Accessories I recommend this car charger

[lexluthor]

I just got an email from Alex @ Scosche who's signature says "Manufacture Service Rep" and he said this regarding the USB12V2A:

[FONT=&quot]"Dear Customer,[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]That device will divide the 1A output when using both of the 2 ports, but when only 1 port is being used then it put all of the 1A output into that 1 port.[/FONT]"

I then sent an email asking if their USBC3 and he replied stating that it will deliver a full 2.1A to one port and a full 1A to the other if 2 devices are plugged in.

Perhaps the person you spoke to was the one who was wrong?

Their website doesn't make it clear either way.

 

[drhill]

Sorry I meant powerbolt.

Amazon.com: Kensington K39224US PowerBolt Micro Car Charger for iPad, iPhone and…

 

[Napalm]

Currently I have Griffin PowerJolt2 (2.1A iPad version) and have seen issues with it, but it turned out to be related to usb cables. I'm waiting to get a brand new Scosche usb12v2a from Amazon this Thursday and will test it out as well. Regarding usb cables - they are not created equally. PC sync usb cables use thinner 28 gauge wires (handles less current, and with higher current you get bigger voltage drop) versus AC charge usb cables with 24 gauge thicker wires on +5V/GND (handles more current and less voltage drop). I actually been in contact with Todd (ezeStand) who is vigorously investigating this to find an optimum usb cable solution that will work with different car chargers on fully loaded DX.

Thanks I never noticed that but wondered. Is there anyplace but motorolla to get that higher ga cable. I checked monoprice (I want one that is longer than 6 ft) and would love a 24 ga - 8ft cable, but bet they don't exist yet.

 

[Napalm]

BTW anything marketed as an IPAD supply, provides a stable 2.1 amps with 4+ volts to it. (not necessarily always 5 volts) Or at least it should as that is the requirement for an ipad.

I wonder if scoche has their story straight yet. but again I use the supplied moto cable with mine but I need to test with the phone fully charged and a longer than 10 minute trip.

 

[lexluthor]

Good point on the cables.

I actually got 4 3' Micro USB cables from this ebay seller.
eBay My World - wireless-deluxe

The cables were actually blackberry logo cables and were very thick. Definitely thicker than most other cables I have and probably as thick as the high quality cable I got from monoprice.

 

[twister6]

Indeed, very confusing. The product part number "12V2A" which suggests 12V sig lighter in and 2A out. Their official website says 1A x 2, and that is what their tech support suggested. But you got an official email in writing stating otherwise, and I just read under Amazon reviews a similar statement about 1A being shared.

I'm gonna email their tech support as well. Let's hope someone else will respond back so we can confirm a similar reply

 

[lexluthor]

The first person who replied, in email, that it was 1A shared said he got the info from tech support. When I called tech support, he looked something up and said that it would be 1A each if 2 devices were plugged in.

Since the first person said he got the information from tech support and then tech support looked it up while I was on the phone, I'm hoping it's that tech support person who is correct.

I don't have anything starting 2A total/1A each in email though. That would be nice to see.

I ordered one from buy.com for $8.95+tax just now.

 

[twister6]

BINGO!!!

For only $1.34 each when QTY 50+ purchased - USB 2.0 A Male to Micro 5pin Male 28/24AWG Cable w/ Ferrite Core - (Gold Plated) - 10ft | USB 2.0 Cables - Micro-B Type

They have it in different length too. What's funny is that I ordered a pair of usb cables from monoprice last week, due to arrive any day now. This above was one of them with 28ga for data and 24ga for power wires. The other cable I ordered has both 28ga for data/power.

If you see cable being thick, it doesn't mean anything. Just a stiffer heavy duty wire jacket. It has to be specified explicitly which wire gauge it uses. It seems that monoprice is one of the few places that does it.

... also sent email to Scosche tech support inquiring about USB12V2A charger. lets see what they are going to reply this time.

 

[Napalm]

BINGO!!!

For only $1.34 each when QTY 50+ purchased - USB 2.0 A Male to Micro 5pin Male 28/24AWG Cable w/ Ferrite Core - (Gold Plated) - 10ft | USB 2.0 Cables - Micro-B Type

They have it in different length too. What's funny is that I ordered a pair of usb cables from monoprice last week, due to arrive any day now. This above was one of them with 28ga for data and 24ga for power wires. The other cable I ordered has both 28ga for data/power.

If you see cable being thick, it doesn't mean anything. Just a stiffer heavy duty wire jacket. It has to be specified explicitly which wire gauge it uses. It seems that monoprice is one of the few places that does it.

... also sent email to Scosche tech support inquiring about USB12V2A charger. lets see what they are going to reply this time.

Thanks I didn't even get a chance to look. Ordered 2 of them.

 

[twister6]

Regarding monoprice cable, just got it in. Will test it in the car in the next couple of days. Overall, the built quality is top notch!!! Connectors are gold plated, nice touch. Ferrite bead is about 1" from the connector so it leaves enough clearance to plugin into DX and bend the cable and also not too far so you can hide cable nicely mounting it in the car. 10ft is a perfect length for mounting on the dashboard/windshield while hiding the cable under dashboard.

Regarding Scosche USB12V2A car charger. Just got an official email from tech support with install instructions. Here is a quote from the email:
------------------------------------------
Greetings,

Attached are the instructions for this adapter which shows the current output of the device.

The device will produce 1 amp per port when they are both in use.
When there is only 1 port being used it will produce 2 amps.

Thank you,
____________________________
Gustavo Olmos
Technical Support
Scosche Industries, Inc.

--------------------------------------------------

The attached instruction with an electrical spec explicitly says Power Output 5V-2A (1A per port).

 

[lexluthor]

I also have that Monoprice cable and the build quality is first class. I had to replace it with a right angle cable (which I much prefer) and the one I got is about 1/4 in thickness from the monoprice one. Not even close to quality.

Thanks for the confirmation on the USB12V2A. That unit appears to be a great deal then.

I couldn't charge 2 phones in the ebay cheapo dual usb charger I got. The phone that was running Navigation was losing charge while both were plugged in. Shouldn't be the case with the USB12V2A if it's getting a full 1A.

 

[twister6]

I prefer right angle cable as well. Where did you get yours? I got a pair from ezeStand (Todd) for $4 + shipping, and unfortunately it's having intermittent problem when sometime it charges and other times it doesn't when I have GPS/NAV/BT and occasionally make calls while driving. Those cables are 28ga wires and I fear that is a problem; that was Todd's theory to begin with. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that USB12V2A will work out for us. But please keep in mind, even with that dual Scosche 2A charger you can still have a problem using 28 gauge wire cable. 1A+ of current through a thin wire will drop the voltage too much and will also overhead the wire.

This is my first smartphone, and its hard to believe that it took me 5 minutes to choose the phone (which I LOVE!!!) but now its taking me weeks to find right usb cable and charge LOL!!!

 

[lexluthor]

I got a Startech 6' right angle cable on Ebay for about $12 shipped. The Startech cable is pretty readily available online. Technically, not sure if it's a right or a left angle, but it routes down the Droid X, when plugged in. It's a very thin cable and not sure how long it will last, but seems to charge the phone as quickly as anything else.

The monoprice cable was so much better, but I really needed the angle cable for night time use while plugged in.

 

[akita]

Could somebody summarize the ideal specs(voltage, ma, Amps, etc) for a car charger considering the standard battery is 1540 mah and the extended is 1880 mah? I have the motorola charger that is spec'd at 4.75-5.25V and 950mA. I was under the impression that this would be enough juice to charger and handle GPS. From reading this thread, it seems like it would be optimal to get one of the Griffin/Scosche/Kensington usb chargers that can push out 2amps. Some clarification please as my old brain cant rememeber what I learned in my electronics class in high school

 

[Napalm]

Could somebody summarize the ideal specs(voltage, ma, Amps, etc) for a car charger considering the standard battery is 1540 mah and the extended is 1880 mah? I have the motorola charger that is spec'd at 4.75-5.25V and 950mA. I was under the impression that this would be enough juice to charger and handle GPS. From reading this thread, it seems like it would be optimal to get one of the Griffin/Scosche/Kensington usb chargers that can push out 2amps. Some clarification please as my old brain cant rememeber what I learned in my electronics class in high school

I have the scosche with 1amp and so far I have found it to be plenty for phone on call with GPS while driving with BT. And charging the battery. its not reall fast and I would caution against getting a 2A or more fast charger to preserve the battery life.

Likweise regardless of battery 1A should be fine. NOTE your moto charger is 950mA which is probably easily close enough. However I wonder what you get if you use that extra usb charge port? So maybe you can only do one item at a time.

 

[twister6]

Since I got Scosche 2x 1A car charger yesterday and using it with monoprice 28/24 micro-usb cable, I run a quick test today while driving for 20 minute with GPS/NAV/BT and a few calls in-between. Battery was down to half and it easily went up by about 20% during the drive. I was only using 1 port and it seem to charge up very fast. Tomorrow I will test it during my typical 1hr drive, but for now so far so good. One thing I have to add, that ferrite filtering core on monoprice 28/24 cable is a little annoying considering its not right angle connector But as far as I know this is the only cable available in such long length with 24 gauge wires used for +5V and GND. I might have to look around for right angle micro usb adapters. So far I have seen only very short cables used for that purpose, but no dedicated adapter.

 

[Napalm]

Curious, why does a right angle adapter matter if you don't hold the phone?

I don't see a problem but I don' have that cable either. Standard moto cable is long enough till I get my car mount. (ARKON is the top contender there, but I will use the other end of the phone for the camera)

This thread has been very good and I have pointed others to it for car charger advice.

 

[twister6]

right angle matters for horizontal positioning of the phone in a holder so its easier to route the wire in the car. This is relative to how/where I'm mounting the phone, and btw I switched to bean bag mount now since I was getting annoyed by vibration from suction cup mount to windshield.

In another update, it seems that short test commute I did yesterday worked OK with my charger setup, but this morning driving for over 1hr didn't work as I expected. I had battery down to 50% and when I got to work it was only 60% (Scosche and 28/24 cable). Will try the same cable with Griffin 2A charger on a way back. Very inconsistent behavior.

Seems we've been beating a dead horse in here trying to figure out the right combination of charger and cable while using DX for an extended period of time (1hr or more) with GPS/NAV on, BT and phone use, and screen on - all that while charging it up. I don't think we have found a robust consistent solution yet

 

[twister6]

Sorry for turning this thread into a daily blog Just keeping you guys updated with my "test" results and hoping others can chime in with theirs

In my setup I'm 100% sure about use of monoprice 28/24 micro-usb cable since I'm using DX for GPS/NAV and need it somewhere on dashboard with extended cable. The unknown is which usb car charger to use, and I have been testing both Scosche USB12V2A (2x 1A outputs) and Griffin PowerJolt 2 (2.1A single output intended for iPad). On a short trips (15-20min or less) both of them work OK when you have GSP/NAV enabled, BT on with occasional phone calls, and Display on. On a long trips for 1hr or more, Scosche can not keep up charging up DX with everything turned on and draining juices out of battery. In a best case the battery charge will be at the same level as you started before the trip, but often its way below. With Griffin PowerJolt2 I don't see this issue, so far. For example, started this morning at 40% and after 1hr10min of driving with everything on the battery went up to 90%.

I know I quoted Scosche tech support above and had their printed spec in front of me, but based on my practical use of their charger I do not believe its providing 2A of current when only one usb port is being used. IMHO, I'm leaning more toward that its not even efficient enough to provide a full 1A per port.

What are you guys seeing with your chargers? I'm more interested in long trips for over an hour and with everything on since this is a true stress test.

 

[OrderFromChaos]

Sorry for turning this thread into a daily blog Just keeping you guys updated with my "test" results and hoping others can chime in with theirs

In my setup I'm 100% sure about use of monoprice 28/24 micro-usb cable since I'm using DX for GPS/NAV and need it somewhere on dashboard with extended cable. The unknown is which usb car charger to use, and I have been testing both Scosche USB12V2A (2x 1A outputs) and Griffin PowerJolt 2 (2.1A single output intended for iPad). On a short trips (15-20min or less) both of them work OK when you have GSP/NAV enabled, BT on with occasional phone calls, and Display on. On a long trips for 1hr or more, Scosche can not keep up charging up DX with everything turned on and draining juices out of battery. In a best case the battery charge will be at the same level as you started before the trip, but often its way below. With Griffin PowerJolt2 I don't see this issue, so far. For example, started this morning at 40% and after 1hr10min of driving with everything on the battery went up to 90%.

I know I quoted Scosche tech support above and had their printed spec in front of me, but based on my practical use of their charger I do not believe its providing 2A of current when only one usb port is being used. IMHO, I'm leaning more toward that its not even efficient enough to provide a full 1A per port.

What are you guys seeing with your chargers? I'm more interested in long trips for over an hour and with everything on since this is a true stress test.

I'll test my PowerJolt 2 on a long drive tonight and report back my findings. On the shorted commutes (< 45 mins) the charger has been working flawlessly, even when I mistakenly have the phone plugged in before starting the car.

I run my display at the maximum level, BT, GPS, usually play stock mp3 files, and occasionally turn on nav to test the charger's capabilities. I'll try streaming audio and the nav with my drive tonight. On previous trials the charger seems to provide enough power to run all the tasks and charge the battery.

 

[Napalm]

Sorry for turning this thread into a daily blog Just keeping you guys updated with my "test" results and hoping others can chime in with theirs

In my setup I'm 100% sure about use of monoprice 28/24 micro-usb cable since I'm using DX for GPS/NAV and need it somewhere on dashboard with extended cable. The unknown is which usb car charger to use, and I have been testing both Scosche USB12V2A (2x 1A outputs) and Griffin PowerJolt 2 (2.1A single output intended for iPad). On a short trips (15-20min or less) both of them work OK when you have GSP/NAV enabled, BT on with occasional phone calls, and Display on. On a long trips for 1hr or more, Scosche can not keep up charging up DX with everything turned on and draining juices out of battery. In a best case the battery charge will be at the same level as you started before the trip, but often its way below. With Griffin PowerJolt2 I don't see this issue, so far. For example, started this morning at 40% and after 1hr10min of driving with everything on the battery went up to 90%.

I know I quoted Scosche tech support above and had their printed spec in front of me, but based on my practical use of their charger I do not believe its providing 2A of current when only one usb port is being used. IMHO, I'm leaning more toward that its not even efficient enough to provide a full 1A per port.

What are you guys seeing with your chargers? I'm more interested in long trips for over an hour and with everything on since this is a true stress test.

You know I keep seeing all this controversy over the scoche unit. The slip of paper that came in the box clearly says it puts out 1 amp PER output for a TOTAL of 2.

IE each usb line can get 1AMP out of it ONLY. It will never put out 2 AMPS on ONE port.

Now that one they make for the IPAD will put out 2.1 AMPS.

However I wonder if your monoprice cable has too much voltage drop? I would doubt it, but 24AWG wire isn't that strong. Might have to do a test. Again I haven't driven with mine much more that 30 minutes without stopping since I have had My DX. And I use the standard Moto cable that I got with the phone.

 

[Napalm]

Eitherway, Twister thanks for putting up the use info. I mean maybe 1 amp is marginal for this phone using every feature. I don't think I will be on the phone that much when I drive, let alone navigate.

 

[OrderFromChaos]

You know I keep seeing all this controversy over the scoche unit. The slip of paper that came in the box clearly says it puts out 1 amp PER output for a TOTAL of 2.

IE each usb line can get 1AMP out of it ONLY. It will never put out 2 AMPS on ONE port.

Now that one they make for the IPAD will put out 2.1 AMPS.

However I wonder if your monoprice cable has too much voltage drop? I would doubt it, but 24AWG wire isn't that strong. Might have to do a test. Again I haven't driven with mine much more that 30 minutes without stopping since I have had My DX. And I use the standard Moto cable that I got with the phone.

IMO, I doubt it it would be the cable. I am using the 2.1A charger with a 15' USB extension cable into a 6' USB to micro into the Moto car dock. Both of the cables I purchased were the least expensive ones found on Amazon.

Amazon.com: RiteAV - USB A to Micro-B Cable 6 ft.: Electronics

Amazon.com: 15 Foot USB 2.0 Extension Cable: Electronics

 

[twister6]

Another thing to keep in mind, something if I'm not mistaken Napalm mentioned before, is an external overheating of the battery. I keep my DX "navigator" on the dashboard with its back exposed to the heat from the windshield. During the morning commute the back of the phone doesn't heat up as much and charging goes faster. On a way back from work in late afternoon when we get close to 100deg, back of the phone gets hotter and charging up slows down which is expected. With a same commute time, the same use of the phone, and the same starting battery % I get much better results in the morning when its warm versus afternoon when its hot. So gotta account for that as well...

 

[lexluthor]

I received my Scosche today. I think I may have found the source of some of the confusion.

My unit has a model number of USB12V2. The box says Scosche reVIVE and the box and unit itself say Output 5V, 1A.

I did not get any slip of paper in the box.

Scosche site lists a model USB12V2A and says reVIVE II.

Looks like they might have added an A to the end of the model and made it a 2A total unit.

What model numbers do you all have, where did you order from and what's written on the unit itself as far as total output amps?

Bummer, looks like I got the wrong one. The buy.com link I ordered from doesn't have the A at the end, so looks like I'd have little recourse.