Database Users

Some chargers slower than others

Unfortunately I left my Nexus 7 charger in a hotel room a month ago and it has not yet been handed in. Consequently I have had to buy an off the shelf charger. One I tried stated that it was rated at 2 AMPS, and it does work, but at about 1.5-2x the charging time as the stock charger. I also noted that when using that charger the Nexus system did not say it was charging, although it obviously was.
I just obtained another charger rated at 2.5 AMPS and it performs exactly as the stock charger. Has anyone else noted this - that if the charger outputs less than 2 AMPS the Nexus 7 does not notify the use that it is charging and does so at a much slower rate?
Larry

My understanding - the charger has to let the device know it supports high current mode. Otherwise the Nexus limits it to 500 ma, which is correct for a cable plugged into a computer.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda app-developers app

rmm200 said:
My understanding - the charger has to let the device know it supports high current mode. Otherwise the Nexus limits it to 500 ma, which is correct for a cable plugged into a computer.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda app-developers app
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This is true; the same method applies to samsung chargers. There has to be 5v on one of the data lines as well to let the device now it should change to high-power mode.
Search for a tutorial on what to solder together inside of the charger or buy an official samsung charger of at least 1A (I believe Galaxy S2 chargers have that output).

Lost my charger. Which one to buy?

Self explanatory really. I realise any micro USB charger will fit, but I've read that of the voltage / amperage doesn't match, it can fry the phone. How true that is I don't know, but I don't want to risk it. I asked LG, and they directed me to their spares and accessories website. Initially it looked promising, but it turned out the website was terrible, was no info about anything.
I've had a look to find other 5V 1.2a (the specs of the charger that comes with the phone) micro USB chargers, but not had much luck. Any chance anyone could send me a link to a charger that matches the nexus charger? That would be very much appreciated.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda app-developers app

I read something that said if you use a charger with a higher amp, that won't cause any problems at all. Is that true? So I could use a 5V 2a charger with the nexus 4 (the original charger was 5v 1.2a)?
The reason I'm so concerned is that when I use my HTC Desire charger (5v 1a), the screen stops working properly. I used it all the time when I first got my phone and the battery in the phone died, and I had to get it replaced. I don't want that to happen again, so I don't want to use a charger with different amp output.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda app-developers app

phil35 said:
I read something that said if you use a charger with a higher amp, that won't cause any problems at all. Is that true? So I could use a 5V 2a charger with the nexus 4 (the original charger was 5v 1.2a)?
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Yes, that's true. The phone will only draw the current that it needs. A 2A charger won't "push" the whole 2A to the phone, the phone will just "pull" the 0.8A or so that it needs.
Sent from my Nexus 4

Order the Nexus 4 Wireless Charging Orb - Comes with Wall Charger & USB Cable (probably way Google doesn't just sell the Charger/Cable - to push the Orb)

steviewevie said:
Yes, that's true. The phone will only draw the current that it needs. A 2A charger won't "push" the whole 2A to the phone, the phone will just "pull" the 0.8A or so that it needs.
Sent from my Nexus 4
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Exactly. The amperage rating is what the charger can output based on demand of its load.
Sent from my Nexus 4

About AC adapter and its amperage

Hi all,
Ok, so I finally managed to order a 16Gb Nexus 4 and hopefully it will be with me in 1 week or so.
And I was wondering one thing regarding the AC adapter: I believe (pls correct me if I am wrong) that the original AC adapter’s output voltage is DC 5V, 1.2A.
I will need an extra AC adapter to keep it at work and I was planning to use one of those:
- The Sony Xperia P AC adapter will output 5V, 1,5A
- The Samsung Galaxy S AC adapter will output 5V, 0,7A
It is clear that neither of those 2 chargers will match exactly the specifications of the original Nexus charger (same voltage, but different amperage).
So, here goes the questions:
1) Is there any problem if I use a charger that will output the same voltage but with different amperage?... if not, which one would you use and why?.
2) how the amperage affect to the charging process?.
Thanks all in advance
PS: sorry for terrible English

You can use any charger up to 2 amps.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda app-developers app

Evergreen74 said:
Hi all,
Ok, so I finally managed to order a 16Gb Nexus 4 and hopefully it will be with me in 1 week or so.
And I was wondering one thing regarding the AC adapter: I believe (pls correct me if I am wrong) that the original AC adapter’s output voltage is DC 5V, 1.2A.
I will need an extra AC adapter to keep it at work and I was planning to use one of those:
- The Sony Xperia P AC adapter will output 5V, 1,5A
- The Samsung Galaxy S AC adapter will output 5V, 0,7A
It is clear that neither of those 2 chargers will match exactly the specifications of the original Nexus charger (same voltage, but different amperage).
So, here goes the questions:
1) Is there any problem if I use a charger that will output the same voltage but with different amperage?... if not, which one would you use and why?.
2) how the amperage affect to the charging process?.
Thanks all in advance
PS: sorry for terrible English
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You must use a 5V AC USB Adapter and better no LESS than 1A
for Fast Charge.
AC Adapter I Use:
iPad AC Adapter 5V 2.1A at Work
PlayBook AC Adapter 5V 1.8A at Home 1
Original Nexus 4 AC 5V 1.2A at Home 2.
Our Nexus 4 will Draw around 0.8A when Batt lever at 0% - 80%,
then around 0.5A at 80%-95%, Final State 95%-100% will draw 0.2A roughly.
When 100%, Nexus 4 will use the AC power & the Current "A" show on phone
will like 2mA (0.002A) when idling.
** 1A = 1000mA

As previous poster said, do not go under 1.2amp.
I run the OEM charger in my bed room, a USB charger to my computer, and a 2.1amp charger in the car.

Sfkn2 said:
As previous poster said, do not go under 1.2amp.
I run the OEM charger in my bed room, a USB charger to my computer, and a 2.1amp charger in the car.
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Click to collapse
Why do you say not to go under 1.2A? Charging from a laptop is at .5A. I've been using a 1A charger since day one. Haven't experienced any issues with it.
Charging at a lower amperage shouldn't hurt anything, just charge slower. All you have to do is make sure it's a 5V charger. Amperage shouldn't matter but a lower amp charger will charge slower. As for a higher amp charger, the phone will only draw the amount of power it needs to charge so using 2A charger won't hurt anything either.

Also 2mA is 0.002A not 0.02 A

wilsonlam97 said:
You can use any charger up to 2 amps.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda app-developers app
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Click to collapse
Since the charger doesn't actually regulate the charging itself (the phone does this) it doesn't matter how many amps it can supply, could be 100 amps, no worries. As long as it is 5V, the phone will draw as many amps as it needs.
Since the supplied charger is 1.2A rated, it's fair to assume that the phone will never actually try to draw any more than that, so there will be no benefit in going higher.
Going for a lower current charger will likely extend the charge time.

I use a 2.1 amp daily without any issues.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2

Wow guys!!... thanks all for your answers!!
So, if I understood correctly, the amperage will only affect to the charging time, meaning that by using the Xperia P AC adapter (1,5A) the battery will be charged faster that using the Galaxy S one (0,7A)... right?
Pls allow one last question: a few yeard ago, I think I read in some forums that a slower charging process could help to keep the batteries in the best conditions for a longer time... is this still true with modern batteries??
Again, THANKS all for your help!!

Evergreen74 said:
Wow guys!!... thanks all for your answers!!
So, if I understood correctly, the amperage will only affect to the charging time, meaning that by using the Xperia P AC adapter (1,5A) the battery will be charged faster that using the Galaxy S one (0,7A)... right?
Pls allow one last question: a few yeard ago, I think I read in some forums that a slower charging process could help to keep the batteries in the best conditions for a longer time... is this still true with modern batteries??
Again, THANKS all for your help!!
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Click to collapse
Yes, the .7A charger will take a little longer to charge you phone.
On the other answer, I think NO but I'm not as familiar with LiPo batteries. I would venture to say that .7A vs 1.2A (max the phone will draw but I think someone above mentioned it's even less than that when the battery is very low) is not going to make a bit of difference in your battery life.
One thing I do know about LiPo's is you do not trickle charge them. So while plugged in it will charge at the rates mentioned above until full and then it QUITS charging all together. Once the phone discharges the battery to a certain level, it will charge it back up again. Probably at 98-99%.

There may be one other thing to consider when selecting a third party charger. In the Nexus 7, the device looks for pins 2 & 3 (data) of the USB plug to be shorted in order for it to draw full current. If this pins are open (or have a load across them as is the case with iPhone/iPad chargers), the Nexus 7 will assume it is plugged into a computer and limit its draw to 500MA.
Not certain the Nexus 4 behaves the same way but would assume so.

setzer715 said:
Yes, the .7A charger will take a little longer to charge you phone.
On the other answer, I think NO but I'm not as familiar with LiPo batteries. I would venture to say that .7A vs 1.2A (max the phone will draw but I think someone above mentioned it's even less than that when the battery is very low) is not going to make a bit of difference in your battery life.
One thing I do know about LiPo's is you do not trickle charge them. So while plugged in it will charge at the rates mentioned above until full and then it QUITS charging all together. Once the phone discharges the battery to a certain level, it will charge it back up again. Probably at 98-99%.
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Click to collapse
setzer715, thanks for the answer... I think I will be using the Xperia P charger at work...
Thanks all for your help!!

I want to make this case clear. According to my Charging log,
Here is some key point.
Nexus 4 Max Draw Rate at Fast Charge Mode is around 800-900mA,
even you use a Charger that rated at 1A (iPhone Tofu), 1.2A (Original),
1.8A (Playbook), 2.1A (iPad).
Fast Charge Mode must be with Charging Cable with 2&3 pin Shorted,
or the charger itself have the 2&3 pin already shorted.
Therefore, 1A is a Sweet spot for getting Charger & Charging Time for
Li-Po/Li-Ion/Ni-MH Batt charging.
If you use under 1A Charger, eg 700mA or 500mA, it will take much longer
to charge the batt but no harm as well. Just too slow only.

The stock charger that came with my phone sucks, I use one from my epic 4g touch (gs2)and it charges much better
DEVICE: Nexus 4
KERNEL: Franco r95
ROM: PROJECT Extinct Life Event

jlear3 said:
The stock charger that came with my phone sucks,
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Why you say so...? What's wrong with it...?

Talon88 said:
Why you say so...? What's wrong with it...?
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Click to collapse
Left a phone on a charger all night with a long (10ft) cable and it couldn't even charge the phone over night. I know a 10ft cable will slow things down but my gs2 plug has no problem charging my phone. Search around and you'll find a few fail stories about the stock LG charger.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2

different charger amp levels

I recently bought the nexus 4 and have been having a blast with it. For a little while I lost the USB charger in my house, so I started using my iPad charger for it. Since the stock nexus 4 charger has an output of 1.2 amps 5v DC and the iPad charger has 2.0 amps 5v DC would prolonged use of the iPad charger possibly affect how long the battery last since it charges it faster then normal, or am I just being stupid and its fine to use the higher amperage charger?

There is a lot of threads explaining this but I'll explain the best I can higher amp equals quicker charge however gets the battery hotter so the battery life could be affected
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda premium

It is the phone that decides how much current to "pull", not the charger that "pushes" it.
So it's fine to use a higher-rated charger.
Sent from my Nexus 4

steviewevie said:
It is the phone that decides how much current to "pull", not the charger that "pushes" it.
So it's fine to use a higher-rated charger.
Sent from my Nexus 4
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Click to collapse
This info is correct. You have nothing to worry about.
Unless you go stupidly over. Like 13 amps will probably overload and Fry the charging circuit.
But at 2 amps you will be fine
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda app-developers app

Current is not pushed... it is drawn. You could have 20 Amps available (like a typical 120V outlet). Whatever current the device plugged into it needs it will draw... nothing more.
With that said, Apple chargers do not short pins 2 & 3 (data pins) of the USB connector. Instead, they put a resistive load across them to communicate the charger specs to the device. Nexus (and most OEM Android) chargers short these pins. Some android devices, Nexus 7 for example, sense the load on Apple chargers' data pins and assume it is a computer and drops the load to draw only 500 MA. I have not tested the Nexus 4, but would assume it behaves the same way as a Nexus 7.

Okay thanks guys. I did notice it was a little warmer, but i think that might have been from the emulator on that i was using. Just wanted to make sure i was killing the overall possible battery life.

S4 comes with 2A charger while S3 with 1A charger, can I interchange?

Hello,
Just noticed that S4 comes with 2A charger while S3 come with 1A charger. I have place where I charge a bunch of different devices in the house which has micro-USB port and all of them are using 1A. I'm wondering what repricussions I can have if I add 2A charger to the mix and will charge old devices with 2A charger and vice a versa charge S4 with 1A?

artisticcheese said:
Hello,
Just noticed that S4 comes with 2A charger while S3 come with 1A charger. I have place where I charge a bunch of different devices in the house which has micro-USB port and all of them are using 1A. I'm wondering what repricussions I can have if I add 2A charger to the mix and will charge old devices with 2A charger and vice a versa charge S4 with 1A?
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Click to collapse
It will be fine, I charge all my devices from my ipad 3 10W/2A @5V wall charger. Bringing one charger while travelling reduces the clutter I have to pack.
Basically if your devices are working properly, they will only pull the power they need to charge. The S4's 2A charger is capable of supplying up to 2A's but is fine supplying less if the device your charging uses less.
The actuall charging circuitry that controls the battery charging is in the phone or device, not the wall unit. The wall unit is simply the power supply.

As acruxksa mentioned, you'll be fine since the device is in control of how much power it pulls from the charger (as long as it is working properly, that is). The only thing that you may notice is when you are charging the Galaxy S4 with the older 1.0A charger it may charge slower.
Have a great day.

krsskenn said:
As acruxksa mentioned, you'll be fine since the device is in control of how much power it pulls from the charger (as long as it is working properly, that is). The only thing that you may notice is when you are charging the Galaxy S4 with the older 1.0A charger it may charge slower.
Have a great day.
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And if in doubt, look at it this way; the phones will charge off a USB port on a computer - this is 500ma (0.5A) - so as long as your device will charge off a usb port, it will charge off a wall charger that supplies at least that much amperage. New iPads will not charge off USB ports, but it doesn't hurt them to plug them in.

Charging time
artisticcheese said:
Hello,
Just noticed that S4 comes with 2A charger while S3 come with 1A charger. I have place where I charge a bunch of different devices in the house which has micro-USB port and all of them are using 1A. I'm wondering what repricussions I can have if I add 2A charger to the mix and will charge old devices with 2A charger and vice a versa charge S4 with 1A?
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Click to collapse
Yes it does but as the previous reply said it takes longer.
I used the old s3 cable at the office charging s4 but it takes long time to get the battery % up. It usually takes my s4 from 1% to 100% within an hour and half time but with the s3 cable it takes good 3 -4 hour or so.
I wouldn't take the s3 cable for travelling though. it will take too long for me to charge in coffee shops and what not when I am moving around the destinations.
So far, I am very impressed with the charging time of S4.. Love the device.

acruxksa said:
It will be fine, I charge all my devices from my ipad 3 10W/2A @5V wall charger. Bringing one charger while travelling reduces the clutter I have to pack.
Basically if your devices are working properly, they will only pull the power they need to charge. The S4's 2A charger is capable of supplying up to 2A's but is fine supplying less if the device your charging uses less.
The actuall charging circuitry that controls the battery charging is in the phone or device, not the wall unit. The wall unit is simply the power supply.
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I don't understand why all current control is on device itself why not manufacturers just suppl 3A chargers for all the phones since it can be used for any device out there.

alphadog00 said:
And if in doubt, look at it this way; the phones will charge off a USB port on a computer - this is 500ma (0.5A) - so as long as your device will charge off a usb port, it will charge off a wall charger that supplies at least that much amperage. New iPads will not charge off USB ports, but it doesn't hurt them to plug them in.
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That's how I rationalized using my One S chargers
---------- Post added at 08:52 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:43 PM ----------
artisticcheese said:
I don't understand why all current control is on device itself why not manufacturers just suppl 3A chargers for all the phones since it can be used for any device out there.
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Good question. Maybe because the higher amp batteries have not been out that long compared to all the years smartphones have been sold. They may start making 3A only. Also, companies may sell less chargers if one size fits all. No need to buy a new one when you change phones.
I do know when I charge the S4 with my One S charger it does take longer, as mentioned, and very slow off USB. The One S charger end also gets somewhat warm charging the S4. The S4 charger does not. That would lead me to believe it is pulling a little more current than charger was designed for. But, probably not an issue. USB does not get warm. But, is a good quality one and heavily shielded.

artisticcheese said:
I don't understand why all current control is on device itself why not manufacturers just suppl 3A chargers for all the phones since it can be used for any device out there.
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Click to collapse
In case someone buys a 10amp cheap charger and ends up frying the phone. Thus Samsung protects it self from dummy users and from million dead phones warranty swaps.
I'm using a USB car charger that puts out 2.1amps and its super fast. USB 2.0 on my laptop takes a while to charge it. Some times I use iPhone charger with Nokia cable or with WD hard drive USB wire. They all work just fine but charge at different rate.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using xda app-developers app

artisticcheese said:
I don't understand why all current control is on device itself why not manufacturers just suppl 3A chargers for all the phones since it can be used for any device out there.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The bigger the charger, more expensive it is. Manufacturers want to save money.

Wow. Way to necro this thread...

Necro--
Damn, thank goodness for Urban Dictionaries for OLD farts--
Had to look that one up

so if i will charge my S3 with a 2A charger i wont see any major change from the 1A, correct? I have the Boeffala kernel and at the AC charge is set to 1,1A so if i have a 2A charger i guess it should charge faster.

The phone will only draw the maximum it can. The 2A charger will charge it at the same speed as the 1A charger.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

Red_81 said:
The phone will only draw the maximum it can. The 2A charger will charge it at the same speed as the 1A charger.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
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Maybe it is a placebo effect, but when I charge my S3 with my S4's charger it does seem faster. Quite a few of my coworkers that have used my S4 charger at work also thought it charged faster.
Either way I have charged my S3 with it very often with no I'll effects, so OP you should be safe to do so.
Sent From My Spiderman,Ironman,Red,Dark Blue,Green, GreyedOut BadAss Themed I337

Install battery monitor widget and you will be able to see how much it's pulling on each charger
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app