Accessories I recommend this car charger

[Deleted User]

That's for the droid, not the droidX. The DX model is MB810.

ok. ty.

 

[twister6]

Since someone above mentioned about max 1.5A rating of DX, I think going with 950mA or 1A car charger solution might not be a good idea. Max rating is often considered to be as a peak value instead of continuous source. If you take 5V +/ 5% variation and changes over temperature, you are starting to eat into your margin. To have enough juice to charge DX while driving with GPS/Bluetooth/Music you need one of those iPad 2A usb chargers. From the list in this thread, either Kensington PowerBolt Micro or Griffin PowerJo.t 2 should do the trick, although Griffin looks more solid and has less complains. Will be ordering PowerJolt 2 now.

 

[Napalm]

Damn needs a full amp.

Good to know. Thanks. I was just going to buy any USB style car port. Guess I better get a stong one.

Looks like a good choice.

 

[ChiefHopper]

We have a 2009 Malibu with a USB port. I plugged in the phone using the cable that came with it, turned on all of the settings and started the NAV app. The battery level per Battery Life was 70%. We did quite a bit of driving and returned home. Looked it showed a temp of 107

 

[Deleted User]

has anyone used this one yet?

Amazon.com: Car Charger for Motorola Droid X: CrazyOnDigital

for a $1.97 i don't think it could hurt to try (just can't find how much power it puts to the phone)

 

[twister6]

I placed an order for these (car and wall charger pair) in addition to Griffin PowerJolt I already received. According to the spec it supposed to be rated at 1A, and both sold for $6.99.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0038W0K0W/ref=oss_product

 

[tranceFusion]

whats the max amps the droid x can make use of?

 

[SFWB]

I picked up one of these at Walmart for $10 yesterday:

Amazon.com: ESI CASES 4DC868 Motorola Rapid Recharging 2 in 1 System: Cell Phones & Service

It was in the automotive section, not the electronics section.

The reason I made this purchase... My battery was amost dead the other night and I was getting the notifications that I was below 15%, etc. It was about 11PM and I plugged it in to the OEM wall charger. I let it charge overnight and unplugged it at 8AM when I went out to work. It was only at 20%.

So far, this thing works great. I'm down below 15% now and am going to let it die and I'll recharge it tonight and report back on how long it takes to charge to 100%.

 

[OrderFromChaos]

I picked up one of these at Walmart for $10 yesterday:

Amazon.com: ESI CASES 4DC868 Motorola Rapid Recharging 2 in 1 System: Cell Phones & Service

It was in the automotive section, not the electronics section.

The reason I made this purchase... My battery was amost dead the other night and I was getting the notifications that I was below 15%, etc. It was about 11PM and I plugged it in to the OEM wall charger. I let it charge overnight and unplugged it at 8AM when I went out to work. It was only at 20%.

So far, this thing works great. I'm down below 15% now and am going to let it die and I'll recharge it tonight and report back on how long it takes to charge to 100%.

Your phone should have been fully charged using the OEM charger within a matter of hours. The 20% after 9 hours is not right at all. BTW, don't let the phone fully discharge, that was only for older batteries. Li-ion do not have the memory effect and the full discharge can be worse for these types of batteries.

The care and feeding of Li-Ion batteries | User Support | TechRepublic.com

 

[Napalm]

Considering the battery of the DX is 1500 mAh capacity and a 1 amp charger will get that 1.5 hours, it doesn't seem like that would be too rapid a charge. Also considering that the phone it self would be on, that charge time would be closer to 2 (depending on use and radios and processor overhead)

The charging circuit in the phone will not allow the batteries to fully discharge. so if you run the phone to where it shuts off the battery is still protected. Likewise as mentioned just because a 2.1 amp charger puts out that much doesn't mean the phone will draw that much. again the charging circuit should limit. I would bet that people with the 2.1, could run their phone till it dies and it would still take 1 hour to charge it. Where as the 1500 mAh/2100 mA (capacity over supplied current) shows that it should charge in around .71 hours or 43 minutes.

IE I don't think the phone will pull the whole 2.1 amps.

I bought the griffin widget at best buy last night. seems to do fine.

 

[SFWB]

Your phone should have been fully charged using the OEM charger within a matter of hours. The 20% after 9 hours is not right at all. BTW, don't let the phone fully discharge, that was only for older batteries. Li-ion do not have the memory effect and the full discharge can be worse for these types of batteries.

The care and feeding of Li-Ion batteries | User Support | TechRepublic.com

I agree. I have been suspect of my OEM charger being defective since I got it. I posted before that I found I was able to charge the phone faster via USB than with that thing.

This new charger charged my phone to 100% in under under 2 hours. I didn't let it die. I plugged it in when it was at 10%. I am not sure exactly how long it took because I was watching TV and didn't keep an eye on it. When I did check it it was fully charged and that was about 1:50 after plugging it in.

I can live with 2 hours.

 

[powderkegg]

Just a heads up for those interested: I've read the posts about leaving the chargers plugged in while the vehicle is not in use. Not a good idea, and not because of battery drain. Cigarette adapater chargers are notorious for starting car fires if they malfunction.

In theory, the fuse is probably only 10 amps and should kick out and stop a malfunction, but there is no guarantee there.

I am a career firefighter and have seen this five or six times in the last year or so. I would venture a guess and say that the chargers that caused the fires were the really cheap ones found on ebay or amazon, but no one has really confirmed this.

Just imagine you've pulled in your garage for the night and you awaken to smoke detectors going off only to find that your garage is on fire and it is extending into your house. Pretty scary stuff.

There is a simple way to prevent this from happening: don't leave the charger plugged in when you are going to be out of the vehicle for an extended time (more than 15 or 20 minutes). So just be careful and mind your chargers.

 

[OrderFromChaos]

Just a heads up for those interested: I've read the posts about leaving the chargers plugged in while the vehicle is not in use. Not a good idea, and not because of battery drain. Cigarette adapater chargers are notorious for starting car fires if they malfunction.

In theory, the fuse is probably only 10 amps and should kick out and stop a malfunction, but there is no guarantee there.

I am a career firefighter and have seen this five or six times in the last year or so. I would venture a guess and say that the chargers that caused the fires were the really cheap ones found on ebay or amazon, but no one has really confirmed this.

Just imagine you've pulled in your garage for the night and you awaken to smoke detectors going off only to find that your garage is on fire and it is extending into your house. Pretty scary stuff.

There is a simple way to prevent this from happening: don't leave the charger plugged in when you are going to be out of the vehicle for an extended time (more than 15 or 20 minutes). So just be careful and mind your chargers.

Does this also apply to vehicle that don't supply power when not turned on or not in "Aux" mode?

 

[OrderFromChaos]

I agree. I have been suspect of my OEM charger being defective since I got it. I posted before that I found I was able to charge the phone faster via USB than with that thing.

This new charger charged my phone to 100% in under under 2 hours. I didn't let it die. I plugged it in when it was at 10%. I am not sure exactly how long it took because I was watching TV and didn't keep an eye on it. When I did check it it was fully charged and that was about 1:50 after plugging it in.

I can live with 2 hours.

Good to hear. Two hours isn't that long to wait. But if you don't have the patience for it then pick up a 15' USB extension so you can use it while charging, that's what I use out in my family room when I need a charge and don't want to give up the phone.

 

[powderkegg]

If the aux outlet has no power when the ignition is off, then there is nothing to worry about. The issue is with aux outlets that are hot off the battery and not the ignition.

 

[OrderFromChaos]

If the aux outlet has no power when the ignition is off, then there is nothing to worry about. The issue is with aux outlets that are hot off the battery and not the ignition.

Thanks, that's what I thought but didn't want to make any assumptions.

 

[Napalm]

Just a heads up for those interested: I've read the posts about leaving the chargers plugged in while the vehicle is not in use. Not a good idea, and not because of battery drain. Cigarette adapater chargers are notorious for starting car fires if they malfunction.

In theory, the fuse is probably only 10 amps and should kick out and stop a malfunction, but there is no guarantee there.

I am a career firefighter and have seen this five or six times in the last year or so. I would venture a guess and say that the chargers that caused the fires were the really cheap ones found on ebay or amazon, but no one has really confirmed this.

Just imagine you've pulled in your garage for the night and you awaken to smoke detectors going off only to find that your garage is on fire and it is extending into your house. Pretty scary stuff.

There is a simple way to prevent this from happening: don't leave the charger plugged in when you are going to be out of the vehicle for an extended time (more than 15 or 20 minutes). So just be careful and mind your chargers.

If the aux outlet has no power when the ignition is off, then there is nothing to worry about. The issue is with aux outlets that are hot off the battery and not the ignition.

Great Points. Make sure you cig plug (or power outlet) is only on with the key on. Make your life easier. If its not, alway unplug.

 

[kilofox]

This dual usb charger has a 1A and 2.1A port.

Scosche reVIVE II Dual USB Car Charger for iPad

 

[SFWB]

I picked up one of these at Walmart for $10 yesterday:

Amazon.com: ESI CASES 4DC868 Motorola Rapid Recharging 2 in 1 System: Cell Phones & Service

It was in the automotive section, not the electronics section.

The reason I made this purchase... My battery was amost dead the other night and I was getting the notifications that I was below 15%, etc. It was about 11PM and I plugged it in to the OEM wall charger. I let it charge overnight and unplugged it at 8AM when I went out to work. It was only at 20%.

So far, this thing works great. I'm down below 15% now and am going to let it die and I'll recharge it tonight and report back on Ihow long it takes to charge to 100%.

This thing ended up being a total POS. It died completely the other night. I just returned it and bought the Griffin ones at Walmart, both the car and wall models.

 

[lexluthor]

The Scosche USB12V2. It has two 1A (1000mA) USB ports. Most car chargers are 500-600mA which means the phone is barely charging if you are using it for GPS, etc. Since it has standard USB ports, you can charge a plethora of devices.

$9.56 shipped from Amazon if you have Amazon Prime, otherwise you have to pay a few bucks for shipping.

Is this charger 1A total or 1A shared if 2 devices are plugged in? I see nothing at all stating that each device will get 1A if 2 are plugged in at once.

Does anyone know for sure?

 

[AJ_EVO]

I had a nice long 400 mile road trip home today. I decided to test out the Scosche charger with navigation running and bluetooth enabled. My phone had a full charge, so I turned on navigation and left it on my seat for a couple hours until the battery hit 50%. By this time the phone was pretty hot. I plugged it into the charger and waited 30 minutes. When I checked the battery meter it had dropped to 40%. According to Scosche tech support, the two ports on this charger share a full 2 amps. I think it's the Droid X itself that's preventing it from charging properly while running navigation. I actually think the problem might be heat related. With nav running the phone gets pretty hot. It also gets warm when charging. I'm wondering if the phone prevents itself from charging so that it doesn't overheat? When I turned off nav the phone charged very quickly.

 

[lexluthor]

Got my answer via email from Scosche. The Scosche usb12v2a does not provide 1A to EACH port when 2 devices are plugged in. It shares 1A total.

I don't really have an interest in that as if I'm charging my Droid X and Vibrant and one of them is using the GPS, it's going to be losing battery.

Does anyone know of a unit that will charge both ports at 1A at the same time?

 

[drhill]

My powerjolt charger works fine with bluetooth streaming music and navigation running in the car dock. I also get a slight charge in my drive home from about 70% to 90% in 50 minutes.

 

[lexluthor]

My powerjolt charger works fine with bluetooth streaming music and navigation running in the car dock. I also get a slight charge in my drive home from about 70% to 90% in 50 minutes.

Yes, but what about with another device plugged into the other slot?

I'm looking for a Dual USB car charger where the ports don't share 1A total power. I want both to be able to charge at 1A.

 

[twister6]

Got my answer via email from Scosche. The Scosche usb12v2a does not provide 1A to EACH port when 2 devices are plugged in. It shares 1A total.

I don't really have an interest in that as if I'm charging my Droid X and Vibrant and one of them is using the GPS, it's going to be losing battery.

Does anyone know of a unit that will charge both ports at 1A at the same time?

Not blaming you, but this reply from them makes no sense. I called them up last week and spoke with tech support directly. It was confirmed that both of the ports have a shared 2A supply. If you have one device plugged in, it will get up to 2A if need it. If you have 2 separate devices plugged in, they will get up to 1A of current each. But if you have 2 devices plugged, for example DX and something else, and one draws more than 1A than other one will get less current. With NAV/GPS/BT enabled, DX will draw more than 1A of current and your other port will get less than 1A to compensate for a total of 2A.

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.