Help Can I charge it with a Sammy charger?

[Kookas]

The tab arrived today - and despite the odds, there was no cracked screen, the metal wasn't peeling off and it wasn't on fire.

Anyway, I had it shipped from the US and so it came with one of those US chargers that doesn't actually work. So I was wondering if it's safe to charge the tab with the Samsung charger that came with my Galaxy Nexus, because that only outputs 1A compared to the stock's 1.2 and I don't have a clue about electrical things so I'm worried that maybe there's some sort of tablet-specific safety stuff in the stock Asus charger that isn't present in the Sammy. I do have an 8400mAh external battery that outputs 2A, though - would it be better to charge from that?

I did order an adapter (it was a really fancy-looking one that could be used in different countries for different plugs) but it's not come yet, which is why I'm curious about this thing. I think it might be coming tomorrow, so I could wait for that.

 

[Dave L]

The tab arrived today - and despite the odds, there was no cracked screen, the metal wasn't peeling off and it wasn't on fire.

Anyway, I had it shipped from the US and so it came with one of those US chargers that doesn't actually work. So I was wondering if it's safe to charge the tab with the Samsung charger that came with my Galaxy Nexus, because that only outputs 1A compared to the stock's 1.2 and I don't have a clue about electrical things so I'm worried that maybe there's some sort of tablet-specific safety stuff in the stock Asus charger that isn't present in the Sammy. I do have an 8400mAh external battery that outputs 2A, though - would it be better to charge from that?

I did order an adapter (it was a really fancy-looking one that could be used in different countries for different plugs) but it's not come yet, which is why I'm curious about this thing.

Hi,

It depends on the output Voltage. If it's 15V @1A then you will be OK. It'll just take a little longer. A for your external battery is also depends on the Voltage. If it's 5V @ 2A then it's fine.

 

[Kookas]

Hi,

It depends on the output Voltage. If it's 15V @1A then you will be OK. It'll just take a little longer. A for your external battery is also depends on the Voltage. If it's 5V @ 2A then it's fine.

Thanks. I'll try the external battery, then.

 

[jerofld]

Don't just slap on that US to Euro converter without reading more on the Asus power adapter. I don't have it available, so I can't look. Make sure that the Input Voltage says 110-240 V. Or read what it does say on it. If it's designed to only work with American outlets, it'll be designed to accept 110-120V. If you put something that is designed for US only onto an European power outlet, an electrical fire may start. European power outlets usually run between 220V and 240V.

If it does say it can accept 110-240V (or similar), you need to check in on it and don't leave it plugged in when not actually charging. The conversion between the two, especially converting from Euro to US, causes a lot of heat. I learned this from my laptop charger that was US and Euro (but sold in US). The power brick got hot a lot in Europe.

 

[Kookas]

This is the adapter I'm talking about:
Xenta UK/USA/Europe Travel Adapter with USB Charging Port NT550

Input Voltage is 125V-250V. The UK AC voltage is 240V. I'll bear that in mind when I get it, though.

 

[jerofld]

This is the adapter I'm talking about:
Xenta UK/USA/Europe Travel Adapter with USB Charging Port NT550

Input Voltage is 125V-250V. The UK AC voltage is 240V. I'll bear that in mind when I get it, though.

Ok, that'll work just fine. It shouldn't generate a lot of excess heat. What I had back in the day was something that would make the power plug fit and did no converting itself. So the power adapter would get really hot.

However, that looks ideal. USB should put out 5V at 1A and be good.

 

[Kookas]

Oh, alright then. Is it normal for the tablet to have only charged up by 10% after 2 hours, even though the external battery I'm charging it with outs 2 amps? It's at 30% now, so it will take 14 hours at this rate to charge fully. Is the battery somehow not sufficient to charge it faster?

Bearing in mind that I am expecting the Xenta thing tomorrow, so it's not too much of an issue if I need to wait for that.

 

[pillbug]

I was under the impression that the tablet won't recharge at the regular USB 5v level, that you need at least 12v (the Asus wall wart, which IS good for 110-240v input, outputs 15v). So I don't think the Xenta travel adapter listed up above will actually charge the tablet from its USB output.

You just need a European plug adapter to plug the Asus wall wart directly into the European outlet. Much cheaper than the converter type adapter mentioned above.

 

[Kookas]

I was under the impression that the tablet won't recharge at the regular USB 5v level, that you need at least 12v (the Asus wall wart, which IS good for 110-240v input, outputs 15v). So I don't think the Xenta travel adapter listed up above will actually charge the tablet from its USB output.

You just need a European plug adapter to plug the Asus wall wart directly into the European outlet. Much cheaper than the converter type adapter mentioned above.

Yeah, you're right. But I can just plug the Asus charging block right into the Xenta and it'll charge at full thrust. Also, I do travel reasonably frequently, so it isn't a particularly bad purchase.

The Xenta can take up to 125 volts at 6 amps - plenty of room for the official charging block at 15 volts and 1.2 amps.

By the way, the UK doesn't use the European plug.

 

[jerofld]

If the tablet is expecting 15v and the battery is only supplying 5v, then that explains your horrible charging rate. So all should be good when you get your charging block. Just keep in mind that if you plug in the US wall wart, it may get hot. You might want to unplug it when not in use.

 

[Kookas]

After charging and using the tablet, I've found that actually the charger doesn't get hot at all (not even warm). Typical battery life too, 40 mins drains 10% of the battery.

All in all, an excellent tablet so far with no issues whatsoever. Touch wood, nothing goes wrong within the coming weeks!