Droid discharging when plugged in

[may2700]

My droid has been plugged in all night, today i had to take a trip to city, so I unplugged my droid and plugged it back into the cig lighter (verizon plug, not aftermarket) and started up trapster. Battery was full when I started, when I got to my destination an hour later the battery was at 50%. Why is it discharging if its plugged in?

 

[(G)]

I just read this on another forum here (can't remember which). The answer is because the Droid, with the screen being on, GPS being on, etc. is actually using more power than it's getting from the charger.

 

[Flahusky]

I just read this on another forum here (can't remember which). The answer is because the Droid, with the screen being on, GPS being on, etc. is actually using more power than it's getting from the charger.

Correct.
example to explain it in laymans terms;
The stock car charger outputs 250mAH the way you were using your phone required 325mAH so you were -75mAH that came from the battery.

 

[may2700]

ok then, well does anyone know of a car charger that supplies enuf power to run the phone (i know i am asking alot here, for my charger to actually power the phone its made for LOL)

 

[Eugene]

I've ran into the same issue, using the car charger that came with the car dock and using gps, streaming audio, etc the charger can't keep up.

 

[takeshi]

ok then, well does anyone know of a car charger that supplies enuf power to run the phone (i know i am asking alot here, for my charger to actually power the phone its made for LOL)

Shop around, read the specs and check the mA rating. This one supposedly maxes out at 1000mA. I have no experience with it and I'm not recommending it:
http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=108&cp_id=10826&cs_id=1082602&p_id=3523&seq=1&format=3#specification

 

[micp1480]

Ok, let me ask this question. If I were to go an auto store and buy an inverter to plug into my cigarette lighter, will this beef up the charge?



MICP 1480

 

[Groid]

Ok, let me ask this question. If I were to go an auto store and buy an inverter to plug into my cigarette lighter, will this beef up the charge?

If you use the original power block which provides 850 mA, then yes. I do that sometimes. I also got a cig plug that puts out 700mA and it powers everything w/o draining.

 

[may2700]

Shop around, read the specs and check the mA rating. This one supposedly maxes out at 1000mA. I have no experience with it and I'm not recommending it:
http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=108&cp_id=10826&cs_id=1082602&p_id=3523&seq=1&format=3#specification

just ordered one (actually 5 since they were $1.12 each) will let you know how they are

 

[riffdex]

just ordered one (actually 5 since they were $1.12 each) will let you know how they are

please do! I would like to know how it works out because I will probably get one as well (If it can charge a Droid while using GPS)

 

[radikal]

i believe in my civic it does fine, but in my parents saturn! FORGET IT, the little saturn can barely stay going! haha. the civic never had an issue would fully charge it

 

[Eugene]

just ordered one (actually 5 since they were $1.12 each) will let you know how they are

Did you get them yet, I'm interested to see how well they work.

 

[GorillaTheHutt]

i got one of these, rated at 1.5 A max:

iLuv

it's a little lame looking, but it works like a charm.

 

[Eugene]

That looks too big on the end, if you had two of them close together they would hit.

 

[GorillaTheHutt]

That looks too big on the end, if you had two of them close together they would hit.

could be...i just have one plug in my car. you could also look into the Belkin Micro USB charger which i believe is up to 1A. unfortunately, it doesn't work in BMW sockets.

 

[Eugene]

Hah, if you can afford BMW sockets then you just let your butler charge it for you and don't waste your time

 

[starnesc]

I experienced the same thing and I thought it was because the phone was running hot and would not charge. I turned it off, held in front of the AC. Then after cooling, I turned it back on with nothing loaded and the screen off and it charged. I thought it was because of the heat. I also have the Verizon charger.

 

[Eugene]

Which charger? I wonder if the Motorola one is limited to less current to prevent it from getting too hot.

 

[starnesc]

This is the one I have.

Enter your location

 

[takeshi]

I'm using the Motorola SPN5400A. When I was shopping, I was looking for the P513/89143N. The charger I have could be the P513/89143N but it does not have P513 or 89143N anywhere on it. It does put out 950mA.

Ok, let me ask this question. If I were to go an auto store and buy an inverter to plug into my cigarette lighter, will this beef up the charge?

You're still restricted to whatever the charger puts out. Depends on the charger that you intend to use with with. Inverters are pricey and not very efficient. Unless you need to run some AC devices a charger with the proper output may be a better choice.

 

[droidpcguru]

Any inverter that I have used with my Droid and stock chargers(I have 2) has resulted in the screen going crazy when touched. An inverter puts out a "Square" sine wave which seems to interfere with the operation of the touchscreen.

 

[Penguissimo]

The problem isn't necessarily that the power adapter isn't putting out enough power. It could also be that the phone is getting too hot and shutting off the charging circuits to prevent overheating—I had this problem when my phone was in direct sunlight. Try moving the phone to somewhere shaded for a bit (while still plugged in) and see if that helps. If so, try either aiming one of the vents at the phone or turning the air system on defrost to cool the phone down.

 

[caustic]

Me, I use a power inverter. Whoever said it above, they're right about them being in efficient, I can feel my engine running a little harder when I'm using it. I don't use it non stop, I usually charge the phone, then unplug it.

The reason I don't use a car charger is, my last phone, when I plugged it into the car it ruined the battery. I drive an old police car with a huuuuge battery in it, so I like having an inverter that conditions the power that comes out of it

 

[tjoebgen]

A word about car dc/ac inverters. Household AC is provided to the device as a sine wave. Most inverters put out a square wave. Many devices have a hard time using a square wave since they were designed to use the standard sine wave. Square waves have been known to ruin power circuits of devices plugged into it (like chargers) for extended periods. But, I still have one for powering laptops on long trips and such.

 

[tjoebgen]

The power adapter that came with my Droid is great! Plenty of mA to charge the device very quickly. Needing more places to be plugged in at (den, office, work, etc.), I bought some extra adapters but couldn't ever find the exact one that came with the Droid (AC male and USB female). Most of the ac adapters that I've seen sold are on the lower end of the mA scale and takes much longer to charge the phone. And if you are running some CPU intensive apps, the thing will discharge even while being powered (albeit, discharge slower than if it were on just battery).

The car chargers that I bought are rated for higher output than the AC adapter, but not as high as the original adapter, and have been able to keep up with the GPS and having a streaming radio app running over 3G.

I bought 3 of these:
Amazon.com: Rapid Car Charger + Home Travel Charger + SYnc Transfer USB Data Cable for Verizon Motorola Droid A855 Cell Phone: Cell Phones & Service
(bought from Amazon but mine came from BargainCell)
For $3, contains a "rapid" car charger, an AC charger, an extra micro USB cable.