yashsingh1/xdaforums huggingface dataset:
[Galaxy S 4 General] bennetski:
Hi guys. Hopefully you can answer a question. I'm using an mhl adapter. It's the new 2.0 version for the S4 and it is an original Samsung one. When plugged in to the hdmi port the phone is showing a charge of 900 mah but the phone does not show it is charging. When I plug in an official power charger into it the phone says it is charging but the charge is only 300 mah. Any ideas? ??
[Galaxy S 4 General] omniwolf:
Thanks for an informative thread.

Does anyone know if it's possible to charge from a PC anymore? if i plug my i9505 into a USB 3.0 port using the official cable, the Galaxy Charging Current app says it's only pulling 460, and the phone slowly discharges. Is computer charging basically not possible anymore?

Thanks!
[Galaxy S 4 General] flash608:
Noticed the same thing but yes it`s possible to charge your phone using USB computer port (USB2.0/3.0) but you can`t use your phone while charging because phone is using more power then it`s getting from charger. I even tried to use USB active HUB (with 2.0A power supply) but no difference at all.

To make the phone usable when charging while using PC i bought some USB cables that are longer then the stock one from Samsung using them with stock Samsung charger. When i want to transfer some files i have to options:

1. Using Solid Explorer, using web connections SMB/CIFS i`m connecting to my PC (making all operations from phone) not as fast, but works great.

2. Using Solid Explorer, using Sharing (it makes FTP server) then i connect to my phone from PC (making all operations from PC). It`s blazing fast by the way (5+ MB/s depends how far from wifispot)

You can use Mobizen (works well with WiFi) if you want to see screen of your phone on PC.
[Galaxy S 4 General] omniwolf:
Thanks, i'm at work and we don't have a LAN wifi, so these options don't really work for me. At the moment i'm just keeping two docks on my desk, one for charging, and one for if i need to transfer files.

I have found that the KT-SGS4 kernel allows me to charge while connected to PC if you enable the "fast charge" option in the KTweaker app. But then MTP doesn't work, so you might as well be plugged in to the mains. On top of that, even with fast charge disabled I couldn't get MTP to work with KT-SGS4.. or with Adam kernel (just tested it).. i feel like the fast charge option has messed with my MTP :/
[Galaxy S 4 General] flash608:
If you don`t have WiFi at your work maybe you would consider buying WiFi USB card that can work as brigde and then transfer files using WiFi while charging with wallcharger? :) In the past i did the same thing using bluetooth dongle (many phone didn`t even get USB port so that was the only option).
[Galaxy S 4 General] Entropy512:
If the device needs more than 500 mA - no. Although with the screen off it should consume less than 500 mA.

USB ports are fundamentally limited to 500 mA, unless the PC supports the new USB battery charging standard and offers CDPs (Charging Downstream Ports). These are extremely rare, and I believe newer Qualcomm-based devices are capable of detecting CDPs - so if your device drops to 500 mA, then your PC only offers an SDP, and I would NOT recommend overriding it, you could damage your PC's USB ports. (Trust me, I've already fried my monitor's USB hub by connecting a cheapo Chinese GPS that didn't respect the 500 mA limit.)
[Galaxy S 4 General] omniwolf:
OK yep this appears to be the case, thanks. I previously used a desk clock app so my screen was always on while docked, but I guess that is a thing of the past until high powered USB or some other phone connection technology appears.

Also regarding my previous note about the KT-SGS4 kernel, i wouldn't recommend trying the fast charge setting on it, ever since i enabled that I haven't been able to connect my phone to my PC via MTP. It works OK on another PC, but the drivers are screwed on my main PC.

And on top of that, it appears the fast charge stuff breaks OTG as well, so it's probably going to be removed I assume.
[Galaxy S 4 General] ptolemy2k6:
I bought a new 12000mah new trent battery pack. Can someone link to (usa) to a cable that will give me max current to charge it with. I want to get a backup cable to my samsung charge/cable, so I can keep it in my bag 24x7

thanks:)
[Galaxy S 4 General] adambean:
Hey all,

Found this thread through androidcentral as I have been on the hunt for proper chargers have well. Curious at this point if anyone has found any relatively cheaper true 2a chargers?

(can't insert links)

- Tried the "OEM S4" Samsung OEM 2.0 Amp Travel Charger with Detachable Micro USB Cable for Samsung Galaxy Note, Galaxy Note 2 II, Galaxy S3 S III, Galaxy S3 Mini & Other Smartphones (Bulk Packaging): Cell Phones & Accessories ... that charged at 460mAh.

- Tried the "Amazon basics 2.1a" charger AmazonBasics Wall Charger with USB Outlet (2.1 Amp Output): MP3 Players & Accessories. Charged at 700 something (I'm assuming because I don't have a charge only USB cable?)

- Tried Pwr+ 2A Rapid Charger (Pwr+® 2A Rapid Charger Ac Adapter for Use with the New Kindle Fire or Kindle Fire Hd Models: Kindle Store[/url]), this does charge at 1900mAh; however if you unplug, you have to wait several minutes before you can use it again. During that time the green charge light blinks and it won't output anything. Also it randomly does not work.

Just ordered the official ASUS Nexus 7 charger as supposedly that works; however I'm assuming if I attempt to use a longer cable it won't pull the full 1900mAh.

At this point, simply trying to find a couple ~6ft chargers as well as one that would support a 12-15ft cable (if they even make charge only cables that long).

Thanks
[Galaxy S 4 General] seanpr123:
Anybody using a P3 Kill A Watt to measure charging current?

My Amp readings always seem too low with that setup, and just curious what others are seeing.

Will post some readings of what I'm seeing later.
[Galaxy S 4 General] flash608:
Sadly on MF8 (Omega 7.0) stock or faux 006 the charging current drops to 1200mA (on Omega 6.0 MF4 it was 1900mA).
[Galaxy S 4 General] kartikb:
refer to post # 362 on this link: http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=2281738&page=37

Forum member: ausdim has given an explanation to what's going on, it'll give you more information on why the current shows 1200mAh..

I had this same query a while back..
[Galaxy S 4 General] hyukki:
Wait, so how does my stock wall charger charge my phone at 1900ma? Current Widget shows 1900ma when plugged in to the wall charger but 1300ma when plugged into the car charger I just modded using the diagram the OP posted.

Can someone clarify?

-Edit-

Crap. I shouldn't have done the official update today.

I checked that it was 1900ma on the wall charger, updated the phone while modding the car charger and checked it so it showed 1300ma... Damn.

Now I have to think about rooting and flashing all over again lol.
[Galaxy S 4 General] droid_for_life:
V Nice finding and useful info
[Galaxy S 4 General] vacaloca:
I am assuming you ordered this from Amazon given the description. The OEM 2.0 Amp charger does charge at the correct rate. The problem is there are many sellers selling fakes! I ran into 2 of them when I purchased mine on Amazon... needless to say they were returned as such. You'll need to compare these chargers to the OEM ones that came with your phone. If the text is different on the top and sides from your OEM, you'll be able to tell it's a fake.
[Galaxy S 4 General] beagio:
This thread has been really informative. I bought some Samsung SIII cables from Amazon that I later saw people were claiming were fake. I thought "well, my phone seems to charge fine, so whats the problem". That was until I tried to charge the phone during the day using one, rather than over night. Charging took forever. I fired up the Galaxy Charging app and found it was only pulling 300 mA. I've since sent them back for a refund.

Also glad to find that the cheap dual-USB charging plug I got from Homebase throws out 2A :)
[Galaxy S 4 General] adambean:
Has anyone found any other charges besides OEM that actually charge at a constant 1900? I've quite literally tried every single cable/charger combo on Amazon. Some start at 1900 and then after a couple days go to 1200-1400. My thoughts are jumbled; however I was trying to track them (I can't insert a link, nice).

Anyway, would love to hear from someone that has had better luck.
[Galaxy S 4 General] Netman_:
http://www.anandtech.com/show/6914/samsung-galaxy-s-4-review/2

Info about Qualcomm Quick Charge technology used in SGS4 :)
[Galaxy S 4 General] GonerNL:
Ah, nice thread !!

So the Galaxy in general seems to be a bit picky about chargers ...

Don't have a S4 but we recently got a 2nd hand Galaxy S (i9000) with a 'travel adapter' (model ETA0U10EBE). Tried to charge it, but no-go, nothing happened. Even got a new battery, still no charging.

Tried some other chargers (Archos tablet, Sony Xperia etc) but nothing. Was already suspecting that the USB connecter got damaged in some way. Then attached it to the PC and hey presto, the battery was charging !! So the connecter was good.

Had a look at the output specs and all chargers were 0.7A (700mA) or higher.

Dug up an old charger that only supplied 300mA and it actually works !!

Anybody know what the maximum is for our Galaxy S ?
[Galaxy S 4 General] omniwolf:
are you aware that on the newer kernels there's a charging limit of 1200mA when the screen is on? it'll only go up to 1900 when the screen is off.
[Galaxy S 4 General] adambean:
The OEM charge shows 1900mAh with the screen on. Other chargers do as well; however only sometimes, so I don't believe this to be true.
[Galaxy S 4 General] Totomek:
Guys, the charging operation is not a race!

The faster you charge a battery the more heat and undesired chemical reactions are involved slowly damaging it's storage particles. When you apply a fast charge cycle you shorten the battery life, so treat it smoothly if you want to keep the most of your 2600mAh battery.

Sure it's good to have a fast charge option when you are on a 2 hours stop-over between 2 flights but when you plug the phone to charge overnight better use a slow charger, it will reward you with a battery that keeps it's capacity over time :)

For the same reason it's also better to avoid discharging a battery lower than 30% if not necessary.
[Galaxy S 4 General] picrthis:
Cable make a difference on chargers...

Some of the charging issues is also due to the cable being used. I've bought a few new Samsung chargers and thought they were bad, turns out to be cable issues. Same charger depending on the cable used I get 800mA 1,200mA 1,900mA all from the same charger. I noticed this purely by chance I took my stock charger and had left the stock cable at work and used another I had at home and I only got 800mA, so that got me thinking about some charges I bought online that I thought I got beat on.

Long and behold chargers that I thought were either fake or defective cause I only got 800mA out of them with the supplied cable, I began experimenting and I discovered I get 800mA 1,200mA 1,900mA out of the same charger that is rated @ 2A by just changing the cable out.

The very best cable I found is a Motorola usb micro part # SKN5004A these can be found on Amazon for example, I have a couple other SKNxxxx from Moto that I can only get 800mA out of, along with a few generics too, same low results; another cable I have doesn't have a part # on it but it has the V Cast logo label on it and it also gives full power; lastly I found 2 generic cables I had laying around with no markings to tell me the brand or part number and I'm getting full results out of those too.

So if you bought some chargers online that are not directly from Samsung and don't like the output, try some different cables; I have repeated this exercise on 6 different chargers now with the same results, and now I have a collection of cables I put in a bag that don't perform well, those all came with chargers I bought; I believe they just throw in what ever cheapie they have laying around to go with the charger sale.

My car charger used to get me 800mA, I changed it out for the Moto cable and now it shows 1,200mA

Give it a try and see what your results are too.
[Galaxy S 4 General] spark001uk:
With all due respect, I know you're new and all that, but have you not read any of this thread? You're telling us what we already know!
[Galaxy S 4 General] seanpr123:
lol that is pretty funny.

Does anybody else have the FlexSMART X2?:

www.amazon.com/FlexSMART-Transmitter-Hands-Free-Blackberry-Smartphones/dp/B003PPGOC0/

Just curious what others are seeing for output from that device with the right cable.

Also, has anybody used a Kill-A-Watt to determine actual charging current draw?

I tried and it doesn't seem to match up at all to what the CurrentWidget says I should be pulling.
[Galaxy S 4 General] krazydonutboy:
I have been playing around with charging rates with the car chargers I have. Inexplicably, I am getting (according to the "Galaxy Charging" app) the best charging speeds with my flimsy retractable usb cable plugged into the 1a port on my Belkin charger. The strange thing is, it is reportedly charging at 1.9 amps, and using the OEM cord in the same port yields 760ma.

I would normally chalk this up to app error, but the actual charging speed is indeed faster with the retractable cord. Running navigation with the OEM cable, battery SOC stayed within 1% for a ~1hr trip. Using the flimsy one, I gained 13% (back to full) in about half of the return trip under the same conditions. I even started the download of Navigon's 1.5gb of map data over 4g while still running Navigation, and the battery stayed full.

Strange behavior, but I'm not complaining.
[Galaxy S 4 General] willww:
Extremely informative thread, that answers most of the charging problems I've come across so far.

I think more education about this needs to be spread to the masses as like someone in this thread has stated; phones are going to be discharging faster than charging when in use (with a crap charger/cable combination), so other people are eventually going to come across this problem.

I have an iPad charger with the extension cord and always wondered why it didn't just increase the USB cable length, now I know!

We need a source for quality cables!
[Galaxy S 4 General] sasha007:
Hi

I'm using stock USB charger with stock usb cable plugged into wall socket . Galaxy charging shows 1200 current only . It rarely goes to 1900 primarily for an instant when i unlock the screen .

So guess with screen on limit is 1200 only .

Is that true ?

Device : i9500 with MG5 FW .
[Galaxy S 4 General] flash608:
Yes from MG4 (as i recall) Samsung changed current values to 1200mA while screen is on and 1900 while off.
[Galaxy S 4 General] seanpr123:
That seems counter-intuitive.

Screen on would require more juice so why restrict it then?
[Galaxy S 4 General] Gillion:
No it is not.

When you are using the device the power management system shifts power to running the phone and less to charging the battery.

The system is designed so that you do not run the phone (screen on and using) and charging the battery at maximum current draw (from the charger) or whole phone will get WAY TOO HOT.

Remember when charging the battery gets hot

When discharging the battery also gets hot.

Then you have the CPU and GPU, WiFi Radio, Mobile Radio and Screen all of which adds heat.

So to prevent over heating.... The system reduces the battery charging current not only to prevent rapid phone heating and component damage but also to prevent damage to the charger.
[Galaxy S 4 General] offdotba:
i have 1900 all the time.
[Galaxy S 4 General] flash608:
What firmware are you on? As i said before Samsung has changed the values in kernel so you`ve got to have rather old firmware ;)
[Galaxy S 4 General] AndreiLux:
They're reducing the input current, not the battery current.
[Galaxy S 4 General] offdotba:
if 4.3 is old then yes i have :)
[Galaxy S 4 General] flash608:
Yeah, i should have know from your device (google edition)... hmmm so maybe Samsung with stock android didn`t change it in kernel. Either way weird.
[Galaxy S 4 General] Gillion:
If that was implied my fault... but that is exactly what i meant.
[Galaxy S 4 General] rojdag:
Im on 4.2.2 but recently got an update ota now my charging current is max 1200ma which is extremely slow compared to the 2000ma before. I have tried it on 2 different gs4 chargers and its the same. Not happy.
[Galaxy S 4 General] Gillion:
1. The drop in charging current may be for device and user saftey reasons.

2. If you are observing this while the screen is on it makes sense thay it would be lower.

3. Use a logging software to chart your charging current while the phone is on standby/screen off and make a note.
[Galaxy S 4 General] rojdag:
Will try logging, maybe as you said the difference is it doesnt charge at full capacity when the screen is on but I suspect it is all the time as charging times seem to be way longer.
[Galaxy S 4 General] dr.m0x:
Which explains why my car charger can barely keep up with battery drain if I'm using gps while in my vehicle.

-- Sent from the mighty Note 2 --
[Galaxy S 4 General] sasha007:
Which is the logging software that i can use to log my charging current through the course of my charge ?

Also , is there any way to charge the device through laptop @ 1200 ma ( as is the case with wall charger ? )
[Galaxy S 4 General] flash608:
Laptop or even standalone PC gives only 450/500mA. USB has a higher current value but this won`t work on normal USB cable, so no, there`s no way to charge your phone fast with using laptop/PC.
[Galaxy S 4 General] rojdag:
I cant find a app that will log charge current anywhere. Very annoying that a week ago I was charging at 2000ma which took around an hour and a half (according to galaxy charging app) and now only 1200 which is 2hours plus! If its been done to make the battery last longer then im not keen.
[Galaxy S 4 General] httr_:
Has anyone had luck finding a usb extension cable that allows for fast charging? The two I have don't work even with the stock base and cable.
[Galaxy S 4 General] Gillion:
Unless you have two left thumbs and no manual skills they are easy to make.
[Galaxy S 4 General] agonysfate:
I tested that on AVO meters checking voltage and current, and its true, I post photos on other thread showing how current jump high, though it didnt reach 1900 but maybe due to my low quality meters,.. one important thing, even with a simple thin wire to interrupt and test real current the charge drops and never reach 1900, wires MUST be as thick as it needs to be to maintain full current as original cable and charger used together.
[Galaxy S 4 General] agonysfate:
Just made one myself, it fully charges my s4 with 1900mA (app reading) when screen is off , short wire though, the longer the thicker copper diameter needed to be, no shield needed not even short circuit the data line nor 80kΩ resistors needed,

Sent from my GT-I9500
[Galaxy S 4 General] agonysfate:
Here's a socket to ignore data pins and simulate wall charger, as a small as 1cm of thin wire i solder first it affects current and drops from 1200mA to about 940mA, then I use solder itself to connect vcc or 5v between male and female plugs, then magic happened.. a full charge from my laptops USB, watchout though!!!, it might ruin your laptops power supply, some laptops cant handle that big current drawn!.

In the third picture I test high current using only 2 wires with no data pins connection to phone, current drop to 1600 as i think because of thin wires used and coil resistant inside Ammeter.

Mobile's screen was off, when its on it drop (regulated) to 1.03A.

Sent from my GT-I9500
[Galaxy S 4 General] jproy12:
Just got my S4, and I've used the Galaxy Charging Current app to find out how much some of my chargers at home can charge the S4, and I see that with the stock charger and stock USB cable that came with the phone, even though it says it can charge up to 2.0A, I only see 1200mA with the Galaxy Charging Current app, yet it fluctuates between 1900 and 1200, depending if I turn the screen on, is that what it's supposed to do?

I've also tested a blackberry playbook charger, which is 2A and it also does the same thing as the stock charger+USB, fluctuates between 1200mA and 1900mA. Is it supposed to fluctuate between the 2? I'm assuming it is for when the screen is on or off.

Just looking for inputs!
[Galaxy S 4 General] demusss:
So how do u make one?

Could u give some instructions and materials used?

Thanks
[Galaxy S 4 General] jproy12:
Alright, following my post, here are my findings with Galaxy Charging Current, I have a couple different cables and chargers, coming from a blackberry about 2years ago, I still have this stuff, charging info tested with Galaxy Charging Current:

Blackberry Chargers

Blackberry Playbook Charger – 5V & 2A – Charging S4 @ 1900mA

Blackberry Cell Charger – 5V & 700mA – Charging S4 @ 860mA

________ Charger ________________ Cable________________ Current

Samsung S4 OEM 5V & 2A – Samsung S4 OEM USB – Charging S4 @ 1900mA

Samsung S4 OEM 5V & 2A – Samsung S3 OEM USB – Charging S4 @ 500mA

Samsung S4 OEM 5V & 2A – Blackberry Thick USB – Charging S4 @ 1900mA

Samsung S4 OEM 5V & 2A – Blackberry Thin USB – Charging S4 @ 1640mA

Samsung S3 OEM 5V & 1A – Samsung S4 OEM USB – Charging S4 @ 1220mA

Samsung S3 OEM 5V & 1A – Samsung S3 OEM USB – Charging S4 @ 340mA

Samsung S3 OEM 5V & 1A – Blackberry Thick USB – Charging S4 @ 1220mA

Samsung S3 OEM 5V & 1A – Blackberry Thin USB – Charging S4 @ 1180mA

Computer USB – Samsung S4 OEM USB – Charging S4 @ 460mA

Computer USB – Samsung S3 OEM USB – Charging S4 @ 460mA

Computer USB – Blackberry Thick USB – Charging S4 @ 460mA

Computer USB – Blackberry Thin USB – Charging S4 @ 460mA

So all in all, it seems like the S3 OEM USB is the worst one of them all, and that blackberry stuff is pretty compatible with the Galaxy S4!
[Galaxy S 4 General] Woodski:
I have a 12000mah powerbank battery from dealextreme.

Output 1 on cheap cable 460

Output 1 Samsung cable 460

Output 2 on cheap cable 460

Output 2 Samsung cable 1900 :)

And I think I have enough knowledge now to fix my problem with the s4 discharging when using it fornavi in my car.

Thanks all for the info here
[Galaxy S 4 General] Woodski:
Ok some new info for this topic. My improvised car charger did 460mA, even with the original Samsung cable.

I was going to connect the 2 resistors of 82K but to my surprise connecting the 2 data lines together was enough to let the phone charge at 1900mA

Fist picture (bit unsharp) there is the 2 power lines and then below the short green wire is the 2 data lines connected to each other.

This setup works well on my i9505

Edit

To my complete surprise I got an adapter for this with my powerbank

This is officially sold for the Galaxy tab (tablet)

Without this adapter I charge 460mA as usual and with it it jumps to 1900mA using a short think S2 cable from every laptop i tested so far.

The original white S4 cable gives me max 1300mA
[Galaxy S 4 General] g-droid:
So this is the thing we need to get a cheap 2A charger to do full power charging?

The full power charging current adapter @ DX.com (unfortunately sold out):

http://dx.com/p/usb-power-adapter-for-samsung-p1000-81753

Needless to ask... It has the right resistors?! Can't read anything on the picture...

/EDIT

Maybe alternatives @ eBay(?):

http://www.ebay.de/itm/USB-Switchin...ader_Chargers_Sync_Cables&hash=item41755bbb51

http://www.ebay.de/itm/Adapter-fur-Samsung-P1000-Galaxy-Tab-USB-USB-Adapter-8004383-/380632239644?pt=DE_Computer_A_V_Kabel_Adapter&hash=item589f730e1c
[Galaxy S 4 General] Woodski:
Yes this should work. And it looks to me like it has SMD resistors.

So if you do not want to cut the 2 data lines and connect them together like I did then this part will do the trick.

btw it does work without the resistors

And my cheap double USB car charger from DX works at almost full power without any modifications.

The car charger that came with my Kram Fix2car 64242 can also do 1900mA on the original Samsung cable.

The cable on the holder turned out the be crap at 600mA so I cut it.

Now it does 1900mA in the holder :)