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Help **warning: Blackberry charger killed my incredible**
- Thread starter droid_head
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- htc droid incredible
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GrandMasterB
Go Go Gadget Flow!
Thats correct.
chrisytsma
Newbie
I'll chime in and say that a functional Micro USB Charger will work the same across the board. The BB Micro USB Charger in question may have been malfunctional in that the Voltage output may have been greater than 5V. Or, if the line were to have a kink or been seriously kinked in the past, it's possible that some internal wires may have crossed... possible. That's all I can think of. Unless BB attempted to make their charger proprietary for the model you had and they had some sort of out of the ordinary wire configuration set up.
I personally have been using so many different chargers and USB ports on my Eris and Incredible that it's ridiculous.
USB Ports: Macbook, Mac Mini, Surround Sounds System, BluRay Player, DVD Player, 3 different Car USB Adapters (700ma & 500ma)
Chargers: Stock Incredible, Stock Eris, Stock Hero, No Name
I personally have been using so many different chargers and USB ports on my Eris and Incredible that it's ridiculous.
USB Ports: Macbook, Mac Mini, Surround Sounds System, BluRay Player, DVD Player, 3 different Car USB Adapters (700ma & 500ma)
Chargers: Stock Incredible, Stock Eris, Stock Hero, No Name
droid_head
Android Enthusiast
True. but those specs on those charges were developed before the droids, at lead the HTC Incredible. Can't speak for other droids.
I'm definitely not using a generic car charger on my next Incredible. Would rather pay and extra $25 for an HTC Incredible charger, if it exists, than chance another fried phone. Verizons not going to keep replacing phones.
droid_head
Android Enthusiast
If the charger was defective, it would have fried my Storm as well. None of the other variables you mentioned exist.
chrisytsma
Newbie
Did you try charging using the stock charger and notice any issues? If you did, then maybe it can be narrowed down to faulty circuitry on the Incredible.
If you only used the BB Charger, then we will never know the cause....
jasonb1985
Android Expert
chargers don't kill phones unless the charger is defective. micro usb is micro usb other than the rate it charges at.
of course HTC and Verizon want you to use their chargers, they do sell them.
of course HTC and Verizon want you to use their chargers, they do sell them.
I am an Electronics Engineer and it really depends on the charger's output. The "Verizon tech" said this probably because that is what the computer told him to say. The computer probably said this because if the charger has too much wattage than it could fry the phone but the BB, as far as I know are actually lower.
I had a Blackberry Storm and have used that charger and the Inc stock one. The stock charger for the Inc puts out higher watts than the BB Storm charger. The BB charger is 5V and 700mA which is 3.5W (5Vx.7A) and the stock Inc is 5V and 1A (5x1) which is 5W. It depends on the numbers. They all are usually about 5V. So that little lower amperes just means the slower the charge. That's all. Too much wattage may kill but this is lower and is just going to take longer to charge. Amps are to electricity is like water pressure to water flow, in laments terms. Electronics 101.
Trust me you probably had a bad phone or battery. Also this is why there have been conficliting answers from Verizon. Most are salesman and don't know what they are talking about. People lie the numbers don't.
Ok so it wasn't a BB charger it was a VZW one? Now I have seen a lot of car charger cook phones, I use mine sparingly and check the voltages occasionally because they tend to go bad and the voltage output of a car varies as well so whatever steps down and regulates that voltage gets a workout. So your warning should be more about VZW branded car chargers then BB chargers in general.
Yeah I agree with everyone saying you had a bad incredible//battery dude. I've had the incredible since BEFORE launch day, and I am using the same charger I've had since my BB storm, that I also used with my droid. No problems yet, nor do I see anything happening in the near future. My battery still gets 10-12 hours with moderate use.
civicsisedan
Android Expert
Yeah that.
I have been using my BB Storm charger when I am at work since 4/28. No problems. Fine charge
I have been using my BB Storm charger when I am at work since 4/28. No problems. Fine charge
tomfitzpatrick
Lurker
My incredible is only a few days old and I have experienced charging trouble with an LG charger.
The problem may lie with a charger whose rated output is TOO LOW!
Unlike amplifiers that drive current through speakers and can burn them out -- Power supplies (chargers are power supplies) supply a regulated voltage to a load (the phone). As long as the device doesn't require a current above what the charger can supply, there should be no problem. The HTC charger is rated at 1000 mA and the LG is rated at 500 mA. If the droid requires more than 500 mA to properly charge the battery, the charger's voltage will drop below 5V.
This produces a low voltage situation within the charging circuit of the phone and can cause a variety of problems - some permanent.
Low voltages commonly cause problems in large equipment and electronics.
I would recommend making sure that any charger used on the droid is rated at least 700 mA - preferrably 1000 mA
The problem may lie with a charger whose rated output is TOO LOW!
Unlike amplifiers that drive current through speakers and can burn them out -- Power supplies (chargers are power supplies) supply a regulated voltage to a load (the phone). As long as the device doesn't require a current above what the charger can supply, there should be no problem. The HTC charger is rated at 1000 mA and the LG is rated at 500 mA. If the droid requires more than 500 mA to properly charge the battery, the charger's voltage will drop below 5V.
This produces a low voltage situation within the charging circuit of the phone and can cause a variety of problems - some permanent.
Low voltages commonly cause problems in large equipment and electronics.
I would recommend making sure that any charger used on the droid is rated at least 700 mA - preferrably 1000 mA
Thank god.....i was about to burst with all the dumb things that were said about electricity prior to your post.
droid_head
Android Enthusiast
You must be referring to another thread.
I do find it funny how the people that are using their blackberry chargers seem a little worried and doing everything to convince themselves that its ok.
There is something different about the chargers and IF i had gotten a bad phone, there would have been other things going wrong besides that. Really, what are the chances of getting bad phone anyway? Never happened to me and I've had at least two phones a year since 1995.
I think any common sense person can agree on that. The problems didn't occur until I used my Blackberry wall charger, which was on the second day. Not a whole lot of rocket science involved here.
Listen, USB is fairly straightforward. There are 4 wires. Power, Ground, D+, D-.
D+ and D- are used for data, so are outside the scope of this thread because power adapters don't pay attention to them, they just worry about the power/ground ones.
Notice that the cable that comes with your incredible is a normal USB to -> micro USB cable. The USB side can plug in to ANY USB port that conforms to the USB spec and if there is no data communication, the phone will just try to charge from that port.
5V is the magic number for the phone / most USB. The power adapter brick puts out 5V, as do all PCs and all standard car adapters that end with a USB connector.
The difference that seems to be scaring people is the mA number. Like mentioned above, that is the maximum amount of juice you can suck out of the cable using that adapter. It is not how much is PUSHED out. If you plug in the adapter to the wall but not to the phone, you are NOT charging air at 5V@1000mA.
The phone itself has circuitry that helps prolong the life of the battery by trying to pull in as much power as possible during the first phase of the battery charging, then when it gets close to full it goes to a much slower charge. The brains here are in the phone, not the charger.
Think of laptops. If you are doing nothing much, the adapter brick may be warm. If you are encoding 10 videos at the same time, the adapter brick might burn off your fingers. The adapter will provide as much current as it is rated to when the device tries to take it, not all the time.
I understand you had a bad experience with that adapter/particular phone combo, but the VAST majority of the people replying to this thread have had no problems (nor do I with my cheopo amazon car charger), and everyone who understands what the adapter is actually doing seems to be on the same page.
As long as the power adapter you are using says 5V, I have a hard time believing it can hurt your battery.
D+ and D- are used for data, so are outside the scope of this thread because power adapters don't pay attention to them, they just worry about the power/ground ones.
Notice that the cable that comes with your incredible is a normal USB to -> micro USB cable. The USB side can plug in to ANY USB port that conforms to the USB spec and if there is no data communication, the phone will just try to charge from that port.
5V is the magic number for the phone / most USB. The power adapter brick puts out 5V, as do all PCs and all standard car adapters that end with a USB connector.
The difference that seems to be scaring people is the mA number. Like mentioned above, that is the maximum amount of juice you can suck out of the cable using that adapter. It is not how much is PUSHED out. If you plug in the adapter to the wall but not to the phone, you are NOT charging air at 5V@1000mA.
The phone itself has circuitry that helps prolong the life of the battery by trying to pull in as much power as possible during the first phase of the battery charging, then when it gets close to full it goes to a much slower charge. The brains here are in the phone, not the charger.
Think of laptops. If you are doing nothing much, the adapter brick may be warm. If you are encoding 10 videos at the same time, the adapter brick might burn off your fingers. The adapter will provide as much current as it is rated to when the device tries to take it, not all the time.
I understand you had a bad experience with that adapter/particular phone combo, but the VAST majority of the people replying to this thread have had no problems (nor do I with my cheopo amazon car charger), and everyone who understands what the adapter is actually doing seems to be on the same page.
As long as the power adapter you are using says 5V, I have a hard time believing it can hurt your battery.
droid_head
Android Enthusiast
I see all the specs people are posting, but my blackberry chargers are getting boxed up with my Storm. might bury them in the backyard with a small ceremony.
I'm not using anything buy my HTC wall charger and ordering a newer car charger. Then if my phone gets fried again, I'm getting an iPhone.
I'm not using anything buy my HTC wall charger and ordering a newer car charger. Then if my phone gets fried again, I'm getting an iPhone.
Electricity simply doesn't work that way. You are correct that it's not rocket science- it's elementary physics. What you're taking away from it, however, is a logical fallacy known as cum hoc ergo propter hoc.
droid_head
Android Enthusiast
And what would that be? Electricity trolls hiding in the walls.
droid_head
Android Enthusiast
Hmm. that last part sounded a little gay.
nightfishing
Android Enthusiast
This is one of those threads the mods should re-title.
We don't need this misinformation spreading (we have VZW reps for that LOL)
We don't need this misinformation spreading (we have VZW reps for that LOL)
droid_head
Android Enthusiast
Ya got me. I was sitting around bored and this is the best hoax i could come up with. It was between this and fruit rollups causing the runs.
this should be called "Hemorrhoid forums"
It means "With this, therefore because of this." Essentially, it means that correlation does not imply causation and what has been told to you by the tech is about as credible as if he told you that using your phone outside in the daylight caused your phone's failure. A properly functioning BB charger will not damage an Incredible.
Thus far, an electrical engineer and an aircraft electrical systems craftsman have weighed in to refute the tech's misinformation.
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