Thunderbolt charge issues

[mpciii]

Has anyone had an issue with the charging port going bad? My wife has had her Thunderbolt since launch and it's been great. Recently we've been noticing the battery dying pretty quickly. At first it wasn't a big deal because we had a backup on the external charger and I'd just swap them out. Then one morning after having the phone plugged in all night, it was dead. I thought one of the batteries we used was bad so I got rid of it. Well it's happening again and when I put the battery in my phone it charges fine. The funny thing is the light is on like it's charging but it's not. Anyway, Verizon is sending me a replacement which I'm not thrilled about because this one was problem free aside from this. I was just curious if this happened to anyone else.

 

[paintdrinkingpete]

I've seen it happen before.

The problem with charging issues is that there are 3 points of failure to rule out:
bad charger
bad battery
bad phone (charging port)

It sounds like you've eliminated the first two, since both the battery and charger work in your phone. I'm assuming you're also using the same charger when you test with your phone. If not, that's still one point of failure that needs to be ruled out...

 

[worwig]

I have had a couple of CABLES do this. Are you sure it is not the cable?
The charge light comes on. Everything makes you think it is charging. Yet the battery is slowly going dead. In my case, it was the connector on the cable. I used the "Battery Monitor Widget" to indicate the actual charge current to track it down.

 

[mpciii]

I have had a couple of CABLES do this. Are you sure it is not the cable?
The charge light comes on. Everything makes you think it is charging. Yet the battery is slowly going dead. In my case, it was the connector on the cable. I used the "Battery Monitor Widget" to indicate the actual charge current to track it down.

I tried 3 different cables with the damaged phone all of which worked with my phone. I also noticed that the cables fit very loosely than they do in my phone. Which is another reason I think it's the port.

 

[defcon999]

I tried 3 different cables with the damaged phone all of which worked with my phone. I also noticed that the cables fit very loosely than they do in my phone. Which is another reason I think it's the port.

There have been many posts about the charger cables. I thought all the MINI-USB's where alike....they aren't. I sometimes and to lazy to use my TBolt cable so I will use my son's Samsung cable and it takes forever to charge, even though it works, it just takes a long time. Also, if you are charging from your PC, that will take a long time to charge also.

You might want to condition your battery by letting it die completely and then charging it up.

 

[natehoy]

I tried 3 different cables with the damaged phone all of which worked with my phone. I also noticed that the cables fit very loosely than they do in my phone. Which is another reason I think it's the port.

Yup, you're screwed. If the cable feels loose, you aren't getting a good electrical connection, which probably means that your charging is either intermittent or is going to "low-power" mode as if you plugged it into a charger that cannot deliver the full 1 amp (most likely both).

So the charger is probably putting power in, but at a lower rate than the phone uses even for standby operation.

Probably if you turned the phone off it would eventually charge, because there's little to no battery discharge, so whatever little amounts of power are getting through will actually go to the battery.

If Verizon is sending you a replacement, consider yourself lucky that they're fixing it (because a damaged port isn't necessarily a warranty issue).

As soon as you get the refurb, download something like "Androsensor" and test all of the hardware sensors on the phone, then test the camera and everything else you can think of - if something is wrong ask for a replacement to the replacement immediately so there's no question about the new phone at least having fully working hardware.

 

[paintdrinkingpete]

There have been many posts about the charger cables. I thought all the MINI-USB's where alike....they aren't. I sometimes and to lazy to use my TBolt cable so I will use my son's Samsung cable and it takes forever to charge, even though it works, it just takes a long time. Also, if you are charging from your PC, that will take a long time to charge also.

You might want to condition your battery by letting it die completely and then charging it up.

In your case, though, it's not the cable -- it's the amount of power getting to the phone from the power supply.

The HTC charger that comes with the phone has an output of 1.0 amps.

The USB standard for computers regulates power output at 0.5 amps. This is why it takes a lot longer to charge when using a computer-connected USB to charge vs. the wall outlet charger. I often use my old BB chargers as well, but they only output 0.85 amps, so again, the phone charges slightly slower. Most car chargers are also only 0.5 amps.

 

[mpciii]

Yup, you're screwed. If the cable feels loose, you aren't getting a good electrical connection, which probably means that your charging is either intermittent or is going to "low-power" mode as if you plugged it into a charger that cannot deliver the full 1 amp (most likely both).

So the charger is probably putting power in, but at a lower rate than the phone uses even for standby operation.

Probably if you turned the phone off it would eventually charge, because there's little to no battery discharge, so whatever little amounts of power are getting through will actually go to the battery.

If Verizon is sending you a replacement, consider yourself lucky that they're fixing it (because a damaged port isn't necessarily a warranty issue).

As soon as you get the refurb, download something like "Androsensor" and test all of the hardware sensors on the phone, then test the camera and everything else you can think of - if something is wrong ask for a replacement to the replacement immediately so there's no question about the new phone at least having fully working hardware.

Yeah, they're sending a replacement. While it's something that may not necessarily be a warranty issue, I would be shocked (and po'd) if they wouldn't cover it. A port should not go bad from normal use within 7 months. That's a manufacturer's defect. It's not like a cracked screen, there aren't many ways to be careless with a port.
Thanks for the tip on Androsensor, I'll check the phone out when I get it.

 

[swieder]

I just identified a bad Seidio wall charger.

Using the Battery Monitor Widget I was able to see how much current my phone was pulling while charging. With a good charger I was seeing +760 mA. With the bad charger I was seeing swings from -50 to +150 mA. It might be worth checking out this widget.

YMMV

 

[paintdrinkingpete]

I just identified a bad Seidio wall charger.

Using the Battery Monitor Widget I was able to see how much current my phone was pulling while charging. With a good charger I was seeing +760 mA. With the bad charger I was seeing swings from -50 to +150 mA. It might be worth checking out this widget.

YMMV

That's not a bad idea, but do be aware that as the device approaches full charge it will automatically back off the charging rate, so it's normal to see the mA drop when the battery meter gets up over ~95%, and does not necessary mean the charger is bad.

 

[defcon999]

In your case, though, it's not the cable -- it's the amount of power getting to the phone from the power supply.

The HTC charger that comes with the phone has an output of 1.0 amps.

You are right. I didn't realize that until I started hanging out here in AC. I am one of those guys that "if it works...it works"

 

[natehoy]

Yeah, they're sending a replacement. While it's something that may not necessarily be a warranty issue, I would be shocked (and po'd) if they wouldn't cover it. A port should not go bad from normal use within 7 months. That's a manufacturer's defect. It's not like a cracked screen, there aren't many ways to be careless with a port.
Thanks for the tip on Androsensor, I'll check the phone out when I get it.

It's a lot harder to break Micro-USB ports than it was the Mini-USB (because of the rounded profile of the Micro as opposed to the hard corner trapezoid of the Mini). This is why phone manufacturers made the change from Mini to Micro in the first place. But it's still very possible to break one.

In any case, I'm very glad to hear they are replacing it for you.

I love Androsensor. Sometimes I just start it and play with the sensors. Apparently I'm easily entertained.

 

[worwig]

I just identified a bad Seidio wall charger.

Using the Battery Monitor Widget I was able to see how much current my phone was pulling while charging. With a good charger I was seeing +760 mA. With the bad charger I was seeing swings from -50 to +150 mA. It might be worth checking out this widget.

YMMV

That may be 100% normal.
As mentioned, it could be the battery is just approaching full charge.
Also, it could simply be that the Seidio is a low rate charger. That means it will only want to pull about 350ma from the charger (what I typically see). If the phone display is on, that accounts for 150ma easily. Leaving 150ma for battery charge.

 

[vinny jr]

I also had a problem with a bad cable.

 

[Slapnpop826]

A bad cable was the culprit in my case.