Nexus 7 - Don't be evil!?

[mvishnu]

Hi,

I have a nexus 7, and a few weeks back i misplaced the cable. I replaced this cable (which, on the face of it, looked like a normal micro-usb) with another microusb cable (meant for some phone or the other)

this cable worked with various phones that have micro usb ports, but refused to charge my nexus! I did a quick check on XDADevelopers, and see that the cable quality is the reason for this. I,however, doubt this because even a blackberry original cable (also microusb) refused to charge my nexus. (it said "Charging", but the battery stubbornly stayed at 0%. and before you ask , it didnt work when i turned the device off either.)

Luckily, I recovered my data cable, and charging is happening now.
However, I'd alarmed that google has been so evil, releasing something that deceptively looks like a microusb. Come on, if you're going to follow a standard, follow it properly! (i was almost forced to buy a $25 charger+cable thing from google itself)

I;m on the hunt for OTG cables now, and i was thinking whether normal microusb otg cables will work or not. If the charging thing didnt work, i wont be surprised if there was something differnet about the data stuff as well.

Anyone knows something that works?

Thanks,
Vishnu

 

[mastervk]

i have read some articles that even iPhone 5 has smart chip in its new lightning connector ,so non apple cable will not work with it...

 

[AndroidFan]

Asus/Google should have stuck to standards... although people on XDA are saying you can use other microusb cables to charge your Nexus 7... It does not display "Charging" but infact it is charging the device, albeit at a slower rate.

MicroUSB cables used to charge tablets are more heavy duty than those used to charge phones...

"Confirmed working" chargers are chargers that work at > 500mA

So, that could be a problem...

1. Nexus 7 OEM charger is nothing special, just the data pins are shorted.
2. Nexus 7 OEM MicroUSB cable is nothing special. It is a standard MicroUSB cable.
3. Any USB car/wall charger should charge the Nexus 7.
4. Nexus 7 will charge regardless of whether it displays "AC Charging" or not.
5. The charging rate is dependent on the capacity of the charger and the total charging circuit impedance (lower the impedance the better).
6. Increasing the length of the cable increases the charging circuit impedance and decreases the charging rate.

But I am sure Asus has done something funny... OEM cable can charge a Nexus 7 in 3-4 hours, but other cables can take 8 hours to 18 hours to charge the tablet...

OEM charger with OEM cable: Charges from 0-100% in about 3 hours

- OEM charger with cheap cable: Charges from 0-100% in 18 hours or worse if the screen is off, drains FASTER than it charges with screen on

- Blackberry 700ma charger (integrated cable): Charges from 0-100% in about 8 hours, which is in line with what you would expect with it's output

Depends on the output they say... Nexus 7 is not perfect. It is not right to use proprietary tech for charging ports...

 

[kunalht]

hey mvishnu.
Sorry but i don't know the answer of this.
But can you tell me how is the nexus 7 tab??
Are you from India??
& is it good for gaming?
I am thinking to buy it from us??

 

[mvishnu]

@kunalht, the device is awesome, trust me. Gaming-wise, the graphics is really good, and the screen is great. Get it from the US. Get the 8gb one, root it and use pendrives if you're broke. But get it. You wont regret the decision. (i hope you know it has no 3g though)

@Androdfan, do you think data transfer would be affected though? Will a normal microusb OTG cable work?
(and XDA developers are just plain wrong. its not slow charging rate, mine did not charge AT ALL. i could leave it plugged in for a day, (yes. 24 hours) and it would stubbornly stay at 0%. plugging off the cable would kill the tab. The charger hadnt changed so its definitely something fishy about the data cable.

I guess I'll have to steel myself and get the OTG. Will order it on eBay, at least it'll be cheap there. (the shops dont quote anything less than 500 bucks if they see a tab in your hand)

 

[AndroidFan]

@mvishnu,

What is the output amperage of your charger? My Samsung and LG chargers have an output of 0.7A... My battery pack has an output port of 1A...

You should test more...

I am sure its some Asus proprietary stuff in there... I am surprised how XDA folks have not been able to pinpoint this problem area...

 

[bhautikjoshi]

You might want to check out my Nexus 7 review posted in this section if it helps

 

[Nikhil Jain]

hiii... guys,

Can anyone whos's used/reviewed,knows about google nexus 7 tell me whether 3g dongle can be connected with usb otg.Please reply.Thanks

 

[manitcse_2005]

Can anyone suggest some trusted seller in ebay for buying USB OTG cable for Nexus 7? Also, how much will it cost?