[whodathunkit]

Does anyone know with certainty which method is fastest to charge the Tour? It seems like when my Tour is cabled directly into my PC it's the slowest yet when it is cabled into my PC with the dock, it seems faster. It's probably the same but I don't know. Also, what about the wall charger - is that the fastest? Thanks.

[dchawk81]

Wall direct and dock are inherently faster than USB because of the AC connection. I doubt there's any difference between the former though since the dock has no other purpose.

I find it more convenient to use a separate wall charger and keep a spare battery in that though. Charging is fast but it doesn't have to be.

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[kkwan77]

Definitely the wall charge is the quickest, hands down.

[Crunch140]

That is not necessarily accurate.

DChawk, there is nothing about the charger being 'AC' that makes it any faster. The charger has to convert the 110V AC to 5V DC. You need DC to charge the battery, and 5V DC from the USB port on a computer is no different than 5V DC from the OEM Charger...


The OEM chargers which ship with Blackberry's output 700-750mA max current at 5V.

USB power is also 5V, but the current output depends on a lot of factors.

Prior to the Battery charging spec (2007), 'standard' USB could output a max of 500mA at 5V. It actually starts at 100mA, and then it's up to the device to request additional power. So if you're plugging into an older computer to may get a max of 500mA. If the appliance is 'dumb', it may not properly negotiate for additional power and be limited to 100mA. This would indeed cause it to charge slower than the OEM charger.

With the Battery charging spec in place (assume hosts build in late 2007 to present), the max output is around 1500mA, but the current varies based on the amount of data on the line, and can get down to 900mA. If your device supports this spec, and you have a power only cable (not capable of data, D+ & D- pins are shorted), you can draw up to 1800mA.

Finally, the next factor in all of this is how much current the battery can/will draw while charging. I'm not an expert on batteries, so I'll leave this alone. There is always some current limiting circuitry present though, to extend battery life and prevent overheating. I do not know what the max current a Blackberry 'can' draw while charging.....

So, technically speaking a USB cable to your computer 'could' charge faster than the OEM charger....

[stiletto835]

My Tour charges faster if I use the wall charger. If I have one bar left, I put it in standby mode and charge w/ my wall charger. Its fully charged in 20 minutes.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[dictoresno]

i believe wall chargers are the fastest, given they are roughly 500mA. USB is going to be alot slower. i believe their draw is closer to 100mA.

[Mark_Venture]

i believe wall chargers are the fastest, given they are roughly 500mA. USB is going to be alot slower. i believe their draw is closer to 100mA.

Yes, wall chargers are generally faster, but Crunch140 is more accurate on the current measurements/values...

Typical USB ports max out at 500mA, RIM ships 700 to 850 mA AC chargers with their devices, depending on device.

Using NON-RIM AC chargers can add a variable to the equation. For example, Motorola Mini-B AC chargers that shipped with the Razr are 550mA chargers. My Moto H350 and H375 headsets shipped with 500mA chargers. But Moto shipped a 850mA charger with the Q9M.

I'm not sure what the current rating on the Verizon branded car charger I got is.

The moral of the story.. Your Blackberry can/will charge faster with a charger that provides higher current. It will charger slower when using a charger that provides lower/less current.

[whodathunkit]

Whoever said BB owners are techno geeks