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3rd party USB cables charging only 50%!?

JadeEyedWolf

JadeEyedWolf

Member
Is it just me, or has anyone noticed that if you use any other USB cable aside from the one provided, that your Captivate only charges up to 50%? I tried using the sync cable from my old Nokia (which is that same USB A type to mini B like the Captivate), plugged into the Samsung wall charger, and even after a full night of being on the charger, the battery indicator was only at 50%! What's the deal with that!? The other thing to note is that, when I use the Samsung cable and the Samsung charger, it just charges, like what you'd expect. But if I say, use my Samsung charger, and the ______ USB cable instead, it prompts me with the same question you get as if plugging into a PC (Mass Storage, Kies, Media player, etc.)

What's going on here?
 
I dont know why it would keep your battery from charging all the way. Electrically there is no difference, it just wires. It is possible that the cable may be damaged, or more likely, since the cord that comes with the Capt. has little locking clips that lock into the phones microUSB port, it doesnt pop out so easy. Most generic cords ( I have 3 from Belkin I got at Fry's for 5.99 each) dont really lock in, so they tend to pop out a bit easily. Maybe it is charging your phone for a while, then someing it disrupting it just so, that it is popping out just enough to lose connection? Is it consistantly stopping at 50%? Have you tried more that the one cord? When is "stops charging" (at the suspected 50%) how do you know it stopped charging? Is the little lightning bolt icon on the battery gone?

As far as getting the USB notification thing... that happens to me when I use different cords and in different charging situations. If you hit the back button when you get the pop up, it goes away and you can mess around normally, no biggie. Im not real sure why it does it, maybe something to do with the pin configurations in the cords or that it is "seeing" a different Voltage/current that makes it think it is connected to a PC instead of a wall charger.. that would be my guess.

But i dont think there is a way the phone could really "know" if you are plugging in a different cord to it.
 
I have a generic 3rd-party cig lighter charger I got from the local AT&T dealer, as well as a generic AC charger I got off eBay. Both work fine charging to 100%.
 
my blackberry amazon cables work just fine, same as oem, my att 10 dollar cable sucks. wont charge worth a crap and cant sync with them. :-/
 
I bought 2 extra Samsung OEM (not knockoff) cables from Amazon for under $7 each. They seem to work just fine.

I also bought a wal-wart charger from Amazon for under $20 that has: 4 usb ports, 4 international travel adapters, and 2 amps to power those 4 use ports. If I plug in only my captivate it charges very well and quickly probably because of that 2 amps.

I also noticed that when I plug into a computer my captivate charges much better.

Conclusion: the charger transformer supplied with Captivate is wimpy and sucks.

Since fully charging my battery using these other means, my battery life issues have disappeared.
 
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