Power Cord... - Acer Iconia A500

Well, I'll need to ask this question: do any of you guys know if Acer is going to bless us with a USB to proprietary connector for our Iconias?
Look, I've accepted the length of the power cord. One, it is what it is and two I can always go and buy an after market adapter which could be longer. Fine. What is unforgivable, to me, is that I need an AC plug and I can't use the myriad (at least three) AC to USB plugs that I have to charge my unit. Heck, I can even use my wife's iPad adapter to charge my EVO in a pinch.
It can be done as I assume that the docking station Acer sells can charge the unit. Besides if Sammy, Toshiba and Asus have similar things why can't Acer? If they come up with something like this they'll (to me) boost the value of my Iconia a bit: I can use USB and the other adapter to charge it.
C'mon Acer: get in gear!

I'm not 100% sure I understand the question, but I'll take a stab anyway.
It is impossible to charge through USB to the A500, either through the USB ports or the dock connector. USB only has a 5v signal on it, and I believe it's max current capacity is 500ma (per standard), whereas the A500 needs 12v and 1.5a of current.
Does that help?

USB 2.0 standard allows maximum output of 1.5 amperes, or 1.8 amps on a dedicated charge port with a special cable (e.g. cannot carry data but can only charge, I have never seen one by the way) at 5 volts. These 1.5 and 1.8 amps are for USB chargers by the way, computer USB 2 ports are all rated to a max. of 0.5 amps.
A500 needs 1.5 amps at 12 volts, which is roughly 2 times more current than the usb standard (Watts = Voltage x Amps), e.g. acer power brick supplies 18 watts vs a dedicated USB charger can only supply 9 watts at 1.5 amps. Most of the phone chargers that use USB cables are around 1 amp, making their max. output 5 watts vs 18 that acer needs.
In summary, it is not possible to charge A500 via USB.

No, no, no....
I think I explained myself poorly.
You guys know that the on the bottom of the Iconia there's a connector; a proprietary connector. I assume that the unit can be recharged through there. So what I was saying is that there should be a cable that ends in that proprietary connector on one side, and on the other on a standard USB connector so that it can be charged. Very much like the iPad or the Samsung Galaxy.
I should have mentioned the word 'proprietary'

citizenklaw said:
I think I explained myself poorly.
You guys know that the on the bottom of the Iconia there's a connector; a proprietary connector. I assume that the unit can be recharged through there. So what I was saying is that there should be a cable that ends in that proprietary connector on one side, and on the other on a standard USB connector so that it can be charged. Very much like the iPad or the Samsung Galaxy.
I should have mentioned the word 'proprietary'
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If I had read your original post carefully I would have noticed that
That would work if they made a 5 volt, 4 amp charger with removable usb cable on the charger end as you suggested, and we would be able to use that charger for everything else as well.

Well...
I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

Not to rain on your wishing parade, but it wouldn't work, even with the dock connector adapter. The batteries in these tablets are 7.3 volt Li-Po packs(I think thats the voltage at least) so they require at least 9 volts to charge them. Thats why the docks that Acer makes for these use the same power supply as the tablets themselves. Without high enough voltage, it wouldn't charge. I guess you could make a charger that would plug into the connector on the bottom, but you would end up having to use the same old power supply to get it to do anything. Conceivably you could make a double USB plug on the other end wired in series, that would bump it to 10 volts/500 ma and it would work as a trickle charger of sorts.

Related

Any high-current (1.5A or more say) *folding-plug* USA power supplies?

I use my old Motorola mini-USB supplies and love 'em but would like something with more juice than the ~800mA they put out. Any suggestions? I can occasionally find a folding-plug power supply but then the max current is never specified
TIA,
Richard
Closest I know of is Boxwave's VersaCharger Pro which supplies 1 Amp, which I've found sufficient for charging my Tytn II.
3waygeek said:
Closest I know of is Boxwave's VersaCharger Pro which supplies 1 Amp, which I've found sufficient for charging my Tytn II.
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Yeah, that one is interesting - a little bulkier than I'd prefer. I have to do some testing, but I recently discovered my ~800mA Moto charger won't charge my APC USB battery when it's completely discharged. I've not noticed any issues with my Hermes or Kaiser, but I don't let them get to 0% and I usually can wait overnight when they're really low.
It was a pretty unhappy discovery that my current supply wouldn't charge that battery! Luckily I had my laptop along and it *would* charge from the USB port - which can probably supply 1A or more.
I'd like to get a nice 1.5-2A supply and at least *know* that I wasn't hitting a current limitation
Richard
rsolomon said:
I'd like to get a nice 1.5-2A supply and at least *know* that I wasn't hitting a current limitation
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I saw this Griffin Powerblock Universal at my local Staples, and the box said 5V @ 1A:
http://www.griffintechnology.com/products/powerblockuniversal
That's a lot more the desired form-factor, but still shy of what I wanted.
I may snag one anyway just to see.
Richard
rsolomon said:
It was a pretty unhappy discovery that my current supply wouldn't charge that battery! Luckily I had my laptop along and it *would* charge from the USB port - which can probably supply 1A or more.
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Actually, most, if not all, computer USB ports are limited to 500 mA -- to get 1A you need a powered hub.
3waygeek said:
Actually, most, if not all, computer USB ports are limited to 500 mA -- to get 1A you need a powered hub.
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I'm not convinced of that. Yes, the spec is max 500mA and I've sometimes seen some machines pop up and complain about overcurrent on a port, but many other times not. I'm also not 100% convinced that all my laptop's USB ports are directly off the chipset - so there may effectively be a powered hub involved here. I guess I'll have to carve up a USB cable and put a current meter in there to answer the question one way or another - don't hold your breath on that one
Richard
A couple of things:
As far as USB port power goes, I've read up about this (forget why), but the USB spec DOES say that each USB port needs to supply at least 500mA... But in practice motherboard manufacturers tie the power lines of multiple ports together, so if a motherboard has 4 ports, the power bus will be connected to all of them, and it will supply at least 500mA x4, or 2000mA (2 Amps) total. There is generally no individual regulation of this however, so if you only have one device plugged in, it has the full 2 amps to draw from. Often other devices like mice or keyboards use so little power that there is plenty left for other peripherals to use well over 500mA even when all the ports are in use. This is actually a problem, as many product manufacturers get "lazy" and design products that actually NEED more than 500mA, especially things like bus powered hard drives, because those work on most systems (but frustratingly, not all).
As far as power supplies, i got curious, and here's what i found:
The exact power supply that comes with the tilt is about $8US from mouser in the US:
http://www.mouser.com/search/Produc...irtualkey55210000virtualkey552-PSA-A05A-050-R
it's mouser part number: 552-PSA-A05A-050-R
Sadly it doesn't fold and it also only provides 1A, so, here's some more stuff:
This part is similar but just has a USB port on it, so if you already have the data cable with you, the AC adapter won't take up much more space:
http://www.digikey.com/scripts/US/DKSUS.dll?Detail?name=T1003-ND
Now i'm really not having any luck finding exactly what you need, but if you're a bit handy you can wire a mini USB port onto another 5v power supply with more current output. I can't tell you which wires go where but if you have a multimeter and a soldering gun you should be able to figure it out:
here's a USB mini cable with wires coming off one end if you don't want to cut up a cable you already have: http://www.digikey.com/scripts/US/DKSUS.dll?Detail?name=WM17104-ND
And any good regulated or switching 5v power supply should be good. Here's one with 2A output, and it's described as "flip out", so i imagine the connector, um, flips out, but it's not a stock part so you'd have to call them, and i don't know if it's regulated or switching (either is good, i think), so you should ask: http://www.digikey.com/scripts/US/DKSUS.dll?Detail?name=T321-P5P-ND
an in stock, non-flip out one is here:
http://www.digikey.com/scripts/US/DKSUS.dll?Detail?name=T450-P5P-ND
If you custom wire one, test it on a less important device, just to make sure that it really will be okay, and don't sue me if it breaks something. Plus, i don't know how the kaiser feels about charging at more than 1A, since the stock power supply only provides that much current.
Also, another kind of plug is the "multi-plug" power supply, with removable plugs to allow for plugs from different countries to clip on, so rather than flipping out the plug, you could just unclip it, if you don't mind having 2 pieces. Here's one of those at 1.2A and $13US: http://www.digikey.com/scripts/US/DKSUS.dll?Detail?name=T946-P5P-ND
or 3.2A at $18US:
http://www.digikey.com/scripts/US/DKSUS.dll?Detail?name=T377-P5P-ND
But you might want to call HTC and talk to an engineer (they're hard to get a hold of, but i've been able to do it at other companies if you keep asking) and make sure that higher charging currents are okay.
And i really only checked mouser and digikey for these things, so it's possible that other suppliers might have something different, though they are two of the largest suppliers of this kind of thing in the US, so i'd be surprised.
You could even call CUI direct and speak to someone there, they're nice people and they might be able to make you a custom one for not too much (i doubt they'd do that for one unit, but if they already make something close they might!).
If you can't get what you need easily, try harder! Hehe.
-Taylor

cant we solder USB charge

im not a pro at electronics but isnt it possible to solder a charging plug to a usb cable?
to achieve usb charging?
did it for a homemade IR headtracking unit
SmokeMasta said:
im not a pro at electronics but isnt it possible to solder a charging plug to a usb cable?
to achieve usb charging?
did it for a IR headtracking unit
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I still don't think people understand. This devices needs more output then a usb plug can produce. Think about it this way, would you charge your laptop computer off your desktop usb port? The XOOM requires a 12v charge, just like your laptop.
bwcorvus said:
I still don't think people understand. This devices needs more output then a usb plug can produce. Think about it this way, would you charge your laptop computer off your desktop usb port? The XOOM requires a 12v charge, just like your laptop.
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wont it be able to trickle charge... when in a pinch some charge is better then none at all
What don't people understand about this. A USB plug in a computer might only be able to produce 500ma, but you can plug that SAME USB cable into a wall charger that uses USB and it will charge fast as hell. The iPad does this. All Android phones do this. It makes it so you only have to carry one cable and maybe a small wall plug.
deleted this
bwcorvus said:
The usb port is not connected to the battery for charging anyway.
https://motorola-global-portal.cust...sion/L3RpbWUvMTI5ODgyOTM5NS9zaWQvdnpSbGhIbms=
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guess you missed prev poster point ... if you solder on a charging plug it doesnt mean you need to remove the other plug have 2 plugs on one side
SmokeMasta said:
guess you missed prev poster point ... if you solder on a charging plug it doesnt mean you need to remove the other plug have 2 plugs on one side
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You are right i miss read it
after some reading usb 3.0 delivers 900ma
and it looks those usb charger blocks deliver upto 9w at 1.8a
It is hard to say if it will work. Since I don't have my Xoom yet, I can looking at the output rating of the wall charger. Maybe someone can look at their wall charger and see how much output voltage and current it produces. If it's higher than 5V, the USB might not be able to charge it. If it could charge it, it would be better to have a USB cable that has one end split into two connectors, one with the circular connector, and one with the micro USB end.
ggoldfingerd said:
It is hard to say if it will work. Since I don't have my Xoom yet, I can looking at the output rating of the wall charger. Maybe someone can look at their wall charger and see how much output voltage and current it produces. If it's higher than 5V, the USB might not be able to charge it. If it could charge it, it would be better to have a USB cable that has one end split into two connectors, one with the circular connector, and one with the micro USB end.
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Here you go.
looks like my usb 1.0 charger (from htc (ancient thing)) delivers 5v at 1amp
wondering if newer chargers deliver more. spec sheet of USB 3.0 says it can deliver 9 volt at 1.8 amp
hopefully the EU classifies the moto tablet as a telephone then its obligated by law to have usb charging ability
The iPad charger delivers 5v at 2 amps over a USB to 30pin cable.
bwcorvus said:
Here you go.
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Thanks. I just decided to glance at the Xoom teardown. From what I saw with the hardware, I don't think it will be possible to use USB to charge it. The battery alone is 7.4V, so there is no way to charge it with 5V unless the Xoom had a DC step-up convert. The teardown only lists a step-down converter which probably steps the battery voltage down for all of the components in the Xoom and has nothing to do with battery charging.
ggoldfingerd said:
Thanks. I just decided to glance at the Xoom teardown. From what I saw with the hardware, I don't think it will be possible to use USB to charge it. The battery alone is 7.4V, so there is no way to charge it with 5V unless the Xoom had a DC step-up convert. The teardown only lists a step-down converter which probably steps the battery voltage down for all of the components in the Xoom and has nothing to do with battery charging.
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Does it require the same voltage to do a trickle charge? From the research XDA members have done so far, the Xoom charger requires 1.5A, USB puts out .5A, that's not too far off if we just want trickle charging.
The battery is 7.4V but 5V isn't too far off either.
Does the market app SPARE PARTS work on the Xoom, or some other charging monitor app?
Maybe someone who already has the Xoom and knows how to solder can frankenstein a USB charging adapter? Make one end fit into the charging port of the Xoom and the other end fit into a standard micro USB plug.
This way, you carry your normal USB cable for data transfer but if you need to charge, then you plug the USB plug into the adapter which plugs into the charging port.
BTW, can someone please clarify that the charging port IS THE ONLY WAY to charge the Xoom? Someone said on here that the docking device has a USB plug that will charge the Xoom thru the USB?
Neo3D said:
Does it require the same voltage to do a trickle charge? From the research XDA members have done so far, the Xoom charger requires 1.5A, USB puts out .5A, that's not too far off if we just want trickle charging.
The battery is 7.4V but 5V isn't too far off either.
Does the market app SPARE PARTS work on the Xoom, or some other charging monitor app?
Maybe someone who already has the Xoom and knows how to solder can frankenstein a USB charging adapter? Make one end fit into the charging port of the Xoom and the other end fit into a standard micro USB plug.
This way, you carry your normal USB cable for data transfer but if you need to charge, then you plug the USB plug into the adapter which plugs into the charging port.
BTW, can someone please clarify that the charging port IS THE ONLY WAY to charge the Xoom? Someone said on here that the docking device has a USB plug that will charge the Xoom thru the USB?
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Spare parts works fine, so does battery monitor widget. The dock uses the 2 metal pins between the hdmi and charging hole.
My HTC charger outputs from the AC adapter to microusb at 5V and 1.0A, which is as high as I've seen with other phones and chargers.
The Xoom charger appears to output 12V at 1.5A.
I'm no electrician but that does seem like a pretty big difference. 140% greater in and 50% greater respectively.
A lot of armchair electrical engineers in here. Tell me, what would you gain from creating your own proprietary usb charger? You'd still have only one of them and you couldn't use it on anything else.
Has anyone stopped to think that it's very highly likely that the usb charging pins aren't hooked up at all inside the xoom?
This forum is the biggest group of whiny people I've ever encountered, and I once accidentally walked into a GoP fundraiser.
Neo3D said:
Does it require the same voltage to do a trickle charge? From the research XDA members have done so far, the Xoom charger requires 1.5A, USB puts out .5A, that's not too far off if we just want trickle charging.
The battery is 7.4V but 5V isn't too far off either.
Does the market app SPARE PARTS work on the Xoom, or some other charging monitor app?
Maybe someone who already has the Xoom and knows how to solder can frankenstein a USB charging adapter? Make one end fit into the charging port of the Xoom and the other end fit into a standard micro USB plug.
This way, you carry your normal USB cable for data transfer but if you need to charge, then you plug the USB plug into the adapter which plugs into the charging port.
BTW, can someone please clarify that the charging port IS THE ONLY WAY to charge the Xoom? Someone said on here that the docking device has a USB plug that will charge the Xoom thru the USB?
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Well the current rating is only part of the equation. Think of the voltage as the pushing force for the current. The Xoom has two Li-Po packs (two batteries) with a nominal voltage of 7.4V. It really depends on the battery, but in general for Li-Po's, the minimum voltage for this battery will be something close to 6V. Li-Po's require specific ways of charge with min/max voltages and certain currents. The minimum battery voltage cannot be overcome by the 5V from USB, thus it will not charge the battery.
If anything, the 5V could power the device, but it wouldn't charge the battery. I would bet that this doesn't work. The power jack on the Xoom probably goes into a regulator that reduces the 12V into a lower voltage that charges the Xoom.
gbenj said:
My HTC charger outputs from the AC adapter to microusb at 5V and 1.0A, which is as high as I've seen with other phones and chargers.
The Xoom charger appears to output 12V at 1.5A.
I'm no electrician but that does seem like a pretty big difference. 140% greater in and 50% greater respectively.
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I don't see how you see it as whining, we're just figuring out how to get things we want ourselves instead of waiting for the manufacturer to do it for us
Most of XDA's reader probably have some kind of techincal/engineering/IT/industrial background. Nothing wrong with pooling our talents to solve manufacturers' shortcomings.
USB Charging
Just tried to charge it VIA USB and wall charger with USB port & this is the result.

[Q] Is usb charging supported on acer iconia a500 tab

Hi,
can my acer iconia be charged via the usb?
No it cannot be charged via USB.
Sent from my A500 using Tapatalk
Most of the tablets can't be charged over USB - the A/C charger for the Acer is a 12v and I think (don't have mine with me at the moment) over 1 amp; even USB 3.0 only puts out 5v and maxes at 1a.
Having said that, it'd be nice if they could take a trickle charge over the USB input to reduce the battery drain, even if it can't fully charge the battery.
If anyone here also owns a Nook Color you may have noticed that it won't charge over USB either, and in fact even requires a custom "USB" cable attached to their power adapter for charging. Their cable looks like a regular USB cable but it is not.
The screens and batteries are just too big to support the tiny amount of power USB is designed to provide.
Nope, no charging over USB. It has to do with the amount of charge needed to charge the device and USB is unable go generate the needed power.
Sent from my A500 using XDA Premium App
cybermage1 said:
If anyone here also owns a Nook Color you may have noticed that it won't charge over USB either, and in fact even requires a custom "USB" cable attached to their power adapter for charging. Their cable looks like a regular USB cable but it is not.
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The Nook Color does in fact charge over USB. I do it all the time. The only time it needs the AC power adapter is if it next to dead, and you get the "Battery too low to power on". Also, the AC adapter, even though it outputs via MicroUSB, will NOT charge other devices as it doesn't fit exactly for some reason.
martyxng said:
The Nook Color does in fact charge over USB. I do it all the time. The only time it needs the AC power adapter is if it next to dead, and you get the "Battery too low to power on". Also, the AC adapter, even though it outputs via MicroUSB, will NOT charge other devices as it doesn't fit exactly for some reason.
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My (retired) 1st gen Sony eReader was like that also, USB charge didn't work once the batt level got too low
NO
Like stated before almost no tablet charges over usb. and like one poster pointed out not even the nook color charges over usb I have one as well.
One poster says the nook does charge but you have to define chargeing. on wall power it charges full in like less then an hour. plugged into usb and only if its off or in sleep with no wifi running it will chrge but it will take all night. so for all purposes it dosent usb charge.
I dont know about other tablets but the iconia has TWO internal batteries(read your box see the little x2 next to the batteries) and most likely why it wont charge over usb.
To tell the truth I have not really understood the hang up on the usb charging or the short cord for the iconia. usually I charge mine when im done with it or not using it so cord length means nothing. and as far as usb charging, usb charging on anything is harder on the battieres. and most likely why alot of companies dont do it.
The whole idea is to be prtable who wants to be teathered to the wall with a charger 4 foot or 6 foot really whats the difference?
side note: the person who said the nook color cord was special? its just a standard mini usb just like on portable hard drives nothing special about it. i lost mine and just used the one from my hard drive worked just fine.
harlaquin said:
To tell the truth I have not really understood the hang up on the usb charging or the short cord for the iconia. usually I charge mine when im done with it or not using it so cord length means nothing. and as far as usb charging, usb charging on anything is harder on the batteries. and most likely why alot of companies don't do it.
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I think the point with USB charging is it one less adapter you have to carry... if everyting supported the same port type it would make life much easier the the micro USB has been a nice solution for phones
texas-saluki said:
I think the point with USB charging is it one less adapter you have to carry... if everyting supported the same port type it would make life much easier the the micro USB has been a nice solution for phones
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That would be great. Maybe someday they will design a transport port and technology allowing a single port to both be intelligent enough to transport files to/from a computer as well as charge these devices.
For now, as others have said - the batteries in the A500 take too much juice to be charged through the USB port. Imagine having to charge your tablet for 48 hrs? Or worse, while it's charging you pick it up to check a website and even while charging it just starts draining because the batteries are juicing out faster than they can be charged?
It just wouldn't work.
harlaquin said:
To tell the truth I have not really understood the hang up on the usb charging or the short cord for the iconia. usually I charge mine when im done with it or not using it so cord length means nothing. and as far as usb charging, usb charging on anything is harder on the battieres. and most likely why alot of companies dont do it.
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I'm traveling to Germany in a few weeks. I have an adapter for my Dell Laptop to deal with the Power over there. The ability to charge my tablet, phone, and any other devices from my laptop would be awesome. If I wish to take my tablet, I'll need to buy another adapter / power converter that I'll hardly ever use. I often travel within the US for business, and carrying one less power adapter would be nice.
Sometimes My kids steal my tablet and use up all the battery, or I simply forget to plug it in... then I go to use it, and it's near dead. With the ridiculously short cord I cant use it while it charges unless I want to sit on the floor next to an electrical outlet or use an extension cord. And of course of the 50 or so power bricks I have.. none match..
While these things are slightly inconvenient.. It's not a show stopper. I love my Iconia.
I think people are used to their android phones, where (for me at least), my habit is to sit down and plug in the usb. It's just easy to keep it charged that way.
I found this neat device though, I think someone called it an extension cord or something? It really solved my problems of the short cord. I bet the guy who invented that is a millionaire.
(Seriously, they could have made the cord longer, just so you could sit the tab on a table and not be stretching, but $2 at Home Depot fixed the issue real quick).
xjestersdeadx said:
I think people are used to their android phones, where (for me at least), my habit is to sit down and plug in the usb. It's just easy to keep it charged that way.
I found this neat device though, I think someone called it an extension cord or something? It really solved my problems of the short cord. I bet the guy who invented that is a millionaire.
(Seriously, they could have made the cord longer, just so you could sit the tab on a table and not be stretching, but $2 at Home Depot fixed the issue real quick).
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I had to return my first Iconia due to the stinkin to short power cord and when I picked it up it ripped the center pin out with it.... poor thinking acer!
I have almost done it again several times... tomorrow I am making my own car adapter and extending the charger cord myself...
halfevildruid said:
and extending the charger cord myself...
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Extending the cable isn't really all that difficult, just cut the cable in two, rip the insulating layer from both ends, add some extra cable in-between and voila! You've got yourself a longer charging cable
WereCatf said:
Extending the cable isn't really all that difficult, just cut the cable in two, rip the insulating layer from both ends, add some extra cable in-between and voila! You've got yourself a longer charging cable
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Yep, that would definitely do the job but what about electrical resistance or conductance may be depending on the material, diameter of the wire, legth, temperature ... sorry, I'm not an electrician or an engineer but I think one shouldn't do such "grafting" with such sensitive electronic equipment...
Solution
What you ought to make is a 5V to 12V little box that you plug into TWO (or more) USB ports and draw power off both. It would be pretty small, you could probably put it inline. I have a hard drive case that draws power from two USB ports. One is power only, other is power and data. It Y's into a mini USB from two full size USB.
THAT'S what tablet makers ought to use. 1A at 5V is 5 watts, which is about 420mA @ 12 Volts which would probably let you charge when off at least on a tablet. Assuming no loss of course, but I bet you could still get 400mA effective.
x51 said:
I'm traveling to Germany in a few weeks. I have an adapter for my Dell Laptop to deal with the Power over there. The ability to charge my tablet, phone, and any other devices from my laptop would be awesome. If I wish to take my tablet, I'll need to buy another adapter / power converter that I'll hardly ever use. I often travel within the US for business, and carrying one less power adapter would be nice.
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i dont know if you've already made your trip to Germany or not, but as far as your Acer is concerned, all you need is a $0.30 US to German plug adapter. the brick from the iconia can already handle 110-240v. actually, most laptops and such's (even desktops) power supplies handle up to 240v due to people traveling with them. you dont need to worry about getting a special converter. this is coming from someone who's lived in Germany for 2 years, Bosnia for 7 months, and Iraq for 12 months. just look at the power supply and find the voltage on there and if it says 110-240v you're good. if its like 110-120v then you will need the power converter. lost a PlayStation 1 back in 1999 that way because I didnt check.
theroblog.com said:
What you ought to make is a 5V to 12V little box that you plug into TWO (or more) USB ports and draw power off both. It would be pretty small, you could probably put it inline. I have a hard drive case that draws power from two USB ports. One is power only, other is power and data. It Y's into a mini USB from two full size USB.
THAT'S what tablet makers ought to use. 1A at 5V is 5 watts, which is about 420mA @ 12 Volts which would probably let you charge when off at least on a tablet. Assuming no loss of course, but I bet you could still get 400mA effective.
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I like your thinking! (As oppose to all the nay-sayers who accepts defeat so readily...)
Another thing we should consider: many USB ports (even USB 2.0) will provide more power than the specification calls for - my motherboard puts out 1,500mAh on multiple ports, and my laptop has a dedicated "phone charging port" that puts out 1,000 mAh. Some travel adapter also has a USB charging port that puts out more than 500mAh. I know this is not the norm but is becoming a trend. So, for the lucky few who has a high-power USB port, charging the tablet via USB is entirely feasible. In fact, even with standard USB port, it can be done, just not "well".
If you don't believe me, do the math yourself - the Iconia has 2x 3.26Ah battery. At 3.7v, that is about 24 watt. For 2x USB at 500mAh, you get about 5 W/hr of juice. At no-loss, the tablet would be charged in less than 5 hours. Even if we assume 30% loss (typical), it will still be less than 7 hour to fully charge the tablet - aka one night of sleep. And it only gets better if your laptop puts out more power on the USB ports.
I would much rather have 1 power adapter for my laptop, and then plug all my phone/tablet/wifi-hotspot into the laptop... as oppose to lugging around 4 different power bricks. Plus, for those of you who travel a lot, you will know this... hotels never have enough power outlets! I have to start bringing my own powerstrip these days because if there are two of us sharing a room, we'd frequently have to pull out the TV cabinet and unplug the TV, or charge the phones in the bathroom...
So, any chance we can put this in action? And instead of waiting for tablet manufacturers to get their acts together, how many of you would actually pay for a "2x-USB-to-12v" adapter cable that is smaller/lighter than the Iconia wall brick but can charge your tablet overnight via laptop? If there is enough interest, I wonder if we could get a Kickstarter project going for this...
W.
Jumping in here a little late, but it's not true that no tablets can be charged via USB. My Samsung Galaxy Tab can be charged over USB. Mine is the 7" model, no idea about its 10" big brother.
HP TouchPad 16GB also takes charge from USB slow but still charges.
on the other hand my Acer A500 does not!

Extended USB Cable not charging nexus 7

I tried swapping out the USB cable that came with my nexus 7 with a longer usb cable (still using the same charger though edit: by that, i mean the ASUS charger that came with the N7). It doesn't seem to be charging though, even though it says 'charging' on the screen. When i was using the nexus 7 while plugged in, i actually lost 1% charge after using it for like 30 or so minutes.
I think i grabbed this cable off Ebay. It had no trouble charging my phone. Are there different grades of USB cables or something?
By same charger do you mean the one it came with? The 2 amps charger. Sorry I had to clear that bit up. I think longer cables creates more resistence but I'm not sure if the cable length is significant enough stop charging. I have no idea about grades of USB cables though maybe someone can elaborate on that.
Summerfly said:
By same charger do you mean the one it came with? The 2 amps charger. Sorry I had to clear that bit up. I think longer cables creates more resistence but I'm not sure if the cable length is significant enough stop charging. I have no idea about grades of USB cables though maybe someone can elaborate on that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, the ASUS charger it came with, i plugged in the 6 foot microusb cable i bought off ebay into it.
MFister said:
Yes, the ASUS charger it came with, i plugged in the 6 foot microusb cable i bought off ebay into it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Okay, 6 foot cable doesn't sound excessively long. I have to ask what were you doing on it while charging and what brightness setting was the screen at. Maybe you were draining more power than the charger can provide?
This is pretty common. The stock cable has larger conductors, as I assume other 2 amp chargers come with, and standard cables are sensed somehow and charging current is limited. Try finding a 22awg cable, I think it will work.
I use a USB extender since I don't have any outlets near my bed. I use a cable rated for USB 2.0 and haven't had any problems. I have had problems with cables that aren't. The Motorola USB cables are rated for 2.0 and they all work fine for me with no problems.
burpootus said:
This is pretty common. The stock cable has larger conductors, as I assume other 2 amp chargers come with, and standard cables are sensed somehow and charging current is limited. Try finding a 22awg cable, I think it will work.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, i assume this cable that's 28/24 awg would work?
http://www.monoprice.com/products/p...=10303&cs_id=1030307&p_id=8643&seq=1&format=2
I use a cable extender, but I insert the original stock cable into the tablet (not the charger). It appears to recognise that and charge at the correct rate.
I've tried using a usb extender to charge with the asus charger and the Asus USB cable and checking with battery graph it charges much slower compared to using just the Asus cable.
People with eyesight better than mine will see that the micro USB socket has 5 pins and the Nexus looks at the 5th pin to decide what is connected and what the connected device is allowed to do. The pin can be grounded, not connected (floating) or can be connected to ground via I think 3 fixed resistances. Google for USB on the go. I think that is the standard adopted by Asus and the cable doesn't comply.
I'm using a nook 1/2 cable I got with a car charger for the nooktablet
It works and is longer then the stock cable it came with.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2
EE here. I just ran into this issue recently, so I'll share what I learned. Grab a multimeter and measure the resistance of the cable. Check all 4 pins just in case one of them is worse than another.
In my case, I had a really horrible USB extension cable. It measured about 4 Ohms. 4 Ohms is low enough for a multimeter to pass a continuity test, but do out the math:
V = I * R
V = 2A * 8 Ohms (4 Ohms on VCC, 4 Ohms back on GND)
V = 16V.
16 volts?? Where does 16V come from? Short answer: It doesn't. If 2A were actually flowing, the USB cable would have a 16V drop across it. It doesn't though, which tells us that 2A is not flowing. 1A is also not flowing, since that would still be 8V.
0.5 Ohms is a good estimate for a MAXIMUM resistance for a USB charging cable. That's a 1V drop at 2A, meaning the phone is only getting ~4V. That explains why the USB cable that comes with the Nexus 7 is so darn short - it comes in at around 0.1 Ohms (or perhaps less, that's about the limit of what I can accurately measure)
Wanted to get a longer USB cable that will work the Asus adapter, any links?
Thanks.
came across this thread while investigating a strange thing in charging my 4400mah extended battery of my s3.
I have a 5v 1A stock samsung charger with an extension cable i was always using to charge my old phones with a less capacity battery (mugen 3200mah)
This night i spent i wasnt ble to get a full charge from 5% to 100% in 8 hours and this sounds more than strange, but yet understandable.
i will try timings with the stock cable without extension and i'll come back...

1.8 amp car charger

Reading from the AC adapter, this thing can charge at 1.8 amps. I'm doing some research on car chargers that can output 2 amps to the phone via a USB cable, but the trick is getting the phone to pull more than .5 amps from a car accessory outlet. So far I haven't had much luck. There seems to be a lot of info on ipad stuff, but not much in the way of high powered Android devices. So I thought I'd start a thread about compatible car chargers that will allow a full 1.8 amp pull from my car outlet, and see what you guys and gals think and have tried. I've attached a pic of my current setup. It's a Proclip holder on a 2012 Mustang. I've used this same setup for several previous phones (S2 Skyrocket and S3). The holder itself is adjustable to accommodate various phones with cases.
earlthepearl said:
Reading from the AC adapter, this thing can charge at 1.8 amps. I'm doing some research on car chargers that can output 2 amps to the phone via a USB cable, but the trick is getting the phone to pull more than .5 amps from a car accessory outlet. So far I haven't had much luck. There seems to be a lot of info on ipad stuff, but not much in the way of high powered Android devices. So I thought I'd start a thread about compatible car chargers that will allow a full 1.8 amp pull from my car outlet, and see what you guys and gals think and have tried. I've attached a pic of my current setup. It's a Proclip holder on a 2012 Mustang. I've used this same setup for several previous phones (S2 Skyrocket and S3). The holder itself is adjustable to accommodate various phones with cases.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Data pins need shorted together, either in the USB cig plug, or some micro USB cables are this way...
Additionally, the USB cable you use needs to have thick enough power wires to support 1.8A charge draw. Many USB cables use 28 AWG wire for the data conductors, and then you get varying degrees of wire gauge for the power conductors depending on manufacturer. Some people use 28 AWG for both, some use 26, and good cables are made with 24 AWG wire. The thicker wire gauge means less resistance so less power is lost and more can be put into the battery. To pull a proper 1.8A the phone probably should have 22AWG power wire in the USB cable really...
earlthepearl said:
Reading from the AC adapter, this thing can charge at 1.8 amps. I'm doing some research on car chargers that can output 2 amps to the phone via a USB cable, but the trick is getting the phone to pull more than .5 amps from a car accessory outlet. So far I haven't had much luck. There seems to be a lot of info on ipad stuff, but not much in the way of high powered Android devices. So I thought I'd start a thread about compatible car chargers that will allow a full 1.8 amp pull from my car outlet, and see what you guys and gals think and have tried. I've attached a pic of my current setup. It's a Proclip holder on a 2012 Mustang. I've used this same setup for several previous phones (S2 Skyrocket and S3). The holder itself is adjustable to accommodate various phones with cases.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi, not trying to hijack your thread, but can you tell me which case you are using? I like the fact that it has a large lip around the screen.
Thanks
What model pro clip holder is that? I need to replace the one from my nexus. May hold out for the G2 specific one with the cable built in (like the nexus one I have now), but no telling how long that will be.
mikea3000 said:
Hi, not trying to hijack your thread, but can you tell me which case you are using? I like the fact that it has a large lip around the screen.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's the Body Glove case from the AT&T store. It was the only one they had at the time, and I didn't feel like waiting to order one so I overpaid in exchange for some piece of mind.
stetsonaw said:
What model pro clip holder is that? I need to replace the one from my nexus. May hold out for the G2 specific one with the cable built in (like the nexus one I have now), but no telling how long that will be.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's the holder I ordered for my Skyrocket a few years ago. It's a generic adjustable one that fits a lot of different phones with cases. It has fit my SR, GS3, and now my G2, all with cases.
EniGmA1987 said:
Additionally, the USB cable you use needs to have thick enough power wires to support 1.8A charge draw.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have a custom 5 inch up angle micro USB cable I ordered from www.usbfirewire.com. It is a very thick wire, thicker than the charging cable the G2 came with. The one in my pic is probably not thick enough for a 2 amp charge.
Here is an interesting article I came across about car chargers:
The Best USB Car Charger
EniGmA1987 said:
Additionally, the USB cable you use needs to have thick enough power wires to support 1.8A charge draw. Many USB cables use 28 AWG wire for the data conductors, and then you get varying degrees of wire gauge for the power conductors depending on manufacturer. Some people use 28 AWG for both, some use 26, and good cables are made with 24 AWG wire. The thicker wire gauge means less resistance so less power is lost and more can be put into the battery. To pull a proper 1.8A the phone probably should have 22AWG power wire in the USB cable really...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Spot on. FWIW, the LG OEM cable is 20AWG on the power wires. This is the only viable explanation as I can't get the OEM wall charger to work with any cables I have sitting around (24AWG at best).
So would we be better off just using the factory charger with a power inverter or is there an actual car charger that will work?
Provided you short the data pins in whatever car charger you buy (if they arent already) and you get a cable with beefy power conductors then you should be able to draw 1.5-1.8A of power through a car charger. You have to make sure the car charger will do what you want though, many 2A chargers also have 2 ports to plug into. What they don't tell you is that each port is limited to 1A and both together will give 2A draw, but not to charge one device. The car itself also may limit power to the charger as well, I know my car specifically says 1.4A max through the cigarette plug. So it is possible to do, it is all just dependent on so many other things that you have to check off the list.
in_dmand said:
So would we be better off just using the factory charger with a power inverter or is there an actual car charger that will work?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's what I'm trying to figure out. I'm tempted to try that Scosche charger, with my thick USB cable. I installed Currentwidget, so I should be ale to see at what rate I'm charging at if I decide to order it.
in_dmand said:
So would we be better off just using the factory charger with a power inverter or is there an actual car charger that will work?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I like the Powergen dual 2.1A USB charger I got off of Amazon. Has served me well. But really, anything 1.8A+ that's quality will do. The trick is going to be the USB cable. Still trying to source one from a reputable site, but you want something with 20AWG for the power. If I find something, I'll post it. Thus far I found two sites, kinda obscure, but not thrilled that the shipping alone costs more than the cables which run $6.
---------- Post added at 08:41 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:39 PM ----------
EniGmA1987 said:
Provided you short the data pins in whatever car charger you buy (if they arent already) and you get a cable with beefy power conductors then you should be able to draw 1.5-1.8A of power through a car charger. You have to make sure the car charger will do what you want though, many 2A chargers also have 2 ports to plug into. What they don't tell you is that each port is limited to 1A and both together will give 2A draw, but not to charge one device. The car itself also may limit power to the charger as well, I know my car specifically says 1.4A max through the cigarette plug. So it is possible to do, it is all just dependent on so many other things that you have to check off the list.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I suspect the phone can detect the charger capacity because my OEM LG cable works on both the Apple and Non-Apple ports on the Powergen charger. Since that's the case, the phone doesn't seem to care if the data pins are shorted or not. And the Powergen is advertised as 4.2A total, so 2.1A per port.
kyler13 said:
I like the Powergen dual 2.1A USB charger I got off of Amazon. Has served me well. But really, anything 1.8A+ that's quality will do. The trick is going to be the USB cable. Still trying to source one from a reputable site, but you want something with 20AWG for the power. If I find something, I'll post it. Thus far I found two sites, kinda obscure, but not thrilled that the shipping alone costs more than the cables which run $6.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Something worth considering is looking at charging cables labeled for tablets. They usually charge in this amperage range. I plugged my g2 into my kindle fire HD charger (1.8A) and didn't get any slow charge warnings.
Geekybiker said:
Something worth considering is looking at charging cables labeled for tablets. They usually charge in this amperage range. I plugged my g2 into my kindle fire HD charger (1.8A) and didn't get any slow charge warnings.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Doesn't that come with the same Amazon branded usb cable you can get by itself? Take a look on the cable. A lot of times they label the wire gauge.
Sent from my VS980 4G using Tapatalk 4
my amazon branded micro usb cables are 28awg and they still allow quick charge with oem wall charger.
The charging issues associated with this phone has been a huge PITA. I've been carrying my stock cable around just so I can charge my phone!!! Subscribed so I can maybe help out with some info...
bova80 said:
my amazon branded micro usb cables are 28awg and they still allow quick charge with oem wall charger.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are you certain that's not just the data side that is 28awg? Very surprised you can pull 1.8A at 28awg.
Sent from my VS980 4G using Tapatalk 4
kyler13 said:
Doesn't that come with the same Amazon branded usb cable you can get by itself? Take a look on the cable. A lot of times they label the wire gauge.
Sent from my VS980 4G using Tapatalk 4
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They are unmarked.

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