Database Develop

[Q] Faster USB Charging?

Just reading up on USB chargers, and I found somewhere in a thread here about phones defaulting to smaller ma when charging via USB if the connector didn't have the data pins shorted or something.
So, I was wondering a couple of things:
1) If the default charger supplies 700ma, do you think that is the most the Nexus S can draw? Does anyone have one of these shorted USB chargers? Does it charge the NS faster?
2) If it does charge faster, how hard would it be to do something similar to shorting the data connections? I have a generic AC-USB cable which I currently use for my iPod touch.
3) Is there a way to check if it is already shorted out? The USB charging port looks similar to ones on my computer, but I'm not sure what to look for.
Thanks for any help! Maybe if we can sort out this stuff, we can provide a solution for those looking for faster charging!

it does work safely, i'm using a 1000 mAh charger at home, and a 2000 mAh charger in the car both are from aftermarket eBay/DealExtreme charges.
no overheating
and charges faster than stock

AllGamer said:
it does work safely, i'm using a 1000 mAh charger at home, and a 2000 mAh charger in the car both are from aftermarket eBay/DealExtreme charges.
no overheating
and charges faster than stock
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Click to collapse
Ok thankyou for that AllGamer, I'll think of possible ways I could mod the charger now

The only reason it is slow is because of the USB charging brick instead of just a charger.
Sent from my Nexus S using XDA App

I know it's a wrong thread, but anyone has any pointers as to how to short a regular USB cable to make the phone think it's a power adapter cable?

XBOHDPuKC said:
I know it's a wrong thread, but anyone has any pointers as to how to short a regular USB cable to make the phone think it's a power adapter cable?
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Nah it's not the wrong thread that was one of my questions! I'm not sure exactly where you would do it, but maybe if you skinned the wire, then cut the data lines it would work?
Not sure which end you would do it on however, but that may not matter. Any other ideas?

The two center pins in the USB carry the data. If you pull them out, the cable won't be able to connect to the computer.
Sent from my Nexus S

Wow - you don't need to do this and you wouldn't want to in a computer anyway.
The USB specification says that 500ma (@ 5v) of current should be available from a computer's USB port. Of course, the actual wires can carry much more than this, so manufacturers can tell their phones to takes as much current as is offered.
Almost all computers limit their USB power output accordingly - this is why some opld usb-powered external hard drives needed 2 USB plugs to get enough power. The only computers that I am SURE emit significantly more than 500ma on their USB ports are first and second generation MacBook Airs.
Some phones, the N1 and every other HTC specifically, look for a specially shorted cable to "know if they are plugged into the wall adaptor" as opposed to a computer USB port. In reality, this is just a way to make you specifically buy HTC chargers as opposed to third-party off-brands, because plugging one of these phones into an off brand charger will limit the current draw to about 450ma.
If you want to know if your Android phone thinks that it is in "USB" mode or in "AC" mode, just plug the phone in, open the dialer, enter *#*#4636#*#* and then select battery info. If your phone is one that cares (not all do), it will say USB if it thinks it should be in USB charging mode, or AC if it thinks it should be in AC charging mode.
I would not try shorting out the middle pins in a cable and then plugging it into the computer. First, most will probably just disable the USB port completely, shutting off even power you could draw. Second, if it doesn't shut down, you run the risk that a badly-built USB port might not properly limit the current to 500ma - and since they are not designed to furnish more current than that, you might melt something expensive or start a fire. third, if you make a mistake, you risk shorting out either your phone or your computer, which might ruin your day, week or month, depending on your financial means to replace the system that cooks itself.
I would just run out to your local store, pay 15 bucks for a 2A third-party usb charger brick, and go to town. That will work perfectly - this is what I use, and it probably cuts the charge time by 30-40%. Obviously, this indicates that the NS is not capable of drawing a full 2A - I have not put a meter on it, but I would bet that it limits itself to somewhere just under an amp in.

I have recently bought both a 2A wall charger and car charger and my phone does not recognise either of these as anything more than a 500mA source.
Is it really just a case of opening the car charger up and shorting out pins 2 & 3? they are currently not connected to anything in the charger.

If it's indeed a matter of shorting the data lines, then I think you can skin the wire as suggested by others, but then cut the data lines, short the end that leads to the phone, leave the end to the computer open. I think it's the phone that tries to determine whether the data lines are shorted.
Edit: Can someone measure the continuity between the data pins with the stock charger? I wonder if they are shorted. I'm still waiting for my Nexus S to arrive, so can't test it.

Yup, the data lines in the stock Nexus S charger ARE shorted.
I just modified a cheap 1A car charger by popping it open, soldering the 2 data lines together and putting it back.
The report on the Nexus S before I did this (*#*#4636#*#*) said "USB", and afterwards it now says "AC".
I will report back after I make a road trip if this improves the GPS + Pandora + Screen in car situation. I suspect it will.
----------------
Yup, the car charger seemed to actually maintain and increase the battery this time. Seems good.

The NS supports chargers output to a max of 1000mA, as it says on the back of it, where the battery resides.

Make non-motorola charger work?

So this is my first motorola and I had heard of the issues they have with non motorola chargers. Now I am experiencing it first hand. With the same ac charger I have charged many phones with and is capable of 1 amp output (D4 charger is only rated at 850 mA) my D4 struggles. With the device off it charged painfully slowly. While on it cannot even charge. It discharges while plugged in despite the charging indicator and reporting "charging (AC)" in status.
How does it know it is not a moto charger? Is it just about the resistance between the data pins? For most other phones shorting the data pins on the charger indicates to the phone that it is a high current charger and not a computer USB port. Is there a similar trick for motorola phones? I would rather not have to purchase an overpriced moto oem car charger. I have a perfectly fine 1.2 amp car charger soldered directly into my car's 12v system behind the dash. Can I make it work?
Thanks!

On a regular basis I successfully charge my D4 using both a charger from a Samsung Reality feature phone and from a B&N Nook Simple Touch, in addition to the one that came with it. I've also used a variety of car chargers.
Sent from my DROID4 using XDA

Actually, so far I have only one charger that had any trouble charging the phone (it was a $3 charger with 2 USB ports), but the $3 charger with ONE USB port works fine, as does the Nook Color charger, Blackberry charger, and Samsung charger I have tried it with, as well as both my old car charger and Lenovo's always-on charging port on their laptops.

JKingDev said:
So this is my first motorola and I had heard of the issues they have with non motorola chargers. Now I am experiencing it first hand. With the same ac charger I have charged many phones with and is capable of 1 amp output (D4 charger is only rated at 850 mA) my D4 struggles. With the device off it charged painfully slowly. While on it cannot even charge. It discharges while plugged in despite the charging indicator and reporting "charging (AC)" in status.
How does it know it is not a moto charger? Is it just about the resistance between the data pins? For most other phones shorting the data pins on the charger indicates to the phone that it is a high current charger and not a computer USB port. Is there a similar trick for motorola phones? I would rather not have to purchase an overpriced moto oem car charger. I have a perfectly fine 1.2 amp car charger soldered directly into my car's 12v system behind the dash. Can I make it work?
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not sure how it knows one way or the other. I've successfully used a few LG chargers to charge my D4. The only really hickup I've ran into is the usb cables from those lg chargers won't sync data to the phones when plugged into a computer, they'll still charge off the usb port but won't read as a usb connection to the computer.

Heh, captcha is trynply.
Every charger I've used, including an old charger for an EN-V, kindle, supplied, and various other phone chargers works just fine with this phone. Probably have a bad charger, guy.

Thanks for the replies. I guess I was wrong. My modded car charger works just fine. I guess its just time to retire the old charger that I have been using. I think it might be my old nexus one charger.

A more important question would be does the thing charge over computer-bound USB ports?
When you're without a charger, but there's a USB cable that fits your phone, sometimes a regular USB data port is the only that is around... even though it might take a really long time.
Try a computer bound USB port, then try your actual charger, again. Or do the hard reset (vol down plus power, hold until it actually does it), which is just like pulling the battery.
See how that goes.
Chris

RueTheDayTrebek said:
A more important question would be does the thing charge over computer-bound USB ports?
When you're without a charger, but there's a USB cable that fits your phone, sometimes a regular USB data port is the only that is around... even though it might take a really long time.
Try a computer bound USB port, then try your actual charger, again. Or do the hard reset (vol down plus power, hold until it actually does it), which is just like pulling the battery.
See how that goes.
Chris
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It does in fact charge via USB port. In fact, it has a 'charge only' mode. Depending on how much juice your port puts out, and what you are doing with the phone, it will charge slowly/not at all, though.

from my experiences, the droid 4 will not accept lg microusb cables, the charging bricks work tho. i use a blackberry microusb on mine along with a Logitech and the stock moto ones. 1.2 amps is a bit high but not crazy sounding. personally, I charge at 1 amp.

Charging Safety Issues

Is it safe to charge the Nook Color from a PC USB port? I tried using a iphone charger and I think it melted XD
So....I'd rather not melt my USB ports. :/ Or Blow up the nook!
Anyone have information for this?

I charged mine on an ungrounded extension card cinnected to a possibly unregulated outlet, and it broke the charger plug permanently. Burning smell and high heat and all that stuff.
Probably not my best idea. But I am not gonna say I think it happens to anything but the nook charger. That setup hasn't damaged anything else before or since.

Locklear308 said:
Is it safe to charge the Nook Color from a PC USB port? I tried using a iphone charger and I think it melted XD
So....I'd rather not melt my USB ports. :/ Or Blow up the nook!
Anyone have information for this?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When connected to a PC USB port the Nook will only detect that it is data USB connection and not a pure charger and will only try to draw 500mA which is the standard USB current limit. Under these conditions the Nook will only charge very slowly particularly if it is active with the screen lit.
When connected to a real charger like the Nook charger that has the data lines shorted to indicate it is a pure high power charger then the Nook will attempt to draw up to 2000mA. Any charger worth its salt will supply whatever it can and protect itself against overheating. Cheap and nasty chargers could potentially have overheating problems.
I have successfully used other chargers in place of the standard one. E.g a HP Touchpad charger and a car 2A USB charger.

Avoid this compatibility problem by using a standard micro USB cable when charging with a charger other than the standard NC charger. I charge my NC all the time with one of my numerous HTC plug-in chargers and a standard micro USB cable.

mr72 said:
Avoid this compatibility problem by using a standard micro USB cable when charging with a charger other than the standard NC charger. I charge my NC all the time with one of my numerous HTC plug-in chargers and a standard micro USB cable.
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Click to collapse
So using a regular micro usb cable will allow safe charging?

Locklear308 said:
So using a regular micro usb cable will allow safe charging?
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Click to collapse
Here is how I think it works.
Nook will only request up to 500mA charge rate if it detects that the cable is plugged into a regular USB port like on a PC with data connections. This is irrespective of whether you use the B&N cable or an alternative microUSB cable. There is almost 0 risk in this arrangement.
If the Nook is connected via a standard microUSB cable to a charger that signals it is a high power charger by having shorted data lines then it can get up to around 1000mA of charge from it.
If the Nook is connected via the B&N cable to a charger that signals it is a high power charger by having shorted data lines then it can get up to around 2000mA of charge from it. This is just because the B&N cable has extra voltage supply pins at the microUSB end and tries to spread the load to avoid stressing the individual pins with two much current. Without these extra pins it will not request the extra current through them.
In both the second and third case it is possible that a poorly designed charger could signal the ability to supply the higher current and then suffer because it did not have the overload / over-heating mechanisms to deal with it. One could argue that evolution should kick in at this point and destine this type of charger to the well-deserved scrap heap

bobtidey said:
Here is how I think it works.
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Well, that's sort of close.
But the NC doesn't "sense" anything about the charger. The stock NC charging cable with the light-up horseshoe has the pins shorted and is also a slightly different connector type such that it cannot be plugged into a normal micro-USB on a device besides a NC. So if you plug THIS CABLE into the NC, then it will draw 2A from whatever is plugged into the other end of the cable. If the thing on the other end of the cable is the NC charger, you are in good shape, since it can safely deliver 2A of current. If you plug the other end of the NC stock cable into an iPhone wall charger or a computer USB port, some other generic wall charger, then it will likely draw more current than the charger or port can safely deliver and may damage the charger or cause a fire.
If you use a standard micro-USB cable, regardless of what charger you use (including the stock B&N charger), it will only draw about 500mA of current and charge the NC more slowly, but it will work safely with pretty much any generic USB port either on a computer or a run of the mill USB wall charger such as those that come with nearly every Android phone on the market, or a charge dock, USB cigarette lighter adapter for your car, etc.
So the key is: use the B&N stock NC CABLE ONLY with the stock B&N wall charger. Use a generic micro-USB cable with any charger including the B&N wall charger. It's all about the cable.

mr72 said:
Well, that's sort of close.
But the NC doesn't "sense" anything about the charger. The stock NC charging cable with the light-up horseshoe has the pins shorted and is also a slightly different connector type such that it cannot be plugged into a normal micro-USB on a device besides a NC. So if you plug THIS CABLE into the NC, then it will draw 2A from whatever is plugged into the other end of the cable. If the thing on the other end of the cable is the NC charger, you are in good shape, since it can safely deliver 2A of current. If you plug the other end of the NC stock cable into an iPhone wall charger or a computer USB port, some other generic wall charger, then it will likely draw more current than the charger or port can safely deliver and may damage the charger or cause a fire.
If you use a standard micro-USB cable, regardless of what charger you use (including the stock B&N charger), it will only draw about 500mA of current and charge the NC more slowly, but it will work safely with pretty much any generic USB port either on a computer or a run of the mill USB wall charger such as those that come with nearly every Android phone on the market, or a charge dock, USB cigarette lighter adapter for your car, etc.
So the key is: use the B&N stock NC CABLE ONLY with the stock B&N wall charger. Use a generic micro-USB cable with any charger including the B&N wall charger. It's all about the cable.
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Sorry. That's not true.
The B&N cable behaves like a standard USB data cable. It does not have the data pins shorted. You can use it to plug the Nook into a PC and transfer files. This would not be possible if the pins were shorted in the cable anywhere. The only difference between the B&N cable and a standard one is that is has extra power pins on the microUSB end in a deeper connector that are just used for spreading the charging current.
The B&N charger like other high power USB chargers does have the data lines shorted in it and that is what the Nook sees and causes it to switch into high current charging mode.
You can see all this in operation with a Battery monitor App like "Battery Monitor". When the Nook is connected to a data port via the B&N or other cable then the charging mode is USB and will draw up to 500mA. When it is connected via a standard cable to a charger like the B&N then it will say AC charging mode but will only draw around 1000mA (not limited to 500mA). When it is connected to the charger via the B&N cable it will also say AC charging mode but will now draw up to 2000mA as the extra pins are available.
Note that these currents are the maximum drawn in these modes. The actual value drawn depends on the state of the battery. Also they are what the Nook attempts to draw from the charger. It can't force the charger to supply 2A and any decent charger (which is most in my experience) will only supply what they can safely or will shut down if they experience overheating.
I safely use the B&N cable with a variety of chargers. I also use it to connect to PCs for data transfer and background charging (at 500mA). I also use other USB cables with both the B&N charger and with other chargers. You only get full 2A charging by using the B&N cable with a charger with data lines shorted that can supply 2A OK.

bobtidey said:
Sorry. That's not true.
The B&N cable behaves like a standard USB data cable. It does not have the data pins shorted. You can use it to plug the Nook into a PC and transfer files. This would not be possible if the pins were shorted in the cable anywhere. The only difference between the B&N cable and a standard one is that is has extra power pins on the microUSB end in a deeper connector that are just used for spreading the charging current.
The B&N charger like other high power USB chargers does have the data lines shorted in it and that is what the Nook sees and causes it to switch into high current charging mode.
You can see all this in operation with a Battery monitor App like "Battery Monitor". When the Nook is connected to a data port via the B&N or other cable then the charging mode is USB and will draw up to 500mA. When it is connected via a standard cable to a charger like the B&N then it will say AC charging mode but will only draw around 1000mA (not limited to 500mA). When it is connected to the charger via the B&N cable it will also say AC charging mode but will now draw up to 2000mA as the extra pins are available.
Note that these currents are the maximum drawn in these modes. The actual value drawn depends on the state of the battery. Also they are what the Nook attempts to draw from the charger. It can't force the charger to supply 2A and any decent charger (which is most in my experience) will only supply what they can safely or will shut down if they experience overheating.
I safely use the B&N cable with a variety of chargers. I also use it to connect to PCs for data transfer and background charging (at 500mA). I also use other USB cables with both the B&N charger and with other chargers. You only get full 2A charging by using the B&N cable with a charger with data lines shorted that can supply 2A OK.
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Well I can say that using an ipod/iphone charger is a BAD idea haha. I shall stick to the normal charger :]

Locklear308 said:
Well I can say that using an ipod/iphone charger is a BAD idea haha. I shall stick to the normal charger :]
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I agree it is good to stick to the B&N charger with B&N cable for best fast charging. The only reason not to is to reduce the number of chargers one is carrying or to provide alternatives like charging in a car.
I was pointing out that the issue is primarily around the chargers not around the cable. Your original question was about charging from a PC USB port and that is safe no matter what cable you use.
The case where the cable might make a difference is where a non B&N charger has the data lines shorted and will allow AC charging mode but is OK with < 1000mA (non B&N cable) but could blow up if it tries to deliver 2000mA (B&N cable). So, it is less risky if you use a non B&N cable when using a non B&N charger. Still a poor charger design if that is the case.

NC charger

I was wondering where to get a charger for my NC, whether it be car or home, that will not be 30 like in the stores.

smayer85 said:
I was wondering where to get a charger for my NC, whether it be car or home, that will not be 30 like in the stores.
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Click to collapse
Just search for ADP-H01 on the web. I have seen them as low as $16.

Good suggestion leapinlar, looks like I'm gonna acquire a spare soon.

The NC is a mature product, and anything worth talking about has been talked out. Search these NC forums (or just Google in general) for "nook color charger".
Here's one that's interesting: The OS makes a difference. Those using CM7 can charge using any 2.0 or 2.1A charger, with any cable (presumably of sufficient gauge to carry 2A). Those using stock ROM must use OEM charger & cable.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1002332
I'm not sure about stock, since I converted my NCs OOB. But my experience (using CM7) is same as the OP in above-linked thread. I can charge with any 2A charger and standard cable.

e.mote said:
The NC is a mature product, and anything worth talking about has been talked out. Search these NC forums (or just Google in general) for "nook color charger".
Here's one that's interesting: The OS makes a difference. Those using CM7 can charge using any 2.0 or 2.1A charger, with any cable (presumably of sufficient gauge to carry 2A). Those using stock ROM must use OEM charger & cable.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1002332
I'm not sure about stock, since I converted my NCs OOB. But my experience (using CM7) is same as the OP in above-linked thread. I can charge with any 2A charger and standard cable.
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Yes, you can charge, but not at the full rate. The charging block must have the two center pins shorted (d+/d-). Some charging blocks have that and some do not. If they are shorted, the nook might allow the block to deliver the full 2+ A rated on the block. But the cable must be able to deliver that much current. Only the stock cable can do that. It has extra pins (a total of 12) in the nook end of the connector to deliver that much. Regular microUSB cables do not have those pins. That is why nook cables have an end that look longer than standard cables. So the charging circuits in the nook sense the shorted data pins and the extra pins in the cable, then it turns on full charging. It does this for all roms. If it does not detect those two conditions, it assumes you are connected to a USB port and limits charging current to 500MA regardless of block capacity.

leapinlar said:
Yes, you can charge, but not at the full rate. The charging block must have the two center pins shorted (d+/d-). Some charging blocks have that and some do not. If they are shorted, the nook might allow the block to deliver the full 2+ A rated on the block. But the cable must be able to deliver that much current. Only the stock cable can do that. It has extra pins (a total of 12) in the nook end of the connector to deliver that much. Regular microUSB cables do not have those pins. That is why nook cables have an end that look longer than standard cables. So the charging circuits in the nook sense the shorted data pins and the extra pins in the cable, then it turns on full charging. It does this for all roms. If it does not detect those two conditions, it assumes you are connected to a USB port and limits charging current to 500MA regardless of block capacity.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have found that as long as I have my charger cable, I can use any "block" to charge. I generally will use my IPAD block and that charges it just as quickly. So instead of having to spend 30 bucks for a new nook block, I can just use my cable and a different block. its very convenient.

IPAD bricks provide 2.0A and the B&N ones are rated at 1.9A. It boils down to the (semi-)proprietary cable.

ufkal said:
I have found that as long as I have my charger cable, I can use any "block" to charge. I generally will use my IPAD block and that charges it just as quickly. So instead of having to spend 30 bucks for a new nook block, I can just use my cable and a different block. its very convenient.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
iPad chargers also have the data pins shorted.

leapinlar said:
Yes, you can charge, but not at the full rate. The charging block must have the two center pins shorted (d+/d-). Some charging blocks have that and some do not. If they are shorted, the nook might allow the block to deliver the full 2+ A rated on the block. But the cable must be able to deliver that much current. Only the stock cable can do that. It has extra pins (a total of 12) in the nook end of the connector to deliver that much. Regular microUSB cables do not have those pins. That is why nook cables have an end that look longer than standard cables. So the charging circuits in the nook sense the shorted data pins and the extra pins in the cable, then it turns on full charging. It does this for all roms. If it does not detect those two conditions, it assumes you are connected to a USB port and limits charging current to 500MA regardless of block capacity.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In my experience there are actually 3 possible max charging rates into the Nook Color
1) USB mode where a charger / cable doesn't have shorted data lines (including PC) - Max 500 ma
2) AC mode (half) where a charger does have shorted data lines but a standard USB cable is used - Max 1000ma
3) AC mode full where a charger has shorted data lines and a Nook proprietary cable is used with the extra power pins - Max 1900ma

>In my experience there are actually 3 possible max charging rates into the Nook Color
How did you measure the differing DC current? Clamp meter? In-line resistor?

Battery Widget in the Play Store will tell you near real time.
Rodney

rhester72 said:
Battery Widget in the Play Store will tell you near real time.
Rodney
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That's what I have used and it seems to tally well with rate of charge of the battery. It indicates AC or USB charging (shorted / non-shorted data lines) and showed 1000mA in AC mode with standard USB cable as opposed to 1900 with Nook cable.

>Battery Widget in the Play Store will tell you near real time.
Can you provide the developer name? There are many battery widgets, and those I've tried don't indicate charging level. TIA.

e.mote said:
>Battery Widget in the Play Store will tell you near real time.
Can you provide the developer name? There are many battery widgets, and those I've tried don't indicate charging level. TIA.
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I use Battery Monitor Widget Pro by 3C. It has a history screen that shows charging current vs time. I think they have a free version.

Thanks for the tip. Battery Monitor Widget is a better monitor than those I've tried, although it overloads on detail. However I think the +/- mA reading is a net reading (charge - discharge rate) rather than the charge current by itself. Since the unit needs to be on for the widget to run, it's probably not possible for it to get just the charge reading.

+1 for the battery information widget. I actually like all of the information.
Sent from my Thunderbolt using Tapatalk 2

[Q] Droid 4 charging standards

I'm trying to make a fast charging cable for use in the car. The current charger I use seems to work fine, but the coiled cable annoys me. When I use a standard USB cable the charging reverts to slow mode which means the GPS and screen drain the battery faster than the cable can charge it.
The charging cable that works has a resistor between ground and the unused pin 4, but what I want to know, is this the only USB charging standard that the Droid4 supports, for example does it support the one where you put a resistor between the two data pins, or the one where you just join the data pins together?
If it supports either of those, then this project just got a lot easier as I can just chop the Type A connector off my USB cable and do all the work without having to solder a Micro USB connector.

Could you de-solder the coiled cord and solder in a micro USB cord or even a female USB cord for removal of OEM usb... or is that what you mean in the last paragraph... If you want I could give it a try as I have three rapid car chargers and several USB cables...

Lum_UK said:
I'm trying to make a fast charging cable for use in the car. The current charger I use seems to work fine, but the coiled cable annoys me. When I use a standard USB cable the charging reverts to slow mode which means the GPS and screen drain the battery faster than the cable can charge it.
The charging cable that works has a resistor between ground and the unused pin 4, but what I want to know, is this the only USB charging standard that the Droid4 supports, for example does it support the one where you put a resistor between the two data pins, or the one where you just join the data pins together?
If it supports either of those, then this project just got a lot easier as I can just chop the Type A connector off my USB cable and do all the work without having to solder a Micro USB connector.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not sure if this has anything to do with your question but try an ipad or tablet charger (2.1 Amp) which i use on my droid 4 and charges it fast.
Regular chargers use 0.7 to 1.0 Amp. I know tablet chargers are bulky but they tend to charge your device faster.
Also maybe this thread will work for you: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1984838

I'm using a 2amp car charger with a USB socket at the moment and I assure you it isn't charging at that speed. The other charger with the coiled cord does charge at the higher speed, but it also has the odd wiring.
That thread is interesting, is exactly the kind of thing I was talking about, but I'm looking for confirmation that it will actually work with the Droid 4 before I start hacking up cables. The Droid 4 seems to be fussy about which chargers it will work with, my 2amp charger worked fine with the HTC Desire Z, for example.
Another part of my reason for doing this is I want to use the right-angled USB plug that is on my USB lead, but that Micro USB connector is sealed and unmodifiable.

Lum_UK said:
I'm using a 2amp car charger with a USB socket at the moment and I assure you it isn't charging at that speed. The other charger with the coiled cord does charge at the higher speed, but it also has the odd wiring.
That thread is interesting, is exactly the kind of thing I was talking about, but I'm looking for confirmation that it will actually work with the Droid 4 before I start hacking up cables. The Droid 4 seems to be fussy about which chargers it will work with, my 2amp charger worked fine with the HTC Desire Z, for example.
Another part of my reason for doing this is I want to use the right-angled USB plug that is on my USB lead, but that Micro USB connector is sealed and unmodifiable.
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I'm not sure but there is a radio called ihome ic50 (Google it) i own it and it has a special switch which the manual says if the device has a proprietary charging protocol flip the switch. I made a quick test and it charges in both ways. I'm pretty sure your idea will work as long you know what you are doing. BTW the ihome ic50 is pretty cool for any android device.