So...I get home one morning, I'm sitting at 7%... and I forgot my AC Plug at work. I'm right in the middle of doing a lot of tweaking/benchmarking, basically stuck in 'phone mode'...I plug into my computer and the notorious "You're draining more current than the charger is supplying" hits... So I start searching for some way to increase that. I noticed that my ASROCK motherboard on my home computer had some software that let me increase the charging rate of the USB ports.. it was awesome, because I constantly plug in there and it would barely supply enough juice to keep me hacking away at the phone.
At work on my laptop, I was doing some research.. it appears every major motherboard manufacturer has some type of utility like this! They seem pretty hardware specific, but they seem to support a pretty wide range of their line-up.
Now, I do want to say use this at your own risk because extra power IS extra power. I'm pretty confident that the majority of USB hardware out in the wild right now (as long as you're using at least a half-modern desktop or laptop) is *probably* capable of supplying the current for this, but I just want to put that out there. If you decide to use this (on hardware that is obviously not supported), it's at your own risk. I haven't heard/seen much trouble from it, though... I've been using it for a couple days now and it's a lifesaver at work when I forgot my AC plug. If you have hardware from a given manufacturer, then I'd suggest you use their version (check who makes your mainboard for bigbox laptops/desktops)
Also, Faux's ICS Kernel supports forcing AC charging on any USB plug. I do not recommend doing any data transfer while doing this. I would wouldn't recommend using this on old hardware... actually you'd probably be better off only using it on USB 3.0 ports only, but I've successfully using Force AC charge mode on my laptop with only USB 2.0 ports without issue for a couple months now. You can enable this with a shell script, I personally use a Tasker shortcut with a task set up that does the command [IF %FCSTATE = 0] ( echo 1 > /sys/kernel/fast_charge/force_fast_charge ) checks to make sure it's enabled ( cat /sys/kernel/fast_charge/force_fast_charge ) puts the return into a variable ( %FCSTATE ), makes a sound, then places a permanent notification in the statusbar, and a 3s pop-up that notifies me it's been turned on (with an IF condition verifying that it is indeed turned on, IF %FCSTATE = 1)... second part of teh tasker shortcut is [ ELSE IF %FCSTATE = 1 ] ( echo 0 > /sys/kernel/fast_charge/force_fast_charge ), check to make sure it's disabled ( cat /sys/kernel/fast_charge/force_fast_charge ), put the state into a variable (%FCSTATE), make a different sound, remove the notification, and a pop-up window telling me fast-charge is off. The sound/popup/notification all have IF %FCSTATE = 0.. be ensure that it's off. The cat script places the return value into %FCSTATE. Force AC charging mode is truly useful for pesky car chargers that won't give their full current and are detected as USB instead of AC. There's actually a "safe mode" implemented into Faux's kernel now that will prevent Forced AC charging when there's a USB peripheral detected, which will prevent forced AC charging on on USB 2.0/3.0 ports that are on a computer/laptop etc. This is a good setting if you're only using Forced AC charging for a crappy car charger or some other "dumb" device. You can invoke this mode with [ echo 2 > /sys/kernel/fast_charge/force_fast_charge ]
Be careful with forcing AC charge on older hardware etc, again I don't personally recommend using it on USB 2.0 ports, USB 2.0 is rated to a maximum safe current of a Standard downstream port of 500mA, USB 3.0 is 900mA. This is why you don't want to force fast_charge on a USB 2.0 Standard downstream port. (I do it, but I'm willing to accept the risk... it has worked for me, it might completely ruin your hardware. Use at your own risk) There's also Charging downstream ports, these can handle up to .9A (2.0/3.0) (During high-speed data transfer.), they can provide more than that when there's no data transfer going on, but we don't need much more than that honestly, with no data transfer going on these can provide anywhere from 1A-2A, depeneding on the device. These type of ports are found on desktop computers pretty often. There's also Dedicated Charging Ports, these are the ports you find on wall-plugs, car-chargers, etc. These provide anywhere from 500mA-2A, whatever the actually device is rated. You can find out if the port you're connected to is a Standard downstream port, a Downstream charging port, or a dedicated charging port by calling a read-only sysfs file with this shell command, [ cat /sys/kernel/fast_charge/USB_porttype_detected ], this will return the type of port you're connected to in plain text. Also, there's a TON of variation in actual USB hardware and true capabilities. There's going to be lots of USB 2.0 ports can can easily supply 900mA of current, but there's no way to know for sure until you ruin some hardware. I just want to stress this because I don't want people using this to force AC charging on shoddy USB 2.0 ports and frying their motherboard or whatever. Lots of people using forced AC charging on USB 2.0 ports with great success, just use your judgement.
Here's a list of motherboard manufacturers who offer enhanced charging drivers for their hardware. This is completely different than Forced AC Charging (in Faux's Kernel). Now, I'm not sure if you need to force AC charge with some of these or not.. You probably DO if it's only a USB 2.0 port, because the phone might limit you to 500mA max. I know that with ASROCK's driver/software, I didn't have to force fast charge to see substantial increase in charge current. MSI Advertises on their site that even a USB 2.0 port is capable of up to 1.5A of current with their Super Charger, and other manufacturer's are similar. I wouldn't be too concerned about forcing AC charging if you have hardware that's supported by any of this software. Please check the manufacturer's website, etc.
ASUS AiCharger] (Supposedly only works on APPLE devices, mixed reports. No idea on this one)
MSI Supercharger
Gigabyte ON/OFF Charge
ASRock AppCharger
Biostar Charger Booster
ECS EZ Charger
Foxxconn offers a program called "Smart Charger", but they don't have an advertisement page and it's included with drivers/etc for their motherboards, so I'd check their main site if you have a Foxconn board.
I've personally only used the ASRock AppCharger and ASUS AiCharger.. your mileage may vary, use at your own risk etc etc etc. I've just found this to be immensely useful and I wanted to share. . Some people do report noticeably slower data transfer rates after the installation of these programs (which I would attribute to noise from power on the line, I guess), so keep that in mind. Not everyone experiences this (I sure didn't)
Check it with CurrentWidget, Android Tuner(This is Battery Monitor Widget and System Tuner rolled into 1 app, same people who make both of them), or Battery Monitor Widget... you'll see a huge difference in the amount of current you get from USB (Our Amaze does support current draw reporting, so the number you get from these isn't exactly an estimate. I wouldn't call it super accurate, but it's a pretty good representation of ingoing/outgoing current from the battery. Great for finding out battery drain etc)
Hope you guys get as much use out of these as I do!
Setup the gigabyte on/off charge is installed on my 970 ud3
If I remember right my motherboard has x3 power boost on the usb 2.0 ports and usb 3.0 is already has a higher voltage over 2.0
Sent From HTC Amaze 4G Via Tapatalk2
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Is there a special driver from Samsung or a hack that will enable the full 500mA per USB port on Win7? I checked the USB hub power settings and see the Vibrant only pulling 100mA. On XP it wasn't so bad. I'm almost desperate enough to try the Motorola drivers.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=728929
bchalk said:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=728929
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, I'll try that. Hope it works.
I tried the drivers from the suggested thread and they didn't make any difference. They were already installed in my PC from the Samsung Kies installation.
Does anyone else have a suggestion how to make the PC USB ports in Windows 7 driver the full 500mA current?
Bumpity bump. I also would like to know why Win7 is only giving 100 mA (96, actually) to my phone. I'll have to check my XP station at work tomorrow as well.
I just checked my spare laptop that's still running vista, and Device Manager says the port is capable of 500 mA but the device is only drawing 96 mA. Possibly the charger on the battery is limiting the current?
The possibility of a hardware limiter in the phone is one of a few. Usb's of course max out a hub at 500mA. So if you have anything else plugged into the hub it'll split the charge. Assuming usb 2.0, I'm not sure if 3.0 increases allowed draw. It could also be a limitiation of the PSU itself. If you have a smaller psu and enough crap already leeching it, it will prevent additional draw.
The capabilities reported in Device Manager are not necessarily accurate.
Depending on your hardware, some ports may be limited to 100mA while others can do the full 500mA. This is especially common on laptops. If you have USB ports in different locations, try a port from each set.
For example, on my Lenovo I have one high speed port on the left that can do 500mA, while the two slower ports on the right can only do 100mA. (In this specific case, the faster port is actually designed to do double-duty as Firewire with the proper adapter.)
One of my desktop machines in my AV closet has three sets of USB ports and only those on the front panel will do 500mA, although they're all high speed, and they all report 500mA in Device Manager.
It just depends on your hardware. I wouldn't be surprised to hear there are some machines that don't have any 500mA ports.
Same problem with Captivate
I just got a Captivate, and seeing same problem with Windows XP. However, when I plug in a blackberry using same cable same port, Device manager is showing blackberry is pulling 500mA instead of 96mA. One Caveat: I can't install samsung driver since this is work machine. But my old (dumb) LG v8550 was pulling 500mA from USB port without a driver.
Hello community,
The XP desktop at work is also pushing 96mA to my Galaxy S. I do not want to (and I am not allowed to) install any drivers since it is a company workstation.
I am currently using the USB data cable from my old Nokia, I will test tomorrow with the "proper" Samsung cable to check if that's the issue.
I've tried USB with and without debugging enabled, as well as in several of the USB ports of the machine. I am rather sure the problem does not exist on the PC hardware (8USB ports, 6 of them free...).
We will see what comes out of here, but it is uncomfortable that it takes sooo long to charge...
Cheers
With the correct Windows drivers you should be getting 500mA. You can also try the mod in the below link to trick the phone into thinking it is plugged into a charger.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=774665
From past experience getting very low charge voltages on a PC is mainly a cable issue. In my case I bought a couple of cheap eBay cables and sometimes the 5V / GND cables were not connected or they were so flimsy that connectivity would break if I moved the cable. Always start with a known good cable.
Also use the charge widget mentioned in the above thread.
I use PDAnet tons of times on my Droid 3, since I moved on to a better phone, I wanted to use it as well. Problem here is, My battery drains fast as hell, Normally I though the port isn't providing enough power to keep up with the draining but I used my desktop which has USB 3.0 and High power ports and still the same issue.
I already experience issues with this phone and planning to get a replacement but I'm just wondering if Anyone else has this issue and will it continue with my new ReZound?
our phone isn't a usb 3.0 device, so it can't take advantage of the extra power.
solution (level: Dealwithit)-- i found turning the screen off at least keeps power use down on the phone enough to keep it level, or gain at least a tiny bit of charge. I use wifi-tether like this, net is 0mA or ~+15mA.
solution (level: Awesome)-- make a hack usb driver for windows that just forces 1A down the pipe rather than waiting for the device to request it
thatsricci said:
solution (level: Awesome)-- make a hack usb driver for windows that just forces 1A down the pipe rather than waiting for the device to request it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can shove all you want down the pipe, the phone won't use it unless it's tricked into AC charge mode.
mjones73 said:
You can shove all you want down the pipe, the phone won't use it unless it's tricked into AC charge mode.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'll have to confirm, but my belief is the usb host is what dictates how much is ultimately sent... obviously it does this according to the specifications, so presumably the dumb connector just takes whatever it can get... I'd be surprised if a usb device would double check the current it's receiving from a host that has follows the spec... especially when the same port we know can take an AC charge. I have an external portable battery charger, that when it's max, it can deliver the full 1A, but as the external source drops in charge, it delivers less - so it doesn't maul it's own battery, when the external supply starts to deliver less, the phone reports USB charging mode. so I'm wondering if it just reports ac/usb based on how much mA it's getting through the port anyway.
I'm going for a long trip and unable to bring my laptop, so I need to do everything from my RAZR. I bought a USB OTG cable and a USB Y-cable thinking it would be the final solution.
The main problem with the card readers as some of the USB sticks is that they all want >100mA and RAZR reports being unable to supply that amperage. You can debug this using USB Host Controller and enabling the 'DMesg display mode'.
Simple permanent solution:
buy a cheap unpowered usb hub. Since weight and space are my main concerns I cannot travel with powered hubs.
Complicated temporary solution, requiring root:
Check the dmesg output from the above application or by doing a tail -f /var/log/dmesg in terminal and see what port is being reported as underpowered. Most of the time it will be this: "usb 3-1: rejected 1 configuration due to insufficient available usb power". Of course that's not true since the power is provided by an external brick capable of supplying at least 1 amp.
You have several ways of doing this, I'm using root explorer as an example. Go into /sys/bus/usb/devices/3-1/ , click on the bConfigurationValue file, select 'Text Editor' from the prompt, type "1" into the editor, save and exit.
You will have to do this every time you plug something in so you might make it into a script, something like "echo 1>/sys/bus/usb/devices/3-1/bConfigurationValue".
Other issues: I'm taking two cameras with me, a Canon SX230HS and a Nikon D7000. The problem with new cameras is that they have given up on the Mass Storage protocol and switched completely to PTP (Picture Transfer Protocol).
Simple solution: use an SD Card reader to transfer photos. Use USB OTG Helper to help you with mounting, it's a free one-click solution.
Complicated solution: for Canon I'm using RawDroid. For Nikon I'm using DslrDashboard.
If you can afford it, PhotoMate should also work.
Oh, this should go into the Accessory forum, or maybe not even on this forum, but I was able to ditch the camera chargers (two wall bricks + two chargers) by buying a PIXO C-USB charger. It's one of those universal LiPo chargers with spring contacts. You can plug it into a USB port or USB charger and you can charge 1 cell or 2-cell LiIon/LiPo packs or AA/AAA batteries.
I am still looking for an efficient 2xAA/AAA -> USB high current supply for complete portability, but I might just build one myself. The reason is that you will find batteries everywhere but less so publicly available power sockets.
Hmm, I think that for a cheap USB power, you could use one of those smartphone battery backup usb batteries. The problem I see with AA or AAA is that they are less efficient due the extra space they need because of the packaging of each battery, and the materials (NIMH vs Lithium)
Also, taken from this thread: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1349038
You need a powered hub in order for the RAZR to accept it, and I think this is a kernel issue, and cannot be modified just with root (Because of the locked bootloader).
I think that probably what you need, as you stated before, an external source of power, and probably something like this powered usb hub:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Black-Samsu...o-USB-Host-OTG-HUB-CARD-READER-/160921077532?
It needs to be powered in order for it to work with our RAZR.
Have a look at the entire thread that I posted before, I think it could be helpful.
I am already on my long trip and the non powered usb hub worked perfectly. I already explained how you can 'fool' the kernel into thinking it has enough power, this is a non-issue. The thing with AA/AAA is not density but it is they are readily available in remote areas of the world where there is no power.
I already tested one AA/usb power supply I had for overload and magic smoke came out.
It worked for me. However it depends on how the hub and charger are connected. I had to connect the hub between the female plug of the otg-cable (a y-cable) and the usb stick and the charger to the male otg-cable plug. Connecting the charger directly to the hub didn't work.
I recently bought this generic charger with a USB 3.0 output connection for docking my Note 3 to keep it charged as much as possible while listening to music at work. (Listening to music alone doesn't cause much drain to the battery, but I get anxious when my battery falls below a certain percentage...I have problems, I know )
http://www.wowparts.com/charger-station-cradle-for-samsung-galaxy-note-3-n9000-n9002-n9005/
This cradle serves that purpose...mostly. I noticed it prior to buying but figured I'd give it a chance because of its low price, but the rear port does not utilize USB 3.0 but instead uses USB 2.0. I thought this might lead to a slower charging rate and it turns out I was right. Mind you, I experienced the show charge rate with it connected directly to a wall outlet, not a PC or another device.
I've searched for other cradles that also have a USB 3.0 output connection for the phone, but the ones I've found only have USB 2.0 input connections in the rear.
If I'm not mistaken, the Note 3 is the first mobile device to utilize USB 3.0 so I know that it's probably unlikely at this point, but has anyone else come across any cradles that utilize USB 3.0 for both the input and output connections?
Update: Never mind! Another user posted this in another thread http://www.shopandroid.com/samsung-desktop-dock/5AA15818.htm . It's strange, though, how it's Samsung-branded but it's not even listed on the Samsung site as one of the device accessories (at least not for the T-Mo version).
Sent from my SM-N900T using xda app-developers app
Hi all,
My Rezound is having an issue where, no matter the cable or charger, it only says "USB" charging. And on my AC plug it's even giving me the "Charge Only / PC / HTC Sync" menu option as if it thinks there is a data connection on the other end.
This isn't the first time it's happened, but it's the first time out of warranty. USB charging is unbearably slow and doesn't keep up with even basic usage, so I really need to get this fixed or get a new phone (at retail, keeping my VZW unlimited LTE).
Any advice would be welcome. I have a Rezound w/ a damaged screen that I could try to pull a part from if that helps, but I'm not sure if it's just the USB port or something in additional circuitry that I can't access.
For additional information, when it's unplugged it still has the USB charge/pc option.
So when you plug into an outlet it only gives you the usb charging/pc options and doesn't automatically charge from the wall power?
The USB plug in the phone is probably bad, it can't detect an A/C charger is connected so it defaults to USB charging.
You have basically 3 choices here...
1. Get a new phone
2. Get your phone repaired, or fix it yourself. This is NOT easy to do in the Rez as micro soldering is required.
3. Try a kernel with USB Fast Charging and enable it.
This is assuming you have truly tried other cables, chargers, and factory reset.
sdsubball23 said:
So when you plug into an outlet it only gives you the usb charging/pc options and doesn't automatically charge from the wall power?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, it charges but at 500mA, even on wall power. Sometimes it asks if I want to mount my data, but that seems not to happen often.
acejavelin said:
The USB plug in the phone is probably bad, it can't detect an A/C charger is connected so it defaults to USB charging.
You have basically 3 choices here...
1. Get a new phone
2. Get your phone repaired, or fix it yourself. This is NOT easy to do in the Rez as micro soldering is required.
3. Try a kernel with USB Fast Charging and enable it.
This is assuming you have truly tried other cables, chargers, and factory reset.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for confirming that #2 is not really an option. Regarding #3, a few questions
1) How do I know if a kernel has "USB Fast charging"? Can you help identify a kernel that has this but retains the 'global' mode capability?
2) If I enable fast charging, does it mean I risk damaging a PC if I plug it into a real USB port that only wants to put out 500mA?
Gig103 said:
Thanks for confirming that #2 is not really an option. Regarding #3, a few questions
1) How do I know if a kernel has "USB Fast charging"? Can you help identify a kernel that has this but retains the 'global' mode capability?
2) If I enable fast charging, does it mean I risk damaging a PC if I plug it into a real USB port that only wants to put out 500mA?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, nevermind... After doing a little more research into this, I determined this will NOT really do what I thought it would... It could still work, but you would have to modify the kernel settings to allow a high current (800ma-975ma) charge when connected to USB, which would be fine when connected to an A/C charger, but could be very harmful if connected to an actual USB port on a PC. Super Charge and Funky Kernel (both are in the Dev areas here) have this ability, but you make the modifications at the terminal prompt on a rooted phone, not directly in the kernel settings. Essentially you are going to tell the phone to ignore USB standards and charge at 975ma when connected to what it thinks is USB. But like I said, this could be very harmful if it is connected to a "normal" USB port and not an A/C adapter.
Super Charge Kernel (some good into too): http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1902008
Funky Kernel (Sense): http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1911297
S-OFF is not required (although it is recommended), but you would need to flash the kernel by booting TWRP via fastboot, NOT flashing and starting from the phone. And the kernel has little to do with the Global mode capabilities of the device, it should be irrelevant as long as the kernel is fairly up to date.
Honestly though, for the price of GSM phones now, I would just ditch the Rez and get something else... I mean you can get a phone for under $30 if you really NEED one (Lumia 520), and a nice Android device for around $100-$150 that will not only give you a new device, but one with tremendously better reception and battery life.
IMPORTANT: Especially with HTC devices, there are THREE different types of kernels for the device, AOSP, CM/CAF, or Sense... You must use the correct one for your ROM or you can soft-brick your phone. For a stock phone, a Sense kernel is required, for other ROMs you will have to look at the ROM's OP and see if it is CM/CAF-based or AOSP-based, and use the appropriate kernel.