Are iPad chargers compatible with Galaxy Tab 10.1?

tmagritte · Mar 5, 2012

I picked up one of these chargers:
http://www.macally.com/EN/Product/ArticleShow.asp?ArticleID=326

which, in principle, should charge the Tab. It does charge it but it also does some strange things while plugged in:

1. Starts MTP USB mode
2. Completely messes up digitizer - I've installed TouchScreenTune and in the test area I can see when I touch, sometimes the perceived touch seems to rapidly cross the entire vertical area and in regular use it will activate the status bar when I touch anywhere.

I exchanged it for this one:
http://www.macally.com/EN/Product/ipod4show.asp?ArticleID=391

It doesn't have as high a wattage output but still higher than a standard USB charger so should charge faster.

I still get:
1. MTP USB mode
2. not quite as messed up digitizer - seems to be okay in normal use but when I test it in TouchScreenTune I can see that the perceived touch is very jittery. It's now jittery only to a small amount of error so it's usable, but something is going on.

I've also found the tablet completely non-responsive to touch a couple of times today (not plugged in) and eventually it comes back but behaves very slowly until I reboot. I don't know if this has anything to do with the charger or just a coincidence.

I'm concerned with the behaviour of the digitizer that these chargers are doing something bad to my tablet. These behaviours don't occur when I use the official charger. I was hoping to get something with multiple charging ports so I have less to carry and plug in when I travel.

Should I be concerned about use this charger? If so, other than the official Samsung charger, does anyone know of a compatible multi-port charger?

Thanks!

wiffeltje · Mar 30, 2012

You might be looking at different effects caused by different things.

1) There are two different kinds of USB cables for the Galaxy Tab 10.1: a data cable and a charger cable. These are slightly different. Using a data cable will still allow the Tab to charge, but probably slower. But this can cause the MTP USB mode to kick in (but this also depends on the charger)

2) Some chargers go way above the normal 5 Volt. With most devices that is not a very big problem. But capacitive touch screens are very sensitive to that. That's most probably what you notive. I see the same if I use some cheaper chargers.

3) I don't think your touch screen is damaged by the use of these chargers. If that would be the case, it would probably malfunction all of the time and not occasionally. Chances are a lot higher that you installed some new software or widget that is behaving badly.

robert__ · Apr 12, 2012

USB chargers designed for apple devices in principle will not supply more then 0.5A to non-apple devices.

Apple uses a special technique to signal to the USB charger to supply more power, while non-apple devices uses a different technique. And unfortunately all the charger manufacturers only seem to consider Apple.

So all those chargers proclaiming 2.1A that you can find on Amazon or eBay are all designed for Apple devices. And don't believe when it says on Amazon or eBay that Android devices are supported. Read the reviews and you will typically find someone with charging problems with a non-apple device.

dsafety · Apr 15, 2012

USB chargers are basically all the same except for the amperage that they put out. The stock GTab will not charge very well unless the amperage is around 2A. If you root, you can install a tweak that allows the device to charge with any amperage but with the typical .5A charger it will take a lot longer than with a 2A version.

I use the charging pucks for my iPhone and my wife's iPad interchangeably for those devices and my GTab. They all work fine. The iPad puck puts out about 2A and is about the same as the one that ships with the GTab. Since the GTab version is on my desk, I also use it to charge a bunch of other USB devices such as my hands free car speaker and some wireless headphones. I just plug the appropriate cable into the puck. I have not experienced any problems and suspect that I could use my wife's iPad puck the same way. (I have not yet tried this).

I just ordered a couple dual 2A USB car chargers that allow two USB cables to be plugged in, each getting 2.1A. From what I have been able to discover, these devices will charge just about anything as long as the charging cable has a standard USB connector. They come from China on eBay for less than $3 ea.

I will follow up this post with a review when they arrive.

Bob

robert__ · Apr 16, 2012

USB chargers are not all the same.

"Modern" Adapters that implement the USB Battery Charging Spec, short the middle two data wires (D- and D+), the device can use that to detect that it can draw up to 1.5A (instead of the 0.5A that you get from a regular port).

Apple instead using a different (non-standard) scheme where they communicate to the power supply using voltages, and where different voltages represent different Amperage (I don't know the exact details).

So power supplies sold for Apple devices, as far as I have seen, do not short the data wires and as such a non-Apple device will not draw more then 0.5A

*edit*
Just to add to this, because apple devices communicates with the charger over the two data wires using voltages, while devices that implement the USB Battery Charging Spec require the data lines to be shorted, the two implementations are incompatible.
What you could probably do, is crack open a 2A apple compatible charger and just short the D- and D+ and have a charger that will charge non-apple devices up to 1.5A. And it should also be possible to put a switch on the charger to switch between Standard and Apple charging mode. But if you mess up, don't come and complain to me!

Here is a nice video on how the apple charging works for the iPhone on youtube. But unfortunately this crap forum software won't allow me to post outside links.
Just do a google search for "reverse engineering apple charger"

chgadapt · Jan 7, 2013

I made some usb adapters that plug between any usb port and galaxy tab 7.0 plus usb

I made some usb adapters that plug between any usb port and your samsung galaxy tab 7.0 plus usb connector that allows charging from any usb port. I think it's the same for any galaxy tablet/phone. This way you can charge from any pc, or generic wall charger, any car charger, etc. If you're interested in one let me know. I can list them on ebay or some other site.
See pictures, nothing fancy but they work perfect with any charger and or usb port
Pic 1 is adapter
Pic 2 is adapter plugged into portable 12000mAh battery charger made for apple products
Pic 3 I added another adapter I made in between to measure amperage
Pic 4 is screen shot showing "AC" not "USB" and little batter icon without RED "X"

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Are iPad chargers compatible with Galaxy Tab 10.1?

tmagritte

Senior Member

wiffeltje

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robert__

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dsafety

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robert__

Senior Member

chgadapt

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