Won't Charge over USB in car

[cdemot02]

Has anyone else tried to charge their phone over USB in the car? I used to be able to do this with evo4g no problems. I've tried multiple cars as well. It at best will hold the current charge on the phone, but it never upticks. I also, drive an hour each way to work so it should charge.

 

[camiller]

Amperage output of charger? Brand? Made for iDevice and it's weird way of signaling how much amperage to deliver?

You haven't provided enough information to diagnose the problem.

 

[romeo57]

Make sure the output of the charger is 1mA. I charge my S3 without problems.

 

[cdemot02]

It's the cable that came with the phone. I've tried it in a 2012 accord and Escalade. Both with no luck.

Sent from my SPH-L710 using Android Central Forums

 

[Tkbredx]

Same here. It charges about 1% every 30 minutes if you don't use it at all on usb in the car. Sad case

 

[alan sh]

I depends on the charger. My experience is that a Nokia car charger (mico-USB connector) won't do it. A generic USB charger (long thin thing with a USB socket in the top) with a normal USB cable seems to be OK.

Alan

 

[my3chis]

I have 2 different vehicles with 2 different chargers (both Verizon brand not aftermarket) and they both work fine. About 1% = 1 minute.charge.

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Android Central Forums

 

[bigslam123]

the cable has nothing to do with it. It's the amperage of the power adapter that you are connecting to that matters. It has to be at least a 1amp adapter in order to charge the phone while in use. Verizons car chargers are all 1amp. Many of the cheap adapters that you find on ebay are 700milliamps or less.

 

[LadiJae]

Mines does the same...with both charges.
Thanks for the info, will look into getting a new one!

~Jae, Tap'n on my White Samsung Galaxy S3~

 

[ab304945]

this is what i use, i am able to charge 2 phones at the same time both androids, the gs3 and captivate. i like it cause it is small and when i am not charging the phones i unplug the cables, and the cover for the socket can close with not problem

Walmart.com: Griffin PowerJolt Dual Micro Universal Charger: iPods & MP3 Players

 

[cdemot02]

I'm hooking to the car usb adapter. Not the cigarette lighter using a usb socket.

Sent from my SPH-L710 using Android Central Forums

 

[Roboticz]

Make sure the output of the charger is 1mA. I charge my S3 without problems.

I doesn't need to be 1.0A. My car charger is only 0.5A and it charges the phone fine.

 

[dmmattix]

I'm hooking to the car usb adapter. Not the cigarette lighter using a usb socket.

Sent from my SPH-L710 using Android Central Forums

You mean the one for the Stereo/Entertainment Head Unit? You need a cigarette lighter charger that will provide you with the power you need to charge. The Entertainment unit adapters are there to provide a method of getting iPhones/iPods access to the Head Unit not for power. You are correct that it maintains charge (at least the one I have in my Infiniti keeps my iPod charged) but it does not surprise me that it does not increase the charge.

Mike

 

[MrSlippery519]

Mine charges no problem in the car, I can charge directly via USB (as my car has a USB port) or through the lighter both charge same as plugging into the wall.

 

[cdemot02]

Used to work fine with evo.

Sent from my SPH-L710 using Android Central Forums

 

[MBSMD]

If the phone senses it's plugged in to a USB data port (the USB icon comes up in the notification bar), it seems to change much more slowly. I have a USB port in my car which supports music on memory sticks, etc., which charges my GS3 very slowly. If I plug it in to a cigarette lighter adapter, it charges much more quickly.

One solution here would be to use a short USB plug adapter that strips out the data but keeps the power lines connected, thus the phone doesn't know it's plugged in to a data port. I had one left over from something else at home and this has solved the slow charge for me. "Charge-only" cables versus standard USB data cables would also solve your issue.

This seems to be a GS3 thing, as my previous phone didn't exhibit a slow change here, either. But my little experiment seems to indicate the GS3 charges more slowly if it's expecting data across the same USB connection.

 

[TheByteSmasher]

Look Here For Answers: [MOD] Nexus 7 Charging Cable ★..:""'∞Use Any USB Charger∞'"":..★

 

[MichaelBR]

There are some reasons why it won't work, and some ways to solve it. First, let's understand how it works:

• The USB cable has four pins. The inner two pins are where the data goes through. THe outer, power.
• When the USB cable is plugged in to a computer, the data pins are connected normally and the phone knows it can only draw certain amount of power
• When the cable is plugged in to a charger, the two middle pins are shorted, and the phone knows that it's NOT going to be sendind/receiving data, so it can draw as much power as it can. That's why it charges faster with the charger than when plugged in to a computer
• Most chargers short the two pins. Some cables have a switch to do that.
• There are different cable cauges as well, with different power capacities.
• Some USB chargers, notably car chargers and some low-end (i.e. not good brand) chargers that don't draw from the car/don't give the phone as much current as it needs.

So, if any of below, the phone won't charge, or won't charge fast enough. Or, worse: it may appear as charging, but actually losing battery charge!

• Cable too long or incorrect gauge
• Middle pins not shorted for some reason
• Charger doesn't deliver enough current

And the solutions are:

• Don't use cable extensions, cables that are too long. Stick with the cable that came with the phone or with the charger
• Get a good car charger, that delivers the right amount of current

I imagine you just got the cable from your original wall charger and plugged it in to the car charger. If you did that, then chances are the cable is OK, and the charger is the culprit. If this is the case, then get a better charger. Check how much current that charger can deliver. Check how much current your device actually needs.

Hope this helps.

 

[funkylogik]

michael can u hav a look at my thread incase its somehow related plz bud

http://forums.androidcentral.com/showthread.php?p=2312078

global s3, UK. Ask me anything and ill reply even if its just an intelligent (or stupid) guess

 

[worwig]

I have designed chargers.
I couple of people covered the problem correctly.
It generally has NOTHING to do with the fact that it is a 700ma or 1 amp charger. It has everything to do with needing to short the data pins.
First, install the app "battery monitor". Open up battery monitor and plug the phone into your AC charger. Battery monitor will indicate that it is plugged into an AC charger, and after a long while will show a high charge current. Then plug it into a USB port, Battery Monitor will indicate it is a USB port, and will eventually show a lower charge current. Plug it into your car charger, and it will likely show that it is a USB port, not a fast AC charger.
If you are careful, you can put a small piece of foil in the large USB port in the charger, and short just the two center data pins. That should give the high AC charge rate. And just glue the USB plug in to keep it from moving the foil. I typically open the charger and short it out inside.
The most current that I have seen drawn by the SIII is 800ma. So a 700ma will only be very slightly slower, and a 1 amp would be best of course. Any more is a waste. I have seen cables with some really small gauge wire that couldn't do the job. But that is rare.

This is all by design. It is part of the Micro USB standard. When plugged into a PC USB port, you have to limit the current. The SIII and all other phones I have tested, limit it to about 300ma. When plugged into AC (the data lines are short), the phone can safely pull more current. Usually in the 700 to 800ma range. I have yet to find a cheap car charger that had the two center USB data pins shorted as they are supposed to be.