[EVO 4G Accessories] PGRtoo:
THE PURPOSE OF THIS THREAD:

I think it's about time that we collect all the Car Charger info into one database so it's easy to find and I'm willing to do the work if you folks are willing to supply the following information about your chargers by posting it in this thread:

Brand

Model number, SKU, or description.

Rated output per the info on the charger.

Does it charge in AC or USB mode (see below)?

Does it have an attached cord or "Type-A" USB socket?

Who sells it?

Do you like it?

And for the USB mode chargers:

Can it be modified to charge in AC mode (see below)

CHECKING HOW THE PHONE RECOGNIZES THE CHARGER:

Plug the phone into the charger (light must be yellow and the phone must be charging)

Tap Menu > Settings > About Phone > Battery.

The top line will say "Battery status" followed by:

Charging (AC)

Charging (USB)

NOTE: If it says "Full" then your battery is fully charged and you'll need to run it down until the light turns from green to yellow. If it says "Not charging" then your charger is not supplying power or it's not properly connected to the phone.

AC? USB? WTF??:

USB ports were originally designed for data communications with and to supply power to computer peripherals. The maximum power specification for the USB 1.x and 2.0 data devices is 500mA so a "typical" USB port in most computers and hubs is only designed to supply 500mA. But consumer electronics manufacturers have adoped the USB connector as a means to charge their devices and they didn't want to be limited to 500mA, so some changes to the USB Standard were necessary to prevent "typical" 500mA USB ports from being damaged when subjected to loads which exceed their maximum output.

In a nutshell, now modern consumer electronics devices test the status of the USB data pair (D+ & D-) when you plug a cable into them. If the data pair is shorted (less than 200 ohms) then it will assume that the cable is connected to a charger and draw as much current as the charging circuit in the device calls for. If the data pair is

not

shorted then the device will assume that it's connected to a data port and it will draw no more than 500mA. Unfortunately, it seems that most auto charger manufacturers (and some AC chargers) just don't get it and they're selling high-powered (1 - 1.25A typical) chargers without the data pair shorted. Consequently a device like the Evo thinks it's connected to a data port and won't even try to draw more than 500mA regardless of what the charger is capable of supplying.

MODIFYING A CHARGER SO IT'S RECOGNIZED AS AN AC CHARGER:

This will explain what you need to do but not necessarily how to do it. Brands and models are different so there are no universal instructions, however I'll post links to

your

detailed instructions if you post 'em and I find them (feel free to post 'em in this thread).

The bottom line is you need to open up your charger and short the D+ & D- pair. For chargers with a USB Type-A receptical you can bridge (short) pins 2&3. For chargers with an attached cord with a Micro-B plug on it you'll need to find which wires go to pins 2&3 on the plug and bridge them:

It's important to note that the pinouts in the diagram above are for plugs. In the case of the Type-A plug a receptical will have an identical pinout, but in the case of the Micro-B plug the pinout for the receptical will be mirrored (reversed). As an added bonus, here are the complete pinouts for both plugs: Type A: 1= +5V, 2= D-, 3= D+, 4= Ground. Micro-B: 1= +5V, 2= D-, 3= D+, 4= ID, 5=Ground. The specified wire colors for USB cables are Red = +5, White= D-, Green= D+, None= ID, and Black= Ground; but some manufacturers seem to be standard-challenged so you can't always assume this will be correct.

Pete