questions regarding Bump Charging

[MA2GA28]

Not looking good...

Without bump charging, I was averaging an Up Time of 28 hours, give or take, and say 4 hours of usage time, on average (typically between 3 to 5 hours).

After my bump charge this afternoon (charged while off to green, turned it on and poked around email and FB for a few minutes, turned it back off and charged for 10 minutes til green again), I'm looking at about 25% charge on 8 hours of Up Time and about 2.05 hours of usage. Typically, I'm much higher in both realms at this point of battery life.

Usage between the different cycles is comparable, so not looking good with the bump charge on my side of things. For my purposes, I'll probably avoid the bump going forward and just charge the phone while off as I have been doing.

 

[DustinF00#AC]

Mine doesn't do this, you just have to make sure you have a 1 amp car charger because the phone can not charge as fast as you are using it with a .5 amp or smaller charger.

Absolutely, 100% correct. You MUST use a 1A or better 5v charger in the car.

I was using my 500mAh BB charger for the longest time. Ran navigation for an hour trying to get somewhere and BLAMMO - dead phone.

I since moved to a 850mAh Charger (because I've had some issues locating a GOOD 1A charger) and although I still see a VERY SLOW charge rate - I am not killing the battery as quickly.

Testing at home with the included HTC home cahrger - Navigation running (although I get it - its not doing anything - but the radios is on), wifi running and using it as a phone - I can still get the phone to charge.

 

[PvilleComp]

Absolutely, 100% correct. You MUST use a 1A or better 5v charger in the car.

I was using my 500mAh BB charger for the longest time. Ran navigation for an hour trying to get somewhere and BLAMMO - dead phone.

I since moved to a 850mAh Charger (because I've had some issues locating a GOOD 1A charger) and although I still see a VERY SLOW charge rate - I am not killing the battery as quickly.

Testing at home with the included HTC home cahrger - Navigation running (although I get it - its not doing anything - but the radios is on), wifi running and using it as a phone - I can still get the phone to charge.

Just out of curiosity, are you using the Car Panel or another Car Dock app?

I use my phone all the time for GPS and BT speakerphone / phone and I?m using the plain Jane VZW car charger. (I have no idea if it?s 1A or less.) I have noticed, and tested with a few different car dock apps, that when I use the Car Panel or another Car Dock app I get battery drain while on the charger. When I just launch Nav and use the native voice dialer, I get an increase in charge every time.

 

[Qazme]

Even though you aren't moving your GPS is constantly receiving and calculating. So don't fall for the whole I'm not moving it's not doing anything wrap.

 

[DustinF00#AC]

Just out of curiosity, are you using the Car Panel or another Car Dock app?

I use my phone all the time for GPS and BT speakerphone / phone and I?m using the plain Jane VZW car charger. (I have no idea if it?s 1A or less.) I have noticed, and tested with a few different car dock apps, that when I use the Car Panel or another Car Dock app I get battery drain while on the charger. When I just launch Nav and use the native voice dialer, I get an increase in charge every time.

I didnt use any car dock app - just launched the apps separately...

 

[DustinF00#AC]

Even though you aren't moving your GPS is constantly receiving and calculating. So don't fall for the whole I'm not moving it's not doing anything wrap.

Yes, which was why I noted in the post that the radio is on (for GPS I meant) so that its still on and running - like it would - if I were moving.

Whats missing would be the graphics changing and CPU/GPU cycles to handle the changing of the screens and combination of data downloading...

 

[nyc_rock]

I'm not convinced that the phone has a firmware problem; once you're at the tail end of the charge cycle you're applying less current to the battery.

Most of the phones need the battery inside to handle the spikes of current draw needed from the radio(s) when needed to receive/respond to cell broadcast or tx/rx data or handle wifi beacons.

The reason the bump charge is working so well is because there isn't anything drawing current from the battery while the phone is attempting to charge the battery.

So "we" might think there is a problem with firmware, but I believe "they" are playing it safe when charging so that they don't get caught in a loop.

I have used alot of smartphones and I have never witnessed the behavior of the battery percentage we see with the Incredible. You take your phone off the charger (at least with my phone) and within 10 minutes the battery has discharged 10% with no use. Bump charging eliminates the problem. Now, the real question is does it effect the overall performance of the battery? Meaning, net net are you gaining significant usage with the bump charging or are you just tricking the phone? Either way, there is an issue with the firmware/hardware that is causing the quick drop after you take it off the charger. HTC has acknowledged this through thier customer service reps however I have seen nothing in terms of an official statement.

 

[CRKhead]

Testing at home with the included HTC home cahrger - Navigation running (although I get it - its not doing anything -

Nonsense... Get yourself a USB cable extender and run around your house...

I believe the car chargers now available from Verizon are rated at 850mAh, am I correct?

You take your phone off the charger (at least with my phone) and within 10 minutes the battery has discharged 10% with no use. Bump charging eliminates the problem.

This actually depends on how you're charging it... If you're powered on when charging, then the battery starts getting used for all background activities and powering of antennas as soon as the charge cycle is done. So, if you put the phone on the charger at 10PM, the battery is usually fully charged by 2AM or so... The rest of the night, it's running off battery and killing it, but since it's plugged in, the battery meter continuously reads 100% until you unplug it, then the phone starts zeroing in on the actual charge level remaining...

 

[ShannonDavis]

I never bump charge (in theory it's bad for the battery). I turn it off and charge it up. This gives me a 99% - 100% charge everytime.

Either way, I don't really find it a problem with the firmware. It's doing what it's doing for a reason.

I sent an email to HTC with concerns about the battery. Their "fix" was to bump charge. They did not call it bump charging but their directions were the same. If this is bad for the battery I would think the manufacturer would not recommend it.

To resolve whether it is a firmware problem, couldn't someone use a charger that charges the battery outside of the phone and check the results?

 

[CRKhead]

To resolve whether it is a firmware problem, couldn't someone use a charger that charges the battery outside of the phone and check the results?

People have used external chargers and are seeing better charge results...

 

[nyc_rock]

Nonsense... Get yourself a USB cable extender and run around your house...

I believe the car chargers now available from Verizon are rated at 850mAh, am I correct?



This actually depends on how you're charging it... If you're powered on when charging, then the battery starts getting used for all background activities and powering of antennas as soon as the charge cycle is done. So, if you put the phone on the charger at 10PM, the battery is usually fully charged by 2AM or so... The rest of the night, it's running off battery and killing it, but since it's plugged in, the battery meter continuously reads 100% until you unplug it, then the phone starts zeroing in on the actual charge level remaining...

The point is it should not depend on how you charge it. It should work like pretty much every other phone that has every had a battery in it.

 

[DustinF00#AC]

The point is it should not depend on how you charge it. It should work like pretty much every other phone that has every had a battery in it.

Wait what ?

If the phone, requires 1A, which it says, in the fine print of the phone behind the battery, and you decide to to use a charger that DOESNT SUBMIT 1A Current - then how the heck could the phone work as expected - when the phone doesnt get the current its expecting.

The bottom line is that it will work - like other phones do - because the other phones most likely received the current they wanted in the first place.

The phone seems to attempt to charge the battery at any voltage/current supplied - but once its requiring MORE current than the power supply is providing - its going to drain the battery.

 

[MA2GA28]

My current non-bump charge stats at around 25% life left:

Up Time is 12.5 hours (listened to Pandora quite a bit this AM), Awake Time is 4.5 hours.

Not sure why, but it seems the bump charge has negative effects on my phone.

 

[CRKhead]

The point is it should not depend on how you charge it. It should work like pretty much every other phone that has every had a battery in it.

I understood your point, and the fact that the phone does NOT run off of external power is a problem that HTC is supposedly working on...

You asked why it drops to 90% in a few minutes and I explained why... Given the current issues with the phones charging circuitry and/or software, if the phone is powered off when charging, it will go to 100% and won't drop drastically... If it's powered on while charging, you're going to see that drop initially when unplugged depending on how long the phone has been sitting with a green LED...

Bottom line is the phone doesn't charge properly... I agree.

 

[MA2GA28]

I understood your point, and the fact that the phone does NOT run off of external power is a problem that HTC is supposedly working on...

You asked why it drops to 90% in a few minutes and I explained why... Given the current issues with the phones charging circuitry and/or software, if the phone is powered off when charging, it will go to 100% and won't drop drastically... If it's powered on while charging, you're going to see that drop initially when unplugged depending on how long the phone has been sitting with a green LED...

Bottom line is the phone doesn't charge properly... I agree.

Some are questioning that point, though I always charge with my phone off and, based on my findings, the bump charge had a negative impact on my battery life. While my indicator light did show the phone taking the additional bump charge, it didn't amount to better battery life (actually the exact opposite outcome).

I've never seen a drastic drop. Even after being on for 30 minutes with heavy use I still show full battery life. So, at least in my experience, charging the phone with it off is the best workaround, as you stated above.

 

[Qazme]

Some are questioning that point, though I always charge with my phone off and, based on my findings, the bump charge had a negative impact on my battery life. While my indicator light did show the phone taking the additional bump charge, it didn't amount to better battery life (actually the exact opposite outcome).

I've never seen a drastic drop. Even after being on for 30 minutes with heavy use I still show full battery life. So, at least in my experience, charging the phone with it off is the best workaround, as you stated above.

This is pretty much the experience I have with my device. If I use it heavy, like surfing the forums for 10 minutes, and play a game for 20 minutes, the whole time receiving and syncing and streaming a podcast my battery will drop anywhere from 3-5% in those 30 minutes depending on what game I'm messing with. (In that example it's air control because I'm addicted!)

 

[DustinF00#AC]

Some are questioning that point, though I always charge with my phone off and, based on my findings, the bump charge had a negative impact on my battery life. While my indicator light did show the phone taking the additional bump charge, it didn't amount to better battery life (actually the exact opposite outcome).

I've never seen a drastic drop. Even after being on for 30 minutes with heavy use I still show full battery life. So, at least in my experience, charging the phone with it off is the best workaround, as you stated above.

This is pretty much the experience I have with my device. If I use it heavy, like surfing the forums for 10 minutes, and play a game for 20 minutes, the whole time receiving and syncing and streaming a podcast my battery will drop anywhere from 3-5% in those 30 minutes depending on what game I'm messing with. (In that example it's air control because I'm addicted!)

I still think the bump charge is needed - regardless how you charge the phone - I think the same method of charging is happening while the phone is on or off that gets you to a certain charged rate - then - and only then - you unplug and plug it back in and then it charges again.

This is the only way to make sure you have the top-off charge needed....

 

[Qazme]

I still think the bump charge is needed - regardless how you charge the phone - I think the same method of charging is happening while the phone is on or off that gets you to a certain charged rate - then - and only then - you unplug and plug it back in and then it charges again.

This is the only way to make sure you have the top-off charge needed....

You can think what you want, what I'm telling you is my battery does not exhibit the battery drop straight off the charger and the life is fine without the bump charge. Haven't bump charged a battery since I received my 1750. In the last few weeks I just charge with it on overnight, plugged into the wall with the desk clock on and I still don't have those issues. I get about 14-16 hours out of the battery under moderate to heavy usage. So who knows what causes it and doesn't cause it. It's something that nobody knows when and if it will get fixed. So what's the point of bickering over it?

 

[CRKhead]

(In that example it's air control because I'm addicted!)

Air Control FTW! My high is only 132...

 

[Qazme]

Air Control FTW! My high is only 132...

Doh you got me beat, 97 is my high! I see people on the high score lists with over 1000!