Database Users

Finally upgraded from a G1! proprietary charger?

Finally upgraded from my G1 and i must say i love it so far.
stock froyo is soooo smooth compared to a rooted G1 even with my beloved cyanogen rom
one issue however
I really thought the N1 had the same Mini USB that many phones,generic MP3s and cameras have
Motorola & HTC, to name 2.
I know it shouldn't be a big deal but I hate having to buy new chargers every time I upgrade phones.
with the shorter battery life of smart phones I try to keep a car charger in each of my cars and my work truck just to be safe as well as an extra wall charger for traveling.
so is this port proprietary? or is the plug used on other phones and devices and called by a particular name?
Im sure some places will have generic chargers for sale that DONT list HTC and would be nice to know what else to look for if needed.
also a few times today even with just default Apps I had a problem with the screen not waking up, which after searching seems to be a problem. was there any real fix? hopefully its a software thing that wont happen once rooted
and finally does anyone know where to find the car dock other than Ebay for $150? I mean i know they discontinued the phone but since when did discontinued phones and accessories appreciate in value? lol .
I want it mostly for quick charging via the dock pins as i have a cheap generic holder, to bad there is no audio out
is the car dock even that much better than a generic dock?
Thanks for any help!

The Nexus One uses a Micro USB; this is becoming the new standard charger for cellular phones and other small devices. It is a tad smaller than Mini USB, which is what it sounds like your old phones use.
Again, in terms of size:
USB > Mini USB > Micro USB

Yea I guess I didnt notice it was a micro. the only device i have that uses a micro is my newest digi cam.
at least knowing micro is becoming the new standard i can feel better about buying a handful of new car and wall chargers lol

All you have to do buy Micro USB to Mini USB adapters. They are about $1 on ebay. Get one for all your cables snd you are set.

The problem with charging via USB is the phone only pulls half the power as it would if you used a wall charger or car charger (the car dock is pretty worth it).
Sent from my Nexus One using Tapatalk

soloxp said:
All you have to do buy Micro USB to Mini USB adapters. They are about $1 on ebay. Get one for all your cables snd you are set.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Full stop. I would not use those things except perhaps converting on a desk where the phone is sitting still and not being used. They're quite long, >1", and would very easily provide a lot of strain on the port if there was lateral movement.
Certainly would not use one charging in the car etc..
pwig said:
The problem with charging via USB is the phone only pulls half the power as it would if you used a wall charger or car charger (the car dock is pretty worth it).
Sent from my Nexus One using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, charging via USB has always been a slower charge, as USB2 provides only 500mAh of current. Some phones ignore this and will draw as much power as the charging system requires, feel free to google for people who've had devices blow their USB ports because of this.
For AC chargers, I already had 3 AC-to-USB port chargers, and all three of them charge fast, ie: data pins shorted, 1A chargers. So if you have any of these laying around they'll likely work, just look at their specs.
For the car I now I have two Motorola P513 car chargers, one for myself, one for the wife, and they work great. Only complaint I have is the plug portion is rather long. They're $10ish shipped from Amazon.

Yes I saw the adapters last night on ebay they are 99 cents with free shipping and don't have data pins so will fast charge. They are short wire adapters so they wouldn't be any more strain than a normal cord. As far as charging via actual USB I never do that unless I have to. An Xbox,ps3 or cable box is even better than a PC with a data cable.
I can't wait to root and get cyanogen on here. I Loved it on my g1
Sent from my Nexus One using XDA App

khaytsus said:
Full stop. I would not use those things except perhaps converting on a desk where the phone is sitting still and not being used. They're quite long, >1", and would very easily provide a lot of strain on the port if there was lateral movement.
Certainly would not use one charging in the car etc..
Yes, charging via USB has always been a slower charge, as USB2 provides only 500mAh of current. Some phones ignore this and will draw as much power as the charging system requires, feel free to google for people who've had devices blow their USB ports because of this.
For AC chargers, I already had 3 AC-to-USB port chargers, and all three of them charge fast, ie: data pins shorted, 1A chargers. So if you have any of these laying around they'll likely work, just look at their specs.
For the car I now I have two Motorola P513 car chargers, one for myself, one for the wife, and they work great. Only complaint I have is the plug portion is rather long. They're $10ish shipped from Amazon.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ah, shorting the data pins is what tells the Nexus to draw the full current? I have 2 car power plug to USB port adapters rated at 1000mA just like the AC adapter the N1 came with. Both of them appear as USB instead of AC on the Nexus One and it will still lose battery charge while plugged in and navigating, although much more slowly.
If I were to splice into one of my USB cables and short the data pins (and disconnect them from the PC end so that the cable may not be inadvertently used) would the Nexus One read this as an AC plug and draw the full current?

Yeah I got a nasty surprise too since I have three mini USB adapters lying around the house from various HTC phones over the eyars.
I found this to be the cheapest solution:
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.41527
If you want USB chraging, get a gigabyte board
http://www.gigabyte.com/MicroSite/185/on-off-charge.htm

kk.. You all go with the $.99 chargers, have fun.

khaytsus said:
kk.. You all go with the $.99 chargers, have fun.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I will go with it. Never had a problem with it. I have a carpc in my car and I use the USB to my car dock and my phone is a lot cooler when using GPS then using the car charger.
Had my G1 for almost 2yrs and it never seen a house or car charger.

khaytsus said:
kk.. You all go with the $.99 chargers, have fun.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
as helpful and informative as that post was keep in mind no one is talking about 99 cent chargers
Its simply a cable adapter from Mini USB to Micro USB with no data pins. it is an official Motorola charging cable.
and its also only 99 cents with free shipping if you chose the literal slow boat from china shipping option. i checked a few auctions and the standard shipping is $15
I decided to go with a seller in NY that has them for $3.44 each with free standard shipping.
these are also Motorola.
so $10.32 shipped from the US for 3 Motorola charging adapter cables isn't bad IMO. it also keeps my junk drawer of mini usb chargers in use lol
also the fact they are cables and not hard plastic adapters should keep the strain off the port, this should be no different than any charging cable
{
"lightbox_close": "Close",
"lightbox_next": "Next",
"lightbox_previous": "Previous",
"lightbox_error": "The requested content cannot be loaded. Please try again later.",
"lightbox_start_slideshow": "Start slideshow",
"lightbox_stop_slideshow": "Stop slideshow",
"lightbox_full_screen": "Full screen",
"lightbox_thumbnails": "Thumbnails",
"lightbox_download": "Download",
"lightbox_share": "Share",
"lightbox_zoom": "Zoom",
"lightbox_new_window": "New window",
"lightbox_toggle_sidebar": "Toggle sidebar"
}

That's the same ones I have.

Those motorola adapters can also be bought at fry's electronics for 4.99, I just bought 2 since I didn't feel like buying new car chargers.

Spoo76 said:
as helpful and informative as that post was keep in mind no one is talking about 99 cent chargers
Its simply a cable adapter from Mini USB to Micro USB with no data pins. it is an official Motorola charging cable.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
meoshe said:
Those motorola adapters can also be bought at fry's electronics for 4.99, I just bought 2 since I didn't feel like buying new car chargers.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Cool, good information then. I've mainly seen the one-piece longish adaptors. I'm sorted on chargers now, instead of converting the cable I just bought 3 MicroUSB's off NewEgg for $3/pc or so to go with my AC->USB chargers.. One at work, one in my computer room, stock charger in the bedroom (overnight charge).. Have a few extra cables now that I also retired my old car USB output charger for the Motorola charger.

Power adaptors

Anyone seen where to buy extra power adapters? Be nice to have one with a longer cable. Stock one is very short.
Wish it was USB charged....
Sent from my Nexus One using XDA Premium App

http://www.androidtablets.net/forum/acer-iconia-tab-a500-forum/13840-chargers.html
Found another forum discussing the lame power cable.
Sent from my Nexus One using XDA Premium App

I couldn't stand it anymore so I snipped my wire and added another 4 ft.

I have been trying to get an additional PSU and car charger for my Acer. Went to Frys, tried almost EVERYTHING they have on those Universal PSU and NONE of them work in the pin connector for the Acer. What gives!
Try to get a free tip for my Energizer Xpal and also result in zero search. Any fellows have a pointer to where in getting the right tip? Thx

So far the ONLY one that I have found that works is the Enercell 12 / 1.5 with the 'G' tip, but it's like $30 at RadioShack. The tip itself is a little long and if it wiggles it will stop/start charging off and on.
I'm working with a few people to find some at decent price for us.

anyone measured the dimensions of the charging tip at all? If worse comes to worse we could always buy a generic 12v 1.5a AC adapter from ebay and buy the tip separately to solder on.
The USB port wont be able to charge the tablet fast enough and the battery will still drain. I've found that this happens on my Xperia X10 mobile phone. I have to disable 3G data in order get it to start charging.

julz said:
anyone measured the dimensions of the charging tip at all? If worse comes to worse we could always buy a generic 12v 1.5a AC adapter from ebay and buy the tip separately to solder on.
The USB port wont be able to charge the tablet fast enough and the battery will still drain. I've found that this happens on my Xperia X10 mobile phone. I have to disable 3G data in order get it to start charging.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The 'g' tip for the Encercell is 1.1mm x 3.0mm
Hope that helps

thanks for hte dimensions... unfortunately they don't sell that brand over here in Australia. I'm also reluctant to pay ~$30 for a charger.
I wonder if one of the round tips on this USB charger would fit:
http://www.dealextreme.com/p/10-in-1-usb-powered-charging-cable-for-ipod-psp-cell-phones-34674
It may still charge if the device is switched off completely.

atomicwedgie said:
I couldn't stand it anymore so I snipped my wire and added another 4 ft.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah nice one, I was thinking of doing the very same thing as it should not cause any problems.
So did it go ok, what did you use for the extra wire?
________________________________________________________________________
ZTE Blade - Rooted OC 729mh - CM7 RC2 V/nice
Advent Vega - Rooted OC 1.4gh - Corvous5 rom gorgeous smooth and qqqick
Iconia A500 - Rooted - HComb Sweet

I can confirm the Radio Shack Enercell (12vdc, 1.5a) with the 'G' tip works. Picked one up today for $29 (get the tip for free) and its currently charging the Acer as I type this.
Tip: http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3807935
Plug: http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3807944&numProdsPerPage=60

MJ-12 said:
Yeah nice one, I was thinking of doing the very same thing as it should not cause any problems.
So did it go ok, what did you use for the extra wire?
)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No charging difference at all except I don't have to have my face mashed up against the wall while it charges.
I used a piece of wire from an old 1amp charger I had. The extra piece doesn't even get slighty warm. 1.5 amps isn't all that much juice. I did solder the connetions too.

huh and it is only $10 for a new one.
http://us-store.acer.com/product.aspx?pn=LC.ADT0A.024

atomicwedgie said:
huh and it is only $10 for a new one.
http://us-store.acer.com/product.aspx?pn=LC.ADT0A.024
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Even at $10 it is grossly overpriced
Acer needs to offer a PS with a six foot cable that is not crazy thin like the stock PS.

rushless said:
Even at $10 it is grossly overpriced
Acer needs to offer a PS with a six foot cable that is not crazy thin like the stock PS.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
True story

Did a quick google on my powersupply PSA18R-120P.
Came up with http://pdf1.alldatasheet.com/datasheet-pdf/view/284284/PHIHONG/PSA18R-120P.html
or
http://www.phihongusa.com/html/pr_psa18r-120p.html
"The PSA18R-120P is priced at $10.23 per unit at OEM quantities"
Assuming they bought off the shelf:
DC Output Connector
2.1x5.5mm Center Positive Standard
For us australians: Going to see if I can visit Jaycar and will report back in with what I find.

Wal-Mart Car Charger
The Wal-Mart Car charger for portable DVD players works perfect.
a quick look at the wall power supply says that it it needs 12V at 1.5 amps with center of tip positive.
The Wal-Mart car charger puts out 2000ma (2amps), and has a tip that works.. It works PERFECT and it only costs 15 bux.
usb charging is out.. usb is only 5V at 500 ma (.5 amp).. not sure why everybody complains about wanting USB to charge their tablet. Even if they did add it, it would take so terribly long to charge it, you would get mad. With the proper charger and voltage, it only takes about 2-3 hours to fully charge the thing...
Good luck!

mikldom said:
The Wal-Mart Car charger for portable DVD players works perfect.
a quick look at the wall power supply says that it it needs 12V at 1.5 amps with center of tip positive.
The Wal-Mart car charger puts out 2000ma (2amps), and has a tip that works.. It works PERFECT and it only costs 15 bux.
usb charging is out.. usb is only 5V at 500 ma (.5 amp).. not sure why everybody complains about wanting USB to charge their tablet. Even if they did add it, it would take so terribly long to charge it, you would get mad. With the proper charger and voltage, it only takes about 2-3 hours to fully charge the thing...
Good luck!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This has been a topic of discussions for a LONG time hopefully you'll know.... Couldn't there be a potential issue with charging at 2 amps when it calls for 1.5?? I was told you could use less but not ore without causing damage to the battery?
I have a 'demo' on the way from overseas to try that I should get Wednesday. I will let you know ASAP.
This is a big issue with me as I prefer a charger at home and the office and I'd like something that I can charge on my desk 'without my face mashed up against the wall' (as atomicwedgie so perfectly put it)

it2steve said:
This has been a topic of discussions for a LONG time hopefully you'll know.... Couldn't there be a potential issue with charging at 2 amps when it calls for 1.5?? I was told you could use less but not ore without causing damage to the battery?
I have a 'demo' on the way from overseas to try that I should get Wednesday. I will let you know ASAP.
This is a big issue with me as I prefer a charger at home and the office and I'd like something that I can charge on my desk 'without my face mashed up against the wall' (as atomicwedgie so perfectly put it)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The Amp rating on wall chargers is what the charger is CAPABLE of outputting, not what it is always outputting. As long as there is current limiting built into the charging circuit (which is a must), then the charging circuit in the A500 won't pull any more amperage than it needs to charge. Don't worry about buying a higher amperage charger than is needed, but do worry about buying one that is lower as it can overload the charger.

silic0re said:
The Amp rating on wall chargers is what the charger is CAPABLE of outputting, not what it is always outputting. As long as there is current limiting built into the charging circuit (which is a must), then the charging circuit in the A500 won't pull any more amperage than it needs to charge. Don't worry about buying a higher amperage charger than is needed, but do worry about buying one that is lower as it can overload the charger.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Absolutely correct.

silic0re said:
The Amp rating on wall chargers is what the charger is CAPABLE of outputting, not what it is always outputting. As long as there is current limiting built into the charging circuit (which is a must), then the charging circuit in the A500 won't pull any more amperage than it needs to charge. Don't worry about buying a higher amperage charger than is needed, but do worry about buying one that is lower as it can overload the charger.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes... pulling too much amperage is a very bad thing.

[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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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!

Evo 4g Touchstone wireless induction charging mod.

I recently got a HP Touchpad bundle and while the Touchpad is pretty darned decent and definitely worth a hundred bucks, what really impressed me was the touchstone charging dock. Its brilliant.
I looked into it and found the the palm pre also had this and some chap on the net had figured out how to shoehorn the unit into an evo.
I did the mod to mine and its amazing. No more charging cables. Yay!
This is my take on it - tutorial with pictures: http://asmd.wordpress.com/2011/09/26/evo-4g-wireless-induction-charging-modification/
This should come standard in all wireless devices!

Nice mod! Looks better and I'm sure doesn't fail as bad as the powermat charger.
Sent from my Gruesomes Rom using Tapatalk

Nice mod. Thanks for sharing.
via EVO.

Hi, this is a great mod!
Noob question: I noticed the charging light but the charging icon does not change on your screen. Just curious if once that the battery is completely charged, the icon will turn green. If so I wonder if the charging unit from the Pixi will stop charging the battery once it's full.
Also, compared to charging it directly from the AC Adapter, how long does it take to get a full charge? Is it the same aprox?
I'm planning on taking a look at my Inspire and see if the back cover allows me to put the charging unit there.
Thanks in advance

I did this about a week after launch. Very cool...but over time the novelty wore off.
I got sick of the bulge and ripped it out.

Nice! I wonder if I do the same with the Powermat case...
I have the Powermat, but the only caveat is that it requires a bridge connector between the case and micro-usb port.

haroldgv said:
Hi, this is a great mod!
Noob question: I noticed the charging light but the charging icon does not change on your screen. Just curious if once that the battery is completely charged, the icon will turn green. If so I wonder if the charging unit from the Pixi will stop charging the battery once it's full.
Also, compared to charging it directly from the AC Adapter, how long does it take to get a full charge? Is it the same aprox?
I'm planning on taking a look at my Inspire and see if the back cover allows me to put the charging unit there.
Thanks in advance
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Im running MikG v2.5 Rom and the charging icon flashes between the lighting bolt charging icon and % so you can see at what % the battery is at while charging. When i took the picture, it was showing %, but rest assured it flashes between the two just as if it was plugged in the usb cable.
The Induction charging puck is dumb, it only supplies power much like a usb cable. The charging circuit in the Evo decides when the battery is fully charged and stops charging. The Evo for all intensive purposes acts and behaves exactly as if the usb cable was plugged in. It cant tell if power is coming from the puck or the usb cable. I wouldnt plug in the cable while its on the puck though. Although the voltage will remain the same, about 5 volts, the amperage will increase, a doubling in amperage shouldnt break anything but i havent found out the hard way.
The puck takes the same amount of time to charge as the usb cable. I havent seen any significant difference between the two.
There really isnt much of a bulge of the back case with using 30 awg wire. Just seat it flat and make sure nothing from the cover crimps on it, and its pretty much neat and tidy.
Ive seen this mod done with flat ribbon cable which would work just as well, although in not sure how it was routed through the phone.
regards,
asmd.

uniquenameevo said:
I did this about a week after launch. Very cool...but over time the novelty wore off.
I got sick of the bulge and ripped it out.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
30 awg wire or flat ribbon cable solves the bulge problem. Ive got pucks everywhere, several at home, several at work... and its great not to have to plug it in.
It serves as my phone holder and charging unit. i've set the phone screen not to go to sleep while charging, so it makes for a nice display as well. With the screen left on, it does take longer to charge though.
regards,
asmd.

Yeah,
I did this a Loooooong Time ago using the Palm Pixi touchstone cover.
http://doesitpew.blogspot.com/2011/03/htc-evo-4g-mods-beyond-stock-and-one-of.html
Here is what it looks like with a custom clear back cover.
{
"lightbox_close": "Close",
"lightbox_next": "Next",
"lightbox_previous": "Previous",
"lightbox_error": "The requested content cannot be loaded. Please try again later.",
"lightbox_start_slideshow": "Start slideshow",
"lightbox_stop_slideshow": "Stop slideshow",
"lightbox_full_screen": "Full screen",
"lightbox_thumbnails": "Thumbnails",
"lightbox_download": "Download",
"lightbox_share": "Share",
"lightbox_zoom": "Zoom",
"lightbox_new_window": "New window",
"lightbox_toggle_sidebar": "Toggle sidebar"
}
The Pixi cover is substantially thinner than the Pre cover and can be fit easily without bulge.
It actually held my phone up hovering in the car while driving.

jdgiotta said:
Nice! I wonder if I do the same with the Powermat case...
I have the Powermat, but the only caveat is that it requires a bridge connector between the case and micro-usb port.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Its been done. Apparently its quite easy to replace the powermat induction unit with the pixi unit. and the cover fits perfectly.
I opted not to get the powermat case as i wasnt keen on the bridge with the usb dongle sticking out the bottom.
Ive havent heard many good things about it, pretty much nothing but complaints about the powermat induction charging unit which is why i decided on this mod and i can tell you it works, it simply works, perfectly every time.
[/URL]
Uploaded with ImageShack.us[/IMG]
regards,
asmd.

What about adding a diode to prevent damage from accidentally plugging in USB while charging on the puck? I really like this mod great stuff...

Childofthehorn said:
Yeah,
I did this a Loooooong Time ago using the Palm Pixi touchstone cover.
http://doesitpew.blogspot.com/2011/03/htc-evo-4g-mods-beyond-stock-and-one-of.html
Here is what it looks like with a custom clear back cover.
The Pixi cover is substantially thinner than the Pre cover and can be fit easily without bulge.
It actually held my phone up hovering in the car while driving.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nice work!!
I would love to know hwere you wired the pixi induction charger to?
Im really curious about what you said "Inductive charging back was wired into the test points for the USB power as opposed to attaching directly to the resistors as it is safer and easier to remove if there is an issue with the phone otherwise and needs servicing."

Well, this post finally got me moving on modding my Nexus S to charge via induction. I just got my HP Touchpad with the touchstone charging dock and it is very very cool. Can't wait to get my Nexus S that way too. And the Palm Pre/Pixi covers are pretty cheap. The Touchstone dock is only $8 too. I can have multiple units for work, home, relatives and will probably mod it to be in my Car phone holder. The possibilities are endless. Wish me luck.

Ok this power thingy(name doesnt come to mind) uses a cord to power it right so doesnt it defeat the purpose of being wirless if you know were im coming from. But hey I maybe wrong its probably battery powered? So dont sun me.

Awesome mod and comes in handy for me since my USB chord is lost most of the time lol

I have mine fitted with this case. It's a TPU plus hard plastic back. I have great phone protection and touchstone charging.... It's no more bulkier than any case out there.

asmd6230 said:
Nice work!!
I would love to know hwere you wired the pixi induction charger to?
Im really curious about what you said "Inductive charging back was wired into the test points for the USB power as opposed to attaching directly to the resistors as it is safer and easier to remove if there is an issue with the phone otherwise and needs servicing."
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually...
This is easy to do since the screw hole surrounding areas are grounded = ground since its pretty universal in this phone, like most mobile devices.
There are a few test points next to the Micro USB port that you can directly test by simply plugging in a USB cable and "buzzing" for the connection of the 5v line.
I get your concern, but there really need not be one and these are the best spots to attach because they are the easiest and safest to remove later. Also, there is a regulator onboard with a shutoff/on ciruit within the inductive charging circuit. It will not turn on or allow voltage to pass under 4.5V (shuts off) from the outputs. Connecting the inductive charger to the 5V input line of the USB directly means that it treats it like USB charging. The onboard current and voltage regulators and charging circuitry of the Evo make it pretty darn hard to ruin it. At any rate, the inductive charger won't ever get up to 1Amp anyway because of power loss due to physics. It is pretty much 500ma in most circumstances from the Pixi receiving end.
The test points are far enough for skilled hands to hit with s solder braid or suck up after a rework airing anyway.
For those who skipped the technical mumbo jumbo, they basically made it impossible for you to screw up (unless you decided to connect your inductive charger at 5V to your Li-Ion battery at 3.7V - DO NO DO THAT!). The picture shows the wire going at the edges of the battery because that is the best place with room, they both route to the same hole at the back of the battery. Use 28AWG or 30AWG teflon-coated stranded wire for slimmest results. Great quality wire will mean that you don't have power loss (the traces are thinner than the wire is anyway so its not an issue).
If you have some detailed questions, post them up or send me a message. I will try to be prompt!

I remember last year when this mod first showed up, the addition of the Palm induction coil screwed up the evo's internal compass which then caused problems with navigation. Is this still an issue?

DroidFreek said:
Ok this power thingy(name doesnt come to mind) uses a cord to power it right so doesnt it defeat the purpose of being wirless if you know were im coming from. But hey I maybe wrong its probably battery powered? So dont sun me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ha. You are totally right, simply switching one wire for another. Then, if you need to usb mount or sync or whatever, you still need a regular micro usb cable to do so...
1 cable for plug/charge/sync
or
1 Charging stone for power
1 Regular cable for das syncing/usb mount/charge.
Hmmmm

jjvw said:
I remember last year when this mod first showed up, the addition of the Palm induction coil screwed up the evo's internal compass which then caused problems with navigation. Is this still an issue?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
the induction coil and the metal discs in the phone are not magnetic. When off the charging puck, everything works like it should. Truth be said ive never used the compass app. (im not sure if i even have one), i exclusively use gps which works just fine.

Special MicroUSB cable(custom made) - specifically for charging(ONLY)

Hi there guys,
Although active in the rom part of the 1+1 forum, I rarely spend any time in the general section and I thought why not post something? so a little backstory on the cable.
I want the fastest way to charge my phone and what can I do to improve that?
- Get a better charger
- Get a better MicroUSB cable
Our stock charger is capable of 5v 2.1A well the actual amperage it can give is less than 2A, I can't draw more than 1.8-1.9A on my phone even with my custom cable
So I got a quickcharge 2.0 charger just to try it and have a spare one, finally it became my main charger as it's rated at 5v 2A but actually can output 2.1A!!! phone is drawing that much, ranging from 2 to 2.1A - with stock cable it's a bit less than 2A but pretty close(around 1.97A to be precise)
So how's this custom cable I've build? it's like this:
{
"lightbox_close": "Close",
"lightbox_next": "Next",
"lightbox_previous": "Previous",
"lightbox_error": "The requested content cannot be loaded. Please try again later.",
"lightbox_start_slideshow": "Start slideshow",
"lightbox_stop_slideshow": "Stop slideshow",
"lightbox_full_screen": "Full screen",
"lightbox_thumbnails": "Thumbnails",
"lightbox_download": "Download",
"lightbox_share": "Share",
"lightbox_zoom": "Zoom",
"lightbox_new_window": "New window",
"lightbox_toggle_sidebar": "Toggle sidebar"
}
So it's a 18AWG and it's rated for "Maximum amps for chassis wiring: 16A" and "Maximum amps for power transmission: 2.3A" ..so it's capable of sustaining 2.3A without any problem(heat or power loss), if you use a very cheap microusb cable it can take up to 6 hours to charge your phone(as you can imagine the cable can play significant part) - Cable wire is of course copper so you know

Nice work, I've also noticed I get 1.6 to 1.8 amps on stock cable and charget

evronetwork said:
So it's a 18AWG and it's rated for "Maximum amps for chassis wiring: 16A" and "Maximum amps for power transmission: 2.3A" ..so it's capable of sustaining 2.3A without any problem
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Very nice. Maybe a photo tutorial or youtube vid on construction?

naeem76 said:
Nice work, I've also noticed I get 1.6 to 1.8 amps on stock cable and charget
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm close on stock(cable+charger)
pbergonzi said:
Very nice. Maybe a photo tutorial or youtube vid on construction?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm too lazy to do that hhahaa(as a computer tech guy I do many stuff and I have record many of my actions but I'm too lazy to edit my videos and post them online), but honestly trying to fit an 18AWG cable in a usb and microusb jack is pain in the a** because the wire is quite thick but it's an one time hassle, I permanently fix the wire(can't be removed even if I wanted to, the only way to fit new microusb and usb jacks is to cut the wire) - Trimming plastic inside the jacks without doing any damage just to fit the cable can be time consuming :crying:
Something that I didn't mention is the size of the cable, its the same size as stock
P.S. At best you'll find 20AWG cables in the market and some cost quite much

evronetwork said:
I'm close on stock(cable+charger)
I'm too lazy to do that hhahaa
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks. Really I was simply wondering to which contacts the wires went, but I'm sure the layout is on the web, and I'm probably not gonna do it anyway.

pbergonzi said:
Thanks. Really I was simply wondering to which contacts the wires went, but I'm sure the layout is on the web, and I'm probably not gonna do it anyway.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you were close to me(same town or next one) I could do it for you for a small fee but don't do it if you're not very capable with ur hands and soldering iron
P.S. soldering them wrong can actually damage the phone permanently or even make the batter explode and/or charger(it's basically a short circuit) - you've been warned
My jacks are filled so after I solder the connections they can't be removed ..there are airtight also this cable is suitable if you use public chargers as no data would be "stolen" if one of the public chargers is modified - this uses only two wires and it's for charging

evronetwork said:
If you were close to me(same town or next one) I could do it for you for a small fee but don't do it if you're not very capable with ur hands and soldering iron
P.S. soldering them wrong can actually damage the phone permanently or even make the batter explode and/or charger(it's basically a short circuit) - you've been warned
My jacks are filled so after I solder the connections they can't be removed ..there are airtight also this cable is suitable if you use public chargers as no data would be "stolen" if one of the public chargers is modified - this uses only two wires and it's for charging
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nice work. Thank you. The data security is a nice feature.

pbergonzi said:
Nice work. Thank you. The data security is a nice feature.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
On the bad side, if you need to transfer data you can't with this cable ..but I rarely use cable for data(I mostly use wifi connections to transfer data, or bluetooth) - Why? unessesary small-chargings will harm your battery, so if you connect the phone to your computer to transfer data better let it charge up rather than do your job and remove it, less than 1% charge frequent uses it will shorten ur battery life significantly
Even if I wanted to make it a full fledge cable with 18 AWG wire this is impossible, also it will become heavy for a usb cable. I barely fit 18 AWG cable(but it's capable of up to 2.3A(constant use)!! our phones can't draw 2.3A(no phone can ..at least not one I know) so it's great)
I wanted a wire with 2.1A constant use so it would have nearly no power loss(or voltage drop), putting a thicker wire won't make any different but 18AWG compared to stock, there's different. Especially if you compare a cheap 1 euro Chinese microusb cable with this one
--------
Although I'm really happy with my cable and it's my first pick when in hurry and need the faster charge available, two days ago the Chinese were celebrating something so I've bought cheaply(compared to original price) a Wsken magnetic micro usb cable(original), if you don't know whats that it's a microusb cable with magnetic tip. How does it work? check the picture:
I'll measure charging rates when received but I don't expect to be as good as my cable ..but in the night when in the dark a magnetic connection seems wonderful(also great if someones trip in the cable ..it won't make ur phone fall, it will be disconnected). If you put it backwards, it still works(but only for charging) so you can safely use it on public, just connect the cable in reverse. What's bad about this? well this comes with 2 microusb adaptors and one cable, you need that specific cable so if you have lots of devices you need to carry a cable with you(and it's not cheap) - Hope it has similar thickness as our stock cable so charging won't take long, can't wait 5 hours charging(as with some very cheap microusb Chinese cables)

Very good, thank you.

pbergonzi said:
Very good, thank you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No need, we're a community and we help each other, in the future I may need ur help and/or knowledge

I'm a big numb-nut in terms of electrics, but when you're pushing the capabilities for charging, is there also an increased risk of damage?

experience?
evronetwork said:
On the bad side, if you need to transfer data you can't with this cable ..but I rarely use cable for data(I mostly use wifi connections to transfer data, or bluetooth) - Why? unessesary small-chargings will harm your battery, so if you connect the phone to your computer to transfer data better let it charge up rather than do your job and remove it, less than 1% charge frequent uses it will shorten ur battery life significantly
Even if I wanted to make it a full fledge cable with 18 AWG wire this is impossible, also it will become heavy for a usb cable. I barely fit 18 AWG cable(but it's capable of up to 2.3A(constant use)!! our phones can't draw 2.3A(no phone can ..at least not one I know) so it's great)
I wanted a wire with 2.1A constant use so it would have nearly no power loss(or voltage drop), putting a thicker wire won't make any different but 18AWG compared to stock, there's different. Especially if you compare a cheap 1 euro Chinese microusb cable with this one
--------
Although I'm really happy with my cable and it's my first pick when in hurry and need the faster charge available, two days ago the Chinese were celebrating something so I've bought cheaply(compared to original price) a Wsken magnetic micro usb cable(original), if you don't know whats that it's a microusb cable with magnetic tip. How does it work? check the picture:
I'll measure charging rates when received but I don't expect to be as good as my cable ..but in the night when in the dark a magnetic connection seems wonderful(also great if someones trip in the cable ..it won't make ur phone fall, it will be disconnected). If you put it backwards, it still works(but only for charging) so you can safely use it on public, just connect the cable in reverse. What's bad about this? well this comes with 2 microusb adaptors and one cable, you need that specific cable so if you have lots of devices you need to carry a cable with you(and it's not cheap) - Hope it has similar thickness as our stock cable so charging won't take long, can't wait 5 hours charging(as with some very cheap microusb Chinese cables)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you recieve this cable? I'd like to know your experiences. I know for a fact that the Znap cables are experiencing a lot of delay but there are a lot of Ebay clones on the market now.
Was going to buy this one but I have no clue if it works though.........

How do you measure the current drawn by the phone while charging?

BarnOwl said:
Did you recieve this cable? I'd like to know your experiences. I know for a fact that the Znap cables are experiencing a lot of delay but there are a lot of Ebay clones on the market now.
Was going to buy this one but I have no clue if it works though.........
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes I receive the cable(if ur talking about the magnetic one) and charges up to 2.1A ..max amps for our phone
gyanbhartip said:
How do you measure the current drawn by the phone while charging?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Too many apps in the internet but I prefer the "Charger Timer", measures from 20% until 80% ..where the phone gets the "fastest" charging because when battery is low or way to high it draws less power(so battery will last longer)

gyanbhartip said:
How do you measure the current drawn by the phone while charging?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you. I will give it a try for sure.
Sent from my A0001 using xda premium

gyanbhartip said:
How do you measure the current drawn by the phone while charging?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've been using Amphere for a while. It works quite well.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.gombosdev.ampere&hl=en

evronetwork said:
Yes I receive the cable(if ur talking about the magnetic one) and charges up to 2.1A ..max amps for our phone
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, that's what I wanted to know.....ordering one now.

Is this the magnetic one:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B00VVJE6QS/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1453820974&sr=8-1&pi=SY200_QL40&keywords=Wsken&dpPl=1&dpID=31gh8cR4W7L&ref=plSrch
I've been after a new charger since my original one plus charger broke, been using a nexus 5 one instead.

Been using it for a while now, I got this one
I like it a lot! It even transfers data from and to my PC! I just have to make sure the led faces the bottom to transfer.
I do not know if it works on ALL oneplus ones as there seems to be a lot of difference in these devices, so don't take my word on it!
It also charges fast, just as fast as the original cable. I just ordered another one to use in my car.