Help Inductive wireless charging problem.

[AppleUser]

Thanks to this forum for advising the Samsung inductive back cover and a wireless charging base station. The phone has the original Samsung battery and the battery is in good condition. The phone screen behaves normally when charging via USB, but now the wireless charging is strange during the past few weeks. The cover contacts and phone contacts are clean, and this sequence happens with two different batteries.

1. When the phone is placed on the station, it repeatedly detects the charger by the statement on the screen, but it does it two to ten times before the green battery icon and blue echoes appear on the side.

2. Then the green battery icon comes and goes many times, then when the battery icon disappears, the upper left red light comes on. Fine, but then the red light turns off and the green battery icon returns.

3. Eventually the phone does charge. But even then if the phone is left on the charger, the green battery icon with blue wave ears reappears, shows a bubbling filling up to 100%, gets dimmer, green light appears briefly, then green light disappears and the battery icon showing 100%, but the green light disappears each time the 100% battery icon fills green.

4. Briefly, the charging light goes back to red then the green 100% battery icon appears and the charging light goes back to green, and the sequence repeats.

I recall when first using this charging system that there was one detection of the wireless charging, then one appearance of the green battery icon, then the screen went dark, the charging light red, and it stayed like this until the phone was charged, the red light turning green.

So is this normal and ignorable? Should one get a new battery? New cover? New inductive charging station? Is this change due to a malfunction in the cell phone circuitry?

 

[AZgl1500]

The problem is actually very simple.

You need to know exactly where the center of the charging coil is inside the phone.

That point must be placed over the circle on the Qi charging pad...

My Galaxy S5 must be pushed up about 3/8 inch or so, and about 1/4 inch to the right; to get it to charge properly "every time".

On my Note 4, it must be displaced to the right 1/2 inch, and up 1/2 inch.... this is because the charging coil is placed over the battery. and on the Note 4 and S5, that is on the "right side" of the phone..... ( that is from the back side )
now, when you place the phone over the charging pad, the wireless coil is centered below the phone roughly 1/3rd of the way from the left side of the phone.

Image that in your eye, and place the phone over to the right, and up just a smidgeon.....

most Qi pads have a light to indicate when they connect to your phone.... watch that, move the phone very slowly, and when the light turns on, stop!

with practice, you will learn where the "hot spot" is.... I can now lay both of my phones on the Qi pad and it will connect immediately to both of them..... but, the phones are not in the same physical location.....

 

[AppleUser]

The charger station is the $60+ one which has a large sweet spot. When purchased five months ago the phone could be anywhere against the plate and all was fine. This issue doesn't appear to to be a matter of placement.

 

[mikedt]

The charger station is the $60+ one which has a large sweet spot. When purchased five months ago the phone could be anywhere against the plate and all was fine. This issue doesn't appear to to be a matter of placement.

Sounds like it's developed a fault and is not working as it should, seek warranty service for replacement or repair I think.

 

[AZgl1500]

The charger station is the $60+ one which has a large sweet spot. When purchased five months ago the phone could be anywhere against the plate and all was fine. This issue doesn't appear to to be a matter of placement.

I bought 3 of the little $9.95-$19.95 Qi charger pads for that same $60 bux.... Kept trying to get one that would work with the 1st Qi receiver coil..... later found out, it was the charging coil(s)

you get what you pay for, at the time I bought mine, there weren't any "good chargers" available...
being an old retired electronics tech, I knew before I bought them, that if they even worked with a case on the phones, I would be lucky....

in fact, I had to buy 3 different receiver coils before I found one that would work with a case.... but at less than $10 bux of any of the coils, what do you expect? One of them one only $5.95 free shipping ????

 

[AppleUser]

Good point, AZ:

Here's the charging station purchased six months ago, and it used to work fine no matter where the phone was placed: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DG8NUC8?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00

Past thread prompting selection of this charger: http://androidforums.com/threads/is-this-the-best-wireless-charger.925961/#post-7018811

Perhaps the best way to diagnose this issue is my replacement: 1. Try a new charging station, then 2. Try a new back cover 3. Last resort: phone repair.

 

[AZgl1500]

I don't have the Samsung Qi charging back.

1. too expensive for me
2. too bulky for me

so, that led to my search for a Qi receiver coil that would work inside the phones ( S5 & Note 4 )

 

[AppleUser]

I don't have the Samsung Qi charging back.

1. too expensive for me
2. too bulky for me

so, that led to my search for a Qi receiver coil that would work inside the phones ( S5 & Note 4 )

The Samsung charging back was only $12. Is that "too expensive" ? It did not add bulk to the Galaxy S5.

 

[AZgl1500]

the one I saw was 3 or 4 times that much, they must have a new one I have not seen.

not that it matters to me now, all of my phones have internal Qi coils, and the original OEM backs still on the phones. I just like it better that way.

 

[AppleUser]

I bought 3 of the little $9.95-$19.95 Qi charger pads for that same $60 bux.... Kept trying to get one that would work with the 1st Qi receiver coil..... later found out, it was the charging coil(s)

you get what you pay for, at the time I bought mine, there weren't any "good chargers" available...
being an old retired electronics tech, I knew before I bought them, that if they even worked with a case on the phones, I would be lucky....

in fact, I had to buy 3 different receiver coils before I found one that would work with a case.... but at less than $10 bux of any of the coils, what do you expect? One of them one only $5.95 free shipping ????

 

[AppleUser]

Hats off to all of you who indicated it was the charger. Seems you were correct.

Cleaned contacts
Changed batteries
The charging was still intermittent and cycles.

The Samsung wireless S5 charging back cover which was only $20 six months ago, is now a whopping $80 (USED) to $120 (NEW). Forget buying a new Samsung back, besides an intermittent issue is more likely to be the charging unit or phone circuitry.

Purchased this new $20 charger:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B018YJRGGO and the charging sequence was a bit different, the sweet spot much much smaller, but the phone charged fine and completely without cycling. This less expensive pad was neat in that a central red dot tells you the unit is on. Radial blue lines tells you the phone is in the proper position, and then when charging the lines fade and get brighter. The phone charges quickly and doesn't get as warm as the $60 unit. Drawbacks are the phone can slide and relocate easily and the sweet spot is much much smaller.

 

[AZgl1500]

glad you got it worked out, troubleshooting is always hard to do when you can't nail down what is actually going on.

 

[Fox Mulder]

Hey AZ, you have links to the coils/charger you ended up with that work? I've thought about wireless charging for my S5 but the OEM back is not an option with the case I have and giving up the case isn't an option either.

 

[AppleUser]

Hey AZ, you have links to the coils/charger you ended up with that work? I've thought about wireless charging for my S5 but the OEM back is not an option with the case I have and giving up the case isn't an option either.

The S5 wireless back cover was only $18 six months ago. Samsung stopped making them, and the retailers allege they are being charged much more from distributors. So on eBay and Amazon they've been selling for $70 - $140, way too pricey.

AMAZON: http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-Galaxy-Wireless-Charging-Battery/dp/B00ITI24EK

However, you can get a wireless back cover for the S5 for $15 if you can tolerate white plastic, not the rich dotted black finish of the Samsung.

I don't need any, but purchased a few today, and tested them. Strangely, they have only two contact points, whereas the Samsung has six. They work and fit well and have the circular waterproof seal.

So for $20 get the Necktek base station and $15 wireless back cover and for $35 total you don't need the USB port for charging.

 

[AZgl1500]

Hey AZ, you have links to the coils/charger you ended up with that work? I've thought about wireless charging for my S5 but the OEM back is not an option with the case I have and giving up the case isn't an option either.

They seem to have all come from eBay, looking to see what I found.

This is the last one that I bought for the S5, and that was back in 2014..... that link is dead, but eBay is showing this link, and the pad looks like what I bought....
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Qi-Wireless...-S5-N3-/141370704184?var=&hash=item20ea59c138


This is the exact pad I have on my computer desk, not sure if the Receiver is the one in my S5, or my wife's S5...
http://www.ebay.com/itm/QI-Standard...-I9600-/331182652488?var=&hash=item4d1c063c48

 

[Fox Mulder]

Thanks, looks like the first one is out of stock for the S5 version but I see other local sellers with what appears to be the same product. For $10 I might give that a try.
The second one ships from China, I'll pass on that. I've done it before but much prefer to buy from domestic sellers.

 

[AZgl1500]

I forgot to mention, that make sure you read the Details....
if it doesn't say it will work at "up to 8mm" of dead air space, do NOT buy it...

I have a couple of those that said 5mm and they do NOT work with a case on the phone.

all of my phones have Speck Military Ballistic Grip cases, and they are Thick and Heavy....
but, the phones are alive after bouncing off our concrete floors..


https://www.bing.com/images/search?...=Speck+Military+Ballistic+Grip+case&FORM=IGRE

 

[Fox Mulder]

Oh well, I did already order the one from NY and it did say 5mm. But screw it, it's only $10 and I can send it back if it doesn't work (at my expense so maybe not worth it).
I do have a case and it's not a thin one, but I don't think it's as thick as yours. Anyway I should have it in a few days and I'll try it and report back.
I've made it this far with the phone (1 year) without the benefit of wireless charging so it's no big deal either way. If it works it's a nice convenience, if it doesn't then I'll continue plugging in as usual.
On a side note, I have one of the old HP Touchpads which I got several years ago when they blew them out super-cheap in their fire sale. It has built-in wireless charging that works great, it's been sitting on its charging pad here for years and I never plug it in. They certainly got that right, too bad the thing flopped as a whole.

 

[AppleUser]

Just go to your local Ikea (or order over the Net) and get their Galaxy S5 cover for only $15.

LINK: http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/30314004/

Fits well, has waterproofing trim, and it does charge. Strangely it has only two metal contacts. Unfortunately it's available only in white, not black.

 

[Fox Mulder]

The problem with the Samsung cover is that it doesn't work with just about every case on the market, which makes it useless to those of us who use a case to protect our phones.

 

[AZgl1500]

The problem with the Samsung cover is that it doesn't work with just about every case on the market, which makes it useless to those of us who use a case to protect our phones.

precisely why I avoided the Samsung wireless cover...

 

[Fox Mulder]

Me too, I saw there were a couple of cases people said would work but those didn't meet my needs.
Anyway I should have the cheap coil/pad thing in the next few days.

 

[AZgl1500]

My phones seem to like Concrete.... dunno why, but they have a magnet in them that Concrete likes...
so, I had to cover them with a really good case to protect them...

in my case, I settled on the Speck Candyshell military Grip version... have them on both S5s and my Note 4...

the Note 4 just took one hell of a nasty drop this morning, I was getting out of the car and trying to unload the wife's wheelchair, and something snagged it, and it went skittering across the parking lot...

No fouls, no harm, life went on.... money well spent, many times over.

but, that thick case caused me to buy several wireless coil receivers before I found the brand that works.

 

[Fox Mulder]

So I got the charger and I've been messing with it-
It works with my case! Getting 620ma of a maximum 750 so not too bad.
They don't give you anything to secure the coil against the wireless contacts, a piece of electrical tape took care of that.
Had to figure out the "sweet spot" of where to put the phone on the pad, it's not dead center but offset a bit.
Also found that even though I had "keep display on when charging" enabled in Developer Options, that apparently doesn't apply when charging with wireless. So I had to make a quick Tasker profile to do it.

 

[AZgl1500]

hmmmm,

mine doesn't require the display to be 'on' to charge via the Qi coil.

it wakes the phone up, but then it times out and goes back to sleep.
then when it is full, it wakes the phone up again and beeps softly.

I have found that it works better to cut a small piece of business card and lay it on top of the charging contacts.
and a small piece of cellophane tape keeps it in place so it don't move around while trying to get the case back onto the phone.