Mr. Ed
Extreme Android User
Where in Texas are you? I would love to try and trouble shoot this
unfortunately it sounds like a bad phone though.
unfortunately it sounds like a bad phone though.
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Help Skyrocket has battery meter issue... i.e. stuck at 100%
- Thread starter joeynym
- Start date
Midiman
Well-Known Member
And it sounds much like an issue that would be caused by another theory of mine... that somewhere in the circuitry of the phone is a piece of the power supply that is responsible for delivering regulated voltage to the battery. Somehow I'm reasonably convinced that this charge/power supply circuit has to be the source of the problem.
Mr. Ed
Extreme Android User
At this point I have tried and tested everything I can (and care too lol)
I have spent too much time on this silly venture and honestly we are no closer to knowing the cause than we were three weeks ago.
It seems every time we think we have it narrowed down, a new variable presents itself.
Midiman
Well-Known Member
Yeah. I have my solution. The AT&T Zero Charge cable charges my phone consistently and reliably regardless of what charger I use. So does the OEM charger regardless of what cable I use. Since I charge the phone in the same place 99.5% of the time, I'm good. I have more than enough reliable solutions. Anyone who doesn't and wants one, I still highly recommend picking up the AT&T Zero Charge cable for $9.99. I've never been able to make the phone malfunction using it in combination with anything else.
Southeast Texas, near Beaumont.
Originally Posted by gingergee 
My problem is a little different - my battery appears to be charging when plugged in, but never reaches over 15% even after 20 hours plugged in. Had the phone since 12/5/11 and worked great until 1 week ago. I don't have many apps but 2 days before this happened I installed sugarsync. Not sure if this is related or not.
ATT sent new battery - same issue. Tried charging with the phone off as they suggested - 14 hours - still no charge. Shows battery empty the minute I unplug it.
ATT store tried a fully charged battery in my phone and it showed to be dead as well. Since over 30 days referred to warranty dept. First guy had me go through many idiotic things already tried and would not veer from the "cookie cutter recipe" he was reading from. After a 20 - 30 minute phone call he finally acknowledged "known issue from manufacturer and there is a firmware update needed". Told me he would send the update to my phone and I would need to "click INSTALL" when it appeared, and it might then take up to 24 hours to update.
Waited 2 hours - still no "install" to click has appeared so called them back. GREAT! This person asked me the same idiotic questions, had me go through all the same steps the other guy had until I got upset and told her wasn't doing all this again, "just need to know about the firmware please". She then told me the phone was updated 1 hour ago, to turn the phone off and charge it only 3 - 4 hours, no longer.
She advised I should:
Never charge until completely drained
Always power off the phone when charging
Charge only for 3 - 4 hours and never charge overnight!
Are they kidding? I was told many years ago this was no longer required with cell phone batteries.
Anyway, charged the phone for "4 hours only" in "off mode" as told last night and after 4 hours it was at 19%! Left it powered on while I slept so it would again be completely drained this a.m. so I can try it again. This phone will be monopolizing my weekend (and my life).
By the way - using the charger that came with the phone and have tried wall plug and USB to PC with no difference. Same problem using my car charger (micro usb) that was NOT made for the skyrocket.
UPDATE: After another 30 minute BS call with ATT warranty - they FINALLY concede the phone is a problem and are sending me out a new (refurbished) phone. What does anyone think of this? I paid top dollar for a new phone less than 2 months ago and am getting in return a refurbished phone? I understand the "warranty" will still be honored for the same time, but still...
Can anyone advise me whether there are really better chargers, cables, etc. that can prevent this from happening again? Does it really matter if you use a cable/charger that did not come with the phone? (I always figured if it fits and seems to connect it's okay. Also feel it is ridiculous to keep spending money for new chargers, cables, accessories each time I upgrade, and thus filling our landfills with perfectly good accessories).
For example, could using the micro USB car charger that I purchased for my previous phone have caused damage to the Samsung phone? I am pretty naive on this so appreciate any advice one can give. This was my first "smart" phone and I LOVED IT but am now feeling exasperated by the experience.
My problem is a little different - my battery appears to be charging when plugged in, but never reaches over 15% even after 20 hours plugged in. Had the phone since 12/5/11 and worked great until 1 week ago. I don't have many apps but 2 days before this happened I installed sugarsync. Not sure if this is related or not.
ATT sent new battery - same issue. Tried charging with the phone off as they suggested - 14 hours - still no charge. Shows battery empty the minute I unplug it.
ATT store tried a fully charged battery in my phone and it showed to be dead as well. Since over 30 days referred to warranty dept. First guy had me go through many idiotic things already tried and would not veer from the "cookie cutter recipe" he was reading from. After a 20 - 30 minute phone call he finally acknowledged "known issue from manufacturer and there is a firmware update needed". Told me he would send the update to my phone and I would need to "click INSTALL" when it appeared, and it might then take up to 24 hours to update.
Waited 2 hours - still no "install" to click has appeared so called them back. GREAT! This person asked me the same idiotic questions, had me go through all the same steps the other guy had until I got upset and told her wasn't doing all this again, "just need to know about the firmware please". She then told me the phone was updated 1 hour ago, to turn the phone off and charge it only 3 - 4 hours, no longer.
She advised I should:
Never charge until completely drained
Always power off the phone when charging
Charge only for 3 - 4 hours and never charge overnight!
Are they kidding? I was told many years ago this was no longer required with cell phone batteries.
Anyway, charged the phone for "4 hours only" in "off mode" as told last night and after 4 hours it was at 19%! Left it powered on while I slept so it would again be completely drained this a.m. so I can try it again. This phone will be monopolizing my weekend (and my life).
By the way - using the charger that came with the phone and have tried wall plug and USB to PC with no difference. Same problem using my car charger (micro usb) that was NOT made for the skyrocket.
UPDATE: After another 30 minute BS call with ATT warranty - they FINALLY concede the phone is a problem and are sending me out a new (refurbished) phone. What does anyone think of this? I paid top dollar for a new phone less than 2 months ago and am getting in return a refurbished phone? I understand the "warranty" will still be honored for the same time, but still...
Can anyone advise me whether there are really better chargers, cables, etc. that can prevent this from happening again? Does it really matter if you use a cable/charger that did not come with the phone? (I always figured if it fits and seems to connect it's okay. Also feel it is ridiculous to keep spending money for new chargers, cables, accessories each time I upgrade, and thus filling our landfills with perfectly good accessories).
For example, could using the micro USB car charger that I purchased for my previous phone have caused damage to the Samsung phone? I am pretty naive on this so appreciate any advice one can give. This was my first "smart" phone and I LOVED IT but am now feeling exasperated by the experience.
Midiman
Well-Known Member
Originally Posted by gingergee
Can anyone advise me whether there are really better chargers, cables, etc. that can prevent this from happening again? Does it really matter if you use a cable/charger that did not come with the phone? (I always figured if it fits and seems to connect it's okay. Also feel it is ridiculous to keep spending money for new chargers, cables, accessories each time I upgrade, and thus filling our landfills with perfectly good accessories).
For example, could using the micro USB car charger that I purchased for my previous phone have caused damage to the Samsung phone? I am pretty naive on this so appreciate any advice one can give. This was my first "smart" phone and I LOVED IT but am now feeling exasperated by the experience.
Your problem is substantially different from what the majority of this thread addresses. IF your phone charges to 100% you just need to find a solution which works for you to keep the battery indicator from being stuck at 100%. For me, the charger and cable that came with the phone work fine. It doesn't seem to be the same story for everyone. The single thing that I have found is that using a "charge only" cable will prevent this issue no matter what charger I use. It wouldn't have helped with your phone's failure to charge.
Midiman
Well-Known Member
Also... I got nothing against refurbs. They've been through a pretty strict process to get them repaired. they've been looked at very closely. I used to sell a lot of refurbed Sony gear back in the day. I had almost no trouble with any of it. It's not like it's going to come out of the box all scratched with someone else s fingerprints on it.
Mr. Ed
Extreme Android User
Although it isn't common.....this actually has happened before.
HTC had huge qc issues on refurbished a couple of years ago.
It's just really rare.
If you get a bad refurbished, call immediately
Enternamehere
Lurker
I have found the issues turn on all you settings on power saving mode and it will work
Enternamehere
Lurker
I had the same issue battery stuck at 100% I turned on all power saving settings now battery drains
Enternamehere
Lurker
My.wife has the same phone she never had a problem I bought my 3 weeks ago right of the box I was having problems battery indicator at 100% but I knew it wasn't I shut down my phone than it read 50% I compared my phone with my wife's set all settings like hers notice on power saving mode setting all of hers were clicked disable wifi if not in use disable Bluetooth if not in use my wasn't so I clicked them retested charged to 100% watched some YouTube checked my battery level and it read 98% .it never did that before so now I'm happy I hope you can fix it cause it made me go insane
Mr. Ed
Extreme Android User
I won't be able to fix it..as a matter of fact I am pretty much done with this site, and ATT...just kind of posting here and there.
Enternamehere
Lurker
Well it work for me and pretty sure it will work for others never thought I would be happy to see my battery drain sorry Mr ed but your Fu@led
Mr. Ed
Extreme Android User
Well it work for me and pretty sure it will work for others never thought I would be happy to see my battery drain sorry Mr ed but your Fu@led
No, I fixed ours by running a custom kernel
The problem is that most 3rd party chargers have usb pins 2+3 connected through a resistive voltage divider to accommodate Apple products , other products such as HTC to date ignore USB pins 2+3 , Samsug prooducts look for a short between pins 2 and 3 , if you take a after market charger and measure resistance you will see approximately 30K ohms between pins 2+3 , The Samsung phone will charge at haf rate 0.2% per minute and the charge indicator will not work properly , taking this aftermarket charger (lighter plugs included) breaking them open and soldering a short between 2+3 will solve this issue completely , the Samsung uses the new convention of USB . Please read the Wikipedia excerpt below ...all of my modified adaptors work great and charge in half the time prior to this mod...If you're lazy simply slit open a USB cable and short pin 2 and 3 usually green and white wires . Hope this helps everyone .... Regards Howard Rosen VE2AED
Charging ports and accessory charging adapters
The Battery Charging Specification of 2007 defines new types of USB ports, e.g., charging ports.[43] As compared to standard downstream ports, where a portable device can only draw more than 100 mA current after digital negotiation with the host or hub, charging ports can supply currents above 0.5 A without digital negotiation. A charging port supplies up to 500 mA at 5 V, up to the rated current at 3.6 V or more, and drop its output voltage if the portable device attempts to draw more than the rated current. The charger port may shut down if the load is too high.
Charging ports exist in two flavors: charging downstream ports (CDP), supporting data transfers as well, and dedicated charging ports (DCP), without data support. A portable device can recognize the type of USB port from the way the D+ and D- pins are connected. For example, on a dedicated charging port, the D+ and D- pins are shorted. With charging downstream ports, current passing through the thin ground wire may interfere with high-speed data signals. Therefore, current draw may not exceed 900 mA during high-speed data transfer. A dedicated charge port may have a rated current between 0.5 and 1.5 A. There is no upper limit for the rated current of a charging downstream port, as long as the connector can handle the current (standard USB 2.0 A-connectors are rated at 1.5 A).
Before the battery charging specification was defined, there was no standardized way for the portable device to inquire how much current was available. For example, Apple's iPod and iPhone chargers indicate the available current by voltages on the D- and D+ lines. When D+ = D- = 2V, the device may pull up to 500 mA. When D+ = 2.0 V and D- = 2.8 V, the device may pull up to 1000 mA of current.[44]
Dedicated charging ports can be found on USB power adapters that convert utility power or another power source
Charging ports and accessory charging adapters
The Battery Charging Specification of 2007 defines new types of USB ports, e.g., charging ports.[43] As compared to standard downstream ports, where a portable device can only draw more than 100 mA current after digital negotiation with the host or hub, charging ports can supply currents above 0.5 A without digital negotiation. A charging port supplies up to 500 mA at 5 V, up to the rated current at 3.6 V or more, and drop its output voltage if the portable device attempts to draw more than the rated current. The charger port may shut down if the load is too high.
Charging ports exist in two flavors: charging downstream ports (CDP), supporting data transfers as well, and dedicated charging ports (DCP), without data support. A portable device can recognize the type of USB port from the way the D+ and D- pins are connected. For example, on a dedicated charging port, the D+ and D- pins are shorted. With charging downstream ports, current passing through the thin ground wire may interfere with high-speed data signals. Therefore, current draw may not exceed 900 mA during high-speed data transfer. A dedicated charge port may have a rated current between 0.5 and 1.5 A. There is no upper limit for the rated current of a charging downstream port, as long as the connector can handle the current (standard USB 2.0 A-connectors are rated at 1.5 A).
Before the battery charging specification was defined, there was no standardized way for the portable device to inquire how much current was available. For example, Apple's iPod and iPhone chargers indicate the available current by voltages on the D- and D+ lines. When D+ = D- = 2V, the device may pull up to 500 mA. When D+ = 2.0 V and D- = 2.8 V, the device may pull up to 1000 mA of current.[44]
Dedicated charging ports can be found on USB power adapters that convert utility power or another power source
I have had my SR for 2 weeks and the stuck battery meter has been an irritation, minor compared to many others I'm finding as I transition from Blackberry.
However, this has been a fascinating thread and the level of detail and gathering of empirical evidence is impressive. While not an electrical engineer, I have done quite a bit of electrical work on my boat and learned a few things that may be pertinent.
First, the cable could be significant. There is a noticeable and material voltage drop that occurs through wire. The amount of loss is a function of wire length and gauge. A difference in wire length of a couple feet does make a difference. Longer cable/smaller wire means more voltage drop. Perhaps the component that regulates battery charging (whether in the battery or in the SR itself) is very sensitive to voltage and this somehow throws off charging.
I'll shoot down my own observation though. The problem doesn't seem to be charging the battery but rather measuring battery capacity.
Second, battery capacity is calculated based on voltage and temperature. Battery voltage drops as the battery is used. Also, battery capacity drops as temperature drops.
It would be interesting if someone plotted the battery temperature and voltage of the battery both when capacity is reported correctly and when it's stuck.
Perhaps there's a defective battery temperature sensor or voltage meter that causes the capacity to be falsely calculated.
While possible, it seems unlikely that there's a defect in the hardware (temperature and/or voltage sensor). So most likely this is a software issue. Mr. Ed's kernel experiments support this. Whatever is supposed to trigger a new reading of the temperature and voltage is failing.
However, this has been a fascinating thread and the level of detail and gathering of empirical evidence is impressive. While not an electrical engineer, I have done quite a bit of electrical work on my boat and learned a few things that may be pertinent.
First, the cable could be significant. There is a noticeable and material voltage drop that occurs through wire. The amount of loss is a function of wire length and gauge. A difference in wire length of a couple feet does make a difference. Longer cable/smaller wire means more voltage drop. Perhaps the component that regulates battery charging (whether in the battery or in the SR itself) is very sensitive to voltage and this somehow throws off charging.
I'll shoot down my own observation though. The problem doesn't seem to be charging the battery but rather measuring battery capacity.
Second, battery capacity is calculated based on voltage and temperature. Battery voltage drops as the battery is used. Also, battery capacity drops as temperature drops.
It would be interesting if someone plotted the battery temperature and voltage of the battery both when capacity is reported correctly and when it's stuck.
Perhaps there's a defective battery temperature sensor or voltage meter that causes the capacity to be falsely calculated.
While possible, it seems unlikely that there's a defect in the hardware (temperature and/or voltage sensor). So most likely this is a software issue. Mr. Ed's kernel experiments support this. Whatever is supposed to trigger a new reading of the temperature and voltage is failing.
Mr. Ed
Extreme Android User
i've encountered this issue during my first week of use. i do use the car charger that i used to use for my blackberry so i dont know if thats the issue. its done it twice after full charges. turning the phone off/on brought the meter back to reality both times. before charging it again i did a battery pull and it appears things are back to normal for now. its kind of irritating that such a fancy phone would have such an issue for a basic function but so far its not a deal breaker, its pretty obvious the meter is wrong if it hasn't gone down after some use. if i can call att and get an extra battery for my troubles it might be worth it since the battery life of this thing kinda convincing me to get a spare anyway. we'll see.