Wow..I thought I was crazy..my phone has the same behavior. This is my second replacement as the 1st one locked up very often. I am unable to pinpoint the issue, but I have gone from a full charge to half life in about an hour and yes the phone is hot when this happens. I have noticed this a couple of times while in my pocket.
I was frustrated too... but it doesn't mean it is the voltage. The easiest way is to check what your voltage read is. If it's good, then there is some other issue going on. It's a fast way to eliminate one possible source. If you have high voltage, would you mind posting it? I don't know what the mod's think, but I think it's important to document every confirmed case of high voltage so that it is hopefully addressed. I think it's clear many people are experiencing heat issues, but is it from high voltage? As the phone drops below 4.2 Volts, it should cool down a lot compared top what it was... if the culprit is high voltage.
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Get CurrentWidget, it has a log feature. From watching my log information, it seems that I should get a new phone.
Here's some log info from my phone:
(Surprisingly, AndroidForums has some strict limits on txt file size) currentwidget.txt
Edit: I don't notice heat because I use a case, and I think it's insulating my hand from feeling it. I'll check again tomorrow morning after an overnight charge.
Second edit: Oh, and current widget needs to be on a homescreen and log enabled to actually log. That's why my log stopped on the 29th. I hard reset the phone and never put the widget back up until I read this thread.
Last edited by jerofld; July 6th, 2011 at 08:43 AM.
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This morning, my phone connected to the wall charger showed 4358mV at 97% charge. Temp was 31.6C.
I'm wondering if HTC is doing some funky implementation of SBC. For those who don't know, SBC (which stands for superior battery charging) was a feature of some custom kernels for the Evo 4G and other Android phones, where the battery was charged above 4200mV.
The trick to SBC was to charge at high voltages for short bursts rather than maintaining the voltage. It would be similar to bump charging. Because the voltage is delivered in bursts, temperatures never rise to favor the plating reaction (which is what ultimately could lead to thermal runaway and an exploded battery). But it meant that in order to take advantage of SBC, you needed to leave the phone on the charger for a long time to allow sufficient time for the battery to get bump charged.
I tried an SBC kernel for a week, saw its advantages (battery would get charged way beyond the indicator's limit, causing it to read 100% charge despite prolonged usage).
It was a controversial technique. There was no consensus over the safety of SBC. Out on the field, people claimed it gave them great battery life with no signs of long-term capacity issues. Others claim it screwed up their battery after a few months. Didn't hear any reports of thermal runaway though.
Back to the Evo 3D. Here, I have multiple apps/widgets reading the same voltage, temp, and charge. So they are likely pulling that data from the same source. On my phone, I have a discrepancy between voltage and temperature. If my phone is indeed charging at 4358mV, the battery should be way higher than 31.6C (I encourage everyone to stick with metric here, since we're dealing with an engineering problem ). So I can only conclude that the battery's not charging, or the voltage reading is wrong.
So now I've got the phone on the USB charger, and the voltage reads 4348mV at 99% charge. LED is red. And temperature is 31.0C.
While the voltage number is worrisome, I'm reassured by the temperature of the phone. Ultimately it's the temp that's going to tell you if you have plating issues, or worse, you're about to get into a thermal runaway situation.
I cannot conclude, without better measuring instruments, that the high voltage readings are causing the high temps for some people, since the same high voltage numbers are doing nothing to my battery's temp. However, if you are experiencing a very hot phone (anything above 40C), and you've ruled out heavy CPU usage, something could be messed up with the charging mechanism, and your phone needs to be serviced/examined/exchanged.
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Get CurrentWidget, it has a log feature. From watching my log information, it seems that I should get a new phone
sweet, they fixed the app. this was one of the first apps I downloaded when I got my Evo 3D, and it would read 0mA no matter what I did. It's working now.
sweet, they fixed the app. this was one of the first apps I downloaded when I got my Evo 3D, and it would read 0mA no matter what I did. It's working now.
Interesting, because before the update, it would tell me my charging mA but not discharge mA. It was weird, which also explains why my log shows that power depletes, but nothing is leaving the battery :P
I've noticed a couple times that my phone was really hot in my pocket, but didn't really think much of it. Then on Sunday it was hot and an hour or two later I heard the dead battery noise. This was after being one for only a few hours. I charged it up and right after unplugging the battery dropped 50% after just a few hours. I removed a bunch of apps and widgets and rebooted several times and it seems ok today. Definitely following this thread though.
I've noticed a couple times that my phone was really hot in my pocket, but didn't really think much of it. Then on Sunday it was hot and an hour or two later I heard the dead battery noise. This was after being one for only a few hours. I charged it up and right after unplugging the battery dropped 50% after just a few hours. I removed a bunch of apps and widgets and rebooted several times and it seems ok today. Definitely following this thread though.
If your battery is hot, and you're not charging it, your problem is likely a CPU usage issue. This thread deals with heat as it pertains to the charging process.
Let's all be careful not to assume there's a "problem" with heat in general simply because there may be an issue with charging on some phones.
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Bummer. This is alarming. I was going to order the Evo 3D today...but looks like I will hold off until this is resolved.
PS - what tools / apps can show voltage?
Yeah, this is definitely alarming. I am planning to order mine sometime this week.
Hopefully this is not a hardware issue. I love my Sprint HTC Hero and it has always been good to me, so I expect the same experience from another HTC product.
Yea, running off WiFi here at Charleston airport, just from reading this thread, my battery is at about 105 right now. What the hell.
I think HTC decided to use the aluminum border around the screen (or whatever material it is) as the heat sink. The bottom of my screen is VERY warm. Bordering hot now. The back of the phone on top of the battery is barely noticeable... but the front of this phone really reflects the heat.
I had a similar issue with my Droid X 2 while I had it... The thing would regularly peak at 120 and shut down. It was uncomfortable to hold. This thing is painful when its been cooking itself for awhile and you go to make a call. My ears are sensitive!
Things to note:
3 Bars of signal, good signal from WiFi, came in at 96%. 20 minutes in... I'm down to 63%. That is quite literally one third of my battery munched from pure heat loss, more than likely.
This needs to get checked out. I'm not even plugged in right now. I would honestly be afraid to touch this thing with anything that could potentially charge the battery right now.
mine gets up to 4348 mv everytime its full from battery mointor widget,just check the battery history logs and and it will charge up to that and discharge to around 4209mv and charge back up to 4348 mv.i believe it went thru 6 cycles of this throughout the night when my phone was plugged in......hmmm....is this normal?....im getting kinda worried now.....
p.s signal 4 bars,temp never went past 101 f throughout the night
Last edited by kkwus74; July 6th, 2011 at 10:45 AM.
I haven't noticed anything like this happening with mine (thankfully), but it's not often that I pay attention when it's just sitting on the charger. I've been using "BatteryLife" widget to keep track of my temp, and it's typically 28-32C when on charger (when paying attention).
However, I have gotten it up to about 41 while charging in the car and using navigation. I know that's not at all the same, as it's doing something cpu intensive (as well as gps and such), but at the risk of going slightly off topic, anyone have any recommendation/baseline as to what kind of temp I should be "worried" about when doing something like this? It only made me think of this because of this portion of this post:
Quote:
Originally Posted by novox77
I cannot conclude, without better measuring instruments, that the high voltage readings are causing the high temps for some people, since the same high voltage numbers are doing nothing to my battery's temp. However, if you are experiencing a very hot phone (anything above 40C), and you've ruled out heavy CPU usage, something could be messed up with the charging mechanism, and your phone needs to be serviced/examined/exchanged.
So, now I'm slightly paranoid that it may be happening overnight or something (heating up that is), and am contemplating using something different to check. I'm thinking of SystemPanel, Elixir, or Battery Monitor Widget Pro. Anyone used any combo of those and want to recommend their favorite? Elixir is obviously nice because it's free, but neither of the other two is too much as to not pony up for them just because they're not free. Or really, am I ok with BatteryLife Widget by Curvefish (https://market.android.com/details?id=com.curvefish.batterylife&feature=searc h_result)?
Last edited by Jackietreehorn; July 6th, 2011 at 02:15 PM.
I haven't noticed anything like this happening with mine (thankfully), but it's not often that I pay attention when it's just sitting on the charger. I've been using "BatteryLife" widget to keep track of my temp, and it's typically 28-32C when on charger (when paying attention).
However, I have gotten it up to about 41 while charging in the car and using navigation. I know that's not at all the same, as it's doing something cpu intensive (as well as gps and such), but at the risk of going slightly off topic, anyone have any recommendation/baseline as to what kind of temp I should be "worried" about when doing something like this? It only made me think of this because of this portion of this post:
So, now I'm slightly paranoid that it may be happening overnight or something (heating up that is), and am contemplating using something different to check. I'm thinking of SystemPanel, Elixir, or Battery Monitor Widget Pro. Anyone used any combo of those and want to recommend their favorite? Elixir is obviously nice because it's free, but neither of the other two is too much as to not pony up for them just because they're not. Or really, am I ok with BatteryLife Widget by Curvefish (https://market.android.com/details?id=com.curvefish.batterylife&feature=searc h_result)?
i use battery widget pro ,it gives a history of what voltage and temp your phone charged at.
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For someone having the problem, and if you are adventurous, you might try wiring a resistor (I think an 800 ohm) into your + on the charger cable to see if it still happens. The resistor should effectively drop the charger from 5v to approx 4.2v assuming a max of 1amp.
Edit: Oops, I meant a .8 ohm resistor
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However, I have gotten it up to about 41 while charging in the car and using navigation. I know that's not at all the same, as it's doing something cpu intensive (as well as gps and such), but at the risk of going slightly off topic, anyone have any recommendation/baseline as to what kind of temp I should be "worried" about when doing something like this?
I wouldn't be worried too much about it. My Evo 4G heat up like crazy using Navigation as well. GPS uses the radio AND cpu heavily, so it really heats things up. I had SetCPU throttle the CPU once I went over 40C, which helped a little. Sometimes, I'd turn on the car A/C and hold the phone in front of the vent until I saw the temps come back down to the low 30s.
Damage to the battery happens from prolonged exposure to heat. Unless you're using Navigation for hours every day for months, I wouldn't sweat it. And if you do, well, that's the cost of normal wear and tear. Expect to replace the battery more frequently than others.
As of right now, it appears that a LOT of E3Ds show voltages in the 4300mV area, which if accurate, is too high for Li-ion charging. But if your battery temps during charging remains reasonable (under 40C), I don't see any risk of thermal runaway leading to exploding battery. I tend to think that the voltmeter is overreporting. But I can't explain why some people's phones are getting scalding hot during charging.
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off charger, my phone sometimes gets to 105F during normal use (either just browsing the internet on wifi or turning on GPS for directions for a few mins in the car or playing games [got to 107F playing Cut the Rope]). I don't have auto sync turned on.
heres an articcle i found about overcharging li-ion batteries:
Overcharging Lithium-ion
Lithium-ion operates safely within the designated operating voltages; however, the battery becomes unstable if inadvertently charged to a higher than specified voltage. Prolonged charging above 4.30V forms plating of metallic lithium on the anode, while the cathode material becomes an oxidizing agent, loses stability and produces carbon dioxide (CO2). The cell pressure rises, and if charging is allowed to continue the current interrupt device (CID) responsible for cell safety disconnects the current at 1,380kPa (200psi).
Should the pressure rise further, a safety membrane bursts open at 3,450kPa (500psi) and the cell might eventually vent with flame. The thermal runaway moves lower when the battery is fully charged; for Li-cobalt this threshold is between 130–150C°C (266–302°F), nickel-manganese-cobalt (NMC) is 170–180°C (338–356°F), and manganese is 250°C (482°F). Li-phosphate enjoys similar and better temperature stabilities than manganese.
Lithium-ion is not the only battery that is a safety hazard if overcharged. Lead- and nickel-based batteries are also known to melt down and cause fire if improperly handled. Nickel-based batteries have also been recalled for safety concerns. Properly designed charging equipment is paramount for all battery systems.
As of right now, it appears that a LOT of E3Ds show voltages in the 4300mV area, which if accurate, is too high for Li-ion charging. But if your battery temps during charging remains reasonable (under 40C), I don't see any risk of thermal runaway leading to exploding battery. I tend to think that the voltmeter is overreporting. But I can't explain why some people's phones are getting scalding hot during charging.
I've been wondering about that, but you've help crystalize my thoughts.
If the mechanism to sense voltage is inaccurate, then that would explain why phones charging above 4.3 V are not getting hot - they are not above 4.3 V in reality.
By the same token - if the sensor mechanisms are inaccurate then it seems to stand to perfect reason that there will be cases where the actual voltage is far beyond range and cause the heating, as predicted.
That also would offer a potential explanation as to this being inconsistent across the users reporting on this issue.
For someone having the problem, and if you are adventurous, you might try wiring a resistor (I think an 800 ohm) into your + on the charger cable to see if it still happens. The resistor should effectively drop the charger from 5v to approx 4.2v assuming a max of 1amp.
Just to confirm, heat isn't necessarily a bad thing by itself right? I just used internet and Facebook for about 25 mins and my battery went from 31 to about 38-39 degrees C..is that bad? The voltage was fine during this time of course. I will make sure I keep an eye out on my voltage when I charge it tonight so I can contribute my stats to this thread.
im confused now.....so is it ok that the voltage goes to 4350mv while charging but the temperature is ok around 90+ f??......
Just to clarify, heat alone is not the problem I see happening or am concerned about in my situation... it is the excess voltage AND the resulting heat that concern me. Excessive heat or excessive voltage can eventually damage the battery. The presence of both suggests that the damage is happening - one problem (high voltage) is causing another (heat). You have high voltage but it doesn't currently seem to be causing a problem, and maybe it won't.
Some LiIon battery technologies can protect the battery from over-charging by using intelligent circuitry, case venting, or other technologies that go beyond my understanding. In my case, the high voltage and excess heat (that appears to be a side effect of the high voltage) indicate to me my phone and/or battery doesn't have that technology.... or that it isn't working. The fact the battery puts out over 4200mv -when fully charged and taken fresh off the charger- tells me the high charging voltage is getting through to the battery.
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We always want our devices running just warm to cool. Electronics tend to hate heat.
39 degC should not be an issue, but personally, I'd like see to things stay at 37 or lower when possible.
And - it's really important what the source of the heat is.
Heat because you're really working the 8660 processor - to be expected. It will heat everything around it.
Heat because you've talking a REALLY long time (hours in one call) - not the greatest thing. In my personal experience, I've seen where that can be a battery struggling as gets near draining. (And you can get that running the 8660 really hard.) Never a good idea to run your battery all the way down.
Screen heat: Your screen should not be producing heat at all. Don't leave it in sunlight.
Heat while charging - if caused by an overvoltage that's what is bad.
Toasty is a nuisance and isn't helping long-term lifetime. Hot heat is an issue.
I'd be concerned at anything over 104 degF / 40 degC if sustained for longer periods of time for the silicon's sake.
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so i have been a bit worried regarding the voltage and heat as well. i just shut off my phone to let it cool down for a bit and take a look at the battery. upon investigating the information labeled on the battery i noticed that mine is rated for 3.8VDC.
I'm not sure if this would affect the peak voltage or not but I do know the standard Li-Ion nominal voltage is about 0.1-0.2VDC lower than what my battery is rated.
As far as temps go mine are ranging from 30.1 C to 38.1 C depending on usage.
Here's a story about thermal runaway, but it's not likely to be a problem with the Evo's relatively small battery:
Thermal runaway can be a very, very dangerous event. And it can happen even when the phone isn't charging. In my last job, we were building LiIon batteries for various projects I can't talk about in any significant amount of detail due to NDA. But, there was an 'event' one night after we all went home. We charged during the day, because that's when there's the most chance of thermal runaway due to heat, and discharged over night so that it would be ready for the next stress test the next day. When it had it's 'event' the battery had about 75% charge while discharging only 1/4 of it's designed output. The logs also showed it was at a relatively normal temperature until it ramped very quickly and then the logs ended because the temperature probes no longer existed.
But it seems that thermal runaway is a very rare occurance. After that, we torture tested many more cells (at least 20), charging at 40C+ and hitting it with 5 volts. Most of the time, the cells just got soft (not puffy) or just wouldn't accept a charge anymore. So, if the Evo 3D likely to explode on your night stand or when it's in your hand? I really, really doubt it. Likely the battery life will suck and the battery will not take as much of a charge. So, while we're logging data, take note on how long it takes your battery to charge, too, as well as temperature data.
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Voltage rose to 4350 mV while charging via wall socket, but temp never went above 92F.
After taking the phone off the charger, I plugged it into my laptop and booted up PDAnet. I've now been websurfing via the phone for nearly an hour. Voltage is now 4322 mV, temp has risen slightly to 94.1F.
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collected some data tonight for experimentation purposes using my newly downloaded Elixir app. i plugged my phone in at 12:45 am at 25%, and it hit 99% around 2:40 am.
so the phone charged from 25% to 99% in roughly 2 hours. is that normal? it seems a little quick to me, but i'm used to my old phone so i could be wrong.
also, it seems that my phone, too, reaches voltages it shouldn't while charging, but as the data shows, it has a very mild effect on the temperature..in fact, as the voltage approaches 4344mV, the temperature actually begins DECREASING..strange
can any expert look at this data and tell me if there's cause for worry about my phone? from what i can see it looks OK, besides the fact that the voltage exceeds 4200mV, but it doesn't make my phone hot which i think is a good sign, plus it seems like the voltage drops back close to normal range quickly after removing the phone from the charger.
anyway, post your thoughts.
Last edited by TheFrigz; July 7th, 2011 at 02:03 AM.
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collected some data tonight for experimentation purposes using my newly downloaded Elixir app. i plugged my phone in at 12:45 am at 25%, and it hit 99% around 2:40 am.
so the phone charged from 25% to 99% in roughly 2 hours. is that normal? it seems a little quick to me, but i'm used to my old phone so i could be wrong.
also, it seems that my phone, too, reaches voltages it shouldn't while charging, but as the data shows, it has a very mild effect on the temperature..in fact, as the voltage approaches 4344mV, the temperature actually begins DECREASING..strange
can any expert look at this data and tell me if there's cause for worry about my phone? from what i can see it looks OK, besides the fact that the voltage exceeds 4200mV, but it doesn't make my phone hot which i think is a good sign, plus it seems like the voltage drops back close to normal range quickly after removing the phone from the charger.
anyway, post your thoughts.
Without current readings, I can only guess by the jumps in percentage that the temperature drops were normal. Your battery seemed to pull less and less current (percentages were closer together) as it got to the top. Which is normal, from what I remember of how my LiIon batteries charged. Current is the usual culprit behind heat. One of the way I seek out shorts on electronics is by a 'touch test'. Think there's a short in a circuit? Is any component hotter than any other? Also, if you put more current through it, something will pop (and smoke...and stink...melting plastic = bad).
This is why I've switched from CurrentWidget to Battery Monitor Widget. It just has so much more to offer (and I plan on buying the full version some time today because the author deserves the money). The temperature, voltage, and current readings are invaluable.
Edit:
Lesson learned: Do NOT stick meter leads into your phone's battery compartment while the phone is operating. The meter loading effect shuts down the phone. My phone's voltmeter reads 4.253 (after a boot up) and the voltmeter on my desk read the battery at 4.300,5 (before bootup). I would say that the phone's voltmeter is reading the battery within an acceptable range.
Second edit:
Like most have posted here, USB charging is a slower charge (nearly half as fast as a wall charger, I estimate), and, as a result, temperatures will not rise nearly as high. Here's some of my data:
------------------ Begin USB charging -------------------
2011/07/06|10:46:32 PM|271mA|13%|3723mV|33.9ºC|1|3
2011/07/06|10:47:32 PM|281mA|13%|3736mV|34.5ºC|1|3
2011/07/06|10:52:32 PM|306mA|14%|3745mV|35.4ºC|2|3
2011/07/06|10:57:32 PM|340mA|16%|3773mV|35.6ºC|0|3
2011/07/06|11:02:32 PM|342mA|18%|3782mV|35.5ºC|0|3
2011/07/06|11:07:32 PM|353mA|19%|3795mV|35.5ºC|0|3
2011/07/06|11:12:32 PM|360mA|21%|3809mV|35.6ºC|0|3
2011/07/06|11:17:32 PM|260mA|22%|3817mV|36.0ºC|2|3
------------------- End USB charging -------------------
2011/07/06|11:22:32 PM|-211mA|24%|3912mV|37.4ºC|2|6
------------------- Begin wall charging ------------------
2011/07/06|11:27:32 PM|808mA|28%|3945mV|38.2ºC|2|2
2011/07/06|11:32:32 PM|847mA|32%|3958mV|38.8ºC|0|1
2011/07/06|11:37:32 PM|848mA|36%|3967mV|39.3ºC|0|1
2011/07/06|11:42:32 PM|844mA|40%|3976mV|39.7ºC|0|1
2011/07/06|11:47:32 PM|844mA|44%|3991mV|40.1ºC|0|1
2011/07/06|11:52:32 PM|841mA|48%|4005mV|40.4ºC|0|1
2011/07/06|11:57:32 PM|832mA|52%|4022mV|40.7ºC|0|1
2011/07/07|12:02:32 AM|832mA|56%|4035mV|40.9ºC|0|1
2011/07/07|12:07:32 AM|831mA|60%|4057mV|41.1ºC|0|1
2011/07/07|12:12:32 AM|824mA|64%|4079mV|41.3ºC|0|1
2011/07/07|12:17:32 AM|804mA|68%|4106mV|41.3ºC|0|1
2011/07/07|12:22:32 AM|822mA|72%|4137mV|41.3ºC|0|1
2011/07/07|12:27:32 AM|817mA|76%|4170mV|41.3ºC|0|1
2011/07/07|12:32:32 AM|817mA|80%|4207mV|41.3ºC|0|1
2011/07/07|12:37:32 AM|813mA|84%|4249mV|41.3ºC|0|1
2011/07/07|12:42:32 AM|812mA|88%|4286mV|41.2ºC|0|1
2011/07/07|12:47:32 AM|760mA|92%|4319mV|40.9ºC|0|1
2011/07/07|12:52:32 AM|701mA|95%|4344mV|40.5ºC|0|1
2011/07/07|12:57:32 AM|582mA|98%|4348mV|39.9ºC|0|1
2011/07/07|01:02:32 AM|449mA|99%|4348mV|39.3ºC|0|1
------------------- End wall charging --------------------
Tomorrow, I'll charge overnight with USB only charging for a more accurate comparason. Good ol' Xbox 360 has become a cellphone charging station!
Last edited by jerofld; July 7th, 2011 at 06:57 AM.
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Ok, I don't understand this, especially after the post by jerofld but I just charged my 3vo using my laptop for the 1st time, and it got hotter than it has using the wall charger. Using the wall charger it has gone up to 94.1 degrees and 4357mV (which seems to be the max for my phone) and charging using the supplied cable and my laptop caused the phone to go up to 97.3 degrees and 4357mV. I realize the difference in temperature is only 3.2 degrees but isn't it odd that it got hotter charging via USB/laptop than it does using the wall charger? By the way, it was 65% charged when I began charging it using the laptop. It reached its highest temperature when it was 99% charged.
Judging by what I've read on here, it sounds like these temps are not harmful, however please correct me if I'm wrong. I was wondering if anyone else has had higher temps from charging via USB compared to the wall charger and is this normal?
Also, usually when I charge it using the wall charger the temp drops quickly; its usually below 90 degrees before I even unplug it. It spends most of its time between 82 & 89 degrees. However, this time it was 93.3 when I unplugged it from the laptop and its been staying between 93.9 & 96.9 since then. I don't get it. Before I charged it using the laptop, it had never even reached this temp.
Edit: I also want to add that my battery is definitely discharging faster than it usually does when I charge it using the wall charger. It has gone down 15% in one hour while not really using it compared to normally going down just 4-5% in one hour while using WiFi and looking at web pages.
Last edited by died4u525; July 7th, 2011 at 08:29 AM.
Ok, I don't understand this, especially after the post by jerofld but I just charged my 3vo using my laptop for the 1st time, and it got hotter than it has using the wall charger. Using the wall charger it has gone up to 94.1 degrees and 4357mV (which seems to be the max for my phone) and charging using the supplied cable and my laptop caused the phone to go up to 97.3 degrees and 4357mV. I realize the difference in temperature is only 3.2 degrees but isn't it odd that it got hotter charging via USB/laptop than it does using the wall charger? By the way, it was 65% charged when I began charging it using the laptop. It reached its highest temperature when it was 99% charged.
Also, usually when I charge it using the wall charger the temp drops quickly; its usually below 90 degrees before I even unplug it. It spends most of its time between 82 & 89 degrees. However, this time it was 93.3 when I unplugged it from the laptop and its been staying between 93.9 & 96.9 since then. I don't get it. Before I charged it using the laptop, it had never even reached this temp.
Edit: I also want to add that my battery is definitely discharging faster than it usually does when I charge it using the wall charger. It has gone down 15% in one hour while not really using it compared to normally going down just 4-5% in one hour while using WiFi and looking at web pages.
Put your phone on airplane mode to eliminate some variables. I would agree that 3 degrees F is insignificant. 3 degrees C would be a little more significant, but again, it would be nice to know that it wasn't by chance that the phone was working a little harder trying to find a cell signal while it was at the location where you USB-charged.
Temp drops after charging can be misleading. You really need to know when the charging is shut off to know when to expect the temp drop. Because wall charging is faster, it's likely that more time passed with the phone not charging by the time you unplugged it, which means it had some extra time to cool.
I've also noticed that my battery lasts a lot longer when charged slower. I don't understand the mechanism that causes this, but it is easily reproducible.
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While looking for accessories for my 3vo, I found a wall travel charger that says this under Features:
"Built in IC Chip circuit to control the amount of power applied to the battery according to battery level and temperature.
State of the art Intelligent Chip circuit prevents overcharging and switch to stand by mode when the battery is fully charger." HTC EVO 3D Wall Travel Charger
I was wondering if this charger would be of any help to people who are having this excessive voltage/overheating issue... or is this nothing special?
I'm going to jump in with a couple of my observations.
My phone, like everyone else's, gets to ~4.33V at the end of charging. Is there anyone reading this who has a phone that *doesn't* get to 4.33V? However, like most folks again, my temperature stayed normal.
Here are my stats from last night (I was doing some gaming with the 4G radio on to start - that's why it was at 37C):
I unplugged it at 6:15. Ambient temperature at my house was around 24-26C.
However, I did have some overheating issues. I was using my phone as a GPS, and had Navigon running, bluetooth on, and the GPS going, and I had it plugged in to the AC adapter hooked up to a power inverter. The problem is, I'm in Texas, and it's been over 100F every day for a while now. I had my phone in a black TPU case sitting in my windshield, with the sun beating down on it. This case is one that covers most of the camera, instead of a big cutout. I noticed the charge light started blinking amber, then green very quickly, and look at battery indicator - my battery was at 51C! I unplugged it and shoved it in front of the AC, and that got it back down into the 30s. I realized that the heat was mostly in the camera area, and that the closed TPU case was trapping it. Removing the case helped keep the temperatures a lot lower. I now use the Best Buy Platinum case, with the camera cutout, and haven't gotten quite that high again.
So, this phone does have cooling issues, probably unrelated to this charging voltage thing, and keeping the camera area well ventilated seems to be key.
I honestly think this is a non issue unless the phone is overheating. I'm not battery expert, but I would think the phone would need to raise the voltage slightly over the 4.2 limit in order to completely charge the battery.
I think we may be seeing a lot of variability on the charging temperatures because people are most likely charging their handsets in various places that have different ambient temperatures. For example, I am at work and it is 72 °F here, however, someone else might be at home where the air conditioning is turned down some to 78 °F.
So, what I am getting at is that people should also post what their ambient temperature is too, and I see a few have, so it is easier to gauge if that is having a big effect on their charging temperature looking abnormal or alarming compared to others with lower temperature readings. That is just my two cents.
Last edited by LBPHeretic; July 7th, 2011 at 11:54 AM.
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Haha, wow, want to murder your battery and overheat it at the same time? I was trying to empty out my battery for testing, and decided to leave on 4G and stream some internet radio. That did an Ok, job. Then, I switched on the 3D camera and just let it sit with the screen on (had to refresh it every couple of minutes by tapping it). It blew through 35% of my battery in about 15 min and got it up to 43C! Between powering 2 cameras and keeping that 3D screen going (full brightness), it really ate through the power. The question is, why did it get so hot doing that?
there is SOOOO much data and technical info being thrown about its causing panic and confusion. we all need to step back and breathe...
these new programs monitor all sorts of stuff we dont normally think about during the course of a day. now that we see this stuff and if one adds in lack of education many of us here have, it just causes confusion.
FACT: the phone WILL get HOT when charging. the phone should not feel like the sun when its charging. if it is, something is wrong. /FACT
lets not put TOO much faith in the numbers these apps spit out. use your judgement.. you know if a phone is too hot to the touch that its not normal.. so the app says its 101 degrees F charging.. ok.. no big deal. an earlier post mentioned that current drives heat so as the pack nears full capacity, less area for the current to move and the temps drop.
the battery cells are small so any movement in current will generate heat and that heat has no where really to go so it heats up the pack and then the handset. this handset is tiny so the heat has no where to go after it leaves the battery pack.
right now the evo 3d im using is charging on AC at 100.2 degrees. the air around it is perhaps 77 ish. the phone is barely warm. i have every radio and antenna on and the screen is on which also generates heat and ADDs to the overall temp.
so please all lets just relax on the "hey are my numbers ok..." questions.. use your judgement first. sometimes ignorance is bliss...
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Haha, wow, want to murder your battery and overheat it at the same time? I was trying to empty out my battery for testing, and decided to leave on 4G and stream some internet radio. That did an Ok, job. Then, I switched on the 3D camera and just let it sit with the screen on (had to refresh it every couple of minutes by tapping it). It blew through 35% of my battery in about 15 min and got it up to 43C! Between powering 2 cameras and keeping that 3D screen going (full brightness), it really ate through the power. The question is, why did it get so hot doing that?
A rapid drainage of your battery will always result in a lot of heat generation. It does not matter the means in which it was accomplished.
It also has to do with the fact that running those 3D cameras constantly probably pegs the CPU really high along with the 4G usage. All of that heat generated from that heavy usage has to go somewhere, so that is why you feel it.
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Sprint continues their EVO line of Android Phones with what is certainly a first for them - a 3D phone. The HTC EVO 3D boasts 3D technology on a beautiful 4.3-inch screen and get this: you don't even need glasses to enjoy the 3D experience!
B... Read More
). So I can only conclude that the battery's not charging, or the voltage reading is wrong.
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