i bought two extra usb cables from amazon, i can't link to them since i don't have enough posts yet, but they're the "EMPIRE USB Data Cable for Verizon HTC ThunderBolt" from amazon
i intentionally looked for some that said for use with thunderbolt in case there was something different than just a micro-usb cable; however, it does not seem that these cables charge as well as the cable that ships. it takes several hours even when trying to charge with the original AC adapter using one of these cables vs the ~1.5-2 hours with the cable that comes with. When trying to use a computer or a car adapter it just holds the charge steady, if using navigation it actually drops battery while plugged in!
is there something i'm missing here? they should all be the same right? can anyone point me to some that actually work? (preferably from amazon since i have gift cards there)
I've had the same problem.
Make sure you are getting the correct voltage. I think my issues are that USB is a slower charge than outlets and the "extra" charger I had was for my bluetooth which had a lower voltage.
strobieone said:
I've had the same problem.
Make sure you are getting the correct voltage. I think my issues are that USB is a slower charge than outlets and the "extra" charger I had was for my bluetooth which had a lower voltage.
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yeah, i understand that usb from the computer will be a lower voltage, which is what i thought the issue was at first. but then i tried using the original AC adapter with the replacement usb cable and it was slower than the original cable. i don't see why the cable would make a difference, but it definitely appears to.
i downloaded the current widget and can see that just swapping between the OEM cable and the aftermarket cable the charging current is quite different. ~+600ma with the OEM and -100ma to +300ma with the aftermarket (yes at times it was LOSING charge while plugged in using the aftermarket)
roppetty said:
yeah, i understand that usb from the computer will be a lower voltage, which is what i thought the issue was at first. but then i tried using the original AC adapter with the replacement usb cable and it was slower than the original cable. i don't see why the cable would make a difference, but it definitely appears to.
i downloaded the current widget and can see that just swapping between the OEM cable and the aftermarket cable the charging current is quite different. ~+600ma with the OEM and -100ma to +300ma with the aftermarket (yes at times it was LOSING charge while plugged in using the aftermarket)
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Click to collapse
You should never use any other cable than the one provided with your Thunderbolt. On the site it may say that it "Works" with the Thunderbolt but that doesn't mean you are going to get the performance you need out of it. I have had that problem plenty of times with older cables and sadly it keeps me buying the slightly overpriced cables from Verizon so I know that I get what I need.
roppetty said:
yeah, i understand that usb from the computer will be a lower voltage, which is what i thought the issue was at first. but then i tried using the original AC adapter with the replacement usb cable and it was slower than the original cable. i don't see why the cable would make a difference, but it definitely appears to.
i downloaded the current widget and can see that just swapping between the OEM cable and the aftermarket cable the charging current is quite different. ~+600ma with the OEM and -100ma to +300ma with the aftermarket (yes at times it was LOSING charge while plugged in using the aftermarket)
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It sounds like a defective cable. Check to see how it's charging (AC or USB). If it says USB when connected to the HTC charger, the cable is bad.
I use micro-USB cables I got from Monoprice, no problems.
mike.s said:
It sounds like a defective cable. Check to see how it's charging (AC or USB). If it says USB when connected to the HTC charger, the cable is bad.
I use micro-USB cables I got from Monoprice, no problems.
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It's not defective, it's just not designed for charging. OP, always make sure it says it is a charger cable, not a data cable, when you buy one.
WeaselWeaz said:
It's not defective, it's just not designed for charging.
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BS. You have no clue what you're talking about. The TB follows the USB charging specification.
The thing about USB (Universal serial bus) cables is that they are UNIVERSAL. It doesn't matter where you get them from, what they say, or what they are branded. They have to meet certain specs (including materials and current capacity) in order to get the USB label.
If you're having a problem, I am 99% sure the cable is not the issue.
Try out monoprice.com. I've used them for years. You can get 3 wall chargers, 5 USB cables and 2 car chargers (all 1A) for like $25, shipped.
Edit: QFT
mike.s said:
BS. You have no clue what you're talking about. The TB follows the USB charging specification.
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necosino said:
The thing about USB (Universal serial bus) cables is that they are UNIVERSAL. It doesn't matter where you get them from, what they say, or what they are branded. They have to meet certain specs (including materials and current capacity) in order to get the USB label.
If you're having a problem, I am 99% sure the cable is not the issue.
Try out monoprice.com. I've used them for years. You can get 3 wall chargers, 5 USB cables and 2 car chargers (all 1A) for like $25, shipped.
Edit: QFT
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yeah, i'm with you, that's why i posed to see if there was something i'm missing and didn't know about. i'm a computer engineer so i know a cable is a cable is a cable, which is why i was like wtf when these didn't work the same.
thanks all, at least i know i didn't miss something and these should work the same.
ive had this problem on every phone. takes forever to charge through usb.
A USB cable is a USB cable is a USB cable is a USB cable.
If you are doing seat of your pants checks on charging, etc, they are never going to be accurate. CPU usage, network usage, etc while the phone is charging will affect how quickly it does charge. The stock charger provides 1000mA to charge the device, if you are using it, or another app is doing something (downloading data, using cpu, etc) it will not charge as quickly because power is being drained as it is being charged.
There is too much that would cause a slower charge state that you can't compensate for by a seat of the pants judgement on charging.
Its all about the mA.
No, thats not a storm. Its just my Thunderbolt layin down this post.
I have the same issue. I have tried four different usb cables with the oem charger and only two charge normally, the oem and one that I had with an old phone that I put a mini to micro adapter on to fit. The other two, one actually micro one mini to micro adapted, charge extremely slow. Yes a cable is a cable, but given I use the oem charger, the only differing things are the cables.
For what it's worth, I hate to burst your bubbles but not all USB cables are equal. And, in fact, not all phones are optimized for USB cables. Just because a cable looks like a USB cable and works as a USB cable doesn't mean that it is ONLY a USB cable. There are quite a few devices out there that can be charged (albeit slowly) with a USB cable but can be charged quickly with a cable that you only think is a USB cable. Take the Nook Color, for instance. The cable that it comes with looks like a USB cable on all accounts, but it's not. I forget which (both are techniques currently used) but either it has extra pins or has a data pin repurposed to provide additional power so it can charge faster. There are quite a few devices out there that are like this, and it seems like the number of these devices just keep growing and growing.
Now these "non-USB" devices still support USB standards, and can be charged via USB standard cables. However, they are optimized for non-USB standards and charge faster with these non-USB cables.
I'm honestly not sure if our Thunderbolts are such a device or not, and if the cables that they come with are such cables. They very well could be, and what the OP claims goes along with that theory. But honestly, I simply do not know.
EDIT:
Oh, and one more example. Go take a look at the custom "USB" cables that Team Blackhat had made that can power Motorola devices in CWM without a battery in the device. This is yet another example of where a USB cable isn't a USB cable.
Having the data pins connected to 5v sources is part of the charger itself; it has nothing to do with the cable.
Every USB cable has 4 pins: two 5v+, a gnd and a 5v- if the second + and - aren't connected to a source in the charger, you will only get a 0.5A charge, and it will go slow. If the charger DOES have them connected, you get the full 1A, and a much faster charge.
If the charger or cable is anything different then it is not USB. End of story. I know some phones have extra pins in the USB location for video out, for example, but those don't interfere with the standard USB pins.
Sent from my ThunderBolt using Tapatalk
necosino said:
Every USB cable has 4 pins: two 5v+, a gnd and a 5v-
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Wrong, kinda. Check this out: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nook_Color#USB_port
The Nook Color uses a modified connector with two depths. The first depth is compatible with micro-usb (5-conductor), while the second depth has 12 conductors. This change was made to increase the amount of power available to charge the larger battery of the Nook Color when using the included cable.
Because of this, the USB cable included with the Nook Color is physically incompatible with other devices employing standard micro-usb connectors. However, the Nook Color itself is physically compatible with standard micro-usb cords.
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Now I realize that calling this a "USB Cable" might be stretching the definition of "USB Cable" (hence the "wrong, kinda" comment) but more than likely, most people have no clue that one cable is different than another, so the end result is that, for all practical purposes, we DO have different types of USB cables.
necosino said:
Every USB cable has 4 pins: two 5v+, a gnd and a 5v- if the second + and - aren't connected to a source in the charger, you will only get a 0.5A charge, and it will go slow. If the charger DOES have them connected, you get the full 1A, and a much faster charge.
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Close, but not quite.
The pins are +5, Ground, +D and -D. All power is drawn through the +5 and Ground lines. The D lines are used for data transfer.
Per the USB specifications, a device can only draw 100 mA without enumerating (negotiating via USB, implies both ends have "intelligence"). If it can enumerate, it can negotiate for up to 500 mA (e.g. plugged into a PC which has a "driver" which recognizes the phone).
There are also specifications for DCPs (Dedicated Charging Ports). For these, the D+ and D- pins (the center two in a full sized USB connector) on the charger must be connected together with no more than 200 Ohms. These ports must provide at least 500 mA, but can provide more (micro-USB connectors are rated to 1.8 A). That's how the phone knows it can draw more than 100 mA from a "dumb" power adapter.
The TB follows the USB charging spec. Here are some things that can happen.
If it's plugged into a charger which doesn't follow the USB spec (D+ and D- not connected together, these are fairly common), it can only draw 100 mA. It doesn't matter if you bought a "2.5 Amp USB charger," if the charger doesn't follow the spec, a device which does isn't supposed to draw more than 100 mA. That's enough to charge it very slowly when the screen is off and it's idling. If the phone is doing anything, the battery will actually be discharging. This is a problem which seems to be common with many car chargers. A lot of device will ignore the 100 mA spec limit, and draw whatever they can, which is why they will charge from an improper adapter.
It's plugged into a PC with no driver - same thing.
It's plugged into a PC with a driver - it can negotiate and pull 500 mA. This is enough to charge while running in almost all cases (it might be on the edge if streaming video via 4G with GPS on, etc.) It will charge, but not as fast as it could.
For all of the above, a TB will show "USB" as the charging type.
It's plugged into a USB DCP. By spec, these must be able to deliver at least 500 mA. The AC adapter shipped with the TB is marked 1.0 A, and the phone won't draw more than 1.0 A (the most I've seen it use to charge the battery is ~800 mA). This will allows the fastest charging. With a DCP, the TB will show "AC" as the charging type.
Cables can have the same effect - all USB cables are supposed to be basically the same. But, some manufacturer's play loose with the spec. They may have "USB" cables with resistors or other changes inside which signal different things to a device. They may not have proper gauge wiring. It may just be a bad cable. Etc.
I've charged the TB with the stock AC charger using both the stock cable, and one I got from Monoprice. Works fine. I've also got a USB hub I converted to a charging station (follows the spec for USB dedicated charging ports), and that works fine with both the original and the Monoprice cables.
I have run into "flaky" cables, where they only work right if jiggled around a bit. Maybe they've been flexed too much, and have an intermittent connection. Maybe the contacts have gotten dirty. I don't worry about it, I just throw those away, you can get new ones from Monoprice for less than a buck.
Thanks Mike S (Also my initials, lol) That's what I get for posting after staying up a bit too late.
well i just ordered two micro usb cables from monoprice. we'll see if those fare any better.
the only thing i can guess is the power wires are a small gauge in the cables i bought from amazon. monoprice has two different kinds, some use 28awg for both data/power and then they have some that have 24awg for power and 28awg for data. i'm hoping that getting the bigger wire for the power will solve the issue.
also, i've been using juiceplotter and you can visibly see the slope of the charge change when switching just between these cables i bought vs the stock one when using the HTC charger so i'm pretty certain it's the cable.
roppetty said:
i've been using juiceplotter
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Battery Monitor Widget will do that, and more, including telling you whether it's charging AC or USB.
You can also check the charging type from Home Settings/About Phone/Battery/Battery Status.
I have a Samsung SGS2. This charges fine off the original charger (650mA) , a new trent usb power pack (450mA), computer USB port (450mA) etc using a variety of cables.
I purchased a USB charger from a major retailer (B&Q) and found that when charging the phone a) had a totally unresponsive/dodgy touchscreen b) actually barely charged. Swapping the usb cable I was using for some cables seemed to fix the problem, but most didn't work.
However using the "failing" cable in a amazon kindle usb charger, and again the phone charged fine.
My conclusion is that the replacement usb chargers are faulty in some way - or at least not compatible with the SGS2. Possibly down to perhaps data pins not being shorted or similar.
Interestingly the exact same issue is observed on an HTC Sensation further suggesting it's the charger to blame (we have 2 of them - behave the same)
Can anyone explain/elaborate?
planetf1 said:
I have a Samsung SGS2. This charges fine off the original charger (650mA) , a new trent usb power pack (450mA), computer USB port (450mA) etc using a variety of cables.
I purchased a USB charger from a major retailer (B&Q) and found that when charging the phone a) had a totally unresponsive/dodgy touchscreen b) actually barely charged. Swapping the usb cable I was using for some cables seemed to fix the problem, but most didn't work.
However using the "failing" cable in a amazon kindle usb charger, and again the phone charged fine.
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Click to collapse
The unresponsive touchscreen you experience when using the charger is the result of the charger creating too much noise (ripple) which disturbs the electric field of the capacitive touch screen. Hence the digitizer is not able to work reliable anymore.
planetf1 said:
My conclusion is that the replacement usb chargers are faulty in some way - or at least not compatible with the SGS2. Possibly down to perhaps data pins not being shorted or similar.
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Click to collapse
Shorting the data pins will allow the phone to identify the charger as such, compared to a standard USB port. The phone will then draw more current then it does if it detects a 'regular' USB data port. From that point of view shorting the data pins should not have any influence. However if more current is drawn from the charger the ripple will increase and therefore the disturbance of the touch screen could aggravate.
In the end the problems you are experiencing are due to a charger of poor quality.
Hello I have a few questions in mind and hope that we can discuss this together.
How come some micro USB cable are unable to charge my phone? charging icon does not appear immediatly after plugged in, takes about a minute for the icon to appear and charging is none. Current widget does appear to display current going into my phone, but it is not charging at all
what factor plays a part in charging other than current + voltage?
does 4/5pin plays a part?
Thanks!
Bad cables can do this. You must try with a new branded one.
thank you for your reply. basically i bought a dozen of cables from some online stores. they are giving me the same current through currentwidget, but they are not charging at all. so it sort of confused me.
tyrtok said:
thank you for your reply. basically i bought a dozen of cables from some online stores. they are giving me the same current through currentwidget, but they are not charging at all. so it sort of confused me.
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Are these cables that include the plug, or that have a male USB that plugs into a female on the wall adapter ? Have you tried a different wall adapter ? I find these vary loads, as to the cables. Some are for data sync, some are for charging and sync and some just for charging. All depends on the resistance presented to the phone and this then effects how much current it draws.
Have a google about - theres lots on this.
gingerneil said:
Are these cables that include the plug, or that have a male USB that plugs into a female on the wall adapter ? Have you tried a different wall adapter ? I find these vary loads, as to the cables. Some are for data sync, some are for charging and sync and some just for charging. All depends on the resistance presented to the phone and this then effects how much current it draws.
Have a google about - theres lots on this.
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great help!!!
I now have the new z2 tablet which seems great up to now, i have some touch issues at first, but since installing and using apex it seems to have gone.
anyway, im a bit annoyed with sony for moving the charging port to the top as i thought it was much better on the bottom, i could just sit with it and have it still charging, now being on the top it feels a bit strange being on charge and a little in the way, plus where i usually sit with it, the cable now feels too short.
so i was wondering if i got a 2m cable, would it actually effect the charge at all, or would it be exactly the same?
on ebay i have found a 2m cable which is only £2.95 it says its a charge cable, although one thing puzzled me, was that it says in the desc that its ideal for charging using a compatible 2000 mah adapter, but as far as i know, sony have stupidly left their charger as 1500 haven't they?
i can't understand why sony keep opting for this speed when all others seem to do 2000 or alightly more, it just leads to the tablet not always charging properly when you are also using it.
anyway, does anyone know if i will be lowering my charging power / speed if i get a 2m cable?
thanks
James
It is not the capacity (mAh) but the charging current (mA) that counts.
This tablet has a (very?) long charging time and thus a low charging current.
A cable with a little bit extra resistance won't make a big difference then.
I bought a cheap magnetic cable (1m) and am perfectly happy with it.
I'm in the process of testing the various cables and chargers I got at home (about a dozen of chargers and twice as many cables).
The first noticeable things: they are definitely not all equal and the provided ones are NOT the best.
So far there's only one charger that provides more than 1A CONSISTENTLY and it only works with the shorter cables (I got between 1.1 and 1.2 A with a 1m cable vs <>0.8A with a 2m one).
I started testing because I think the biggest bug with this tablet is NOT the touch problem ( i only updated yesterday and did not use it very much since but it seems resolved with the last update) but it can't charge when using power hungry apps. I've been playing XCOM a lot lately and NONE of my chargers/cable can keep up with the power consumption while playing.
But yes cable length does matter.
Through my testing, i would say that shorter cable gives me lower resistance=better charging rate. Tested with 3 different length, 21.5CM, 1M, 2M. 21.5CM cable gives me the best result
20cm or 2m, realistic the difference is not gonna be noticeable at all. The difference in resistance is negligible.
Sent fra min SGP511 via Tapatalk
my 512 charges faster if I plug in the cable into the port then it does if I use the magnetic adapter and the same cable using the bottom, and also charges faster in the dock then it does using the magnetic adapter. Go figure.....
With low quality cables, longer distances can absolutely affect charging rates.
Felborn said:
20cm or 2m, realistic the difference is not gonna be noticeable at all. The difference in resistance is negligible.
Sent fra min SGP511 via Tapatalk
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If I had not measured the current myself I'd tend to agree but the differences I observed are real.
se1000 said:
With low quality cables, longer distances can absolutely affect charging rates.
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That was my thoughts too. I got I few long cables laying around , I'll check if I get the same results with them all
bbarou said:
If I had not measured the current myself I'd tend to agree but the differences I observed are real.
That was my thoughts too. I got I few long cables laying around , I'll check if I get the same results with them all
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One great way to tell is some cables have the gauge of the wires printed on the outside of the cable. I believe 28/28 is minimum for USB 2.0 but that is for 500ma charging. Look for 28/24 or better (lower numbers are better), especially for longer cables.
se1000 said:
One great way to tell is some cables have the gauge of the wires printed on the outside of the cable. I believe 28/28 is minimum for USB 2.0 but that is for 500ma charging. Look for 28/24 or better (lower numbers are better), especially for longer cables.
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Thanks, I did not know about wire gauges.
Unfortunatly, it does not seem like it easy to know which gauges a cable use, I've got 7 different cables on my desk right know and none of the have the information printed on. I'll check the rest when I get home.
There is absolutely no question that cables make a difference.
There is absolutely no question, as well, that chargers make a difference. Many of them are mislabeled.
I bought this:
http://www.dx.com/p/usb-av-usb-power-current-voltage-tester-translucent-blue-silver-235090
And used it to measure how much power I'm getting out different charger/cable combos when charging.
It was especially useful for the car, since my phone needs a LOT of power when it's in full 'navigation/streaming music' mode.
Whether longer is better than shorter depends on a lot of factors, but I will say my best charging cable is my 6 inch cable.
(which is just fine for the car)
- Frank
Just curious here, but how do you measure the power from the different cables?
Felborn said:
Just curious here, but how do you measure the power from the different cables?
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The device I posted the link to sits is a usb pass through. You put it between your charger and your charging cable, and it tells you how much current is going through.
- Frank
There is no real rule-of-thumb regarding just the cable length.
You just cannot tell that some (!) shorter cable is better than some (!) longer cable.
Just because there are more factors involved - like core diameter, insulation, core material, and the like.
In general: If you use exactly the same cable type, the shorter variant will show better results.
If you use mixed cable qualities, you have to include more factors into your calculation.
Best way: Give it a check. You don't need adapters (although this is the better and faster way), you just need to recharge your device up from the same power level to any other given level, e. g. from 10 % to 90 %. Do not charge up to 100 %; on the "last mile", there are some more factors involved which may affect the results.
Take the time charging from e. g. 10 % to 90 % needs, discharge the battery by using the tablet with full brightness setting, repeat the same with another cable.
You'll soon find out which cable enables faster charging.
Suggestion for recharging the Z2 using the DK39 charging station: Samsung's white 2 Ah power supply, standard accessory provided with the S4 and other smartphones. Real fast using DK39, slower via USB.
Hello everyone,
I was wondering if there is a way to increase the charge rate while connected to an MHL adapter.
I have a 2014 Civic Si that literally has an HDMI input for the head unit.
I bought an MHL adapter and it works very well other than a safety limitation that stops screen mirroring while driving, and the fact that even if I am just using it to get the best quality audio into my head unit with the screen turned off, the MHL adapter uses more current than it returns to the phone, resulting in battery loss.
I have the usb power connected to a 2 amp 12v charger that works fantastic when it is just connected with a regular micro usb cable so I know its not the charger.
I have found some evidence that there is a mod that can basically tell the phone that it is connected via AC to take more current.
Would be awesome if someone could provide this, or another solution to this problem. I imagine there are a lot of people like me out there who like to use MHL adapters but don't want their battery to die.
Thanks
Check the quality of the cord. If it's some cheapo one from like eBay or something that may be the problem.
I've found that some of my older degraded cords won't charge the phone while I'm using it.
Also if you roll/folded the cord up sometimes it can pinch it just right to not supply the right charging power.
Speedin07si said:
Check the quality of the cord. If it's some cheapo one from like eBay or something that may be the problem.
I've found that some of my older degraded cords won't charge the phone while I'm using it.
Also if you roll/folded the cord up sometimes it can pinch it just right to not supply the right charging power.
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Click to collapse
To be clear it does show that it is charging (via USB) but its using more current than its getting thus end result is the drain.
It could very well be the cable - hence why I am asking if anyone can recommend a tried and tested solution of MHL + charge that actually charges it quickly.
Thanks,
BDS