[Dr Forinor]

A few days ago I did the mod where you connect a cable to the back of the head unit, through the dash and out beside the right vent.

Connected it up to my phone today for it to charge, was connected for 20 mins but the percentage stayed at 39% the whole time.

Anyone else have this problem? Could this be because I bought a cheap cable?

[lethbridge]

Could be - or it could that usb wasn't designed with iphones in mind - iphones are very fussy - my son's new Micra wouldn't charge iphones on its usb - any other phone was fine - dealer had to replace the whole wiring loom to fix it under warranty! I guess first thing is to make sure the lead you are using works in the armrest usb?

[Dr Forinor]

I'm using an Android.

The cable that comes from the back of the head unit has the female USB end, all obviously I have a USB from that then into my phone.

This second cable (with the usb and the the end fitting into my phone) works perfectly.

[lethbridge]

Sounds like a dodgy extension lead then - try plugging directly into head unit with your known working lead and also try using the extension lead in a normal charger just to prove that is the issue - I don't know about the socket in the head unit so can't comment on it's use but at least that will prove if your leads are ok...

[Dr Forinor]

But if it wasn't working then the percentage would go down (I had GPS location in with Google's Maps navigation running).

My guess is the amp supplied is too low that it's not charging, but not low enough that it loses charge.

The extension is fine, so I'm assuming it's the main cable.

[teaston]

It’s probably because it has got enough amps for your phone, my iPhone charges fine from it but some of those Android phones are more like small tablets. Which one is it and what amperage charger is it supplied with?

[Dr Forinor]

The funny thing is, it charges fairly quickly from a socket at home which provides 0.5A (when every other phone I tried on it would charge really slowly from that exact socket), so I expected this to be decent charge.

It's a OnePlus 5T.

[teaston]

Originally Posted by Dr Forinor

The funny thing is, it charges fairly quickly from a socket at home which provides 0.5A (when every other phone I tried on it would charge really slowly from that exact socket), so I expected this to be decent charge.

It's a OnePlus 5T.

Strange, 0.5a shouldn’t be enough to charge a smart watch let alone a phone!

Probably worth trying a decent quality cable in the car?

[Dr Forinor]

There is something about this type of battery that allows it to charge faster than most others. It's not a LiIon battery but a LiPo battery (from my limited understanding, there is a difference in the chemistry between the 2 types).

Ok so I tried it again, this time time with everything switched off (GPS, Bluetooth etc) except mobile data connection, screen off (my first try was with screen off since I was Google Maps for navigation).

After 20mins I managed to get 6% charge, which is what I would roughly expect for a low amp draw.

I'll keep experimenting but I suspect if I want it to actually charge "properly" whilst also using it as a SatNav device then I will need to get a higher quality cable.

Thanks for the replies guys.

[lethbridge]

Does it behave the same plugged into the armrest usb? At least that will tell you if there is a chance you are losing anything from the cable from your head unit- plan b could be to use the socket in the passenger footwell with a usb converter as that way you should get 2A or more?

[Dr Forinor]

I'll try experimenting around.

[teaston]

Originally Posted by lethbridge

Does it behave the same plugged into the armrest usb? At least that will tell you if there is a chance you are losing anything from the cable from your head unit- plan b could be to use the socket in the passenger footwell with a usb converter as that way you should get 2A or more?

That’s the only way I can charge my iPad in the car, a decent quality 12v socket to USB adapter gives much more Amps than the USB sockets.

[Watsey]

I use the head unit / USB extension lead which I mentioned in a previous reply, plus an Amazon Basics Lightning cable (the plastic moulding on the male end is exactly the same as Apple cables, and is a very good fit into the Brodit bracket).

Charges my iPhone SE without any problems. I suspect you've got a problem with one of your cables.

[Dr Forinor]

Originally Posted by Watsey

Charges my iPhone SE without any problems. I suspect you've got a problem with one of your cables.

I bought a cheaper cable from eBay (that goes from the head unit), I guess I shouldn't have.