on. immediately refresh - you should see 1900.
I'm getting 1200/1900 from the stock charger if I use "Cable 1" or "Cable 2" as referred to above, so I guess that indicates that the charger is OK? (the stock cable only gives 300 from the same charger)
I'm surprised that I can only get 500 from the car charger using Cable 1/2, as it is advertised as having a 2amp port. In fact I get a higher charge rate (740) using the "slower" port on the TomTom charger - i.e. the port labelled "high-speed" actually delivers less current.
???
Yes cable 3 has gone bad. You should be good with the others.
Re the car charger - is 500 all you get with cable 1 or 2? Is the charger rated 2A for Android phones? Note that some high current chargers are high current only for Apple products and default to much lower output with non Apple products. It can also be a bad charger.- I had a defective 2A Anker car charger which wouldn't charge above 760. I RMAed it and the replacement works as intended.
Sent from my GT-I9505 using xda app-developers app
Breach1337 said:
Yes cable 3 has gone bad. You should be good with the others.
Re the car charger - is 500 all you get with cable 1 or 2? Is the charger rated 2A for Android phones? Note that some high current chargers are high current only for Apple products and default to much lower output with non Apple products. It can also be a bad charger.- I had a defective 2A Anker car charger which wouldn't charge above 760. I RMAed it and the replacement works as intended.
Sent from my GT-I9505 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can get 1200 from the car charger with Cable 1. It's rated at 2A for TomTom devices.
Now this is bizzarre...I just took delivery of a brand new Nexus 10 and immediately tried the charger and cable from that with the Galaxy S4 - I only got 300ma. Can this really be coincidence??
Yes, weird. What about the the other way around - not sure whether the app will work on the Nexus but you can try. Try the S4 charger and cable with the Nexus.
Sent from my GT-I9505 using xda app-developers app
Breach1337 said:
Yes, weird. What about the the other way around - not sure whether the app will work on the Nexus but you can try. Try the S4 charger and cable with the Nexus.
Sent from my GT-I9505 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The Galaxy Charging Current App doesn't work on the Nexus 10 for some reason - it doesn't respond to a charger being connected to it
Can Samsung really be shipping dodgy cables on a mass scale?
itm said:
The Galaxy Charging Current App doesn't work on the Nexus 10 for some reason - it doesn't respond to a charger being connected to it
Can Samsung really be shipping dodgy cables on a mass scale?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I doubt it. No surprises that the app doesn't work on non-Galaxy devices.
By the way how did you try the cable from the Nexus? Isn't is a pogo cable (the wider one)?
Breach1337 said:
By the way how did you try the cable from the Nexus? Isn't is a pogo cable (the wider one)?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No it's a standard Micro USB.
itm said:
No it's a standard Micro USB.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you get the same low charge rate with the Nexus charger/cable I'd take it to Samsung and show them the charge rate you're getting. Even if it works with another cable something is definitely not right - let them figure it out.

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