[Q] External Battery - Nook Color Accessories

Found this external battery with good pricing. Anyone tried this? Does it work with NC?
monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=108&cp_id=10833&cs_id=1083311&p_id=7664&seq=1&format=4#feedback

It certainly should work.
The connections are a little confusing. The male micro-USB coming off the top suggests that you need to connect it to your nook, which would make the whole thing a little unweildy. Also, how is it charged? From a PC? From a AC/USB adapter?
I bought a couple of these:
http://www.dealextreme.com/p/usb-re...emergency-power-with-cell-phones-holder-44749
They're only 2000 mAh, but you can connect them to the nook with the proprietary nook USB cable. Even though they're rated at 1A, my nook recognizes as 2A...
Bonus: built in fold up wall charger.
Not-so-bonus: DealExtreme ships from Hong Kong. Delivery time is measured using the geologic time scale.

ks88 said:
Found this external battery with good pricing. Anyone tried this? Does it work with NC?
monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=108&cp_id=10833&cs_id=1083311&p_id=7664&seq=1&format=4#feedback
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I actually have one. It works with my EVO, but not the Nook Color. You can look at the reviews for the item and see others have similiar issues with other micro USB devices. I think I'm going to order a M/F micro usb extension cable from ebay....hopefully it helps this work with my NC.
Micro USB M/F Extension

Johnny,
Are you sure its not charging? The output of the device is 800mA, and the output of the stock charger is 2000mA. So although it may be charging slowly, the nook would not report it as charging. Would you be able to plug it in and leave it for a while and see if the battery% increases?

I'm positive it's not charging. The micro USB seems to be slightly different than "standard" and thus, doesn't fit all the way into the port on the NC. I can try one more time when I get home today, but I don't think it'll go.
I wish this wasn't the case and I've tried it a handful of times when I first bought it. I've only been using it on my phone lately...

Ah ok - if you get the cable and it works let us know It is a good price even with the cable (about $20 total with battery shipping and free shipping for cable), and if that works it would be pretty sweet!

dennisi01 said:
Ah ok - if you get the cable and it works let us know It is a good price even with the cable (about $20 total with battery shipping and free shipping for cable), and if that works it would be pretty sweet!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'll keep you posted. I had been debating whether or not to buy the cable, but for $5 and I can extend the use of my charger, I finally figured it'd be worth it....that and the fact that I want to help people out here so no one buys the charger itself thinking it'll work.
I ordered that cable yesterday, so when I get it (from China) I'll let you know whether it works or not.

johnny15 said:
I'll keep you posted. I had been debating whether or not to buy the cable, but for $5 and I can extend the use of my charger, I finally figured it'd be worth it....that and the fact that I want to help people out here so no one buys the charger itself thinking it'll work.
I ordered that cable yesterday, so when I get it (from China) I'll let you know whether it works or not.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm interested to know too. Thanks alot bro!

Ok. I got that battery from Monoprice, and it charges my nook without any hassle.
Just need to be a little bit precise on plugging it into the micro USB female on the nook.

jemping said:
Ok. I got that battery from Monoprice, and it charges my nook without any hassle.
Just need to be a little bit precise on plugging it into the micro USB female on the nook.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, mine does not....wonder what the difference is???

Jgrimoldy said:
It certainly should work.
The connections are a little confusing. The male micro-USB coming off the top suggests that you need to connect it to your nook, which would make the whole thing a little unweildy. Also, how is it charged? From a PC? From a AC/USB adapter?
I bought a couple of these:
http://www.dealextreme.com/p/usb-re...emergency-power-with-cell-phones-holder-44749
They're only 2000 mAh, but you can connect them to the nook with the proprietary nook USB cable. Even though they're rated at 1A, my nook recognizes as 2A...
Bonus: built in fold up wall charger.
Not-so-bonus: DealExtreme ships from Hong Kong. Delivery time is measured using the geologic time scale.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm interested in a similar charger, but with 2400mah.
http://www.dealextreme.com/p/2400ma...a-cable-for-htc-desire-g5-samsung-i9000-57905
Does it work with your android phone? A lot of after market chargers makes the touch screen unusable while charging. Does it work both while plugged into the wall and using the internal battery?

Interesting topic.
Let me see if I got this straight.
This device has double function?
-If Nc needs charging, U just plug this device and U can have extra power on the move?
-Also, it gets connected to normal wall plug and through this U charge your NOOK?It can work as alternative nook charger (but for sure in slower rate)??

I bought an Energizer XP2000 for about $35 at an OfficeMax (they're widely available). 2000 mAh capacity, weighs about 2oz, comes with its own cord with six different ends for different devices. I plugged it into my fully-charged Nook at 10,000 ft out of Seattle, watched non-stop video at 70% brightness in Airplane Mode for nearly five hours to Baltimore and still had 58% battery left on my Nook (the Energizer was discharged). Other chargers in the line go up to an insane XP1800 that'll power a LAPTOP for six hours!
The sweet spot for me is probably the XP8000. It's max output is 3500mA vs. 500mA for the XP2000, it's the size of two iPod Classics stacked on one another but weighs a little less and it should keep me going for a looong trip. It's $100 so its not an impulse buy (at least for me) but seems like an essential tool for the long distance traveler.
http://www.energizerpowerpacks.com/us/products/xp2000/

rcboosted said:
I'm interested in a similar charger, but with 2400mah.
http://www.dealextreme.com/p/2400ma...a-cable-for-htc-desire-g5-samsung-i9000-57905
Does it work with your android phone? A lot of after market chargers makes the touch screen unusable while charging. Does it work both while plugged into the wall and using the internal battery?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I use this with my nook. I can't answer any questions related to workability with Android phones. That's not this forum.
While using this device to charge my nook, my nook is completely usable. It will charge my nook when the device is plugged into the wall. It will also charge my nook when it's not plugged into the wall (it is a battery, after all). In either situation, my nook is completely usable when connected to this.
I use this battery with my proprietary nook charging cable.

Jgrimoldy said:
I use this with my nook. I can't answer any questions related to workability with Android phones. That's not this forum.
While using this device to charge my nook, my nook is completely usable. It will charge my nook when the device is plugged into the wall. It will also charge my nook when it's not plugged into the wall (it is a battery, after all). In either situation, my nook is completely usable when connected to this.
I use this battery with my proprietary nook charging cable.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for this report. My nook goes crazy when I use the same aftermarket charger that makes my phone unusable while charging. It acts as if someone is hitting the screen randomly very quickly. If you're not having issue with the nook on this charger, I'm confident it won't have issues with my phone either. I will order 1 and find out for sure.

lesdense said:
I bought an Energizer XP2000 for about $35 at an OfficeMax (they're widely available). 2000 mAh capacity, weighs about 2oz, comes with its own cord with six different ends for different devices. I plugged it into my fully-charged Nook at 10,000 ft out of Seattle ...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wonderful report. I'm in the market for an external battery. A couple of questions if I may.
So one of the 6 tips works with an NC? I thought the NC's cord and tip were special to enable the quick charging. Do the Energizer products support this technology?

At dealextreme there is also 3000 battery. Why not using that?
The bigger the better right?
Sent from my NookColor using Tapatalk

d.v said:
Wonderful report. I'm in the market for an external battery. A couple of questions if I may.
So one of the 6 tips works with an NC? I thought the NC's cord and tip were special to enable the quick charging. Do the Energizer products support this technology?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The micro USB tip that comes with the Energizer works fine with the Nook. I don't know about "fast charge" vs. "slow charge" and all that but it definitely works. One SUBSTANTIAL advantage of the XP2000 over the larger capacity models (of the Energizer line) is that you can use any USB-to-mini USB cable, including the one that comes with it, and plug it into either a USB power plug adapter or a USB port on a computer to charge it. The XP4000, XP8000 and XP18000 all require their own power adapter. It's included in the purchase of course but I don't like carrying around another cord. Not a deal-breaker, just a factor.

johnny15 said:
I'll keep you posted. I had been debating whether or not to buy the cable, but for $5 and I can extend the use of my charger, I finally figured it'd be worth it....that and the fact that I want to help people out here so no one buys the charger itself thinking it'll work.
I ordered that cable yesterday, so when I get it (from China) I'll let you know whether it works or not.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, I said I'd update once I recieved my extension cable, so here it is...
I finally received my extension cable and it allows me to use my Monoprice charger with my Nook, so that's great. In the end, it wasn't needed. I ended up RMA'ing my charger back to Monoprice because the thing had a dull buzz when not being used and a high pitch noise when either charging a device or being charged. I'm happy to report that the new charger works with or without the extension cable on my Nook Color and on my EVO 4G. In the end though, I like the extension cable because it gives me more flexibility when using the charger.
Here are the links again...
Monoprice Charger
Extension Cable

lesdense said:
The micro USB tip that comes with the Energizer works fine with the Nook. I don't know about "fast charge" vs. "slow charge" and all that but it definitely works. One SUBSTANTIAL advantage of the XP2000 over the larger capacity models (of the Energizer line) is that you can use any USB-to-mini USB cable, including the one that comes with it, and plug it into either a USB power plug adapter or a USB port on a computer to charge it. The XP4000, XP8000 and XP18000 all require their own power adapter. It's included in the purchase of course but I don't like carrying around another cord. Not a deal-breaker, just a factor.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Got it. The slow vs fast charge would be a good thing to know. Can you time a charge with the Energizer unit and one with the stock NC charger? If it can fast charge, the Energizer would make a great addition to the NC.
Thanks either way. The info has been helpful.

Related

USB to Power Outlet adapter?

Where can I buy more of the little adapter that you plug the USB cable in to, then plug the adapter into to your wall power outlet?
I'm planning on coupling it with this cable: monoprice!com/products/product.asp?c_id=103&cp_id=10303&cs_id=1030307&p_id=5459&seq=1&format=2
My Incredible charges MUCH faster when plugged in to a power outlet than it does when plugged in to USB.
I just bought two off of Ebay that I will be trying out. I will let you know if they work which ones they are. I do know that the one from Monoprice.com doesn't work well so I would avoid that one.
Ok I got a few of these:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...&_trkparms=algo=LVI&its=I&otn=2#ht_500wt_1182
"PLO" brand "Powerbug" - meant for GPS devices but they work perfect with the incredible. 5v, 1A, 5watt (same as stock HTC charger). I got two at $8 each so not bad. They are nice looking compared to the generic Monoprice usb charger.
EDIT ** Don't think these have as much power as the stock charger. Spare parts states "Charging (USB)" when using these, so it's like being plugged up to a computer. Still a good deal at $8
The usb to wall plugs from monoprice are no good. I ordered several before I knew better. None of them worked properly...or for Any longer than 20 minutes.
-------------------------------------
Sent via the XDA Tapatalk App
seanmcd72 said:
Ok I got a few of these:
.. (wow, I can't even QUOTE someone posting a URL) ...
"PLO" brand "Powerbug" - meant for GPS devices but they work perfect with the incredible. 5v, 1A, 5watt (same as stock HTC charger). I got two at $8 each so not bad. They are nice looking compared to the generic Monoprice usb charger.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have you actually got it and tried it and it works? I did a search on Best Buy's website and they have them but they're $27! If yours works, I'll snag a few off of ebay before people realize how useful they are and jack the price up.
Powerbug description says mini-USB, Incredible uses Micro USB B...good luck. Let us know how they work...
I use a Boxwave Versa Charger. Plugs into mains or into car DC power outlet.
http://www.boxwave.com/products/categories/versacharger.htm
mrchambo said:
Powerbug description says mini-USB, Incredible uses Micro USB B...good luck. Let us know how they work...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It sure does, however, if you take a look at the picture, its simply a USB slot that the mini-usb cable plugs into, which means that any USB cable could work as the OP asked about. I'd say this would work well. However, I grabbed http://www.griffintechnology.com/products/powerduouniversal and it works great and I can just move my cable from my car to my house and have power everywhere.
don't buy aftermarket USB A/C adapters unless it's just for an overnight charge. You can't use the screen when using an aftermarket adapter. It's quite annoying. every single touch screen phone I have had has this problem.
mrchambo said:
Powerbug description says mini-USB, Incredible uses Micro USB B...good luck. Let us know how they work...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, but I have a variety of micro usb cables already. Take mini usb cable, throw in trash, use your own micro usb cables.
skrowl said:
Have you actually got it and tried it and it works? I did a search on Best Buy's website and they have them but they're $27! If yours works, I'll snag a few off of ebay before people realize how useful they are and jack the price up.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes I bought two and both of them work fine. Not sure if they charge as fast or not as the STOCK charger, but they are rated the exact same. The only thing I don't like about them is they have a blue light around the USB port. I found those at $8 each which is a lot better than paying $30 each somewhere else. I found these in another thread and the person was finding them even cheaper at some discount store I had never heard of. I'll leave one at work, one out in the garage or somewhere. The HTC charger will stay in the bedroom.
** EDIT ** Don't think these have as much power as the stock charger. Spare parts states "Charging (USB)" when using these, so it's like being plugged up to a computer. Still a good deal at $8
blastek said:
don't buy aftermarket USB A/C adapters unless it's just for an overnight charge. You can't use the screen when using an aftermarket adapter. It's quite annoying. every single touch screen phone I have had has this problem.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's not true. While the monoprice wall charger DID have a screen issue, the screen works perfectly fine with these chargers. And I used all kinds of chargers with my previous HTC Touch and never had a screen issue.
blastek said:
don't buy aftermarket USB A/C adapters unless it's just for an overnight charge. You can't use the screen when using an aftermarket adapter. It's quite annoying. every single touch screen phone I have had has this problem.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have several aftermarket USB AC heads that work just fine with the Incredible. All of them purchased some time ago.
I've been using my old iphone power blocks without any problems, though its only been a couple days if charging.
Depending on the price, you may be able to snag some fairly cheap with all of the companies that make cheap iphone/ipod accessories. Unfortunately I have enough power blocks so I don't have a need to buy/test any others.
I would be curious about other peoples experiences though.
Sent from my ADR6300 using Tapatalk
I have some Ipod AC adapters as well. I was thinking they'd be safe to use since lower amp for the Incredible... but what of the reverse? Can you use the Incredible AC wall block safely on other devices? It's 1A instead of the .5A for Iphone/Ipod.
I'm trying to travel with less charges!

Car Charger

anyone found an alternative car charger, I dont mean using the wall charger with an inverter
but a charger that plugs into the lighter plug?
Contra1971 said:
anyone found an alternative car charger, I dont mean using the wall charger with an inverter
but a charger that plugs into the lighter plug?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I used this on my Palm Pre. It charges my Epic 4g, and I tried it out on the Nook Color this AM.
It worked just fine.
http://cgi.ebay.com/OEM-SPRINT-CAR-...Accessories&hash=item45f6ea76fc#ht_1484wt_905
There's qutie a number of cigarette lighter adapters available that offer a standard USB port. You'd supply your own cable. Here's an example:
http://cgi.ebay.com/Mini-Car-Cigare...053289?pt=PDA_Accessories&hash=item2a0eed35e9
No, AFAIK, none of these will charge as fast as the standard NC charger. For that, you'd need to go thru the hassle of getting an inverter.
Monoprice has cigarette lighter to female usb chargers for $1.16 that you can use your usb cable with.
Sent from my DROIDX using XDA Premium App
well I bought 1 from Wally World and it has a dual USB output abd says it is .5v and 1.5amp but when I plug in my NC it doesnt say charging
does the sprint charger?
Jgrimoldy said:
No, AFAIK, none of these will charge as fast as the standard NC charger. For that, you'd need to go thru the hassle of getting an inverter.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Why is that any more of a hassle than getting a car charger?
Contra1971 said:
well I bought 1 from Wally World and it has a dual USB output abd says it is .5v and 1.5amp but when I plug in my NC it doesnt say charging
does the sprint charger?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, the Sprint charger says 'charging' As the others stated, it's not fast, but it works just fine...
it isnt more of a hassle, I have 4 inverters, but they all have fans and make noise I wanted to use a NO noise charger thats all
d.v said:
Why is that any more of a hassle than getting a car charger?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Larger, heavier, more cords, much more expensive (when compared to a $1 cig-to-usb)...
Just has to be able to push out the current needed. Otherwise it may not charge, or it will charge very slowly.
The Scosche reVIVE II Dual USB Car Charger for iPad has 2.1 and 1.0 amp usb outlets, I use this for plugging in my evo and nc. It definitely charges them both even while having all the wireless radios going and tethering with gps and both screens full bright.
Contra1971 said:
it isnt more of a hassle, I have 4 inverters, but they all have fans and make noise I wanted to use a NO noise charger thats all
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same issue here, I have a road-trip coming up this summer and I'd love to load up my NC with music and dash-mount it but it'll be a 14-20 hour drive (depending on the number of whiz breaks the wife and kids need) and I don't think I could push the battery quite that long and the inverter when wired to the radio creates quite a buzzing.
jsw31 said:
The Scosche reVIVE II Dual USB Car Charger for iPad has 2.1 and 1.0 amp usb outlets, I use this for plugging in my evo and nc. It definitely charges them both even while having all the wireless radios going and tethering with gps and both screens full bright.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are you using the Nooks specific cable on the 2.1A connection? I too am going on a trip soon, and would love a car charger that can actually CHARGE the nook while using it..
www.amazon.com/Scosche-reVIVE-Dual-Charger-iPad/dp/B003N7NO4Q
Is this the one you have? It looks nice and the price looks okay. Nice find. I also saw a wall plug dual usb version by same company on the same page, do you have any info on that one too? It would be nice to stream line travel chargers to a minimum, thanks.
It definitely charges both. Like I said in my previous post, I usually have both my Evo runniong and the Nook full bright display on for 50 minute commute, using TetherGPS, wifi hotspot, torque and bluetooth, google navigation pulling satellite imagery, and playing mp3s. Granted, it is slower to charge than without all that stuff running but my previous car charger would lose charge with my evo running just gps and no wifi hotspot previously.
I am using stock blackberry usb cables that I ordered from Amazon as well for $1.25 for a pair (google 'B001UC9NOQ', can't post links yet.) These are nice, thick cables that handle the charger great. I leave them plugged in inside the truck at all times. I have not used that Scosche wall charger, I use the stock chargers for travel that remain in my backpack, and I have other usb cables I use to charge at home. I would imagine it works just as well though.
jsw31 said:
It definitely charges both. Like I said in my previous post, I usually have both my Evo runniong and the Nook full bright display on for 50 minute commute, using TetherGPS, wifi hotspot, torque and bluetooth, google navigation pulling satellite imagery, and playing mp3s.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://www.amazon.com/Scosche-reVIVE-Dual-Charger-iPad/dp/B003N7NO4Q
Luckily I'm used to carrying extra USB cables around but the noise my inverter generated while charging was super annoying, went ahead and ordered this to try it out. Hoping it works for what I need, thanks for the tip
projektdotnet said:
http://www.amazon.com/Scosche-reVIVE-Dual-Charger-iPad/dp/B003N7NO4Q
Luckily I'm used to carrying extra USB cables around but the noise my inverter generated while charging was super annoying, went ahead and ordered this to try it out. Hoping it works for what I need, thanks for the tip
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Let us know if it works for you. An Amazon reviewer just reported that the Scosche reVIVE II didn't work on their Nook Color:
The nook color needs 1.9 amps, this can't do it. Scosche claims 2.1 amps but it isn't even close. It BARELY charges the nook if the machine is sleeping, when on, the battery charge goes down even while supposedly "charging." Playing video, it's even worse. On top of that if I try to charge a regular phone it puts out too much amperage on the 1 amp side and overheats the phone. Save your money, look elsewhere.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
However, the reviewer may not know what they're talking about. A charger cannot put out "too much amperage." Too much voltage perhaps, but not too much amperage (current). A device draws only the current it needs.
An iPad needs an amperage around 2 A also. I got the Belkin Charge 2.1 made for the ipod/ipad and it DOES charge the nook color. It has a 12V plug with one USB outlet at 2.1A. I used the cable from the nook color obviously...
See, part of my worry is not the current output, but if the nook can actually communicate with these chargers and get a full 1.9A draw, instead of the detault 500mA over non B&N chargers...
cybrdmn said:
An iPad needs an amperage around 2 A also. I got the Belkin Charge 2.1 made for the ipod/ipad and it DOES charge the nook color. It has a 12V plug with one USB outlet at 2.1A. I used the cable from the nook color obviously...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I bought the same Belkin iPad charger from Best Buy. Rated at 2.1A. I used it with the B & N USB cable that came with my Nook Color. I used the 'Battery Monitor' software mentioned earlier here or on another post to compare charge current readings against the stock B&N wall charger/cable. The Belkin was charging right at 500 mA (NC was using ~450 mA, software showing +36 mA current). So somewhere the B & N cable & charger must have a unique way of determining that it is a B&N charger / cable and to allow the full 2.1A charge. I used the Belkin 12V charger on my TomTom and it allowed just over 1A charge, so I know the Belkin iPad charger is fine.
Yes, it does charge the Nook Color, if you are at 800 Mhz and minimum brightness running non-intensive applications--and it barely charges at that ~50 mA. It does turn the charge indicator on the B&N cable orange, and the status indicates battery charge on the screen.

[Q] Is the Nook charger special?

I haven't seen a thread that addresses this specifically:
After reading the threads in this section, it seems that the consensus is that the "fast charging" aspect of the NC is based on extra pins in the special NC cable. When connected to any charger with 1.9amps or greater, you will get the fast charge.
My experience is different.
Using the OEM NC cable:
1. Connected to OEM charger, stock ROM - settings say charging, flashes an icon with charging percent on connection and removal
2. Connected to OEM charger, CM7 - settings say Charging (AC).
3. Connected to 2.1 and 2.0 amp chargers, stock - settings say Not Charging.
4. Connected to 2.1 and 2.0 amp chargers, CM7 - settings say Charging (USB)
Using the generic microusb cables (2 or 3 tried):
1. Connected to OEM charger, stock ROM - Can't remember, but not going back to stock!
2. Connected to OEM charger, CM7 - settings say Charging (AC).
3. Connected to 2.1 and 2.0 amp chargers, stock - settings say Not Charging.
4. Connected to 2.1 and 2.0 amp chargers, CM7 - settings say Charging (USB)
This seems to imply that the OEM charger is required to really use the extra pins in the NC OEM cable. Can anyone test and confirm this?
Alan
The nook charger puts out almost 2A of power, where normal usb chargers and ports on computer only put out 500mA. The cable that the nook comes with has some terminations in it that allow the nook to tell when it is connected to the nook charger. It will charge at a much faster rate when using the combination of the charger and cable that came with the nook. Replace either the cable or the charger with anything else and you get low power charging mode which is very slow.
Nook Charger
I keep seeing reports of people getting a fast charge using various other equipment, as long as the chargers are rated >= 1.9A.
Can anyone confirm or deny this? Any testing?
As long as a charger puts out near 2A of current, it should work. The charger itself is just a four pin USB charger. The cable itself... lots of pins in the connector to the NC.
FrayAdjacent said:
As long as a charger puts out near 2A of current, it should work. The charger itself is just a four pin USB charger. The cable itself... lots of pins in the connector to the NC.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's what everyone's been saying, but it doesn't work that way in my testing. I have tried 3rd party chargers that output 2.0 and 2.1A, using the OEM cable. None of them are recognized as an AC charger. If we knew how the NC knows when it's connected to the original charger, we could find a way to modify something available at WalMart to quick charge our NC's. There's plenty of Ipad chargers (2.1A) available. The one I have doesn't work, though.
Alan
Update to my previous post:
When I got home from work I tested my ipad charger (2.1A) with the nook color cable and it seemed to act like the nook charger. I did not think any charger but the nc one would work, but it seems it does.
I am jealous. My Ipad charger (OEM) paired with the nook cable shows Charging (USB) under Settings --->About Tablet--->Status. I would love know how to get it to say Charging (AC) .
Alan
Keep your eyes open people...as soon as I return to work and have extra cash I plan on ordering and tearing down a charger and cable. Many have noticed poor quality in the chargers..I'm gonna try to engineer an open DIY charger and cable replacement with better filtering components. Hopefully will be creating a thread with full details in 3 weeks...
Sent from my NookColor using Tapatalk
deadbot1 said:
Keep your eyes open people...as soon as I return to work and have extra cash I plan on ordering and tearing down a charger and cable. Many have noticed poor quality in the chargers..I'm gonna try to engineer an open DIY charger and cable replacement with better filtering components. Hopefully will be creating a thread with full details in 3 weeks...
Sent from my NookColor using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
YAY! I have my soldering station warming up.
Cheers,
kev
yep, this is overdue...plugged in last night...almost burned my hand after an hour of charging. I keep my charger by the bed and the hum is just annoying when I'm feeling a bit restless.
Is there a way to identify problem chargers?
There must be some real inconsistency in the charger build quality. I've never noticed mine gets more than just a tiny bit warm and no humming. I wonder if there was a bad lot of them made? I was trying to look at the charger to see if there is a lot # or such, but can't tell what half the darned thing says. I'm posting a pic of the text on my charger in the hopes we can figure out if there is some way to identify problem chargers.
Edit: My nc came from WalMart.
Well there is a difference in the markings at least...The area circled in red...On mine it is R1101.
Still made in China
Edit: BTW my unit came from Walmart. Not sure if there would be any accounting for things like that.
deadbot1 said:
Keep your eyes open people...as soon as I return to work and have extra cash I plan on ordering and tearing down a charger and cable. Many have noticed poor quality in the chargers..I'm gonna try to engineer an open DIY charger and cable replacement with better filtering components. Hopefully will be creating a thread with full details in 3 weeks...
Sent from my NookColor using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sounds great. The simple tests I have done have yielded more quetions then answers.
Looking forward to your data.
ive noticed i cant transfer data on anything other than the nook cable.
The NC cable is special. It wont fit other devices.
described over here....
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nook_Color
Charging the NC on a regular microUSB means much longer time.
swaaye said:
The NC cable is special. It wont fit other devices.
described over here....
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nook_Color
Charging the NC on a regular microUSB means much longer time.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, this much is well known...my plan is to find out if there are "brains" in the charger or if it's just a high amp USB adapter. If the latter is true( which I suspect), then it's easy peasy to make a high power port( or just buy a quality one). If it has special circuitry...then I get to try and replicate it( with better parts) and release the plans so others can make DIY replacements.
Edit: I'm willing to bet that the extra pins in the cable are just to increase contact surface...to handle the higher amperage.
Sent from my NookColor using XDA Premium App
boogerboy72 said:
ive noticed i cant transfer data on anything other than the nook cable.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That is totally wrong, since other cables WILL transfer data just fine. I use an LG Micro USB cable from my old dare, and am able to ADB push, install, etc just fine.
As it is, the large end of the Nook's USB cable is normal; this means that if the nook is communicating, it is doing so over the standard USB data ports, and not through some special connection. Keep in mind that some of the extra pins from the micro side are for the status light that is built in.
Hmm R1102 here showing 1.9A output
I'm curious.. some people have talked about warranty replacements. What R versions are those?
Divine_Madcat said:
That is totally wrong, since other cables WILL transfer data just fine. I use an LG Micro USB cable from my old dare, and am able to ADB push, install, etc just fine.
As it is, the large end of the Nook's USB cable is normal; this means that if the nook is communicating, it is doing so over the standard USB data ports, and not through some special connection. Keep in mind that some of the extra pins from the micro side are for the status light that is built in.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hmm....hadn't thought of that...that charger almost has to be dumb...just higher output...the smarts all have to be in the USB/power management chip in the nook. Those extra pins must be for the led and maybe a few for handling the higher amperage. Need to check out the spec sheet for that chip again...
Sent from my NookColor using XDA Premium App
Why does it HAVE to be dumb? I mean, the charger needs to do nothing more than respond to a ping, saying "Hey, im a Nook charger, take me for a 1.9A ride!". I guess that makes it dumb, but no reason said technology won't be in the charger.

2A (2000mAh) External Rechargable battery for NC $12.90

I bought a couple of these several months ago from DealExtreme.com to use for other USB powered devices.
http://www.dealextreme.com/p/usb-re...emergency-power-with-cell-phones-holder-44749
For kicks and giggles, I was curious how much current the things really put out. I connected to my CM7 NC with the NC USB cable and did a dmesg | grep CHARGER
To my surprise, even though DealExtreme claims that these output 1A, the NC said it was receiving 2A! (see attached photo of screen).
When I used a standard Micro-USB cable, the current dropped down to 500mA.
I haven't yet done any sort of extensive testing to see what kind of life I get out of these. If the other specs are correct (a little dubious now), then having 2 of these, fully charged, would be like having an extra internal battery. Not bad for less than $13 ea.
Anyone know how accurate (or inaccurate) the output from the dmesg command is? Is the Nook misrepresenting what it says it's getting from the charger?
I suspect that what you're seeing on the screenshot is not the charging current but that it recognizes the plug type (B&N 2amp) or standard USB (500ma) that is actually plugged in. Nevertheless it still could be a handy gizmo to have around.
___________________
- Derek
derekr said:
I suspect that what you're seeing on the screenshot is not the charging current but that it recognizes the plug type (B&N 2amp) or standard USB (500ma) that is actually plugged in. Nevertheless it still could be a handy gizmo to have around.
___________________
- Derek
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When I used a different model of External USB battery with the same B&N NC cable, it registered as 500mA, exactly as that particular model is rated. Though your thought is justifiably skeptical (and I'm an unrepentant skeptic myself), further evidence suggests there's more going on than just detecting the additonal pins in the B&N NC cable.
Jgrimoldy said:
When I used a different model of External USB battery with the same B&N NC cable, it registered as 500mA, exactly as that particular model is rated. Though your thought is justifiably skeptical (and I'm an unrepentant skeptic myself), further evidence suggests there's more going on than just detecting the additonal pins in the B&N NC cable.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I believe the standard microUSB cord has a resistor, or circuitry to limit the amperage to .5. The Nook Color has a charging cable with a higher amperage at 1.9, with a special connection so you cannot put it into another device and fry it. Most modern device have a way of limiting the input internally, but the the Nook's cable is unique on the device end to be safe.
If you would like to test this use a standard microUSB and plug it into the Nooks OME wall transformer and measure the amperage. in my tests it always comes out at .5 amps even though the output of the NC's transformer is 1.9 amps.
I use my muti-tester to avoid erroneous software data.
Certaily would like to test this portable charger you mention in your post, for $13 sounds good to me. This would be handy while I am away from wifi and I tether my Android phone to my Nook, the phone could be plugged into this charger, tethering can really burn battery down fast.
Thanks for the tip!
12paq said:
Certaily like to test this portable charger in you mention in your post, for $13 sounds good to me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm going to order that aswell. Has anyone seen other nice accessoires for the Nook color on Dealextreme? Search only gave me a black pouch
tomic22 said:
I'm going to order that aswell. Has anyone seen other nice accessoires for the Nook color on Dealextreme? Search only gave me a black pouch
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
so funny, me too.
Also "CrazyinDigital" from Amazon Canada, even shipped to USA I got a nice Pleather case and a bunch of cables and the silicon cases are decent too. The bulid qualty of the cords is sketchy and the screen protectors don't fit, but I got all the above for $5.19 shipped to the US. I'd pay at least that for the USB cord. (Funny thing the cords say "for Kindle"... gotta laugh.
Back on topic, I might buy this back up charger, sounds good for my battery sucking Android Phone too..
12paq said:
I believe the standard microUSB cord has a resistor, or circuitry to limit the amperage to .5. .
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Given that the USB battery charging specs give up to 1.8A, that doesn't make a whole lot of sense....
In Battery Charging Specification,[40] new powering modes are added to the USB specification. A host or hub Charging Downstream Port can supply a maximum of 1.5 A when communicating at low-bandwidth or full-bandwidth, a maximum of 900 mA when communicating at high-bandwidth, and as much current as the connector will safely handle when no communication is taking place; USB 2.0 standard-A connectors are rated at 1500 mA by default. A Dedicated Charging Port can supply a maximum of 1.8 A of current at 5.25 V. A portable device can draw up to 1.8 A from a Dedicated Charging Port. The Dedicated Charging Port shorts the D+ and D- pins with a resistance of at most 200 Ω. The short disables data transfer, but allows devices to detect the Dedicated Charging Port and allows very simple, high current chargers to be manufactured. The increased current (faster, 9 W charging) will occur once both the host/hub and devices support the new charging specification.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universal_Serial_Bus
Divine_Madcat said:
Given that the USB battery charging specs give up to 1.8A, that doesn't make a whole lot of sense....
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universal_Serial_Bus
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah I might have .5 volts mixed up with amps.. I posted that late last night, dozing off.. lol. sorry for the any inaccuracies.
I did these tests a while back and should have recorded the data and not left them too memory.. and age.. lol.
I initiated theses tests becouse I found it took much longer to charge the Nook with a generic cord even if I plugged it in the Nooks wall transformer that has a higher output. it could just be my cords too.
My apologies if my careless quoting of data led anyone astray. Funny, I am usually a stickler about accurate data. ..
Lesson: Never quote data from memory late and after a glass of wine..
Thanks Madcat
12paq said:
I believe the standard microUSB cord has a resistor, or circuitry to limit the amperage to .5.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
.... wat
12paq said:
If you would like to test this use a standard microUSB and plug it into the Nooks OME wall transformer and measure the amperage. in my tests it always comes out at .5 amps even though the output of the NC's transformer is 1.9 amps.
I use my muti-tester to avoid erroneous software data.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You should have plugged into your fingers. Stop making up nonsense.
Standard microUSB is, well, a standard. And that standard says 500mAh max current. The Nook Color cable is non standard and has 4 extra pins. These extra pins, as well as shorted data pins, tells the Nook Color it can draw 1.9Amps.

[Q] Nook Charger - Must have or nice to have?

I live in Africa but will be travelling home for Christmas and recently purchased a refurbished Nook Color from B&N via ebay. I have read that the charger and cable are special and of pretty poor quality. My question is this...
If I have my Nook Color in Zambia and the power adapter and/or cable quit working am I completely hosed or can a normal micro-USB charge it (albeit more slowly)?
My experience with phones tells me that if the battery is completely depleted, it sometimes needs the OEM charger to charge, is this the case with the Nook Color? Can a basic microUSB charge a completely dead Nook Color?
Thanks. I would have no problem buying a backup if the quality weren't so poor. I can leave it charge overnight using the same stuff I use for my other devices.
Thanks.
Hi. I think its a must have. It charges the Nook Color so much faster. You may want to pickup 2 of the special USB cables as well since they're kind of fragile. The micro USB tips are easy to break and in Africa, a replacement is not easy to get.
You cannot use a standard USB cable in the Nook charger since its slightly different and pumps much more amps through it than the normal micro USB cable.
jmo said:
I live in Africa but will be travelling home for Christmas and recently purchased a refurbished Nook Color from B&N via ebay. I have read that the charger and cable are special and of pretty poor quality. My question is this...
If I have my Nook Color in Zambia and the power adapter and/or cable quit working am I completely hosed or can a normal micro-USB charge it (albeit more slowly)?
My experience with phones tells me that if the battery is completely depleted, it sometimes needs the OEM charger to charge, is this the case with the Nook Color? Can a basic microUSB charge a completely dead Nook Color?
Thanks. I would have no problem buying a backup if the quality weren't so poor. I can leave it charge overnight using the same stuff I use for my other devices.
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's been my experience that a standard USB cable will charge the NC, but it's much slower.
al mon said:
Hi. I think its a must have. It charges the Nook Color so much faster. You may want to pickup 2 of the special USB cables as well since they're kind of fragile. The micro USB tips are easy to break and in Africa, a replacement is not easy to get.
You cannot use a standard USB cable in the Nook charger since its slightly different and pumps much more amps through it than the normal micro USB cable.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Your second point is just false. A standard UBS cable (micro-USB) won't damage the nook. Instead of pushing more amperage it actually does less...it doesn't reach the high-power section within the nook anyway.
Computer USB ports can't push more than 500 mA safely so they are limited to that. The Nook charger runs at double that and thus charges the nook much faster than plugging it into the computer.
I use the nook cable with a palm wall charger unit with no problems. My nook unit was buzzing so I stopped using it.

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