Database Users

Car charger does not work

Q: Suddenly my car charger (cigarette lighter plugged) is not working anymore. After 5 mins. my device stops charging..... is there anybody having the same problem and knows how to solve it?

If it's after a period of time maybe a battery contact issue?
vincentvdvelde said:
Q: Suddenly my car charger (cigarette lighter plugged) is not working anymore. After 5 mins. my device stops charging
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If you've already read the sticky posts relating to car chargers and your (mystery brand) charger isn't one of those, then maybe your phones battery terminals and connectors need careful cleaning with a cotton bud moistened with contact cleaner or IPA. I had a problem with my mains charger ceasing to charge my TyTN II after a minute or two a long time ago and after cleaning as described, the problem went away. Be sure not to spray the contact cleaner or IPA onto the phone or battery, only the cotton bud/Q-tip and then gently rub that on the spring contacts and battery terminals. How does charging via mains adapter or PC USB port go?

Flying Kiwi said:
If you've already read the sticky posts relating to car chargers and your (mystery brand) charger isn't one of those, then maybe your phones battery terminals and connectors need careful cleaning with a cotton bud moistened with contact cleaner or IPA. I had a problem with my mains charger ceasing to charge my TyTN II after a minute or two a long time ago and after cleaning as described, the problem went away. Be sure not to spray the contact cleaner or IPA onto the phone or battery, only the cotton bud/Q-tip and then gently rub that on the spring contacts and battery terminals. How does charging via mains adapter or PC USB port go?
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Thats the thing: adapter/ USB port works for recharging.... v strange

vincentvdvelde said:
Thats the thing: adapter/ USB port works for recharging.... v strange
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Click to collapse
It still could be a battery contact issue as voltages may differ slightly when using the car charger compared to the other forms of charging. As an example if the Kaiser is set to stop charging when the supply voltage drops below a certain value and the car chargers voltage is lower to start with (and fluctuates with normal driving/electrical usage) then that may explain things. It's well worth doing this cleaning every so often anyway as a matter of course so give it a try and see what happens.
Additionally, could heat be a factor eg if it's sitting on a hot dash or near heater vents (the device is designed to not recharge above certain temperatures)?

Flying Kiwi said:
It still could be a battery contact issue as voltages may differ slightly when using the car charger compared to the other forms of charging. As an example if the Kaiser is set to stop charging when the supply voltage drops below a certain value and the car chargers voltage is lower to start with (and fluctuates with normal driving/electrical usage) then that may explain things. It's well worth doing this cleaning every so often anyway as a matter of course so give it a try and see what happens.
Additionally, could heat be a factor eg if it's sitting on a hot dash or near heater vents (the device is designed to not recharge above certain temperatures)?
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Click to collapse
Thanks for the advice, i will give it a try

if you have any adapters that allow for another usb input, nice a headphone adapter, or the HTC Multifunction Audio Cable YC A300, a ycable or anything with a USB in, try that first.
if that doesn't work, take the unit into your retailer and they will give you a new (or refurbed) unit, as your USB port may have a pin or two out of whack.

This may be weird, but my tilt used to charge just fine from most USB chargers(car, AC, usb cords). One fine day it quit charging off most chargers except the official AC charger from AT&T. I tried to fiddle with the USB pins inside as one looked like it might be a bit bent/damaged. No luck.
However, yesterday I noticed that My Settings->System->Power->Advanced settings page had following option checked:
'When device is turned on, do not charge the battery when connected to the PC'.
Once I unchecked it, it started charging of PC USB cables (obviously), but strangely enough also charging from my car charger(s). Hope this works out for you or someone else...

jrd said:
This may be weird,
'When device is turned on, do not charge the battery when connected to the PC'.
Once I unchecked it, it started charging of PC USB cables (obviously), but strangely enough also charging from my car charger(s). Hope this works out for you or someone else...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It is probably because your normal USB pin 4 and 5 in the cable of your other chargers are not shorted to signal that there is no data connection. So your phone thinks it is connected to a PC (or a device which might send it data), hence not charging the battery according to that setting

I have a similar infuriating problem, i have had a MDA VArio III for over a year now, had an issue with my last one and had a replacement issued in October. Now i have used the Brodit active holder (ciggy lighter version) since day one over a year ago and wit the new MDA as well. now all of a sudden phone will not charge in the holder, borrowed a friends active cradle still no charge, used a no brand usb ciggy ligther charger and charges fine!!!!
When phoe n is placed in the holder orange charging light comes on but phone does not charge and the light goes out 5 mins later!!!
any ideas anyone???
thanks
Matt

Mattcity said:
I have a similar infuriating problem, i have had a MDA VArio III for over a year now, had an issue with my last one and had a replacement issued in October. Now i have used the Brodit active holder (ciggy lighter version) since day one over a year ago and wit the new MDA as well. now all of a sudden phone will not charge in the holder, borrowed a friends active cradle still no charge, used a no brand usb ciggy ligther charger and charges fine!!!!
When phoe n is placed in the holder orange charging light comes on but phone does not charge and the light goes out 5 mins later!!!
any ideas anyone???
thanks
Matt
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Problem solved - Pin 5 on my phone was ever so slightly out of alignment, bent back into place and all is now well! strange it only affected the brodit holders, nothing else!

Car charger failure explained
I also experienced this same problem and actually broke my phones mini usb plug in frustration at lack of charging. Got it fixed again though
The reason for this problem has become apparent since my phone was repaired. In your car, like my car when the heater is switched on it will gradually heat up the cigarette lighter socket. My charger cable like yours has a thermal safety circuit built into it. So when the ciggy socket heats up the heat is transferred to the charger plug and breaks the elec charging circuit. You might see me driving around London with my charger plug hanging out of my window (to cool it down) on a Winter's day!!! Honk if you do.
The solution would be a cheaper charger without the thermal circuit built in. Go into Maplins or PC World and ask them for that..... They dont know what your talking about, because I have already tried.......! Good luck

You just need to make sure to enable your phone to charge when connected to PC.
Start->Setting->System->Power->
UN-CHECK the box that said "When device is turned on, DO NOT CHARGE the battery when connected to PC"

[Q] Swype-ing while charging...does not process right...

I've looked everywhere. i promise i tried to search it first before asking here.
----
Every time my phone is plugged in, wall or computer...swype doesn't seem to process finger swyping correctly.
anyone know why this happens and how to possibly fix this?

Are you using a third party charger? If it's not sending out the right amount of electricity it could be interfering with the touch screen (which is conductive).

I've noticed this behavior sporadically as well, with both OEM and third party charging solutions, but never when charging via USB plugged into a computer, only from the wall.
I can only speculate, but perhaps I've got relatively "dirty" (unsteady) power in my apartment wall outlets, and it's resulting in voltages outside this device's tolerances.
I've noted only the touchscreen appears to become unresponsive, this doesn't seem to have any effect on the ability for the battery to charge up.

I have this issue too when charging off my inverter in my truck. I had this on my mytouch as well. I just figured it was from the unstable line voltage. I haven't noticed any other affects from it other than that.

Agree with the others. Bad charger.

I've been experiencing this issue with many different chargers.
I've tried wall and car chargers with dedicated cables and also the car and wall chargers which give you a usb port to plug into, with 2 different data cables.
Even though the issue occurs with different chargers, it bothers me the most when it's plugged into my computer. Having it plugged into my laptop is a lot more convenient for me charging-wise.
I have no problem with any other application. I play Angry birds and homerun battle 3d with zero issues in touch screen response.
master reset of the phone doesn't help. I honestly think it's possibly an issue with swype.

I notice I need to press the screen harder when plugged into the wall for swype to input correctly. The problem is the screen not swype. You just don't notice it with other apps because of the need for less precision.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App

Sdobron said:
I notice I need to press the screen harder when plugged into the wall for swype to input correctly. The problem is the screen not swype. You just don't notice it with other apps because of the need for less precision.
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Click to collapse
It's not that. You know when your texting, the swype "trail" is smooth, when it's plugged in, the lines get jagged and the phone picks that up instead of my original input and trys to guess the word off of the jagged line.

This happens to my phone and I always assumed it was heat related. This does not happen to me with the original samsung charger but on my cheap ebay wall and vehicle charger it does. Samsung charger is .7 amps and the others are 1 amp.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App

[Q] 5V USB charger controlling my WP7. Is this normal?

I just received my stash of charging gear for my Optimus 7 today, bought from DX. Having read everywhere that USB chargers are 5V +/- 10%, and seeing that the original LG charger outputs 4.8V, I thought my purchase was ok and that this charger would work.
Turns out it doesn't. When I connect the phone to the charger via USB, I lose control of the touchscreen and the system gains a mind of its own. I literally just hold my phone in my hand and stare while it randomly enters hubs and either opens an email message or dials someone. The physical buttons still respond correctly, and it's not until I disconnect the charger from the wall socket or the phone from the USB cable that I can regain control of the phone. My guess is it's a hardware fault and not software.
Granted this unofficial charger cost me around $1, but I got some similar 5V car chargers to go with it, and I've never had problems with other USB chargers.
Unofficial charger specs:
Input: 100-240V 0.15A (0.15A) 50-60hz
Output: 5V 1A
Does someone else have this issue? Is the Optimus 7 an uncommon device for requiring 4.8V input instead of 5V?

Your problem is NOT the charger, as that has nothing to do with the functions of the phone.
Your problem is that your LG Optimus 7 E900 is a DEMO unit, with a DEMO ROM. And until you flash a stock ROM onto your phone, you will experience the demo played out while connected to a power source.

You sure? Because I tried it with the 5V 1A car adapters and no problem, and the original 4.8V 1A charger gives me no problems either.
How do I check my ROM version? Firmware is 1.0.7.10, OS is 7.0.7008.0 after the February update.

Can you get us video on this?

Please excuse the ****ty video quality

That is most fascinating. I recommend you stop using that charger on your phone
So, obviously, you do NOT have the demo ROM as I suspected initially.
Since you say it works with another 5V 1A charger, then I think this specific charger may be sending unexpected, random data signals down the USB cable, resulting in the unresponsive and bizarre behaviour. Since the original charger works well, and charges pretty fast, just stick with that for now.
At least you got the update, here in Canada, we are still waiting for our first update.
And your English is so good, and without any accents...Are you sure you aren't from our here (North America)?

This is true magic Really I have no eplanation on this problem. It is only 0,2V

Yeah, and there I was thinking that the whole point of USB charging is that it's universal and totally compatible, no matter what adapter you buy and what cable you use, provided it connects well.
It seems this is not the case, and I'm weary of trying another third party USB charger, as I still cannot tell if this phenomenon is unique to the Optimus 7 or not. Sadly, the only other MicroUSB phones I have lying around don't actually support charging via this port, just data transfer.

i also admit that im "dazzled" by ur -smart-phone...
probably that adapter is"magical" somehow... did u try it on another phone??
+i also use different chargers but never had any abnormalities so far..
Though i use the original chargers that came with my blackberry 9700 and htc-desire, and just checked the blackberry output is 5v!! i cant read the htc...
So, probably that adapter of yours is a "mutant from another place"...
confirm, htc is also 5v...
ps2- i'm also on 7008, and havent got any issues with charging on both 7004 and 7008

The problem is in the charger, it's too chinese . I had this issue with other touchscreen phones, like SE X8, X10... Just change the charger, obviously it has some hum/noise...

lol...
too chinese? lol

im having the same issue when i use the lg power adapter.. it doesnt always happen but when it happen the touch screen just when berserk.
i always thought that it happens on all units. uh oh

To be honest, I thought you were crazy till I bought a Chinese adapter as well. Don't know the voltage, but I'll check it tomorrow. I think it might have to do with the way the unit is shielded, or not. The only time I wiggs out is when I leave it on the desk, but as soon as I pick it up and pull it a few inches away form the desk or any other object it works fine. But as soon as I put it back down, the screen does the same thing.
I have a usb plug that I plug into the computer that didn't do that at the same desk, I'm going to bring in my other charger and see if it rule out the outlet / interference or just the cheap a$$ adapter....
The only part that worries me, and the only reason I might stop using it, is it takes a bit from the time I unplug it to the time the phone realizes it's unplugged and the charging icon stops. Which doesn't happen with any other charger.

I had this problem too.. until I realized it affected my other touch screen devices too (Galaxy S, Galaxy Tab)... Turns out the 5V charger was the problem. Replaced it with a 5V charger of Philips/Belkin/Samsung/LG and all worked..
The unbranded 5V chargers don't work well with capacitive screens as they seem to be letting off some extra current.

Jittery touch input with Galaxy S II when charging

When the phone is charging, and i try to use touch, i notice the input is jittery- try pulling down the notification bar on the top, and holding it half way down the screen and looking closely. Scroll with lists and hold your finger in once place - does the list jump around slightly?
Is it just me or everyone?
Maybe I should not use my blackberry charger at work! I will test with the samsung charger at home (the output voltage is the same as the samsung so it shouldnt matter!)

I feel you man! Had the exact same problem with the original Galaxy (i7500) - my unofficial charger made it impossible to type anything: heavy jitter.
Ccl: find a charger with the exact same specs...or just use the official one / or usb cable.

No problems here. typing this using swype While charging and its faultless!
Sent from my GT-I9100 using XDA App

Well it's better than my Desire which gives you a static charge or electric leak somewhere when charging and you touch the metal bezel.

i read something about this issue in the user manual, the PDF one somewhere in this forum
look it up, and read the battery or charging section

Have the same exact problem with my Original Galaxy S when using a "not-samsung" micro USB charger, with the obvious difference that my screen became completely unusable not just "jittery", it didn't respond to any touch when charging it with that charger.
Use official charger and it'll be fine !

Yup it is mentioned in the user manual, it said the touch screen may not function well due to an unstable power supply. I guess it applies to all touch screen phones.

thanks for the input guys and hopefully this will clear it up for anyone else confused by this.
Last question - am I damaging my phone by charging it on my blackberry charger?
Only one I have at work which is why I ask,
Thanks.

While I cannot confirm whether it will damage the SGS II or not, I can certainly say that when I used to use BB Chargers to charge my Motorola Razr among others that were Mini USB, they ended up ruining the battery life and giving me false readings about the percentage left.

Personaly I would not take the risk for my beloved 600€-phone

nickbarbs said:
Maybe I should not use my blackberry charger at work! I will test with the samsung charger at home (the output voltage is the same as the samsung so it shouldnt matter!)
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Click to collapse
Yeah. But is the current the same? It may not be supply enough amperage for stability.

nickbarbs said:
When the phone is charging, and i try to use touch, i notice the input is jittery- try pulling down the notification bar on the top, and holding it half way down the screen and looking closely. Scroll with lists and hold your finger in once place - does the list jump around slightly?
Is it just me or everyone?
Maybe I should not use my blackberry charger at work! I will test with the samsung charger at home (the output voltage is the same as the samsung so it shouldnt matter!)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thats funny my iPhone 3GS does the same thing.

so much for standardising chargers...

Fornowagain said:
Yeah. But is the current the same? It may not be supply enough amperage for stability.
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Click to collapse
I dont know - I just tested and the same thing happens with my old Samsung Galaxy S 1 charger . hmm.

(my phone works just fine.(only while charging via pc). it does jitter when you charge it through mains.

voltage converter?
Since I live in the US and ordered a UK model, will i need a voltage converter + plug adapter for my charger or will a simple plug adapter work just fine?

This phone has capacitative touch screen, and I believe this works on the principle of changes in electric field upon bringing a conductor(read "finger") near the charged display. I suppose during the charging process the leaked current is interfering with this electric field causing those above mentioned problems. Might be substandard charging adapters?

Same problem on my Dell Streak! A good thing to test it is Swype! The line your finger makes when typing goes all over the place!

chizzwhizz said:
Since I live in the US and ordered a UK model, will i need a voltage converter + plug adapter for my charger or will a simple plug adapter work just fine?
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Click to collapse
It'll charge over the usb lead from a PC or mains adapter just fine.

I always use pc to charge my phone is it ok ? will it be better charging from AC ?

[Q] Nexus 4 charging mode won't stay in AC, drops to USB

phone only started doing this over the last couple months, used to be able to plug in (either charger / cable) and charge in AC mode without supervision.
Nowadays, it takes several plug in attempts to even START in AC mode, but typically it'll drop down to USB (the screen comes on momentarily when the change occurs) at some point in the charging.
Worst case scenario, it'll change rapidly back into AC and out, to the point where I can watch it on happen on the screen. That's rarer though.
It never changes INTO AC and stays there, to be clear. Always a downgrade to USB charging.
Is something wrong physically with the jack on the phone? I've never damaged the phone, dropped in water, etc.
If RMA is what's suggested as my only option - is that a brand new phone or refurbished?

Use another USB charger, its a known problem with the supplied LG charger with the N4. I myself have this problem but am using another charger and its fine.
The USB cable has no problems btw, its the charger itself.

Can you link to your sources on this being a "known problem" ?
I'm pretty sure the same issue persists with my old Samsung charger too - the one supplied with the Galaxy Nexus. So.. that suggest the problem is with the phone, not the charger/cable.

i also have the exact same problem just now.. i'll try using another charger tonight at home..
just now i charged my nx4 using its original charger, in just a couple of minutes, the phone is saying that its being charged using usb.. stupid..

I'm also getting this at the moment, I'm completely stock, not even rooted and this has cropped up only since the 1.8mb Security Patch....
Any fixes?
Will root if I can fix it....

I was/am having this issue as well. I typically charge my phone via car charger (works fine) or wireless, so I can get around this issue easily. Plugging it into the PC and enabling fast charge with franco's kernel works as well.
I tried my N10 charger and it was dropping to USB as well. When I'm at my friend's place and use his generic charger, it works fine.

I used to have this issue but ever since I updated Android to 4.3, my charging works just fine.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda premium

filthykid said:
I used to have this issue but ever since I updated Android to 4.3, my charging works just fine.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Might try a factory reset and see does it make any difference...

do we have any more thoughts on this issue? is it a software bug? is it hardware? which hardware? I am going to experiement with a few different wall chargers and usb cables.

so 3 chargers (Galaxy Nexus' , Nexus 4's, USB 3.0 port on PC) and 3 cables (likewise + cable from monoprice)
SEEM to yield the results, that the problem is the connection between the cable and the phone. The oldest and most used cable has the hardest time establishing and maintaining an AC connection, the newest/lest used one from monoprice has never had a problem, and the LG cable is in the middle.
Is this an issue of wear and tear on both the cable connectors and the phone's port? It's really lame the phone and it's cable are not even a year old and THAT can't stay charging at AC voltages.
Will a replacement phone from Google be a refurbished unit or brand new?

bump

deusfaux said:
If RMA is what's suggested as my only option - is that a brand new phone or refurbished?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They will send you a new (not refurb) phone and you will have 21 days to send back your old phone. The replacement process is super easy, just call them at +1 855 83NEXUS and tell them your issue. They will walk you through a factory reset and if the problem is not fixed they will replace it.

I've had issues with the microusb port on multiple phones in the past, and have definitely noticed the N4's socket getting looser.
On an old HTC sensation, I had to resolder the port on. Can you reproduce the behavior by applying slight pressure to the plug in various directions?
Does your connection also intermittently drop out when connected to a computer?
A workaround for the time being could be to use a kernel that allows you to force fast charging regardless of the detected charger. But at that rate, it's quite possible you'll lose your usb port altogether sometime in the future..
You could also enable adb over wireless, and check the charger type:
Code:
cat /sys/kernel/debug/msm_otg/chg_type
You should be seeing DCP (has the data pins connected, possibly with some resistance).
Or proprietary if you're using an Apple-compatible charger (has aspecific voltage on the data pins).
If you see SDP, it means it's in "USB" mode.
If it's staying DCP/proprietary but the charge rate is dropping to "USB," it means the phone is throttling down the current because it's detecting the charger can't deliver (voltage dropping below threshold).

with the good cable (monoprice), wiggling has no effect.
with the poorest cable (samsung), wiggling will rapidly change it between AC / USB / nadda
with the LG cable, wiggling, will SOMETIMES have an effect. sometimes it's solid and will only become a flaky connection after it's been charging a while already