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I did a test when I first bought my playbook... if you use the PB charger on a regular Blackberry, the battery charges using the same current as the regular charger, it makes no difference. If you tried to charge a Blackberry at 1.8 A it would probably explode
. If anybody wants to verify this... just unlock the OS engineering screen, and there is a page where you can view the "charging current". Plug in a regular Blackberry charger and the PB and you will see the charging current stays the same. I did this on my 9700... but I assume the newer Blackberries would be the same.
As for using a 500 mA charger to slow charge it... this could have an impact. At the very least the battery itself would last longer (as in maybe it would last 3 years as opposed to 2, you would get more charge cycles), but I doubt it can actually effect the maximum capacity of the battery.
FYI: USB slots on computers are supposed to be rated at 500 mAh... but in reality they are usually more like 250 - 400... that is why some people plug their BB's into their computer and they don't charge at all.
I worked for a medical device manufacturer that sold battery operated medical products. One of the most boring things I did was test batteries / chargers to see what combination worked best, lasted longest, and provided the best long term solution. We were using NiMH batteries for the products, but also tested rechargeable 3.7 V lithium batteries to see if we got better results. The results we got were: The higher a current you use to charge the batteries, the less recharges you get. A lower current provided a maximum number of recharges. We didn't get a difference in actual maximum capacity though...
If anybody has a volt meter, and goes to radio shack and buys some ceramic resistors you can do an easy test. Just short the Blackberry battery through a bunch of ceramic resistors (maybe drawing say 250 mA, and no, shorting the battery through resistors will not hurt it unless you don't put enough of them), and monitor the voltage over time. Measure the exact time it takes a fully charged battery to drop to 3 V. Then charge it back up again using the different chargers and repeat the test. Don't let it go much below 3 V as that could damage your battery.
On the other hand you might not want to do this test... as it will probably just prove it makes no difference and it's all in your heads. 
11-28-11 06:23 PM - Perhaps it is the quality of the charger and not the speed at which it charges but the charger Blackberry puts in the box provides you with a charge that drains very fast. The difference is not subtle.
Other users mentioned the old style charger with the folding blades provided a better charge than the new unit. I believe its 700mA instead of 750mA like the newer unit.
Testing batteries is fine but I think it needs to be mentioned that shorting your battery improperly can ruin your battery, I think.
Last edited by olblueyez; 11-28-11 at 07:21 PM.
11-28-11 07:18 PM - Right you are shorting your battery improperly can ruin it. But performing a test by shorting your battery through a set of resistors is the same as just draining it normally through your phone.Perhaps it is the quality of the charger and not the speed at which it charges but the charger Blackberry puts in the box provides you with a charge that drains very fast. The difference is not subtle.
Other users mentioned the old style charger with the folding blades provided a better charge than the new unit. I believe its 700mA instead of 750mA like the newer unit.
Testing batteries is fine but I think it needs to be mentioned that shorting your battery improperly can ruin your battery, I think. And it would give you proof either way of all the theories about different chargers.11-28-11 07:54 PM - Discharging a battery with resistors in not the same as discharging in your phone. The load profile of a GSM (or CDMA or TDMA or iDEN) phone is very dynamic. Resistors will give a much more linear profile. But, a valid test could use resistors to measure the capacity under the correct conditions.
Most of the time, the best capacity is reached while charging at .5 - .75 times the cell's C rate in a CC -- CV charger and letting it charging another two - three hours after the "green" condition. (Just let it charge overnight )
And yes, if you are using a typical 700mA charger, the battery will charge faster if the phone is off. If the phone is on, some of the charging current is used to power the phone, not to charge the battery. Also, on most if not all phones, the charging circuit is in the phone, not in the �wall charger� that�s is just a power supply. It provides the correct voltage and current for the charger.
I would guess if you are seeing a difference in charging time with a higher rated wall PS, it�s because it has more head room to power the phone and supply the charger.11-29-11 08:18 AM
