can you use tablet charger with phone and can you rename device?

[Sesami]

Ok I have two questions.

1. Can you use the Nexus 7 charger on your Android phone? I'm not sure if the voltage or whatever is different (don't know much about this), but I've heard from both sides. Some think that the tablet charger will charge your phone faster/higher than it's battery is designed to be, so it will shorten your phone battery life. Others say it's fine and won't make a difference. Can anyone confirm either or for sure?

2. Can you rename the device? When I look at my router settings, I see 4 different Android devices and I have no idea which ones are mine. My boyfriend and room mate both have Android phones as well, and I have my tablet and phone.

 

[Gehrbox]

Re: can you use tablet charger with phone and can you rename devi

I use an iPad charger on my wife's iPhone occasionally. So far occasional use has not damaged the phones battery performance.

The charger should have the Amps and voltage output printed on the case. Usb type chargers usually output close to 5v. An iphone charger outputs 5v and 1amp. An ipads charger outputs 5v and 2 amps. As a result in theory it charges at twice the rate. More amps = faster charge. More amps also = more heat, more heat can lead to damage to the battery and charge circuit.

Whether it damages the phones battery over time depends on the charge circuit in the phone and the battery technology used. Some phones have smart charge circuits and limit max amps, others depend on the charger itself to manage the power of the charge. Battery technology varies widely. Some can be charged at rates higher than their capacity and others cannot.

Overcharging or charging a lithium type battery at too high a voltage or ampere rate can lead to a small explosion when the battery case fails and fire.

 

[pete_lockwood]

Re: can you use tablet charger with phone and can you rename devi

Isn't USB supposed to be a standard?

 

[dpridgen]

Re: can you use tablet charger with phone and can you rename devi

All usb chargers are 5 volts, and most, if not all, charge circuits will only draw up to the maximum number of amps they were designed for.

 

[zedorda]

Re: can you use tablet charger with phone and can you rename devi

Isn't USB supposed to be a standard?

USB is a standard but only in form not function.

 

[burwil]

I tried this last night. Plugged the N7 charger (2 amps of output) into my rezound. While plugged in, my screen was blank until I touched it. Then all the widgets and icons reappeared. With a .5 amp output charger there was no blank screen. Why I didn't try the rezound charger was because I accidently returned it when I exchanged my first N7 for another. Bottom line.....I would feel uncomfortable using a 2 amp charger on a phone that is probably designed for a 1 amp charger. I ordered another 1 amp charger today.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2

 

[mkiker2089]

Re: can you use tablet charger with phone and can you rename devi

I tried this last night. Plugged the N7 charger (2 amps of output) into my rezound. While plugged in, my screen was blank until I touched it. Then all the widgets and icons reappeared. With a .5 amp output charger there was no blank screen. Why I didn't try the rezound charger was because I accidently returned it when I exchanged my first N7 for another. Bottom line.....I would feel uncomfortable using a 2 amp charger on a phone that is probably designed for a 1 amp charger. I ordered another 1 amp charger today.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2

Trust the people above, they know of what they speak.

To keep it simple Nicad and NiMH batteries are "dumb" as in they have no control circuitry and depend on the charger. NiMh chargers can charge Nicads but the other way usually ends badly. We could even get into why I said usually above regarding "smart" batteries.

Li-ions on the other hand are usually "smart" as in they have control circuits to monitor their charge level. They will NOT draw more power than their circuit is designed for. Actually if anything a higher amp charger is better because they are built to dissipate heat better.

We can get very complicated and talk about the resistive nature of chemical batteries and the care and feeding of li-ions but that's straying a bit.

 

[djhgdfkg]

Re: can you use tablet charger with phone and can you rename devi

Firstly ,I am sure it will not make any difference about the tablet charger on the phone charger, it is just ok.
Secondly, of course you can rename your device, connect your device with computer, and then on the computer your device name will appear, and then you can change it. it is very easy.

 

[mkiker2089]

Re: can you use tablet charger with phone and can you rename devi

Firstly ,I am sure it will not make any difference about the tablet charger on the phone charger, it is just ok.
Secondly, of course you can rename your device, connect your device with computer, and then on the computer your device name will appear, and then you can change it. it is very easy.

Not exactly, on part two. The Nexus doesn't communicate like a computer or disk, it connects as a media player. The name visible in windows is a description only applicable to Windows and has no effect on what his router will show. He wants to change the DHCP host name, I think that's the term. The name a device sends to the router when asking to connect. With PCs it's usually the descriptive name. With devices like the Nexus and printers it's usually the serial number. Alas phones also announce themselves as Androidxxxxxx with the x's being numbers. Hence the dilemma.

As far as I know Android does not offer a utility to change the DHCP host name, however I'm a noob when it comes to Android programing.

 

[Sesami]

Re: can you use tablet charger with phone and can you rename devi

Soo I'm still confused. Is it safe or not? I charged my phone on the tablet charger earlier for about 1 hour, before I got paranoid and decided to take it off. It did seem to charge much faster than usual. Then again, I usually charge my phone via USB from my desktop computer. Does it charge slower from a computer than the AC adapter?

 

[MalachyNG]

I've got micro USB chargers and cables from all kinds of devices that I use interchangeably to no ill effect. Currently I have my phone hooked to the short cable that came with my N7 and my N7 hooked up to a (very long) kindle USB cable plugged into my kodak camcorder's wall plug adaptor.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Android Central Forums

 

[jpash549]

Re: can you use tablet charger with phone and can you rename devi

The charging control circuitry with Li-Po batteries is in the battery circuitry not the charger. With the BB charger it is possible to use the Playbook charger with the recent phones although the output is twice that of the standard phone charger. Charging will of course go faster. Some think that this may reduce battery life. Would not recommend using the N7 charger with just any phone .

Blackberry playbook has a magnetic charger which I use because I don't like to overuse the USB port which can be damaged if you insert the charger the wrong way. The pogo pins on the side of the N7 will supposedly allow a charging dock and who knows what else. I'm looking forward to getting whatever it is.

Computer USB connections usually give maybe about 0.8 amp which is less than the usual 1 amp phone charger.

 

[mkiker2089]

Re: can you use tablet charger with phone and can you rename devi

The charging control circuitry with Li-Po batteries is in the battery circuitry not the charger. With the BB charger it is possible to use the Playbook charger with the recent phones although the output is twice that of the standard phone charger. Charging will of course go faster. Some think that this may reduce battery life. Would not recommend using the N7 charger with just any phone .

If the battery controls the input, as it does, the charging should not occur faster. It may, if the device is designed to be compatible with fast charging, but most won't in my experience.

That also depends on the wall wart. Some older ones HAD to output what they listed. New ones keep the voltage steady and can output whatever amperage the device takes up to their maximum. If you use an old wall wart you may have issues but most of those a dead and gone now.

 

[pete_lockwood]

Re: can you use tablet charger with phone and can you rename devi

USB is a standard but only in form not function.

It's a standard in both.


The Battery Charging Specification turned up in 2007. The only micro-USB charger you don't wanna use is one that's more than about 3 years old (and that still leaves a margin of error for late adoption).

 

[cusinndzl]

Re: can you use tablet charger with phone and can you rename devi

I've been mixing and matching microUSB chargers for years without any issues.

 

[neillcurrie]

You are fine charging a lower amperage device with a higher amperage charger. The phone will just draw the current it can to charge, so if more is available, it'll just charge faster.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Android Central Forums

 

[YAYTech]

Re: can you use tablet charger with phone and can you rename devi

Another fun fact: the N7 stock charger does not draw power if nothing is plugged into it, or if what is plugged into it is fully charged and thus not drawing a charge. I was in the habit of unplugging my chargers when not in use until I tested this last week. There are probably some chargers out there that aren't smart enough to do this, but IIRC, "smart" chargers are being pushed as the new standard - chargers that won't draw current when they are plugged in, unless they are actively charging a device. I've specifically tested for this on the stock N7 charger, and the stock charger from my original Moto Droid. I plan to test the charger from my Razr, as well as an aftermarket charger, but I'm guessing they're both "smart" chargers.

 

[jpash549]

Isn't USB supposed to be a standard?

Yes it is but that doesn't mean that there arent variations in devices which meet the standard. For micro USB there are type a, type b and type ab connection ports. The N7 use type b while the BBPB and the Kindle Fire use type ab. All are five pin with a 5 volt , a ground , two data lines and a fifth pin which can be used in device identification. The BBPB has the the data lines connected together at the plugin end. Chargers not so set up won't work with the PB. Don't know what the N7 setup is. The point is you are safer in using the cable and charger that came with your device and while other chargers etc may happen to work just dont count on it too much. See OTG Micro USB in wiki.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Android Central Forums