Nexus 7 : Problem Keeping Charged on Long Trips Using Navigation.

**snapperhead** · 02-11-2013, 07:07 PM

I have been testing my Nexus 7 as a head unit and have not been able to keep it charged using turn by turn navi. Has anyone mastered this yet? It looks to me it's eating way more power than I could ever feed it. I have heard killing all the extra stuff running, turning down the screen helps. But what good will it do if it's maxed out running the navi.

I was planning this system on a new build but it looks to me it's back to the trusted old school, never had any problems like this the old way.

Feedback helpfull on this before I scrap the tablet idea

Thanks,

Vince

**daclothe** · 02-11-2013, 09:33 PM

what are you using to power it with?

**snapperhead** · 02-12-2013, 06:53 AM

Originally Posted by daclothe

what are you using to power it with?

12 Volt power outlet socket to usb. 3.1amp. Factory usb cable.

**Lankin** · 02-12-2013, 02:11 PM

The only thing I could think to do is to use a shorter usb cable with a larger gauge. This would lower the resistance of the cable and allow more amps to actually get to the tablet. You could also look into a custom kernel that allows fast charge.

**pcpete** · 02-12-2013, 05:37 PM

If you check your tablet's status (settings/about/status) , does it say 'charging (USB)' or 'charging (AC)' when in the car ?

**kegobeer** · 02-12-2013, 06:55 PM

Is this the one you bought?

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0088U4YAG/...0_M3T1_SC_dp_1

There's a guy over at XDA that has been using it for 4 months to charge his, and he says it works great.

http://forum.xda-developers.com/show....php?t=1959543

**Lankin** · 02-13-2013, 02:53 PM

That's 3.1 amps, and the OP says he is using a 3.1 amp charger, meaning the OP is getting the same amount of amps from the charger. Like I said earlier lots of people significantly reduce this amperage by using a long tiny gauge cable. And like PCpete said, you need to make sure you are getting AC charging in the settings. If you aren't then you will need to short the middle pins on the charger.

Keep us updated. I always find it annoying that charging cables for android cant keep the unit powered when using all the features...just seems stupid to me.

**daclothe** · 02-13-2013, 09:29 PM

Originally Posted by Lankin

That's 3.1 amps, and the OP says he is using a 3.1 amp charger, meaning the OP is getting the same amount of amps from the charger

unless he's using some other no-name faker aka probably not really 3.1 amps charger.
or maybe he's using that same one.

**theksmith** · 02-14-2013, 08:01 AM

which USB power adapter exactly are you using? this one is confirmed to work with the Nexus 7:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0088U4YAG/...0_M3T1_SC_dp_1

you may consider an app like this to monitor actual charging rates in order to help determine if your USB power adapter and cable are indeed delivering enough amperage to the tablet:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=ccc71.bmw

if your phone is rooted, you may also want to boot to recovery and reset the battery stats.

**XSiveJeff** · 02-14-2013, 10:28 AM

With the Google Nexus 7, there has been a good deal of issue with charging rates. Which version of Android Jelly Bean is the tablet running. I have seen posts elsewhere about charge issues after upgrading to 4.2 but those were mainly issues created by completely or severely discharging the battery. I have also seen reports of poor charging if using a USB cable other than the one shipped with the tablet. Some have improved charging rates by switching to a high quality USB cable. Others have reported a poor fit in the micro USB jack on the tablet. One even noted that due to design, the battery inside the tablet can shift and partially disconnect its plug from the tablet mainboard. I own a Nexus 7 and have yet to experience any charging issues.