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Accessories Do some 3rd party adapters only trickle charge?

B

bob_loblaw

Newbie
I recently bought the two adapters Micro USB Auto Quick Charge 5V; 1A and Belkin F8Z121 USB AC Wall Charger and observed a completely longer charge time compared to the oem wall charger. Both have the same specified output (5v, 1A) as the oem adapter so I didn't expect these results.

Further inspection showed that while using these 3rd party adapters, my BatteryLife widget is displaying the usb icon and not the normal plug icon that's seen when using the oem.

Does anyone know how the phone distinguishes the difference in adapters? Can certain adapters identify themselves as a standard usb connection, forcing the phone into a slower trickle charge?
 
bob_loblaw said:
I recently bought the two adapters Micro USB Auto Quick Charge 5V; 1A and Belkin F8Z121 USB AC Wall Charger and observed a completely longer charge time compared to the oem wall charger. Both have the same specified output (5v, 1A) as the oem adapter so I didn't expect these results.

Further inspection showed that while using these 3rd party adapters, my BatteryLife widget is displaying the usb icon and not the normal plug icon that's seen when using the oem.

Does anyone know how the phone distinguishes the difference in adapters? Can certain adapters identify themselves as a standard usb connection, forcing the phone into a slower trickle charge?
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I've heard that it is true about car chargers...that they will charge differently but unsure about any of the rest. I believe that even though different chargers have the same voltage, etc, they are still a little different inside because of different manufacturers. I used to work for a company that made answering machines and they purposely made their power cord a different voltage and with different specs so that you had to buy THEIR cord if you needed a new one! :) Sorry, this probably didnt help much!:rolleyes:
 
I've seen on other threads that some other people are seeing similar results in other 3rd party chargers. Is there any way others can post if they see usb charging when plugged in to an adapter? It can be verified under Settings>About phone>Battery.
 
Unfortunately these two topics still do not discuss the problem that I am presenting. I am specifically asking why certain chargers are identified as usb by the phone even though they are putting out 1A. Also, these 1A chargers take forever to charge compared to the stock 1A adapter.
 
When I use the OEM provided charger, it says: Charging (AC). When I plug it into USB it says: Charging (USB).

Now, when I use 2 non-oem chargers (Motorola and Blackberry): They also say Charging (AC).

So, I have no chargers that identify as usb. If you do, it's not usual. What is the brand and specs?
 
Both ID as AC chargers:
Motorola FMP5202A 5v @ 850 mA
Blackberry PSM04A-050RIM(NY) 5v @ 700 mA $4.50
Amazon.com: BlackBerry Folding Blade Micro Charger for BlackBerry 8900, Storm 9530, Tour 9630 (Black): Cell Phones & Service

Note: A charger less than 1A (1000 mA) will charger slower. This is not an issue for me because I charge my Inc when I go to sleep. Also, remember that the USB ports only provide 500 mA, so they charge faster than a usb port. Also, I have not tested exactly how much faster 1000 mA (oem) charger will charge v. say a 500 mA or 700 mA. But if charge speed is critical for you, then go with a 1A (1000 mA) charger. You can't beat the price of that Backberry charger - I picked up a few. And it's a major brand. Don't buy a cheap crap aftermarket charger from china.
 
Yeah, I found my dare stock charger worked fine (ac symbol, 750mA). Maybe it's a deal with the ipod/iphone oriented chargers.
 
I have a Blackberry Tour 9630 and it does not work with the universal usb auto adapter 5v-1a. Seems that 1a or 1000 mil amps is too much and it will not charge at all.
 
Its more to do with the signal the data connections of the charger provides to the phone. From what I can understand of the micro-USB standards, one version just provides a simple continuity (very low resistance). The worst part is that a lot of these companies, including some of the bigger names, don't provide the dedicated charger signal so the phone only takes in a 0.5A current even though the charger is rated to 1A or more. I've verified this operation with an old USB charger by soldering the data pins together. The charger was only rated to 0.5A but the phone said it was charging via AC.

There does appear to be another way of signalling to the device that it is plugged into a dedicated charger, but I don't recall the details of how it worked. I do recall it being more elaborate than the much simpler continuity signal used by most chargers. Frankly, I can't understand the need for the more complicated version.

That said, I made my 1A Scosche charger show AC charging on my phone by shorting the data pins of the charger together. I wanted to test to see if it actually provides a full amp of current without it, but I either don't have time when I think of it, or forget about it when I do have time.
 
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