[AT&T Samsung Galaxy Note I717] pj_rage:
This post is not meant to ask a question, but to answer some. Hopefully it will help someone. It might get lengthy, so if you're not into reading it all, scroll to the bottom for the cliff notes.

Like many others I've seen here and around the web, I was having trouble with my Note charging really slow. It only seemed to charge at a reasonable rate with the stock charger that shipped with it (~3 hours 0 to 100). I didn't expect much out of my PC USB ports because they are only 500mA max (as are most), but I have several 1A USB chargers that I used to use with my iphone without a noticeable problem. Being that they are 1A just as the samsung stock charger is, I was baffled as to why they would not charge at the same rate. I even tried my wife's ipad charger which is 2A and that did not make any difference, it was just as slow as my (non samsung) 1A chargers. It did not matter which cable I used, from the stock samsung one that shipped with the Note to a number of other ones I have.

I finally had had it and after searching all over and not finding any answers other than people's anecdotal stories about what works for them, and deciding that way too much of that was just placebo (ie people saying the ipad charger charged faster, and I know it does not). I cut one of my charger cables (USB type A male to micro USB male) open, and did a few experiments with my multimeter to determine the current levels for my various chargers under various scenarios.

I tested 4 different chargers. The black samsung charger that came with the phone, a white iphone one that is a cube like the samsung one, also 1A max, a stock 2A ipad charger, and an external 5000mAh USB charging battery pack that puts out 750mA max.

I had heard that the data+ and data- pins needed to be shorted on samsung phones in order to charge properly, so I tested the charging current with these pins shorted, with these pins connected straight through (as is a normal charging cable), and with these pins open (5V power and ground only).

Here are the results:

Black stock samsung charger (1A):

-Data lines connected straight through, which is essentially just a completely normal data/charge USB type A to USB micro cable = 960mA.

-Data lines not connected, open on both ends, only USB power 5V and ground connected = 440mA.

-*Modified cable* so that the data lines on the micro USB side (phone side) shorted = 960mA.

White iphone 1A charger:

-Data lines connected straight through (stock cable) = 440mA.

-Data lines open, not connected on either end = 440mA.

-*Modified cable* so that data lines on the micro USB side shorted = 900-910mA with phone screen on, 850mA with phone screen off. I assume that what might have been happening here is that the charge current was just going up when the phone was drawing more current because the screen was lit up. I don't think it was actually affecting charge speed, it was just maintaining the same charge but providing more power so that the screen could stay lit without affecting the charging rate. I don't know why it was doing this though because the stock samsung charger did not do this.

-iPad 2A charger:

-Data lines connected straight through (stock cable) = 440mA.

-Data lines open on both ends = 440mA.

-*Modified cable* so that data lines shorted on phone micro USB side = 860mA whent he screen was on, 780mA screen off. Note that I'm surprised this did not go up to the same as the samsung stock charger or even as high as the 1A iphone charger. I don't know why? It is a genuine apple iPad charger that claims 10W which is 2A at 5V. As far as why it might have different currents for screen off and on, read my comments above for the white iphone charger that did the same thing.

External 5000mAh battery USB charger (750mA max claimed output):

-Data lines connected straight through (stock cable) = 440mA.

-Data lines open on both ends = 440mA.

-*Modified cable* so that data lines shorted on phone micro USB side = 760mA phone screen on, 700mA phone screen off.

So that's all the data. As you can see, it is very important that the USB data+ and data- lines are shorted together in order to charge at a fast rate. The problem is that all normal usb data/charge cables, including the stock samsung cable that came with the Note, do not have these pins shorted, so it is up to the charger itself to short these pins if it is to put out its max current to charge the Note. Obviously the stock samsung charger has them shorted, because it charges at a fast rate with a normal cable. But none of my other chargers, including the iphone and ipad charger, have these pins shorted, so the only way these other chargers I have will charge at their max current capability is by using a modified cable (which I made) that shorts the data+ and data- pins. Using this modified cable allows me to use any charger, and charge at its max output. Note that if you also make a cable that has these pins shorted, don't mistake it for a normal cable and try to plug it in to a computer or anything that plans to use the data lines as this could potentially damage that device.

Unfortunately at this time I do not have any recommendations for cables to buy that have the data+ and data- pins shorted, but I can recommend buying one from amazon for $1.50 and doing it yourself if you're capable, but again, be careful not to use it for anything but charging from a "dumb" AC (or car) charger. I do not take responsibility for any damage you might do to your charger or other equipment!!!!

Also unfortunately, I do not have any recommendations for chargers which definitely have the data lines shorted in order to charge quickly. I have another charger or two that I can test, but don't have them with me now. I would imagine that all samsung chargers will have the appropriate pins shorted and will charge at their max capacity. I doubt the Note (without modifications) can charge any faster than ~960mA, though, so you're spinning your wheels using a 2A charger, and in the case of something like the iPad charger, at least the genuine apple one I have, with a normal cable, it actually does not charge even half as fast as the stock samsung charger, and even with a modified cable that shorts the data lines, it's still not as fast as the stock charger, although it's pretty close (probably wouldn't notice much difference in real usage unless you really measured your charge time). I'm hoping to order a few more chargers to test, in hopes of finding a cheap aftermarket one that we can use with our Notes that already has the pins shorted.

*Cliff notes* -- I physically measured the output current during charging of my SGH-I717 AT&T Note for a few different USB chargers I have, and discovered that all of them (that I personally have) except the stock samsung charger do not have the data+ and data- lines shorted, which means that you'll be charging at 440mA of current, regardless of the rating of your USB charger. This is less than half the current of the stock samsung charger, meaning it will take more than twice as long to charge your phone. In fact, if you're using you're phone during charging, there's a good chance that not only will it not charge, but it will actually drain the battery a little bit, because 440mA is barely enough to run the phone (depending on what you're doing). So while you think you're charging with the same charger because it's rated at 1A or even 2A, chances are you actually are only charging at 440mA, the same as from a USB computer port, and it is going to take a realllly long time to charge compared to your stock samsung charger. Bottom line, use the stock samsung charger until we can test a few different chargers and compile a list of ones that have the data lines shorted so that they can charge your Note at their full current capability.

Hopefully this is helpful to answer some of the questions about why the Note seems to be charging slow for some people and not for others. I imagine that there are some USB chargers out there that have the data lines shorted and others that do not. Until I can get my hands on a few more (I'm going to order a couple different ones from amazon) and test them, I don't have any recommendations for now other than to use your stock charger, and most likely any genuine samsung replacement charger rated at 1A or more (though it probably will not use more).