Question about battery charging

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Bananabob

273 posts

Ultimate Geek

# 120837 15-Jun-2013 15:35

I have a tablet that came with a charger that is 5 Volts @ 2 amps.

I have another charger that is 5 Volts @ 10 amps.

Can I use the second charger with the tablet without any damage?

I assume that it would just charge the tablet faster.

RunningMan

5577 posts

Uber Geek

# 837297 15-Jun-2013 15:47

One person supports this post

Generally speaking, the current rating of the charger will be the maximum it can supply, and the device being charged will regulate the rate, so it may not charge any faster at all.

richms

22533 posts

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# 837387 15-Jun-2013 20:53

And it may be slower, as devices often rely on the voltage drop of a charger operating at its limit to reduce the power dissapation in the device itself.

Richard rich.ms

webwat

1990 posts

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# 837705 16-Jun-2013 17:47

Or it may overcharge if the battery protection electronics in the device are specific to the charger its designed to use.

Qualified in business, certified in fibre, stuck in copper, have to keep going ^_^

richms

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# 837711 16-Jun-2013 17:54

I dont think it will be an issue with anything charging off USB since that can be 4.75 to 5.25 v and be in spec. It was really an issue in the old days of poorly coupled transformer plugpacks being the source of current limiting yet just being labeled with a voltage and current on it. Had a cheap drill like that.DC in went straight to the nicd pack.

Richard rich.ms

oxnsox

1923 posts

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# 837756 16-Jun-2013 19:44

Personally I wouldn't.
If the device accepts additional current what will restrict it is the cable. And that restriction will be in the form of heat...and perhaps failure of the cable. A 10amp 5volt supply isn't designed for connecting to aUSB connector.

ubergeeknz

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Vocus

# 837758 16-Jun-2013 19:45

Provided it is a regulated 5v supply, you won't harm the tablet but I doubt very much it will charge faster.

richms

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# 837784 16-Jun-2013 20:34

There is nothing to limit it in a 7 or 10 port USB hub. My 10 port came with a 4.5a PSU and nothing between that and the DC lines of the output sockets. Since it doesn't id as a charger tho nothing takes more than a few 100 mA

Richard rich.ms

Bananabob

273 posts

Ultimate Geek

# 837969 17-Jun-2013 10:55

Thank you all for your replies. I can see that I have much to learn about electronics.