USB charging tip...

ok, I have an Xperia T, which, after a software update refused to charge from the USB in the Fender... I have a 3A USB PSU feeding a 4 way switched hub

Looked about for a bit, and found a useful bit of info which fixed my problem.

apparently, my phone "looks" to see if its a charging USB socket before engaging charging, as apposed to data transfer, this apparently applies to more and more smart phones, as they can potentially overload normal USB ports, some will allow trickle charging, but this mod allows them to charge properly..

Charging USB ports are able to supply 1000mA as apposed to 500mA from notmal sockets.

Charging sockets have pins 2 & 3 (data) shorted together.

Soo, whipped the USB hub out, shorted all the pin 2/3s together inside, and presto, my phone charges again.

Excellent, thanks for that.

iPhones are a pain and I assumed that the feed was less than 5v, but now I'll be doing the same.

say whaaaaaaat??

OxonLandy said:

say whaaaaaaat??

Click to expand...

Somert about electrickery

Tiz the devils work

nice one tim. Mines always being a pinnicky fecker about what it charges off. I shall have a looksee.

Mine the same, worked with the original charger. But not the multiple usb chargers we have, going to nobble a lead to make a "charging" lead

Ah, that explains a few things. There's a twin USB on the front of my computer and if you plug the Xperia into one of them, it will only charge if the other one's empty. Even if it's only a memory stick, it'll charge poorly or not at all. Might be something to do with current availability.

Here's another handy USB charging hint. The other day I bought a USB to cigar lighter thingumajig and discovered it was too short to reach the live pin in my socket. I managed to drill a little hole in the pin and put a small self tapping screw in which meant it would reach.

Funkykipper said:

Excellent, thanks for that.

iPhones are a pain and I assumed that the feed was less than 5v, but now I'll be doing the same.

Click to expand...

Apple stuff is a bit more complicated. I've put a USB charger in my dash using a 5v regulator and the pins shorted out as above and it charges everything perfectly apart from apple stuff - you just get 'charging is not supported n this accessory device' or something. It turns out that you need so set reference voltages on the data lines rather than just short them out: Iphone usb charger(wire) hack

Saying that, my mrs bought a generic plug in ciggy lighter usb adaptor and this seems to charge her iPhone ok so it looks like some of the cheap stuff may have this built it.

that just ticks another anti apple box for me unfortunately.

The data short, is an approved standard under the USB 2007, apple just making up their own "standards" as usual.