Help Motorola Atrix 4G Charging Issues.

[Evil.Bonsai]

The USB charging from laptop/PC doesn't work. I have tried it many times. The wall charger works fine. Any ideas why?

RJ

PC AND laptop? How many different computers have you tried? Are they all usb2.0 (or greater)?

I've used 2 different wall chargers, pc and car charger and they all work. I have an old laptop with usb 1.1 ports, but I've not tried that. I think the phone is more capable a computer than that laptop.

 

[evilbastard]

I had same problem with my Atrix, the phone was dead, and no usb port had enough power to start the charging process (No xobx, ps3, laptop, etc). Had to use wall charger to charge phone.

 

[malgrumm]

hmm my problems sort of reversed.....in the sence that the USB works charging the battery and the wall charger does too. also the battery was fully charged before this problem occured , i used the wall charger this time to charge the battery to full for a new day..i dont sleep much. the phone made a noise like it had recived a message or a warning had popped up i look away for 5 seconds and the phone shut itself off. when i tried to turn it back on the green light popped on but the phone refused to even turn on.....i dlded the drivers for charging via USB when i got home after picking up the phone from the store...think my phone has a hardware failure or is it a lemon?

 

[pickles and mayo]

I had the same issue happen to me, although it happened when I was using my phone as a GPS and was stranded 2 hours from home. I thought it was a bad 12v charger, so I bought a brand new one from a gas station and had the same problem, although mine is slightly different. When I plug mine in, the phone "thinks" it is being plugged in and unplugged really quickly - meaning, the "unplug your charger from the wall" message that comes up and fades away keeps coming up, long after I have unplugged it, and if the screen is locked, it cycles between "connected" and "disconnected" repeated and quickly. I eventually made it home by downloading Google Maps on my work Blackberry.

Now, if I plug the USB cable in to a 12v USB charger, it works fine, as well as charging from the PC.... WTF

 

[WolfmanRobby]

When I plug mine in, the phone "thinks" it is being plugged in and unplugged really quickly - meaning, the "unplug your charger from the wall" message that comes up and fades away keeps coming up, long after I have unplugged it, and if the screen is locked, it cycles between "connected" and "disconnected" repeated and quickly.

This sounds like it's the 12v jack in your car. The one on my dash does that, no matter what I plug into it. It's just slightly too big. When you plug it in, watch for the light on the plug end and see if it goes on and off. If it does, it's the 12v jack is a little loose.

Fortunately, I have a second jack in my center console that fits the plugs nice and snug!

 

[pickles and mayo]

Tried 2 different chargers in 2 different cars. I have a 12v adapter that has 2 12v outlets and a USB outlet, the USB outlet works on that one so I'll try the 12v-to-phone plug in that adapter after work. For reference, I work in IT and I'm a car nerd, so I am intimately familiar with both fields and since I work in a Helpdesk, I am familiar with finding stupid mistakes users make and with troubleshooting technology. Not saying I'm immune to stupidity, but I'm "stupidity resistant". It's probably not a "wiggle the adapter" kind of problem

What I think the issue may be caused by is load requirements. I'm guessing the phone is a "high-power" device and requires USB 3.0 compatible power input. The odd thing is, the original charger worked fine for months until recently. I think there may be a bigger underlying issue with power input in these phones.

From Wikipedia:

The USB 1.x and 2.0 specifications provide a 5 V supply on a single wire from which connected USB devices may draw power. The specification provides for no more than 5.25 V and no less than 4.75 V (5 V

 

[WolfmanRobby]

For reference, I work in IT and I'm a car nerd, so I am intimately familiar with both fields and since I work in a Helpdesk, I am familiar with finding stupid mistakes users make and with troubleshooting technology. Not saying I'm immune to stupidity, but I'm "stupidity resistant". It's probably not a "wiggle the adapter" kind of problem

Same here... 12 years in IT, 20+ years in the IT/Telecom/Retail electronics field combined. But, at the same time, nothing makes me feel more stupid than my Fiance (who's a nurse) pointing out something simple I missed!

What I think the issue may be caused by is load requirements. I'm guessing the phone is a "high-power" device and requires USB 3.0 compatible power input. The odd thing is, the original charger worked fine for months until recently. I think there may be a bigger underlying issue with power input in these phones.

No, it's load requirement is optimized for USB 2.0. The stock charger's that they ship with the phone is 5V, 750mA (I think?). However, it will charge just fine on my old, spare BB charger that is 5V, 550mA. Now, that is sill 50mA over the typical USB 2.0. But, my desktop PC here at work is about 3 years old, so the USB ports are all 2.0 and it will charge fine off of it as well.

Here's some other things to check on the car chargers:
-How SNUG do they fit in the micro USB port? I've had some that feel snug, but you could breath on them and they cut off.

-Have you tried the charger on another device?

-Have you "Wiggled" the wires at either end (Where they go into the 12V head, and the Micro USB Head)? They typically use a very fine gauge, stranded wire that breaks easily. I've tossed more than one charger because the wires at the USB end were lose.

-Have you checked the fuse holder for a loose connection or even a loose, or almost blown fuse in the 12V adapter? You probably know this, but I'm including it for other people that might be having this issue, but the fuse is usually in the 12V end that plugs into the car and is accessed by screwing the end off. I've seen fuses that had slightly broken filaments, or that the springs that hold them in were loose or even had a lose connection in there (Usually a bad soldier joint from the factory.)

 

[hays4cat]

This thread has been informative and I have a similar problem I'm looking for help with. I love my Atrix and have had it since they came out with very few problems. This past week-end I plugged my phone into the wall charger at bedtime like always but it didn't make the little "charging" noise and I saw it didn't say it was charging so I connected it to my laptop, still nothing, tried a different outlet and nothing (both of these chargers had worked as recently as the day before). I tried the car charger and got it charged some and bought a new wall charger. The phone charged but it won't charge to over 90% now. Does anyone have any suggestions to try?

 

[damewolf13]

This thread has been informative and I have a similar problem I'm looking for help with. I love my Atrix and have had it since they came out with very few problems. This past week-end I plugged my phone into the wall charger at bedtime like always but it didn't make the little "charging" noise and I saw it didn't say it was charging so I connected it to my laptop, still nothing, tried a different outlet and nothing (both of these chargers had worked as recently as the day before). I tried the car charger and got it charged some and bought a new wall charger. The phone charged but it won't charge to over 90% now. Does anyone have any suggestions to try?

Welcome to Android Forums!
I suppose it is possible that if you bought it when it was first released,and depending on how much you have used it, the battery may be running out of power. It might be that simple. If that is all, you can just purchase a new battery, but check with your service provider to see what they think about it first.

 

[GeauxNorth]

I have had my atrix for about a year now and no charging problems signifigant enough to notice until now, It randomly stopped charging on my wall. I used three different chargers at different outlets and there is no response. I tried using the USB on my computer, thr green LED light came on but no further response. I waited awhile then took the battery out, the next time i used the USB on my home computer the light came on momentarily then went out. Any sugestions? anyone else had this problem?

 

[udoh]

I have had my atrix for about a year now and no charging problems signifigant enough to notice until now, It randomly stopped charging on my wall. I used three different chargers at different outlets and there is no response. I tried using the USB on my computer, thr green LED light came on but no further response. I waited awhile then took the battery out, the next time i used the USB on my home computer the light came on momentarily then went out. Any sugestions? anyone else had this problem?

Exactly the same problem here, had my phone for nearly a year and sometimes it charges and sometimes not.

There are no signs of wear and tear, I have factory reset the phone, in case it was software.

I have no idea why it is doing this.

 

[itsallgood]

Have you all cleaned the ports? That might be the problem.

 

[VyCariously]

I just bought a used Atrix 4G from ebay (I'm using Straight Talk sim program). I was assured that the phone was in perfect working order when I bought it and it is in near mint physical condition. The previous owner had done a factory reset almost 2 months ago, and powered the phone on only once or twice since.
When I received the phone, I couldn't get it to power on no matter what I tried. The seller was genuine, and believed that the problem was just due to a very dead battery, so I continued to try to make it work by trying every method found on every forum page. Whenever I plugged the phone in, the green light would come on briefly, then go out. It never seemed to show a charging symbol.
I finally got the phone working this morning by finding an oem plug and plugging it into the wall outlet. The usb cable is a Samsung cable, but works fine. The other plugs, usb cables, and computer usb ports I've tried have worked on my other phone when I tested them there, but not on the Atrix. It seems there is something "special" about the Motorola plug. Now that the phone has some charge, it will charge on the usb ports and other chargers.
Odd thing, but now I know to always hold onto a Motorola plug!

 

[itsallgood]

4934560[/URL]]I just bought a used Atrix 4G from ebay (I'm using Straight Talk sim program). I was assured that the phone was in perfect working order when I bought it and it is in near mint physical condition. The previous owner had done a factory reset almost 2 months ago, and powered the phone on only once or twice since.
When I received the phone, I couldn't get it to power on no matter what I tried. The seller was genuine, and believed that the problem was just due to a very dead battery, so I continued to try to make it work by trying every method found on every forum page. Whenever I plugged the phone in, the green light would come on briefly, then go out. It never seemed to show a charging symbol.
I finally got the phone working this morning by finding an oem plug and plugging it into the wall outlet. The usb cable is a Samsung cable, but works fine. The other plugs, usb cables, and computer usb ports I've tried have worked on my other phone when I tested them there, but not on the Atrix. It seems there is something "special" about the Motorola plug. Now that the phone has some charge, it will charge on the usb ports and other chargers.
Odd thing, but now I know to always hold onto a Motorola plug!

One thing you should be very careful of is using 3rd party chargers. Each device has a certain electrical current delivered using the charging cord. (This is set by the manufacture.) So if the current is to low, the phone won't charge and will act like it lost its circuits. If the current is to high, you can fry circuits and do other damage. I suggest using OME to be safe.

 

[explodingzebra]

My Atrix won't charge from a PC very well and of course only very slowly, which is a pain. It charges best on the official multimedia dock, and also on a Samsung charger from my old Samsung Monte. I bought my phone from eBay and the charger that came with it isn't a Motorola one, and causes the touchscreen to stop working while it is plugged in, so I don't use that anymore! It will last on battery all day if I turn wifi off, brightness down, and don't play too many games or play videos.

 

[thr33phas3]

One thing you should be very careful of is using 3rd party chargers. Each device has a certain electrical current delivered using the charging cord. (This is set by the manufacture.) So if the current is to low, the phone won't charge and will act like it lost its circuits. If the current is to high, you can fry circuits and do other damage. I suggest using OME to be safe.

This is wrong. AC adapters do have a current rating on them, but it does not indicate that they will somehow try to "force" that much current into a device when connected. Instead, they deliver the current that the device requests. So a 2A charger can very safely charge something that requests 350mA or 500mA, as long as the voltages match. If it were the other way around (a device requesting 2A from a 500mA adapter, say), the adapter could end up damaged - not the device.

Now, cheap charging hardware may not deliver current at a stable voltage properly - it might be too high, or too low, or swing back and forth. *That* could cause an issue with the device. Better-quality adapter hardware is less likely to have this issue, but watch out - counterfeits are everywhere these days.