Nexus 7 US Charger

Adamcp898

Hi all,

I just got a Nexus 7 from the States but I don't have a US to Irish plug adapter and so I'm wondering to get around it would I be able to use my HTC phone charger since they're both micro USB?

And also when it comes to buying a plug adapter what should I be looking out for? As in I don't know if I need a ''step-down'' adapter or would a regular one suffice? The specs on the US plug are input: 100-240V~50-60Hz 0.25A and output: 5.2V=1.35A which doesn't mean much to me

Apologies for what is probably a simple question but I just don't know what to look out for on the plug and don't want to risk frying the thing

coylemj

The US charger is multivoltage meaning it will work anywhere with a simple travel adapter, you do not need any kind of transformer. The voltage range 100V to 240V and the frequency range of 50 to 60 Hz means that the device will work in any country with no adjustment to the voltage or frequency, most phone chargers these days are designed to work anywhere.

The HTC charger will also work but it will probably take longer as it's rated at about 1A (one amp) whereas the Nexus 7 charger as you've quoted is 1.35A.

There's never any harm in using a charger that came with a device with a smaller battery, the reverse carries a risk of sending too much juice and overheating or frying the battery. That means that you should avoid charging your HTC phone with the Nexus 7 charger.

Adamcp898

coylemj wrote: »

The US charger is multivoltage meaning it will work anywhere with a simple travel adapter, you do not need any kind of transformer. The voltage range 100V to 240V and the frequency range of 50 to 60 Hz means that the device will work in any country with no adjustment to the voltage or frequency, most phone chargers these days are designed to work anywhere.

The HTC charger will also work but it will probably take longer as it's probably rated at about 1A (one amp) whereas I think the Nexus 7 charger is 1.4A.

There's never any harm in using a charger that came with a device with a smaller battery, the reverse carries a risk of sending too much juice and overheating or frying the battery. That means that you should avoid charging your HTC phone with the Nexus 7 charger.

Thanks! I shall look into finding a travel adapter so!

coylemj

I have a Nexus 7 and a charger from an old HTC Desire, the HTC charger will charge the Nexus overnight no bother so I wouldn't be in too much of a rush to buy the adapter. Look at your HTC charger and see what current is quoted, if it's 1A or over you'll be fine. Switch off the Nexus and it will charge up faster.

Adamcp898

coylemj wrote: »

I have a Nexus 7 and a charger from an old HTC Desire, the HTC charger will charge the Nexus overnight no bother so I wouldn't be in too much of a rush to buy the adapter. Look at your HTC charger and see what current is quoted, if it's 1A or over you'll be fine. Switch off the Nexus and it will charge up faster.

I assume you mean on the output yes?

I have one here that is 0.7A and another that is 1A yes.

coylemj

Adamcp898 wrote: »

I assume you mean on the output yes?

I have one here that is 0.7A and another that is 1A yes.

Yes, anything up to but not above 1.35A output will be fine, the higher the better so use the 1A charger.

irishpancake

coylemj wrote: »

.......

......

There's never any harm in using a charger that came with a device with a smaller battery, the reverse carries a risk of sending too much juice and overheating or frying the battery. That means that you should avoid charging your HTC phone with the Nexus 7 charger.

That is just untrue, sorry.

There is no risk, the phone battery [load] will only draw [pull] what it needs to charge, regardless of the current rating of the source.

There is no "push" factor in the charger, if your device battery is rated 0.75A, then that is what it will charge at, regardless of the capacity of the source.

There are built-in current control/limiting circuits in the phone also.

The important thing is the correct voltage.

Almost all mobile phone chargers are 5V rated.

corkie

Replacement Charger.

My original charger for my Nexus 7(2012), wasn't charging properly so I got the replacement linked above.

coylemj

irishpancake wrote: »

That is just untrue, sorry.

There is no risk, the phone battery [load] will only draw [pull] what it needs to charge, regardless of the current rating of the source.

There is no "push" factor in the charger, if your device battery is rated 0.75A, then that is what it will charge at, regardless of the capacity of the source.

There are built-in current control/limiting circuits in the phone also.

The important thing is the correct voltage.

Almost all mobile phone chargers are 5V rated.

So what does the amp 'output' number on the charger mean?

irishpancake

coylemj wrote: »

So what does the amp 'output' number on the charger mean?

Hi, and thanks for asking....

rather than me giving an answer based on my 40+ years experience, working in telecoms, electronics and IT, can I just quote something??

www.ebay.co.uk/gds/Mobile-Phone-Charger-and-Dock-Power-Ratings-What-Do-They-Mean-/10000000177589785/g.html

Output Current

The output current is typically not of the greatest importance when selecting a charger for a device since, unlike output voltage, this value refers to the maximum current the charger is able to supply and not the constant supply rate of the transformer. Although each device will typically draw only what current it needs, making the output current only an afterthought for many applications, an extra layer of protection can be conferred upon the device by limiting the maximum amount of current provided to it. The main consideration when selecting a charger with a particular output current is to ensure that the maximum current the charger is capable of providing is greater than or equal to the current the appliance is likely to draw.

It just indicates the maximum current the charger can supply to the connected load [in this case the phone].

That's why charging from a USB port is slow, cos it can only supply a max of 0.5A.....which in my opinion is not really a bad thing necessarily, as slow charges are generally better for your battery than fast charges, from a battery life POV.

As I said, there is a "pull" factor in charging, where the load pulls what it needs, rather than a charger "pushing" the Max it can supply, if ya get my meaning

So people can safely use chargers rated at 2.0A to supply batteries which require much less, as long as the voltage is correct, being 5V in the case of most smart phone mobiles.