Battery charger meter app?

[bacchanal]

I know that the charging speed for phones depends not only the amount of power being used while charging, but also on the type of power supply (ie USB is typically slower)...

Are there any apps that tell you exactly how much incoming power there is from the charger? I know most battery monitors have graphs showing battery life over time, but i'm more concerned with which of my chargers works better...

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[FoxKat]

I know that the charging speed for phones depends not only the amount of power being used while charging, but also on the type of power supply (ie USB is typically slower)...

Are there any apps that tell you exactly how much incoming power there is from the charger? I know most battery monitors have graphs showing battery life over time, but i'm more concerned with which of my chargers works better...

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I am not aware of any app that specifically demonstrates the charging efficiency of a particular charger over another, or an app that shows the "charging rate" per se'. There are apps that let you see things like voltages and temperatures of the various components, and by way of the voltage of the battery, you can begin to chart or estimate the charging capacity, charging rate, etc. I can see how something like this would be a useful app. There are external charger devices that monitor the charging rate and determine the healthiness of the particular battery but they are rather expensive and typically only purchased by manufacturers, stores, or fleet managers such as for a trucking company for instance where they need to know the appliances are going to last the duration of the working timeframe.

As for what charger is working better than another, you already konw that the USB power sources like from the computer or a laptop, which typically only produce 500mAh, versus the one which shipped with the phone (which are 750mAh) will charge slower. There are also "rapid charger adapters" for car accessory jacks which produce a higher current level, but again within the ranges acceptable by the manufacturer's specs. I have said many times on this and other forums that you should only be using the chargers that are approved by Motorola and Verizon. There is a clause in the warranty that says if you use a non-approved charger, any problems you have with battery or power are not covered under warranty. Given that the phone IS smart enough to know what voltages and amperages are being infused into it by the charger, and since the OS DOES keep logs of these kinds of data, there IS the possibility that they can tell if you've used a charger that is not approved and thereby void your warranty. The phones (i.e. the Droid 1 & Droid 2) can recognize a battery that is not an OEM battery so I don't think it's very far-fetched that the phone can identify a charge that's not approved. There are "signatures" produced by all electronics and it's fairly easy to see if one device either matches or doesn't match a known signature.

Finally, there are potential damages that can occur from chargers which are designed to be "universal", especially if they are manufactured by less than reputable companies and with all that's coming over in containers from China, the possibility of such "dirty power" devices being one of the ones you may be considering is very real. You are ALWAYS best using ONLY Verizon branded or Motorola branded chargers which list the RAZR as an approved device. There are also "temporary" effects that can be visualized when using "dirty power" chargers such as the digitizer acting strangely when they are plugged into the charger, sometimes selecting items on the screen on their own, scrolling can be erratic at best and sometimes non-functioning at all. There are very possibly even long-term damages that such "dirty power" chargers can cause to both the battery, the phone or both.

 

[bacchanal]

Thanks for the info! For the record, i'm not specifically talking about OEM vs knockoff a/c chargers. I would like to know the differences in charging efficiency between my a/c charger, USB in my PC, USB in my car (ford sync), and via the cigarette car charger.

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[pinoy_92]

i cannot believe i just read all of that..

anyways i do not think "there's an app for that." however; you can find out the efficiency for your self. simply drain out the battery and charge it till it hits 100%. calculate the time it takes for it to reach 100% from 0% for all chargers and compare.

 

[FoxKat]

Thanks for the info! For the record, i'm not specifically talking about OEM vs knockoff a/c chargers. I would like to know the differences in charging efficiency between my a/c charger, USB in my PC, USB in my car (ford sync), and via the cigarette car charger.

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Understood and respected. I want you and everyone to know that when I answer a question like this, since it's an open forum and there are certainly others that may be reading and learning but not "participating", that I want the information and suggestions to be universally beneficial as well as to the point of the OP. Please don't misunderstand, I wasn't implying you were using such "dirty power" chargers and in fact the question pointed to you looking at the differences between at least USB and the AC adapter, but there are others who may take the information and believe it applies to ALL chargers, so I wanted to be sure to clarify.

 

[FoxKat]

i cannot believe i just read all of that...

Am I to take that as a compliment for my wordsmithing skills??? :rofl3:

 

[dsprik]

That was an excellent post FoxKat. One thing to mention, also, is that charging rates also depend on usage of the phone while charging. If you are charging your phone in the car while using Google Maps as a gps, other than eating a ton of data, it will definitely try to drain the battery and really slow down the net gain on your battery...

 

[bacchanal]

That was an excellent post FoxKat. One thing to mention, also, is that charging rates also depend on usage of the phone while charging. If you are charging your phone in the car while using Google Maps as a gps, other than eating a ton of data, it will definitely try to drain the battery and really slow down the net gain on your battery...

And such is my dilemma... I don't care enough nor do I have the luxury to be without my phone for days as I test my various chargers, and with the inconstancy with which I use my phone it's virtually impossible to know which is more effective... Sometimes there are two or more power sources available with no difference in convenience (for instance the car USB vs the car cig adapter) so I would like to know what, if any, the differences are. Hopefully if no one has created an app yet, it would at least be possible...does anyone know if such a statistic could be tracked using Droid hardware? I know the razr (and all motorola phones iirc) doesn't allow battery power shown in less than 10% increments, do it may not be doable even in theory.

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[FoxKat]

That was an excellent post FoxKat. One thing to mention, also, is that charging rates also depend on usage of the phone while charging. If you are charging your phone in the car while using Google Maps as a gps, other than eating a ton of data, it will definitely try to drain the battery and really slow down the net gain on your battery...

Thanks for the complement. You also bring up a very valid point. Just tonight I was on the way home and streaming audio from the home PC via 4G with the display on full brightness and on constantly. It was in the dock and a standard Verizon car adapter was supplying power. The phone was already very low in power but in a half hour drive it actually drained 10% more power!

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[FoxKat]

And such is my dilemma... I don't care enough nor do I have the luxury to be without my phone for days as I test my various chargers, and with the inconstancy with which I use my phone it's virtually impossible to know which is more effective... Sometimes there are two or more power sources available with no difference in convenience (for instance the car USB vs the car cig adapter) so I would like to know what, if any, the differences are. Hopefully if no one has created an app yet, it would at least be possible...does anyone know if such a statistic could be tracked using Droid hardware? I know the razr (and all motorola phones iirc) doesn't allow battery power shown in less than 10% increments, do it may not be doable even in theory.

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There is a way to show power in 1% increments but it requires you to root the phone and install a custom rom. Certainly not the best solution. Your reasons are understandable but there may be an easier way to do what you want. Look at the mA or mAh output ratings of each charging device. The higher the mAh, the faster the charging rate. You can likely find the output of the car unit's USB jack in the instruction manual but if not, check with the manufacturer. I'll bet it's 500mAh or less. I do know there are standard car adapters and then there are rapid chargers both available from either Verizon or Motorola.

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