Car chargers don't work

[theonlybuster]

I didn't find much info on this online so I figured I'd ask.

Is anyone else having trouble using a standard car charger with their S5? I have tried 5 car chargers on various cigarette ports in my car. They ALL work with every phone and every device EXCEPT my S5.
I've tried standard phone chargers as well as tablet chargers, all to no avail. Any clues or ideas here?

Also with that said, any car charger USB ports that definitely do work out there that you guys recommend?

 

[GC736]

What is the amperage of your car charger? For the S5 you really want a 2 amp charger.

Posted via Android Central App

 

[pingmkv]

Yeap. Galaxy S5 needs 2Amp output charger.

 

[theonlybuster]

I figured it needed more power, hence the reason I tried a tablet charger since those deliver more outputting power (2.4A).
I've charged gaming laptops via my car's cigarette lighter, and of course a converter. But the S5 simply will not even see the charging device.
BUT, and here's the kicker, when I plug it directly into my car's USB it will transfer files, yet again refuses to charge. It's very strange, and I've never ran into any device like it.

And thanks Roger, but I need a simply cigarette port to connect the USB to. 2 USB inputs at most. Anything bigger is simply overkill for my needs now and in the future.

 

[Thegreatone3]

This one has worked well for me:

[Smart Port] Maxboost 4.4A/22W Dual Port USB Car Charger - [Black/B... http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ISGCAJM...ag=hawk-future-20&ascsubtag=UUacUvbUpU3814856

 

[theonlybuster]

The car charger I recommended is not a bulky unit. If you compare the device given in the post of "thegreatstone" is a very small unit but you cannot rely on that, the device I recommended contains automatically optimize the current for your device what it needs. It saves you from overcharging and overheating. The device I mentioned is of $19 but in the post of "thegreatstone" it costs you $12, for just $7 difference you will get many functions.

Roger, please understand, for my use of it, your recommendation is too big. I only and only want a cigarette lighter connection to USB so I may connect my own USB to the device. Take no offense in this, but anything more than that is simply too much. I'm a minimalist, so the fewer and shorter the wires the better. For a larger car with more space, your recommendation may most likely be a great one, but for my use it's simply too much.
In regards to price range, really anything under $25 or even $30 I'll happily consider. I understand fully that quality AND features come at a price. I also understand that downsizing typically means giving up some features.

 

[f308gt4]

When you say the charger doesn't work with your phone, what do you mean?

1) No charge at all (i.e., no lightning symbol on the battery icon)
or
2) Charging, (you see the lightning symbol) but not enough to actually power the device when the screen is on, etc. So even though you see the lightning symbol, the phone charge is not increasing, or possibly even decreasing if you have the screen on for a long time.

If #1, I suspect you may have an issue with your phone.

If #2, you need a charger that will provide at least 1 amp and ideally 2 amps.


The charger I have is this one:

Amazon.com: HTC T-Mobile myTouch 3G Car Charger - Black: Cell Phones & Accessories

It seems to work fine with my phone, even though it is only 1 amp. If you read the reviews on the charger, the first review explains the difference between USB vs AC charging. If you are having issue #2, it is likely that the phone is getting only 0.5 amps and thus not enough to charge the phone when the screen is on, GPS running, etc. It seems like many of the chargers intended for apple devices are not seen by Android phones as AC chargers, but rather USB chargers and therefore only provide 0.5 Amp output to the phone.

Hope this helps.

 

[theonlybuster]

When you say the charger doesn't work with your phone, what do you mean?

1) No charge at all (i.e., no lightning symbol on the battery icon)
or
2) Charging, (you see the lightning symbol) but not enough to actually power the device when the screen is on, etc. So even though you see the lightning symbol, the phone charge is not increasing, or possibly even decreasing if you have the screen on for a long time.

If #1, I suspect you may have an issue with your phone.

If #2, you need a charger that will provide at least 1 amp and ideally 2 amps.


The charger I have is this one:

Amazon.com: HTC T-Mobile myTouch 3G Car Charger - Black: Cell Phones & Accessories

It seems to work fine with my phone, even though it is only 1 amp. If you read the reviews on the charger, the first review explains the difference between USB vs AC charging. If you are having issue #2, it is likely that the phone is getting only 0.5 amps and thus not enough to charge the phone when the screen is on, GPS running, etc. It seems like many of the chargers intended for apple devices are not seen by Android phones as AC chargers, but rather USB chargers and therefore only provide 0.5 Amp output to the phone.

Hope this helps.

By chargers not working, I mean I've tried 1 and 2 amp chargers, they charge every other phone I have/had except the S5. And it's not just my S5, my neighbor has 2 and same end result there as well - no charge. So I'm led to believe there's some sort of compatibility issue with the phone and specific car chargers.

My home chargers work just fine, ALL of them. I've even used the same cords I keep around the house with the cigarette port chargers and the phone still doesn't show it's charging.

I have Motorola, HTC, Belkin, a few other companies, as well as off brand chargers and the end result is the same. Granted the S5 recognized the Moto charger, but the charger was 1amp so charge times were quite slow. And in the case of me using my GPS, it wasn't enough input to match and overtake the output of energy.

The good news is that I was directed on another forum to grab the 2amp Samsung cigarette charging port (the one w/o attached USB) and it should work on my S5 and other devices. I wish I had an indication light to let me know it's working, but hey beggers can't be choosers. So I'll likely put in an order for one of those in the next day or so.

 

[f308gt4]

So, it sounds to me like you have problem #2 that I described above. It's technically charging, but not enough to actually make it worthwhile, given the power consumption of your phone.

If that's the case, find a 2A charger that is compatible with Android. If you see my post above, and read the review in the amazon link for the charger I linked to, you can see that depending on the charger, even though it is rated at 2A, may only be providing 0.5A to the phone. It seems that most chargers designed for apple products work this way.

I suggest that you check the amazon reviews for whichever charger you decide to go with. Usually, someone in the reviews will point out if it is giving the maximum charge to Android devices.

Here's a couple from amazon that should do the trick, according to the reviews:

http://www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-...ag=hawk-future-20&ascsubtag=UUacUvbUpU3818894

http://www.amazon.com/Aukey-Charger...ag=hawk-future-20&ascsubtag=UUacUvbUpU3818894

http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-Vehic...ag=hawk-future-20&ascsubtag=UUacUvbUpU3818894

Hope this helps.

 

[JS_racer]

Amazon.com: Anker® 24W Dual-Port Rapid USB Car Charger with PowerIQ Technology for iPhone 5s 5c 5; iPad Air, mini; Galaxy S5 S4; Note 3 2; the new HTC One (M8) and More (Black): Cell Phones & Accessories

 

[htcmate]

Do you have one of those USB amp meters? Plug one in between and see if any current is going through to the phone.

 

[Thegreatone3]

https://forums.androidcentral.com/e...tis.galaxychargingcurrent.free&token=0GW_co1y
Good tool for checking charging current.

 

[theonlybuster]

I don't have a USB volt meter, but the high output chargers were able to power and charge a full sized tablet with no problem. After browsing a few other forums and sites it's SOMETHING with the S5 in particular. Even on review websites they mention that the S5 is a little bit picky with some car chargers but no one can explain why.