USB port on Leaf cannot be used to charge device

[johnqh]

iPhone and iPad will charge, slowly.

A lot of Android devices requires 2amp to charge.

 

[4n7h0ny]

Can anyone confirm if the USB actually outputs only .5V, this is a real downer for me because my Android won't even charge at the rate. It requires a minimum of 1v to pull a charge.

I was wondering if purchasing this would help.

http://www.amazon.com/PortaPow-Fast-Charge-Blackberry-Charging/dp/B00GC4AJOU/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1416342226&sr=8-2&keywords=charge+only+cables" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

 

[GlennD]

Can anyone confirm if the USB actually outputs only .5V, this is a real downer for me because my Android won't even charge at the rate. It requires a minimum of 1v to pull a charge.

I was wondering if purchasing this would help.

http://www.amazon.com/PortaPow-Fast-Charge-Blackberry-Charging/dp/B00GC4AJOU/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1416342226&sr=8-2&keywords=charge+only+cables" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The Leaf conforms to the USB spec of .5A. Many CD recorders come with a cable with two plugs to increase the current they have available. Starting with Apple, many devices draw more current than officially allowed. Many Apple devices require 2.1A

In my Leaf I added a combo dual cigarette lighter plug and a dual USB 2.1A total unit to the side of my console. It was less than $25 from Amazon.

 

[Nubo]

Many Apple devices require 2.1A

I'm not sure that's true. I have an iPad Mini that will charge at 2A, but also at 1A. Even on a standard 500mA USB port it will charge (although it lies and says "not charging").

 

[WisJim]

Has any conclusion been made about charging a phone in a Leaf? Our 2013 Leaf doesn't charge my Android phone (I know it isn't charging because the phone's battery charge level drops noticeably when it is plugged into the car and we are driving). It charges fine at home with either the old slow charger from my old phone or the new, supplied with phone, faster charger. Kind of irritating to not be able to charge it while driving since Leaf Spy seems to use a lot of phone power.

 

[Valdemar]

I have 2 Sony Android phones that draw about 0.9A from a wall charger. One charges in the Leaf at 0.5A through a USB data cable the other doesn't. Both charge just fine at 0.8A/4.7V in the Leaf through a USB charging cable (no data conductors, and data pins can be shorted on the device side). It is not clear to me if this is overloading the Leaf side, but at 0.8A vs. 0.5A I suspect the risk is minimal. I couldn't find any relevant information in the Leaf manual if 0.5A is the max allowed. I wouldn't be surprised if phones/tablets that draw 2A from wall chargers are problematic and can in theory damage the Leaf when used with charging cables (one would hope there is overcurrent protection in the Leaf). These cables/adapters should charge most phones in the Leaf:

http://www.amazon.com/Mediabridge-USB-Charging-Adapter-A-Female/dp/B009W34XMM/ref=pd_rhf_se_p_img_5?ie=UTF8&refRID=0CRB7FP933ZVJMX0SND3
http://www.amazon.com/Mediabridge-USB-2-0-High-Speed-Gold-Plated/dp/B009W34X5O/ref=pd_rhf_se_p_img_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=0CRB7FP933ZVJMX0SND3
http://www.amazon.com/PortaPow-Fast-Charge-Blackberry-Charging/dp/B00GC4AJOU/ref=pd_sim_147_3?ie=UTF8&refRID=190030GYCV9XDH12TNSY

The cable I have:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Rocketfish-1-5-Mini-Micro-USB-Charging-Cable-RF-CC1MC-/331029613690?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4d12e70c7a

I'd also invest into a Charger Doctor to know how much current your device is drawing from the Leaf and/or wall, you can get it for like 3 bucks on eBay direct from China.

 

[Becky50]

My iPhone 6 and a gen 1 iPad both charge from the USB port on my 2012 LEAF but at a reduced speed as mentioned by a previous poster.

 

[Valdemar]

I'm retracting my previous comment about using a charge-only USB cable or adapter. Tried to charge my phone for real today with one of those, after charging for several minutes at 0.9A current to the USB port was cut and wasn't restored until the car was shut off and restarted. Well, at least there's overcurrent protection built in or so it seems.

 

[dhanson865]

Many devices use more than 0.5a while in use. To charge a device like that on the 0.5a port you have to turn the device OFF while plugged in.

For example say phone A uses these values (made up for the example)

off = 0a
sleep = 0.2a
screen off device awake = 0.4a
screen on device awake = 0.8a
screen on CPUs fully busy = 1.2a

the rate of charge on a 0.5a port would be

0.5a
0.3a
0.1a (as in your charge rate would be so slow you'd never notice)
-0.3a (as in your charge would drop over time instead of increase)
-0.7a

If you don't have an adapter to plug into the cigarette lighter power port and really need to charge a phablet, tablet, or iphone then turn it OFF so the 0.5a is enough to do some good.

Then when you decide that isn't enough buy an adapter from amazon and enjoy.

personally I went with http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005LFXBLE?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_search_detailpage back in 2013 specifically because it offered more than 0.5a and less than 1a. I don't want to charge my batteries in my phones too fast (slower charge equals less heat/degradation). There are times when my phone is busy doing GPS/cell stuff on a trip that it's using more than my adapter is putting out, other times it is gaining charge.

I'm happy enough with the charge rate it has even with my newer phones but if it ever isn't enough I'd get something like this http://www.amazon.com/Charger-Coating-Sentey-Ls-2241-Powerful/dp/B00S00D7U2/ref=sr_1_6?s=wireless&ie=UTF8&qid=1440816164&sr=1-6 that has both 1a ports and a 2.4a port so I can choose to charge slower or faster. Odds are only one of my devices is really low on charge and even in the worst case I could plug both in and swap power low/high between two devices periodically to balance the charging opportunity as needed.

The point is no matter how much power the port in the car gives there isn't a single right answer for how much power I want for all my devices. I want to give some of my devices less than 1 amp. I may buy a new larger phone in a few months that I'll want to give more than 1 amp. But even then I'll still have more than one device and will need to use multiple ports to have a choice on how fast they charge vs what I need.

 

[Valdemar]

As a former EE major I understand the technicalities. The hope was that the port could safely supply more than 500mA in "dumb" mode, after all there's no mentioning about the 500mA limit in the manual and many modern laptops (and cars) for example will happily supply more. Some cigarette lighter USB chargers rated at 2+A don't short the data pins which makes some phones think they are connected to a USB port proper so they limit charge current to 500mA not utilizing the charging power actually available, I have one of them and the ways to charge faster with them is to use a charging cable that shorts the data pins on the device side or open them up and short the data pins inside the adapter itself. Alas, the Leaf can't physically do more than 500mA, confirmed.

 

[RegGuheert]

In my Leaf I added a combo dual cigarette lighter plug and a dual USB 2.1A total unit to the side of my console. It was less than $25 from Amazon.

Thanks! I like that unit. It looks like it can be had on Amazon for $12.99 right now.