AC charger / car charger question

[rjack22]

Can I use my AC/USB charger and car charger cables from my Verizon Fascinate with my new Galaxy Nexus? I hate to buy more cables. I have no idea what the specifications are for either. Can anyone help me figure this out?

 

[tntdroid]

If they are the same USB then yes. Should have no issues unless the cables are older. I have a older USB and it won't charge.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk

 

[kklier]

I'm using a USB cable from a fascinate in my car...

 

[jdbower]

If the plug fits, wear it!

The only thing you may run into is the current (amperage) rating. Low power draw phones may only have a 500mA charger so if your phone draws too much power the charger will shut itself off or just not be able to charge faster than the phone discharges. I think the Galaxy Nexus chargers are on the order of 750-850mA (not sure about the car charger, though).

A Fascinate charger should be fine, or you can get a heavier-duty aftermarket model if you find that the charger can't keep up with music+GPS+everything else on. Look for one of the 2A models if you do buy a new one.

 

[rjack22]

Thanks everyone! I saw no sense in buying new ones when I had ones from my Fascinate.

 

[CynicX]

The faster you charge a battery the worst it CAN be. If you are pumping electricity in faster then the chemical reaction in the battery is happening it can result in excessive heat and gases.

There are a lot of decent apps to measure battery temp you can mess around with. And the fact the GN has a replaceable battery makes it not quite of a big deal.

The Xoom has a 1.5a charger and a battery designed for it. Its great cause you can't drain the battery faster then it charges even if you wanted too. I'd think a 1 to 1.5 amp charger for the gnex might be just what it needs...

 

[jdbower]

Actually, the phone won't pull more current than it can handle. It's much safer to build that into the phone than to have dedicated, specific chargers. This is why using my 1000mA+ chargers on my Bluetooth headset (which would be lucky to be able to pull 500mA) works just fine. You may not be able to use the full power of a 2A car charger with the current phone, but at least it's there for whatever comes next.

 

[CynicX]

Actually, the phone won't pull more current than it can handle. It's much safer to build that into the phone than to have dedicated, specific chargers. This is why using my 1000mA+ chargers on my Bluetooth headset (which would be lucky to be able to pull 500mA) works just fine. You may not be able to use the full power of a 2A car charger with the current phone, but at least it's there for whatever comes next.

Interesting, I didn't know the phone would regulate it. How come all these phones come with such bush league chargers then? Having a charger that can charge as fast or faster then it can discharge should be a requirement!

 

[jdbower]

I think you know the answer to that - it's cheaper!

Hopefully larger power converters will become more commonplace soon enough. The existing adapters work fine under normal usage, but streaming Flash videos or running the GPS can still out power them.

 

[CynicX]

I think you know the answer to that - it's cheaper!

Hopefully larger power converters will become more commonplace soon enough. The existing adapters work fine under normal usage, but streaming Flash videos or running the GPS can still out power them.

Yeah I thought expense. Just seems like a lousey place to cut corners.

People complained about the xoom's charging method until they figured out it could charge a 6500 mah battery in less then 3 hours even under heavy loads. I can stream Netflix for 6 - 8 hours before the battery dies. I've become so spoiled by amazing battery life smartphones feel like glorified land lines since I end up planning my day around keeping the battery charged.