Database Develop

The Only Car Charger You Need for the Nexus 7

There are so many threads on car chargers that actually work for the Nexus 7 and yet none of them seem to have reliable answers. Maybe it works, maybe not. Does it do "AC charging"? Is the amperage high enough to keep it running while I use it? Do I have to short Data+ and Data-? Does it work with OEM or aftermarket cables? Is it expensive?
It's enough to make you just want to keep the Nexus in the house. So I'm here to help - just go buy this:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0088U4YAG/ref=pe_175190_21431760_M3T1_SC_dp_1
Tom Fagerland was kind enough to provide links from Amazon UK, available in both black and white:
White: http://www.amazon.co.uk/PowerGen-Ch...ZY/ref=sr_1_15?ie=UTF8&qid=1351432753&sr=8-15
Black: http://www.amazon.co.uk/PowerGen-Charger-KeyBoard-Samsung-included/dp/B0088U4YAG/ref=pd_sim_ce_1
It's a 3.1A dual port car charger for $12.99 on Amazon with a full 5/5 review. I just got mine and it's well built, very sturdy (almost OEM quality) and has two USB ports, one for Apple devices "A" and one for non-Apple devices "NA". The "NA" port will charge the Nexus 7 and the "A" port will charge most other non-tablets, including the Galaxy Nexus. It works with the OEM Nexus 7 cable, a Monoprice cable and a Galaxy Nexus cable.
So that's it. Just go buy it and be happy. It will charge quickly if you leave the tablet off but will still charge it if you keep using it.
EDIT 2-11-13: This charger has been charging my Nexus 7 virtually every day (40 mins/day) for over 3 months now with no problems.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
For those of you wanting to know some more specifics, here they are. (You don't have to care, honest! Just go buy the thing.)
I did a test with my 7 starting at 40% battery. I did a "worst case scenario" of Wi-Fi on and connected, Bluetooth on, GPS on and using Google Navigation, Spotify streaming and the screen on at 100% brightness throughout charging. I powered the adapter off a variable DC power supply that shows current draw as well as voltage. I used 12.2 VDC to simulate a car's battery. Below is the relevant portion of the battery monitor graph.
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It does indeed charge using the "NA" port with no modifications. The power supply showed an average current of 0.50A @ 12 VDC which once converted to 5 VDC is 1.22A not counting for the small loss in the DC-DC converter. It did get as high as 0.62A (1.51A @ 5VDC) but seemed to level out at 0.5A for the vast majority of charge time. (FYI I assume Watt's law applies here when stepping down voltage - feel free to correct me.)
I checked on the progress every 30 mins and here are the results:
00:00 - 40%
00:30 - 48% (+8%)
01:00 - 55% (+7%)
01:30 - 62% (+7%)
02:00 - 68% (+6%)
02:30 - 76% (+8%)
03:00 - 83% (+7%)
This is where I stopped. It seems to be very capable of providing a decent charge while under heavy use. At this point I turned everything off and waited another 30 mins and found it charged another 12% while "idle". At that rate it could charge from empty in around 4 hours. It would take around 7 hours to charge completely if being used heavily, but it's not just "maintaining" a charge or discharging slowly - it's actually gaining a charge.
So there you have it.

Powerful car chargers (2Aand above) usually affect your FM radio reception, how does that one go?

Sounds great!
I checked, and it's available on amazon.co.uk as well, here: http://www.amazon.co.uk/PowerGen-Ch...ZY/ref=sr_1_15?ie=UTF8&qid=1351432753&sr=8-15
or here: http://www.amazon.co.uk/PowerGen-Charger-KeyBoard-Samsung-included/dp/B0088U4YAG/ref=pd_sim_ce_1

What about the "A" port makes it exclusive to Apple devices only? I own zero Apple devices, so would this dual USB charger effectively be... a single one for my uses?

Troute said:
Powerful car chargers (2Aand above) usually affect your FM radio reception, how does that one go?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I haven't heard of that one myself, but I tried it out and it seems to have no discernible effect on FM radio reception.
JaSauders said:
What about the "A" port makes it exclusive to Apple devices only? I own zero Apple devices, so would this dual USB charger effectively be... a single one for my uses?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think the "A" port does not short the two data pins because Apple doesn't like that. Most Android phones don't seem to care either way though. My Galaxy Nexus works with it, I think a friend's SGS3 works as well. A reviewer notes the Kindle products worked as well. The thing to note is that charging non-Apple devices in the "A" port will only charge them at USB speed. Not perfect but it should do the trick.

chjade84 said:
I haven't heard of that one myself, but I tried it out and it seems to have no discernible effect on FM radio reception.
I think the "A" port does not short the two data pins because Apple doesn't like that. Most Android phones don't seem to care either way though. My Galaxy Nexus works with it, I think a friend's SGS3 works as well. A reviewer notes the Kindle products worked as well. The thing to note is that charging non-Apple devices in the "A" port will only charge them at USB speed. Not perfect but it should do the trick.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you are rooted and have a kernel setting to enable fast charge on USB, you should be able to use the "A" port for full power. Be sure to turn that feature off, though if you want to swap data with PC.

wtherrell said:
If you are rooted and have a kernel setting to enable fast charge on USB, you should be able to use the "A" port for full power. Be sure to turn that feature off, though if you want to swap data with PC.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I tried this on computer USB and the notation in Battery Monitor Widget changed from USB plugged to AC plugged when connected to my computer. milliamps went from 479 to 875. Still will see what happens on various chargers. But to get 875mA from computer's USB port seems pretty darn good.

Thanks a lot for sharing this with us! seriously there are many car chargers than would never work due to low amp!!

Bought this same charger the other day. Arrived yesterday, so far so good! Excellent value for money :good:

Good Deal On Amazon
Thank you for pointing the way about car chargers that work. I have been impressed with this charger doing more than slowing down discharge. I can actually use the larger GPS of my N7 and charge my tethering GS3 at the same time. When purchasing this charger I was offered the 3.1a/15w AC charger for 20% off. It definitely charges like the OEM one. Very happy camper.

What cord are you using with this to charge the nexus?
Sent from my SGH-I747 using xda premium

Another Option
Hey guys - there is another option that is very high quality -
The Scosche ReVIVE II works very well with the nexus 7 (at the same time as a phone too) with the 2.1A charging port. The only catch I found was that I had to short out the data connections - but I did this with a USB extension cable.
Essentially all you do is cut a USB extension cable, reconnect the power wires and then join the two data wires on the device end. This, for someone who has done some soldering, is a super easy job and takes 5 minutes, as well as making sure you don't ruin a perfectly good micro-USB charger.
The reason for shorting the Data is that some devices wont charge to their full potential (ie. only to 500mA) if they dont have the data wires shorted because the device might be connected to a computer - which wouldn't handle the full 1/2A.
anywho, it's a fantastic, very high quality charger and well worth the price.
(http://www.amazon.com/Scosche-reVIV...?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1352687110&sr=1-14)

Charging Cord
I use either my OEM GS3 or N7 for the NA port. I have a Rocketfish USB charging cord when I have to use the A port. I purchased it from BestBuy a while ago, initially for my BB at the time.

This sounds great.
I have a iPod Nano 6th Gen that I keep plugged in all the time, and a USB cable for my Phone. I modified my existing one so my Galaxy Nexus reads it as AC and charges fast, but my N7 doesn't even see it.
The one posted in the OP sounds like it'd be perfect. I could use the A for my iPod and the NA for both my N7 and GN. Fortunately the N7 doesn't require car charging very often

Sadly, Amazon.ca doesn't sell the charger and Amazon.com won't ship to Canada. Has anyone found a good source for this charger in Canada?

Croptop said:
Sadly, Amazon.ca doesn't sell the charger and Amazon . comment won't ship to Canada. Has anyone found a good source for this charger in Canada?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'd love to know as well if anyone in Canada knows where to get a good dual usb car charger
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2

The charger in the OP has dropped a little in price on Amazon UK.

I recently purchased said adapter...Works great and fast. 32%-72% in 25 mins on my HTC Amaze. Tablet isn't here yet

Does anyone have experience of this one? :
http://www.amazon.com/Charger-Adapt...&qid=1353451744&sr=8-6&keywords=dual+usb+3.1a
It's 3.1A and has a lower profile than the other one posted in the OP, but does it charge the Nexus 7 ok?

NickDblU said:
I'd love to know as well if anyone in Canada knows where to get a good dual usb car charger
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same here. Looked on eBay, could only find the ones listed to work with Apple.

True 2 amp cable

just looking for where i can get a proven 2 amp cable for my note ii. thanks

billymaloney3 said:
just looking for where i can get a proven 2 amp cable for my note ii. thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just purchased the OEM battery with charging dock from Samsung with a 50% off coupon posted on this forum. Cost just under $30 bucks and the charging cable is 2 amps for certain, I checked the current while charging my phone with it. It cannot be used to plug into a usb port on a pc.
Here's the thread with the coupon code.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1957986
The link to the 2 amp oem charger on the Samsung site.
http://m.samsung.com/us/mobile/cell-phones-accessories/ETA-U90JWEBXAR
Sent from my SGH-T889 using xda premium

The thing is, I've gone through two OEM chargers now (One came with the phone, one bought on Amazon) and both no longer charge at 2A
In fact, the one that came with the phone has deteriorated so much it only charges at 160mA.

D3_ said:
The thing is, I've gone through two OEM chargers now (One came with the phone, one bought on Amazon) and both no longer charge at 2A
In fact, the one that came with the phone has deteriorated so much it only charges at 160mA.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Looks like my original cable isn't charging the way it used to. The one that came with the external charging dock works better than the one that came with the phone.
Sent from my SGH-T889 using xda premium

D3_ said:
The thing is, I've gone through two OEM chargers now (One came with the phone, one bought on Amazon) and both no longer charge at 2A
In fact, the one that came with the phone has deteriorated so much it only charges at 160mA.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Interesting. How do I check if my OEM cable has deteriorated for sure? Mine "feels" like it is getting slower for some reason.

so is there no true 2 amp cable? I'm not going to pay the extra money for the OEM one if its just going to deteriorate
Sent from my SCH-I605 using xda app-developers app

I had trouble finding cables that I knew were reliable, so, I ended up fabricating my own. When purchasing new cables, they rarely mention what gauge wire they use. Most typical usb cables use 24/22ga. Some, like the oem use thicker gauge wire for the charge lines. The cables I made, easily handle 2 amps and thensome. I used the same wire that I use for my high powered LED light system which draws up to 6 amps without breaking a sweat. I know it is overkill, but I went with military-spec 18 gauge wire, stranded, silver tinned copper with teflon jacket. I bought new connectors, usb-a and micro-usb from overseas as I could not find them locally. After soldering, I filled each connector with an epoxy resin to eliminate all vibration and make the plug all one solid unit. I rarely actually use cables for data, so, I made them strictly for charging. Using only two wires also made is easier for me to use the thicker gauge. I bridged the data ports within the micro-usb plug. I have a non-samsung usb car charger that never charges some of my other phones at full rate unless the data ports are bridged. I made an inline adapter for the purpose that I used for a while. Making my own cables gave me the perfect opportunity to bridge them internally and eliminate the adapter. Certain phones need the data ports bridged or else they will think they are hooked up to a computer and limit charging to 700 milliamps, give or take. Hope you find the cable to suit your needs.....
~ evil ~

evil510 said:
I had trouble finding cables that I knew were reliable, so, I ended up fabricating my own. When purchasing new cables, they rarely mention what gauge wire they use. Most typical usb cables use 24/22ga. Some, like the oem use thicker gauge wire for the charge lines. The cables I made, easily handle 2 amps and thensome. I used the same wire that I use for my high powered LED light system which draws up to 6 amps without breaking a sweat. I know it is overkill, but I went with military-spec 18 gauge wire, stranded, silver tinned copper with teflon jacket. I bought new connectors, usb-a and micro-usb from overseas as I could not find them locally. After soldering, I filled each connector with an epoxy resin to eliminate all vibration and make the plug all one solid unit. I rarely actually use cables for data, so, I made them strictly for charging. Using only two wires also made is easier for me to use the thicker gauge. I bridged the data ports within the micro-usb plug. I have a non-samsung usb car charger that never charges some of my other phones at full rate unless the data ports are bridged. I made an inline adapter for the purpose that I used for a while. Making my own cables gave me the perfect opportunity to bridge them internally and eliminate the adapter. Certain phones need the data ports bridged or else they will think they are hooked up to a computer and limit charging to 700 milliamps, give or take. Hope you find the cable to suit your needs.....
~ evil ~
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am not skilled enough to make one of these but would you be willing to sell me a few?
Sent from my SCH-I605 using xda app-developers app

The cable that comes with Pantech Burst..
Sent from my GT-N7100 using xda premium

I never understand how we have 2 identical threads going in parallel lol!!
Just replied in another thread about 2A cable: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=44218947&postcount=12 - $3 from Monoprice, and you are done!

vectron said:
$3 from Monoprice, and you are done!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unless you want it in the UK in which case it's $30 shipping.

billymaloney3 said:
I am not skilled enough to make one of these but would you be willing to sell me a few?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There have been quite a few posts with links to cables that seem to work fine for others. I would be willing to sell some cables, if there was enough of a demand for them, however, to be honest I think there are many other viable, more inexpensive options. I could never sell them for what some of these other cables are going for that are mass produced. I put a lot of thought, time and work into these. The mil-spec wire alone that I use could buy you a few sets of other cables. I purchase the connectors in bulk and the first batches have been accounted for. Also, I am backed up doing so many other different mods at the moment that cables are at the bottom of the list. I'll try to post some pics soon. If, after that you decide you'd still like one, we can go from there.....

I bough an OEM samsung note 2 charger and a couple of days ago it stopped charging like it used it. It goes much much slower.

Just a heads up
You can find these at Wagreens usually around the register areas. They aren't the best looking but they charge my Note 2 and Nexus 7, which both require a 2A charge, very quickly. I can get from a 30% back to 100% in less than an hour on these bad boys.
Ive ordered several micro USB cords on Amazon and they either don't work at all or charge my phone very slowly. Even ones that have claimed to be OEM samsung, they finally show up and they're not. So far these are the only ones I have found that truly work with 2A chargers
One side of the "Y" is micro USB and the other is mini USB
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phatmanxxl said:
You can find these at Wagreens usually around the register areas. They aren't the best looking but they charge my Note 2 and Nexus 7, which both require a 2A charge, very quickly. I can get from a 30% back to 100% in less than an hour on these bad boys.
Ive ordered several micro USB cords on Amazon and they either don't work at all or charge my phone very slowly. Even ones that have claimed to be OEM samsung, they finally show up and they're not. So far these are the only ones I have found that truly work with 2A chargers
One side of the "Y" is micro USB and the other is mini USB
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How much were those at Walgreens? I might make a trip over there tomorrow.

http://m.walgreens.com/mt/www.walgr...--micro-dual-end-cable/ID=prod6110194-product
Price varies from store to store, they're $4.99 here.
uchosen said:
How much were those at Walgreens? I might make a trip over there tomorrow.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

[Q] Charging cable length/will a longer cord affect fast charging?

Hey Nexus 6 owners, I'm patiently waiting for mine to show up tomorrow but I was wondering how long the charging cord is that comes with the phone?
If its short, has anyone replaced it with a linger cord and if so does it affect the fast charging feature or is that built into the wall plug?

spunks3 said:
Hey Nexus 6 owners, I'm patiently waiting for mine to show up tomorrow but I was wondering how long the charging cord is that comes with the phone?
If its short, has anyone replaced it with a linger cord and if so does it affect the fast charging feature or is that built into the wall plug?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Its short...maybe three feet.

brizey said:
Its short...maybe three feet.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Crud, I have a 6 foot cord but it prob won't work with turbo charge or whatever its called ... Guess I'll post my results when I have a few days to compare...

A longer cord should be a thicker gauge in order to offset the loss of energy. You can find 28/24 gauge (28 gauge data and 24 gauge power) USB cables just about anywhere.
Here is the cable I am using which is 6ft long: http://www.amazon.com/iXCC-Charger-Samsung-Android-Tablets/dp/B00MVAO742/
Here is a picture comparing it to the OEM cable.
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Charging with the OEM 3ft cable
Charging with the iXCC 6ft cable

First off, we should clarify that the Quick Charge 2.0 standard requires a data cable (not a charge-only cable) to work. In other words, it needs all four USB pins to be connected the their counterparts at the other end. If you have a longer cable, and it's not working, this is likely why. (Or, more precisely, it may charge your phone, but it'll be locked to the 5V setting, and won't be able to activate the 9V or 12V settings.)
Technically, ANY cable reduces DC voltage, and thus, the power that makes it to the other end. A one-inch cable has a voltage drop, as does a 50-foot cable. The difference is in the amount. So, ANY cable will affect fast charging. However, voltage drop is typically measured in percentages, so it will drop Quick Charge 1.0 (the 2A USB charge that we all know and love) the same percentage as it will with Quick Charge 2.0. However, since a standard (QC 1.0) cable charges at a max of 10W, and a QC 2.0 cable charges at a max of 36W, you'll see a larger drop with the higher power QC 2.0, even though the percentage would be the same. (I should point out that no QC 2.0 adapter currently charges at the 36W theoretical maximum. Even Moto's Turbo Charger is only pushing 14.4W at both the 12V and 9V levels, whereas the standard allows a maximum of 36W and 27W at those levels respectively.)
You can reduce the amount of voltage drop by buying AWG 20 or 22 cables (most USB cables are AWG 24 or even 28), but those are a lot thicker. The reality is that even an AWG 24 cable only loses like 6% voltage drop at 3M (10ft.), which is less than the 10% voltage variance allowed by most adapters. In short, you're not even going to notice. Unless you're dealing with a 25-50 ft. cable, I wouldn't worry about it "affecting" quick charge, because the only ones who will really notice the difference are the electrical engineers who designed it.

I have a 5 feet(standard OEM) Samsung cable dedicated for charging only, and it turbo charges the same as the stock one

jt3 said:
First off, we should clarify that the Quick Charge 2.0 standard requires a data cable (not a charge-only cable) to work. In other words, it needs all four USB pins to be connected the their counterparts at the other end. If you have a longer cable, and it's not working, this is likely why. (Or, more precisely, it may charge your phone, but it'll be locked to the 5V setting, and won't be able to activate the 9V or 12V settings.)
Technically, ANY cable reduces DC voltage, and thus, the power that makes it to the other end. A one-inch cable has a voltage drop, as does a 50-foot cable. The difference is in the amount. So, ANY cable will affect fast charging. However, voltage drop is typically measured in percentages, so it will drop Quick Charge 1.0 (the 2A USB charge that we all know and love) the same percentage as it will with Quick Charge 2.0. However, since a standard (QC 1.0) cable charges at a max of 10W, and a QC 2.0 cable charges at a max of 36W, you'll see a larger drop with the higher power QC 2.0, even though the percentage would be the same. (I should point out that no QC 2.0 adapter currently charges at the 36W theoretical maximum. Even Moto's Turbo Charger is only pushing 14.4W at both the 12V and 9V levels, whereas the standard allows a maximum of 36W and 27W at those levels respectively.)
You can reduce the amount of voltage drop by buying AWG 20 or 22 cables (most USB cables are AWG 24 or even 28), but those are a lot thicker. The reality is that even an AWG 24 cable only loses like 6% voltage drop at 3M (10ft.), which is less than the 10% voltage variance allowed by most adapters. In short, you're not even going to notice. Unless you're dealing with a 25-50 ft. cable, I wouldn't worry about it "affecting" quick charge, because the only ones who will really notice the difference are the electrical engineers who designed it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I mean the length of the cable matters, but as long as it's AWG 24 or thicker then it should be fine.
The attached graph shows 3 cables at 1, 3, and 6 ft lengths. They are all 28/28 gauge.

Working fine here with a 10ft cable.
Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk

spunks3 said:
If its short, has anyone replaced it with a linger cord and if so does it affect the fast charging feature
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The provided cable is typical. Neither short nor long. Fortunately cable length is, if reasonable, irrelevant. I checked a 10 foot standard gauge cable and it charges at "high" speed.

I am looking to buy some 28/24 cables from monoprice...probably 6ft...since the included cable is even shorter than the Nexus 5 cable, which was barely enough for me.
Does anyone know if the included Nexus 6 cable is 24 or 28 gauge?
Also, I'd like to do some comparison between my cables to see which ones charge the fastest and how many mA they can pull...this is best done on a low battery, correct? At high charge levels it won't pull anywhere near 2000mA, from my understanding.

jeffreii said:
I am looking to buy some 28/24 cables from monoprice...probably 6ft...since the included cable is even shorter than the Nexus 5 cable, which was barely enough for me.
Does anyone know if the included Nexus 6 cable is 24 or 28 gauge?
Also, I'd like to do some comparison between my cables to see which ones charge the fastest and how many mA they can pull...this is best done on a low battery, correct? At high charge levels it won't pull anywhere near 2000mA, from my understanding.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think pretty much all manufacturers use the 28/24 cables (which means, 28 Gauge for the data wires and 24 Gauge for the power wires). If you're REALLY concerned about it, Newegg has some 22 Gauge cables (that are actually 28/22 Gauge). They're the thickest cables that I've been able to find that are readily available without a crazy bulk requirement (like 1000 or more). If you buy two or more, they're less than $4 each, but that's still 3x the price of the 28/24 cables from Monoprice. The reality is that even without the turbo charger, the difference in charge time between the two (6 ft.) cables will likely be a few minutes at most.
Oh, also... If you're using the Turbo charger, you're not going to get close to 2A (2000mA) anyway, since it's only a 1.6A charger (at 5V or 9V -- 1.2A at 12V).

Thanks for the clarification. I read that most cheap cables are 28/28.

I have a 10 ft cable I bought from amazon works good fully charges phone in about 45mins

jeffreii said:
Thanks for the clarification. I read that most cheap cables are 28/28.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, I should clarify a bit further. When I said "manufacturers," I meant phone manufacturers. In other words, the data cables that typically come with phones will be 28/24. Cheap data cables can be 28/28 (sometimes with a nice thick shroud to hide this fact). Usually though, the really cheap cables won't be data cables at all, but charge-only cables. A lot of those are 28 Gauge.

digweed4me said:
I have a 10 ft cable I bought from amazon works good fully charges phone in about 45mins
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What's the name of the 10ft cable and can you repost the link or item # on Amazon, the original link is directing me to the Amazon home page not an item page. Thanks.

ggfb20 said:
What's the name of the 10ft cable and can you repost the link or item # on Amazon, the original link is directing me to the Amazon home page not an item page. Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i bought gold plated ones
http://www.amazon.com/Hi-mobiler-Ch...amsung+Lg+HTC+and+Other+Tablet+Smartphone+(Bl

Just ordered two of them.

How can you tell which is which?
jt3 said:
First off, we should clarify that the Quick Charge 2.0 standard requires a data cable (not a charge-only cable) to work. In other words, it needs all four USB pins to be connected the their counterparts at the other end. If you have a longer cable, and it's not working, this is likely why. (Or, more precisely, it may charge your phone, but it'll be locked to the 5V setting, and won't be able to activate the 9V or 12V settings.)
Technically, ANY cable reduces DC voltage, and thus, the power that makes it to the other end. A one-inch cable has a voltage drop, as does a 50-foot cable. The difference is in the amount. So, ANY cable will affect fast charging. However, voltage drop is typically measured in percentages, so it will drop Quick Charge 1.0 (the 2A USB charge that we all know and love) the same percentage as it will with Quick Charge 2.0. However, since a standard (QC 1.0) cable charges at a max of 10W, and a QC 2.0 cable charges at a max of 36W, you'll see a larger drop with the higher power QC 2.0, even though the percentage would be the same. (I should point out that no QC 2.0 adapter currently charges at the 36W theoretical maximum. Even Moto's Turbo Charger is only pushing 14.4W at both the 12V and 9V levels, whereas the standard allows a maximum of 36W and 27W at those levels respectively.)
You can reduce the amount of voltage drop by buying AWG 20 or 22 cables (most USB cables are AWG 24 or even 28), but those are a lot thicker. The reality is that even an AWG 24 cable only loses like 6% voltage drop at 3M (10ft.), which is less than the 10% voltage variance allowed by most adapters. In short, you're not even going to notice. Unless you're dealing with a 25-50 ft. cable, I wouldn't worry about it "affecting" quick charge, because the only ones who will really notice the difference are the electrical engineers who designed it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How can you tell if it is a data cable or a charge-only cable without taking it apart?

dalegg said:
How can you tell if it is a data cable or a charge-only cable without taking it apart?
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Click to collapse
The easiest way is to use it to plug your phone into a computer. If your computer doesn't recognize that you've plugged your phone in, but does with other cables, then it's probably a charge-only cable.

spunks3 said:
Hey Nexus 6 owners, I'm patiently waiting for mine to show up tomorrow but I was wondering how long the charging cord is that comes with the phone?
If its short, has anyone replaced it with a linger cord and if so does it affect the fast charging feature or is that built into the wall plug?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
XtremeGuard is always doing 80% Off sales. Got one of their 6' cables for like 2$ and it works great with the Nexus6 turbo charger.

Using "unsafe" USB C to A adapter

Hello,
I recently bought a Nexus 5X, and as you know it comes without a USB C to A adapter. So I ordered a cable from a china online store and will test it with CheckR. But if it isn't safe I was wondering if I could make an adapter that would connect the data lines to computer and the 5v line to an external power supply, capable of supplying 5V/10A. Does anyone know if this would work and how safe would it be?
The connections are shown in the schematic on the link(remove the space between goo. and gl)
goo. gl/yaSZZ0
Thanks for any help!

I can't figure out where the danger is here. If you have a charger that outputs 5v @ 1.0 amp, it's going to output that to the phone no matter what right? The phone is essentially the dumb end right, it takes what it can get.
I have cables now that according to Benson do not meet the USB C spec, and cables that do meet the spec. Both brands of cables pass the Checkr app test though.
Both cables say charging slowly on the phone when plugged into a low amp charger or a PC port. The only difference I've noticed is the cable with the 56k pullup resistor still says charging even when hooked to a port that is cable of rapid charging.
So best I can tell nothing can be damaged here, just if you get the "in spec" cable with the 56k resistor, it will always slow charge, even when plugged into a device cable of charging faster?
*edit* Just for clarification, the cable with the 56k resistor will do "charging slowly" and "charging", whereas the cable without will do rapid charging on devices that can output the extra current. So while I say slow charging, it's still capable of charging at a "normal" rate */edit*

A big part of the issue is that it can try to pull more current from the port than the port can supply, and possibly damage it. Once the port is damaged who knows how it will react or what it will be supplying. Most USB A ports aren't going to supply 3A safely that's where the concern is. On the unsafe thing here is more https://plus.google.com/+BensonLeung/posts/HakwCMmd346
You are essentially creating a powered hub with that, I've done similar to make a powered OTG. You should be able to charge from it if the power supply is correct. Obviously, it's on you to decide if it is correct and worth the possible risk.

So I get voltage is pushed, amperage is pulled. So is the problem only on incorrectly designed power supplies / chargers that dont limit their output current?
So far every port / charger Ive used my 5x has charged correctly on (only drawing what the port can supply). The only catch here is cables that Benson tested in spec (with the 56k pull up resistor) wont support "charging rapidly" on ports that are capable of it.

OhioYJ said:
So I get voltage is pushed, amperage is pulled. So is the problem only on incorrectly designed power supplies / chargers that dont limit their output current?
So far every port / charger Ive used my 5x has charged correctly on (only drawing what the port can supply). The only catch here is cables that Benson tested in spec (with the 56k pull up resistor) wont support "charging rapidly" on ports that are capable of it.
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Click to collapse
One thing to consider is that the USB A chargers were never meant to charge C devices, so it's not that they are all improperly designed, just that they are designed for a different spec. The PU is on the Configuration Control pin and is meant to configure the device to what the source is rated for, 56k will set it to "Default USB Power 500mA for USB2.0, 900mA for USB3.0". The charger lacks the PU to configure the device and the 56k PU in the cord is there to fix that and sets it to default values in order to make it work across all sources/ports. I found some C spec information from here if you want more to look at.
As long as the 5X was getting no more than it's 5v 3A and the source was safely providing the power then I don't see where the issue would be.

Keithn said:
One thing to consider is that the USB A chargers were never meant to charge C devices, so it's not that they are all improperly designed, just that they are designed for a different spec.
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Click to collapse
I'm more inferring that if there is a fire or melted plug, it was an improperly designed device. Any charger or power supply should be limited to a max safe current anyways, regardless of what the device or cable would like to pull.
Thanks for the link though, I had never really looked into why (how) it was reversible, or what the various resistor were doing. It's actually a pretty interesting read. It really strikes me as they wanted to create a do it all cable, but that just ended up making it really complex for no reason.

Ok so in the end the CheckR app claims the phone is charging with 3A and that the cable is unsafe but the phone says charging slowly and i tested with an ammeter and it's only about 350mA so the cable is safe. Apparently the CheckR app really can't be trusted.

sasko123 said:
Ok so in the end the CheckR app claims the phone is charging with 3A and that the cable is unsafe but the phone says charging slowly and i tested with an ammeter and it's only about 350mA so the cable is safe. Apparently the CheckR app really can't be trusted.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Which cable are you using? It is not necessary for the 5X to draw 3A at all times, in fact it wont - even with the stock USB C charger. It depends on the current battery level, the heat, and the charger. And don't go by the 'charging rapidly/slowly' indication, it isn't consistent when the 5X is paired with Type A cables (compliant or not) and chargers. Using Ampere or Current Monitor is better to monitor the draw.

roofrider said:
Which cable are you using? It is not necessary for the 5X to draw 3A at all times, in fact it wont - even with the stock USB C charger. It depends on the current battery level, the heat, and the charger. And don't go by the 'charging rapidly/slowly' indication, it isn't consistent when the 5X is paired with Type A cables (compliant or not) and chargers. Using Ampere or Current Monitor is better to monitor the draw.
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Click to collapse
I'm using this cable: goo. gl/ayfgEk (can't post links yet). I did a test today and the result is: according to my ammeter at 27% battery the phone draws about 250-400mA. At the same time the Ampere app jumps from 190 to 540mA (it even went to over 2000mA but I didn't get a picture of that) so the cable seems safe to me. So am I missing something or the Ampere app really can't be trusted?
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I'm using the cable here goo. gl/ayfgEk (can't post link yet) I think using a physical ammeter would be the best way to monitor the current. I will do some more testing(using both the Ampere app and my ammeter) at different battery levels. Will report back.
Also the site claims it's USB 3.0 but it's actually just 2.0 with blue plastic
[EDIT: sorry for double post looks like i still had a draft saved on the phone and accidentally posted it now]

I think the app can be trusted, but which charger were you using? Was it connected to a USB port? I would suggest testing it further. Even the Current Monitor app can validate compliant USB C->A cables, so you could give that a shot as well.
-edit-
But how are you using the ammeter to check the draw here?
-edit2-
You said you saw it shoot over 2A. That shouldn't be happening when connected to a USB port. It shouldn't exceed 500mA.
-edit3-
Interesting.

roofrider said:
I think the app can be trusted, but which charger were you using? Was it connected to a USB port? I would suggest testing it further. Even the Current Monitor app can validate compliant USB C->A cables, so you could give that a shot as well.
-edit-
But how are you using the ammeter to check the draw here?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It was connected to a computer USB port as that is the only I plan on using it(I'm not gonna use it with an AC charger) I connected a short USB extender between the cable and the USB port and the extender has a cut 5v wire so I can connect the ammeter in series. Will test the current monitor app.
EDIT: It only went over 2A according to the Ampere app, at the same time the ammeter measured 260mA. This is the reason I'm questioning the app's reliability.

I'm curious to know how much the 5X pulls via that cable when connected to a 1A or 1.5A charger. If it stays within the amps the charger is rated to provide, then it should be good.

[Review] Tronsmart Dual USB Wall Quick Charger

Introduction
One can never have too many wall chargers; especially in a day and age where people own multiple devices or live in busy households with many cellphones users under the same roof. I am one of those people, so wall chargers with multiple ports often come in handy. There are plenty on the market, but which one is the right choice? Also, I'm not a professional photographer, so some of the pictures will be less than fantastic, especially when you consider the Nexus 5X I used sucks at close-ups for some odd reason. Anyways, lets dive into the Tronsmart 33W Dual USB wall charger.
Disclaimer: I received the reviewed products from Tronsmart in exchange for this review. I have no financial stake or affiliation with this company. I've actually never even owned a Tronsmart product before. No bias exists here.
Details
Device: Tronsmart W2PTE Dual USB Quick Charger
Price: $21.99 (at the time of this review)
USB-A Output: 5V/3A(MAX)
USB-C Output: 3.6V-6.5V/3.0A,6.5V-9V/2.0A,9V-12V/1.5A(MAX)
Initial Impressions
Along with the charger, I received boxes of Black and White USB-C and USB-A to USB-C cables (four cables total). This review will not focus on the performance of the cables, as they have already been reviewed here. They do, however, adhere to the USB-C standard.
The packaging is pretty standard. They're cables and chargers, so nothing fancy is really required here. I did notice, almost immediately, the USB 2.0 logo. I'm a little disappointed that the cables are not USB 3.0 but we're really treading into nitpicking territory here. My Nexus 5X isn't USB 3.0 capable but my future devices down the road might be.
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My first impressions of the charger are good. It's made of a mixture of textured and gloss plastic, the design itself is quite attractive. There are no visible seems or sharp edges in the plastic. Additionally, it has a nice heft to it, sometimes indicative of quality. The swiveling mechanism moves with an authoritative "snap", inspiring further confidence in the build quality of the product.
As mentioned previously, I received two USB-A to USB-C cables, one black and one white, and two USB-C cables in the same color arrangement. The cables are terrific. The first thing I noticed was that the cables are a bit thinner than the Choetech cables I have (same gauge as the cable that came with the phone), but are far more flexible. The flexibility is nice when charging the phone on my desk so I don't have to bend and manipulate the cable to get it in a state where it's not constantly tugging on my phone. With the less flexible Choetech cable, I felt that sometimes the cable with putting a lot of stress on the charging port of the phone. I don't have this concern with the Tronsmart cables. This is also great for travelling where I can easily coil them up and throw them in a bag without having to twisty-tie them together. The ends of the cables are also a bit nicer as well. The USB-C ends having a sloped, ergonomic shape that fits my fingers quite well.
Design and Features
The charger sits in a normal wall outlet vertically. When plugged in, it has an indicator light that glows green, which is a nice touch, but doesn't really mean anything other than that your wall outlet is working.
The charger has two ports. A USB-C port and USB-A port. The USB-C port is a Qualcomm QuickCharge 3.0 capable port. An ability that my Nexus 5X can't take advantage of, but is much appreciated by me nonetheless. I'm sure the charging speed will come in handy in the future. The USB-A port is a "Volt iQ" port. Volt iQ is essentially a small circuit that is able to detect the current required by the device that's being charged. It's a pretty cool feature that expands the compatibility of this charger to almost any device, even Apple products or older devices before standards (like 2.1A charging) were set in the industry.
Performance
I'm gonna be honest here, I had planned on presenting a bunch of data and results from readings taken using the popular app, Ampere. Unfortunately, readings were so sporadic I didn't even bother to continue with recording the information. I'm assuming this has more to do with the phone and its battery temperature / CPU usage and less to do with the actual charger itself. I can tell you that a pattern that quickly emerged is that the phone would not charge any faster than 2540mAh from either port, using any of the supplied cables.
2540mAh is a very respectable number and while the phone is capable of charging at 3000mAh, this number doesn't really bother me because, if anything, the battery will stay healthier longer.
It should also be mentioned that immediately after receiving these cables I visited a good friend of mine for a weekend. He has two young dogs, one German Shepherd that's 6 months old. To my dismay, I came downstairs one morning to find the dog chewing on the cable. I removed the cable from the dog's mouth and to my surprise, there was no damage to the cable. If anything this is a testament to the cable's durability. Teething Puppy-Approved.
Overall
Overall, I'm quite happy with the quality and performance of the charger and the cables. I would recommend these products to anyone looking for a good and up-to-spec charger for a decent price.
Additionally, I'd like to thank Tronsmart for the charger, cables and the opportunity.

Nice review, I just picked one of these up.

Got this today, along with a Tronsmart USB type C cable. Phone identifies as charging rapidly, when its both charging alone as well as when it's alongside an iPhone 6S. Seems like a great charger.

Alcolawl said:
Introduction
One can never have too many wall chargers; especially in a day and age where people own multiple devices or live in busy households with many cellphones users under the same roof.
. . .
Overall, I'm quite happy with the quality and performance of the charger and the cables. I would recommend these products to anyone looking for a good and up-to-spec charger for a decent price.
Additionally, I'd like to thank Tronsmart for the charger, cables and the opportunity.
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Hi there and thanks for the great review.
I know I'm a bit late, but hopefully you can still answer this Did you test the out when both USB Ports were in use simultaniously? Does the Output decrease by a noticable amount?
Thanks!

JimWest7997 said:
Hi there and thanks for the great review.
I know I'm a bit late, but hopefully you can still answer this Did you test the out when both USB Ports were in use simultaniously? Does the Output decrease by a noticable amount?
Thanks!
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I had not tested that. I'll check it out when I get home and get back to you

Alcolawl said:
I had not tested that. I'll check it out when I get home and get back to you
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Thank so much for the effort! I need a second charger and figured I might as well get one that my girlfriend and I can use at the same time, she doesn't care how quick her oneplus x chargers, but I hope at least the USB C connector is still quick
thanks!

JimWest7997 said:
Thank so much for the effort! I need a second charger and figured I might as well get one that my girlfriend and I can use at the same time, she doesn't care how quick her oneplus x chargers, but I hope at least the USB C connector is still quick
thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
it's a 33w charger, so it can charge both the type c device (15w) and a quick charge device (18w) at max speeds. a non quick charge phone will also top out, albeit at 12w so you're not pushing the charger to its limit

Not pushing it to the limit if fine for me, I couldn't find a better alternative at that price point so far anyway.
Sent from my Nexus 5X using XDA-Developers mobile app

JimWest7997 said:
Thank so much for the effort! I need a second charger and figured I might as well get one that my girlfriend and I can use at the same time, she doesn't care how quick her oneplus x chargers, but I hope at least the USB C connector is still quick
thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So yesterday my girlfriend plugged her phone (Galaxy S6) into this charger via the VoltiQ port while my phone was already connected and charging via the USB-C port. We took a quick 1 hour nap and my phone was fully charged while hers was only at 45% when we woke up. Charging two devices at the same time should not effect the speed of the charge for either device but I figured I'd follow up with this info. Not sure what happened, maybe the phone throttled the charging because the battery got warm.

Its been confirmed this is an out of spec charger...
Sent from my Nexus 6P using XDA-Developers mobile app

sapphirecoupe said:
Its been confirmed this is an out of spec charger...
Sent from my Nexus 6P using XDA-Developers mobile app
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Interesting. Link?

sapphirecoupe said:
Its been confirmed this is an out of spec charger...
Sent from my Nexus 6P using XDA-Developers mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No
Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk