"Smart" charger?

[guy48065]

Does the phone or the charger determine when a battery is full? Or is the answer "neither"? Can the battery be damaged if left on the charger all night--or even several days? I've heard conflicting answers to these questions.

The reason I'm asking (now) is I was shopping for a desktop dock and saw one that came with a charger that featured a "smart chip" that won't overcharge the battery. I personally haven't had any issues whether I'm plugged into a pc usb port with any old cord, plugged into a $1 store wall charger, or plugged into a 12V car adapter.

Just looking for the truth.

 

[Rukbat]

The charger is just a supply of electricity.

Both the phone and the battery determine how much, and when, current is drawn by the battery.

If it hurt to leave the charger connected all night I'd have a houseful of dead batteries. Instead I have 12-13 yer old batteries that still perform like when they were new.

The only thing I'd be worried about with a dollar store charger is that it might short out and burn the house down. But for $2 (shipping included) you can get some pretty good quality chargers from China. Once an item is produced in the quantity phone chargers are today, the per-item charge is so low that the difference between profit and losing your shirt can be shipping it in a plastic bag or a box. The item itself - good quality, well-designed - costs about as much as the bag it's shipped in.

 

[guy48065]

I've also noticed ads for batteries with built-in charge chip. Maybe THAT'S why it doesn't matter what the power source is or whether you charge in the phone or stick the battery in a charging stand.
I dunno... just seems weird it doesn't matter if you plug into a trickle charger all night or something that puts out several amps. I thought these batteries can catch fire if mistreated.
But it doesn't seem possible to mistreat them...