Blade USB charging, anything special?

[Guest Grain]

Does anyone know the details of the USB port specs the Blade uses for charging? I.e., is there some "IF data lines connected THEN draw max. 500mA" or similar logic? I wonder since I'd like to use other micro USB chargers but got some odd results so far. For example, an Apple A1300 charger does not work reliably with the Blade - apparently the charger turns off once the Blade is connected - despite the fact that the charger is rated for 1A, more than the Blade requires, and works fine with other devices. Did anyone test the Blade with for example HTC chargers? Is the Blade EN 62684 compliant already? Did anyone take apart the stock charger?

[Guest That-Guy]

I know the blade charges fine with the apple charger if that helps? lol

[Guest Phoenix Silver]

humm i don't know

i do the opposite

i charge my ipod video with the blade's charger

i use to charge the blade in computers

Edited February 8, 2011 by Phoenix Silver

[Guest Ron=)]

Works fine with HTC wildfire charger.

Edited February 8, 2011 by Ron=)

[Guest Pelemane]

Works fine with HTC HD2 charger.

[Guest Rower85]

Does anyone know the details of the USB port specs the Blade uses for charging? I.e., is there some "IF data lines connected THEN draw max. 500mA" or similar logic? I wonder since I'd like to use other micro USB chargers but got some odd results so far. For example, an Apple A1300 charger does not work reliably with the Blade - apparently the charger turns off once the Blade is connected - despite the fact that the charger is rated for 1A, more than the Blade requires, and works fine with other devices. Did anyone test the Blade with for example HTC chargers? Is the Blade EN 62684 compliant already? Did anyone take apart the stock charger?

I know the blade charges fine with the apple charger if that helps? lol

humm i don't know

i do the opposite

i charge my ipod video with the blade's charger

i use to charge the blade in computers

The Blade WILL NOT charge its full capacity with the Apple charger, even though it says it charges with 1A on the charger!

The thing with Apple chargers is that the Data+ and the Data- isnt connected to eachother, so you will only get half of what it said on the charger.

When you buy a replacement charger, DON'T BUY A CHEAP ASS CHARGER.

All HTC chargers that supports over or equal to 750mA will work, that also includes the HTC carcharger!

Happy hiking!

[Guest cicciopuzzo]

The Blade WILL NOT charge its full capacity with the Apple charger, even though it says it charges with 1A on the charger!

The thing with Apple chargers is that the Data+ and the Data- isnt connected to eachother, so you will only get half of what it said on the charger.

When you buy a replacement charger, DON'T BUY A CHEAP ASS CHARGER.

All HTC chargers that supports over or equal to 750mA will work, that also includes the HTC carcharger!

Happy hiking!

Thank you!!! Only one question: where i found a good charger??

I found this:

http://compraonline.mediaworld.it/webapp/w...ory_rn=60740132

or this:

http://compraonline.mediaworld.it/webapp/w...ory_rn=60740132

Edited February 8, 2011 by cicciopuzzo

[Guest hecatae]

works fine with my Nokia Micro USB charger

[Guest ladiko]

but got some odd results so far.

could you be more specific?

[Guest skymera]

I believe phone chargers have been standardised meaning all new phones should be able to charge with cables supplied with other phones.

For example, I charge my blade, X10mini and Desire on the same cable.

[Guest Grain]

Thanks for the replies so far! Perhaps the A1300 I got is just a lemon. Edit: Seems so. At 500mA it's at 4.8V, at 700mA it drops down to 4.2V. Probably the Blade does not stay in charging mode reliably at that low voltage.

I believe phone chargers have been standardised

Normal USB power is standardised up to 500mA only. I don't know what the Blade does but in general devices that charge using a USB connector have several options.

• it checks whether USB data lines are present (= connected to a normal PC), if yes, limits to 500mA current (= slower charging).
  
• it just draws more power - then it might break some USB host ports (of notebooks, for example), so that is unlikely.
  
• it uses some proprietary logic to find out whether it's connected to a "proper" charger (as Rower indicated).
  
• there's also EN 62684 as I indicated in the first post. This is a standard for USB charging and does some magic on the data lines for detecting max current. It's been talked about a while but has been released only at the end of 2010, and apparently very few compliant chargers exist yet.
  

Since the original Blade charger delivers 700mA only, even if the Blade implemented the first approach you probably wouldn't notice since 500mA is almost as fast.

Edit2: I checked, the stock charger has USB data lines shorted as Rower said in #6.

Edited February 9, 2011 by Grain

[Guest Rower85]

Thank you!!! Only one question: where i found a good charger??

I found this:

http://compraonline.mediaworld.it/webapp/w...ory_rn=60740132

or this:

http://compraonline.mediaworld.it/webapp/w...ory_rn=60740132

The first charger will probably work(i have little confidence in priate chargers though), if you buy it, then reply back on this thread =)

works fine with my Nokia Micro USB charger

Great! :P

I believe phone chargers have been standardised meaning all new phones should be able to charge with cables supplied with other phones.

For example, I charge my blade, X10mini and Desire on the same cable.

That is probably the case yes =)

Thanks for the replies so far! Perhaps the A1300 I got is just a lemon. Edit: Seems so. At 500mA it's at 4.8V, at 700mA it drops down to 4.2V. Probably the Blade does not stay in charging mode reliably at that low voltage.

Normal USB power is standardised up to 500mA only. I don't know what the Blade does but in general devices that charge using a USB connector have several options.

• it checks whether USB data lines are present (= connected to a normal PC), if yes, limits to 500mA current (= slower charging).
  
• it just draws more power - then it might break some USB host ports (of notebooks, for example), so that is unlikely.
  
• it uses some proprietary logic to find out whether it's connected to a "proper" charger (as Rower indicated).
  
• there's also EN 62684 as I indicated in the first post. This is a standard for USB charging and does some magic on the data lines for detecting max current. It's been talked about a while but has been released only at the end of 2010, and apparently very few compliant chargers exist yet.
  

Since the original Blade charger delivers 700mA only, even if the Blade implemented the first approach you probably wouldn't notice since 500mA is almost as fast.

Edit2: I checked, the stock charger has USB data lines shorted as Rower said in #6.

The ZTE Blade charging circuit can take charges up to 750mA, i really dont know why the charges that comes with the blade is at a rate of 700mA?

I got my ZTE Blade from GB a couple of months ago and i got a 750mA charger.

The difference between usb charge and AC charge is HUGH!

If you guys want to see what you are charging with (AC or USB) then go to About phone and then Status, and then it will show =)

Happi Camping :D

[Guest Grain]

The ZTE Blade charging circuit can take charges up to 750mA, i really dont know why the charges that comes with the blade is at a rate of 700mA?

I got my ZTE Blade from GB a couple of months ago and i got a 750mA charger.

Interesting. My Blade (San Francisco) came with a "STC-A22O50I700USBA-B" Dokocom charger that is rated at 5V/700mA output.

[Guest dbeckett]

The difference between 500mA and 750mA is noticeable for the car usb chargers, if your using gps/satnav etc with the charger plugged it at 500mA, then the phone will still discharge

I've spent the last hour modding a belkin usb charger, it didn't originally have the data pins short circuted, so I've soldered them together and I now get the 750mA(or 700mA, whatever the AC status is)

The reason some chargers dont have the data pins is due to apple, if the data pins are short circuited, then the apple device won't charge properly

EDIT- my blade mains charger is rated at 700mA, bought it back in october

Edited February 9, 2011 by dbeckett

[Guest Phoenix Silver]

mine too 700 ma

bought it in december

[Guest Plxply]

My charger is also a "ZTE Travel Charger" which is rated at 700ma, like Phoenix Silver I also purchased the phone in December however in the UK.

[Guest Rower85]

I was wrong though, my charger also is a 700mA charger.

The phone can be charged in 750mA though, dont know why they have chargers that only supports 700?

Skerved in the swedish android forum (Swedroid) made a test of the phone where he had his testlab at 7A and a voltage of 5V and had a multimeter where he saw the Amps being in use by the phone.

Check it out and say what you guys think =)

http://www.swedroid.se/forum/showthread.php?t=23870

[Guest Grain]

Thanks for the link! Probably the phone just miscalculates and draws a bit too much current for a short time in the charging cycle. Since the error is below 10% it probably does not matter. Chargers not rated for about 700/750mA but still attached with the data lines shorted will cause problems though, probably the kind of problems that I saw (charger shutting down or not being recognized by the Blade since voltage drops too far with too much current drawn).

BTW I added the stuff discussed here to the Blade wiki page.

[Guest Rower85]

oh great! :P

[Guest OSF-MKD]

FYI charging fine, both of them as 'USB' per phone with:

- Veho VAA-003 black USB charger (that got free, after £back, from Misco), spec'd as 500mA

- iSound IS-SCH Universal Power Adaptor for iPods, spec'd as 1000mA

MKD

[Guest xeon689]

Can anyone suggest a mains to USB charger which will charge in AC mode? Apart from the one that comes with it, which I can't seem to buy anywhere.

I've two or three chargers rated at 1A - all of which charge in USB mode, so I wouldn't mind finding one which definitely charges in AC. I've been using the stock USB cable with all of them.

Edited February 17, 2011 by xeon689

[Guest jeroenj_1989]

Hi Guys,

To clarify some things concerning the ZTE Blade chargers, I have done some measurements:

I have done some tests, using my laboratory power supply connected to a USB socket.

First, I set the voltage to 5.0V (this is necessary, a voltage too high will cause the touch screen to stop functioning (and maybe damage)).

Then, I have put the current limit to 1A (as used by a lot of chargers).

Eventually I have connected my phone to the USB socket (while the datalines were NOT connected to each other).

It turns out, the phone will only draw 370mA from the power supply, while indicating USB charging.

Then, I connected the data lines of the USB port with eachother.

The phone shows me it is charging through AC, and is drawing 700mA of current.

To conclude:

Get any charger, as long as it puts out exactly 5.0V DC.

The current rating is not that important, as it turns out.

Jeroen

[Guest Grain]

To conclude:

Get any charger, as long as it puts out exactly 5.0V DC.

The current rating is not that important, as it turns out.

What leads you to believe that? Try setting the current limit to 500mA and connect it to the Blade (with data lines shorted). It will fail to work. Lower-rating chargers (such as 250mA 5V chargers) will also not work with the Blade (even without shorted data lines), and some el cheapo China chargers that might even say 5V 1A (which should be okay theoretically) will not work if their voltage drops below about 4.7V while charging (see my other postings in this thread).

So, in short: 5V (exactly). At minimum 700mA rating (more is also okay). Reasonable quality required.

[Guest jeroenj_1989]

@ Grain:

You're absolutely right, the minimum power rating is important.

What I meant was, it is not a problem, if the power rating is larger than 700mA (since that is the question mostly asked).

Concerning the el cheapo chargers: it depends on the charger itself. As long as it's capable of supplying 370 or 700mA, at exactly 5.0V it's fine.

So, to make the conclusion final:

You need a charger which outputs:

At least 370mA, while maintaining the 5.0V (with data lines NOT connected)

OR

At least 700mA, while maintaining the 5.0V (with data line connected)

Agree? :D

Edited March 22, 2011 by jeroenj_1989

[Guest zurpher]

Can anyone recommend a charger with 1000mA that charges not in USB mode?

You need a charger which outputs:

At least 370mA, while maintaining the 5.0V (with data lines NOT connected)

OR

At least 700mA, while maintaining the 5.0V (with data line connected)

I'm not sure if this is correct. It rather seems that one either can use a charger with data lines connected and that should always only charge in USB mode, i.e. not more than 500mA. A charger with shorted data lines should be able to charge above 500mA up to a maximum of 700mA.