Aftermarket USB Chargers

[Se7enLC]

I tried to use a USB charger from another manufacturer (Belkin), thinking to myself that USB power is USB power. Right? Wrong.

Apparently a lot of the aftermarket chargers will cause the touchscreen to become horribly inaccurate while the droid is charging. When it is fully charged it will work fine, even if still attached to the charger. So far about half of the chargers I've tried experience this problem, typically the less expensive ones.

Has anyone else experienced this? What charger(s) do you use?

 

[Istus]

Are you just talking about the USB cable? (ie: USB A to USB Micro B) I purchased a longer one for use with the mm dock. I am using the wall adapter that came with the dock to plug in the USB A plug. I've experienced no troubles.

 

[Se7enLC]

Are you just talking about the USB cable? (ie: USB: A to micro B) I purchased a longer one for use with the mm dock. I've experienced no troubles.

No, I mean the charging brick, not the cable (AC or Cigarette Lighter to USB Power). I've purchased a few other cables (USB to microUSB) from various places and they all seem to work fine.

 

[KZIWarrior]

Just search around for Moto chargers on Amazon. You'll find them CHEAP. I got the car charger for $4 (actual Moto charger, not a 3rd party POS) they had some of the OEM chargers too for cheap.

Amazon.com: OEM Home Travel AC Charger (SPN5334A) for Verizon Motorola Droid A855 Cell Phone: Cell Phones & Service

Amazon.com: Motorola P513 Vehicle Power Adapter MicroUSB Rapid Rate Charger: Cell Phones & Service

 

[640k]

I tried to use a USB charger from another manufacturer (Belkin), thinking to myself that USB power is USB power. Right? Wrong.

Apparently a lot of the aftermarket chargers will cause the touchscreen to become horribly inaccurate while the droid is charging. When it is fully charged it will work fine, even if still attached to the charger. So far about half of the chargers I've tried experience this problem, typically the less expensive ones.

Has anyone else experienced this? What charger(s) do you use?

your observations are correct. i recommend to everyone who asks to only stick to the Moto OEM chargers (any USB cable is fine). there's some sort of interference that the Moto ones must be handling that off brands aren't. which could be why the Apple chargers require that special chip (or whatever).

Moto OEM chargers can be found cheap, like KZI said, so don't skip out on what's right for your device.

 

[Se7enLC]

Just search around for Moto chargers on Amazon. You'll find them CHEAP. I got the car charger for $4 (actual Moto charger, not a 3rd party POS) they had some of the OEM chargers too for cheap.

This isn't about how cheap they are - I actually spent MORE money on some of the aftermarket chargers I am referring to than a motorola one would cost.

I wanted a charger that had 2 USB ports and took in AC and 12VDC as inputs. A real travel charger that can charge my iPod and droid at the same time without an additional brick. I found a number of them available, but only some of them actually allow you to use the droid while it is plugged in. So far the closest one I found is one with a single USB port from Rocketfish that works. ($30 though, ugh)

Another one I wanted was a tiny cigarette lighter to USB port. The kind that plugs in and just stays there all the time, giving you a much more useful charging port for devices and appearing nearly flush with the cigarette lighter port.
- Like the Belkin Micro USB Car Charger

A third one I own is a 3 port surge protector with 2 USB ports built in made by Belkin. Great for traveling with a laptop, especially in airports where power outlets are limited. That one doesn't seem to have the touchsreen problem, but the charging gets wonky after it gets to 70% or so.

 

[Martin030908]

Discussion on the whole charger issue with the Droid http://www.droidforums.net/forum/te...-suggestions/4081-rogue-droid-huge-issue.html

 

[640k]

^^^ but like i posted, you need to be careful with what you're buying. more expensive does not mean better quality. in the end, you need to make sure that the line is somewhat coniditioned (should probably have some ferrite beads on the line) and that the power specs are identical to OEM.

 

[Martin030908]

^^^ but like i posted, you need to be careful with what you're buying. more expensive does not mean better quality. in the end, you need to make sure that the line is somewhat coniditioned (should probably have some ferrite beads on the line) and that the power specs are identical to OEM.

Very true.... sometimes I take common sense for granted :icon_ devil: I apologize.

 

[KZIWarrior]

According to Motorola the Droid and the charger 'communicate' on battery charge to keep from over-charging. If you look at the description of there chargers:
From their site - "
Intelligent IC chip inside recognizes a full battery and automatically switch to a saver."


It would seem the third party charges are either missing this chip or they don't work correctly with the Droid thus causing the random functions.

As far as options the best I've found, IMHO is the iGo system. It's a bit pricey but it VERY HIGH quality and I've not had a problem with it from any device (Droid included). Depending on the model it will have a small 'brick' (as you put it) but it lends itself to for FAR MORE uses than the USB chargers, at least for me.

 

[640k]

^^^ but like i posted, you need to be careful with what you're buying. more expensive does not mean better quality. in the end, you need to make sure that the line is somewhat coniditioned (should probably have some ferrite beads on the line) and that the power specs are identical to OEM.

Very true.... sometimes I take common sense for granted :icon_ devil: I apologize.

sorry, that was directed towards OP. you posting skills are far superior to my own. lol.

 

[Martin030908]

^^^ but like i posted, you need to be careful with what you're buying. more expensive does not mean better quality. in the end, you need to make sure that the line is somewhat coniditioned (should probably have some ferrite beads on the line) and that the power specs are identical to OEM.

Very true.... sometimes I take common sense for granted :icon_ devil: I apologize.

sorry, that was directed towards OP. you posting skills are far superior to my own. lol.

lol. Simple misunderstanding on my behalf.... maybe I should practice more? :icon_ devil:

 

[findit]

So how is an aftermarket battery like seido affected? would a charger from seido be better?

 

[Martin030908]

So how is an aftermarket battery like seido affected? would a charger from seido be better?

An aftermarket battery for the Droid would still be spec'd for the Droid... and it still uses the same micro usb connection on the phone... so you still need to follow the same information

 

[lukestanley]

capacitive touchscreen: known issue

I still think this is a common and general problem with capacitive touch screens (which require two common ground paths, e.g. the droid in one hand, and your finger on the opposite hand).

As an experiment while it is charging, place the droid on a metal table, and I suspect the problem will go away. (Or, even hold it in your hand while it is charging, which also provides a nice electrical ground path.)

ymmv.