Droid 4 Battery: Can you overcharge

[Websquad]

Since I got my Droid 4 a few days after they were introduced in the US, I've been very careful to avoid keeping the device on the charger after the Battery % indicator (I charge in "sleep" mode) reaches 100%.

My question: Is this an unnecessary precaution, or does the Droid 4 have circuitry to prevent overcharging?

For what it is worth, I'm satisfied with my D4 battery life thus far. I have mobile hot-spot enabled, and if I know I'm going to use it for an extended time, I plug is (as recommended by Motorola); however, for a brief period (<15 minutes) I don't bother. As best I recall, the only time I plugged in was when I watched a movie on my iPad 2, using WiFi to my hot spot to get to the internet. With headphones, it was a somewhat satisfying experience, but, alas, no competition with my HD TV.

 

[podspi]

You don't have to worry about the D4 overcharging. Not only will it not overcharge the battery, but it will also let it discharge a few % to prevent it from continually charging (like the old Thinkpad batteries that would die if you left them plugged in).

Pretty sure all mobile phones have this level of protection now. Many have quite sophisticated power subsystems.

 

[matt192004]

You don't have to worry about the D4 overcharging. Not only will it not overcharge the battery, but it will also let it discharge a few % to prevent it from continually charging (like the old Thinkpad batteries that would die if you left them plugged in).

Pretty sure all mobile phones have this level of protection now. Many have quite sophisticated power subsystems.

does the droid 3 have the overcharge prevention? am considering buying a droid 4 BUT does anyone know of a droid 4 maxx coming out would hate to purchase a droid 4 and then find out a better phone with better battery are specificatins is coming

 

[Germanguy]

Don't think a droid 4 maxx is coming to Verizon. The next model more than likely will be the droid 5. A variant of the droid 4 will launch on AT&T and that one might have better specs but I am not sure.

 

[matt192004]

Well does anyone know if the droid 4 has the charge protection like the droid 4 does? is there an extended battery are something to help the droid 4 battery get the same as the razr maxx? Like the maxx BUT cant work the keyboard I must have a physical keyboard.

 

[Germanguy]

Just get an external battery pack. I have the Anker Slim Talk, works awesome. Amazon.com: Anker SlimTalk 3200mAh Backup External Battery Pack and Charger (Power Bank) with Flashlight for iPhone 4/4S/3GS, iPod Touch/Classic/Nano (require your own cable for Apple); Samsung: Galaxy Nexus, Galaxy S II S2 I9100, T-Mobile T989, AT&T. Slim and has the USB cable/adapter built in - can be pulled out to charge the phone. Other people also like the Anker 5600 mAh.

 

[podspi]

Well does anyone know if the droid 4 has the charge protection like the droid 4 does? is there an extended battery are something to help the droid 4 battery get the same as the razr maxx? Like the maxx BUT cant work the keyboard I must have a physical keyboard.

I know the Droid 1 did, so it is safe to assume the Droid 3 does as well.

 

[Websquad]

Just get an external battery pack. I have the Anker Slim Talk, works awesome. Amazon.com: Anker SlimTalk 3200mAh Backup External Battery Pack and Charger (Power Bank) with Flashlight for ....

Does it work with the Droid 4? Any special cable required?

 

[kenji91]

Does it work with the Droid 4? Any special cable required?

I'm pretty sure it has a USB micro B plug that connects to most phones. It's the standard non-iPhone size. Blackberry's had it too.

 

[Germanguy]

Does it work with the Droid 4? Any special cable required?

Yes, it works with the Droid 4, and no, it does not require a special cable. What is neat about this battery is that the cord is recessed within the battery and you can pull the cord out to attach it to your Droid to charge.

 

[matt192004]

might have 2 look into that does it have to be charged itself to charge the phone? Have seen one on the verizon website but am not to familar with the power packs and how they work

 

[crabsalt]

Anker Slimtalk

Germanguy, would you say this charges the phone as fast as a wall plug would? Or is it a slower charge, like when its charging via a PC connection?

 

[FoxKat]

Just moved this thread to the Smartphone Battery Discussion forum. The greatest minds in Smartphone battery care all hang out here.

As to the question, you can not overcharge your battery as long as you use an approved charger, you don't attempt to bypass factory designed safeguards, and your phone's battery meter is kept in sync with the battery's true capacity.

The charging circuitry monitors the battery's voltage and rate of current being drawn while charging and makes an intelligent determination as to when the battery had reached full charge at which point it terminates the charging. It then monitors the voltage and as the battery slowly self-discharges, once the voltage drops to about 90% of rated capacity, it resumes charge and tops it off again.

Since Lithium Ion batteries can not withstand constant charging, not even a trickle charge once they have reached maximum safe voltage, the charger is required to interrupt the charging process. This is true of ALL phones that use Lithium based batteries. The concern for constant charging causing batteries to suffer comes fromNickel Cadmium batteries, and to a lesser extent Nickel-Metal Hydride batteries.

Out phones have been using Lithium based batteries since at least before the OG Droid.

Sent from my DROID RAZR MAXX using Xparent ICS Tapatalk 2 with Google voice to text translation. Please excuse any minor spelling, punctuation, capitalization or grammatical errors.

 

[FoxKat]

might have 2 look into that does it have to be charged itself to charge the phone? Have seen one on the verizon website but am not to familar with the power packs and how they work

It can be charged in advance and will be ready when needed, or it can be charged with the phone connected.

Germanguy, would you say this charges the phone as fast as a wall plug would? Or is it a slower charge, like when its charging via a PC connection?

These chargers typically put out current at 1 Amp (1,000 mAh), and some have two ports, one with a 1 Amp rating and one with a 2 Amp high current rating for devices like iPads. For our purposes you will be using the 1 Amp port. The Motorola P893 puts out the exact current as the Manufacturer rates the wall charger for.

The phone itself has protection to limit the rate of current applied to the battery so the battery isn't unduly stressed and have it's life shortened due to charging too quickly.

It will charge essentially as fast as the wall charger adapter.


Sent from my DROID RAZR MAXX using Xparent ICS Tapatalk 2 with Google voice to text translation. Please excuse any minor spelling, punctuation, capitalization or grammatical errors.

 

[crabsalt]

Thank you, FoxKat - both for your reply and movement to a more relevant board.