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Old 10-21-2010, 02:33 AM   #1
Stonecold
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Is this safe?

I've lost my Kindle charger so I've started using my cell phone charger (which also uses a MicroUSB). The only problem is that the cell phone charger puts out a maximum of 180 mA at 5.0 VDC. I have a Kindle 3 and it will try to draw a maximum of 850 mA at 5.0 VDC when charging. Right now my Kindle is on the web (I'm writing this on my K3), it has the lighted leather cover with the light on, it is indexing some of its books, and it's playing music in the background. It's battery is also at 2% charge. Is it safe to have my Kindle being charged by a 180 mA charger while it's drawing so much power?
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Old 10-21-2010, 02:37 AM   #2
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No, this is a very bad idea. You need to use a charger that can supply the charging current that the Kindle requires.
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Old 10-21-2010, 02:47 AM   #3
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Heh most answers to such questions like: Is it save? Is it legal? etc. are best answered with "When you don't know, it probably isn't" or at least shouldn't be asked after you tried it.

It won't damage your kindle (probably) but it'll overheat the charger or at least irreparably damage it.
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Old 10-21-2010, 02:54 AM   #4
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Actually, I periodically check the charger and the transformer is still quite cool. I think Kindle has the ability to draw more or less current from a source depending on its response.
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Old 10-21-2010, 03:01 AM   #5
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You need to have a charger that will supply the specified rating for your device. You actually can cause issue with your reader such as data corruption issues among other things. There is a wide range of anomalies that can occur. In addition it would not be safe if the charger overheats, which obviously is a fire hazard, expecially if nobody is around while the charger is overheating. If it is not a financial issue please do yourself a favor and pick up a new charger from your favorite store. I know that BB and Staples have the official Kindle charger for $19.99 among other stores.
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Old 10-21-2010, 03:13 AM   #6
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Then how come Kindle supports trickle-charging? I've felt the charger many times and it's still just moderately warm even after 3 hours of constant use.

As for the data corruption, Kindle shuts itself down before the voltage drops low enough to destabilize the CPU. That's why devices with empty batteries simply loose power immediately instead of getting more and more glitchy until massive data corruption occurs and the battery severely damages itself.
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Old 10-21-2010, 03:14 AM   #7
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Then how come Kindle supports trickle-charging? I've felt the charger many times and it's still just moderately warm even after 3 hours of constant use.

As for the data corruption, Kindle shuts itself down before the voltage drops low enough to destabilize the CPU. That's why devices with empty batteries simply loose power immediately instead of getting more and more glitchy until massive data corruption occurs and the battery severely damages itself.
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Old 10-21-2010, 08:41 AM   #8
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Electrically, ampage wise it may well be safe, BUT as you've been told several times, there are issues, not just how hot the charger gets !

Why then do you sneer at replies, and insist on defending your phone charger ? , use it if you want, but you asked advice and you were given a good response, You appear to want to ignore the given advice, do so at your own peril,

after all official chargers are not very expensive !

Whatever happens I hope you enjoy your K3 for a very long time,
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Old 10-21-2010, 08:48 AM   #9
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I'm not sure why you keep investigating all these weird corner case situations for your Kindle. Go find a proper charger for it and start reading eBooks instead.

Assuming that the charger is correctly made, that the charger type voltage signalling on the data lines is correct, that the Kindle supports only drawing 180mA at maximum and that you're okay with the charge taking significantly longer then yes, it'll work fine. That is way too many assumptions however and Amazon are never going to support what you're doing.

In short, proceed at your own risk. Nobody is going to be able to tell you whether it is safe or not. You're using the charger and the Kindle in an unsupported configuration and both may fail due to this in the future. Just because it works now is no guarantee for the future.
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Old 10-21-2010, 09:33 AM   #10
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The kindle complies to the USB standard which means it can deal with current as low as 100 mA. Any standard microusb charger should be fine. There's no need to get an official charger
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Old 10-21-2010, 10:54 AM   #11
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I have 4-5 standard usb plug chargers that output 5v at 500ma =X
My gps came with one, 2 cellphones, a camera, and some other junk electronics
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Old 10-21-2010, 11:04 AM   #12
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I've dabbled in electronics and as a previous poster suggested, USB devices will work down to 100 mA, but what I wonder is whether it is worth the time it would take to charge a device at that rate? I would just plug it into the computer and charge it off of that, at least that will get you up to 500 mA if all is well. That should charge at least twice as fast as 180 mA will.
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Old 10-21-2010, 11:24 AM   #13
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This guy will brick his kindle soon enough i fear T_T
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Old 10-21-2010, 01:44 PM   #14
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The standard (according to what is sold on ebay as being compatible) seems to be 5V 1000mA
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Old 10-21-2010, 08:56 PM   #15
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BTW, where's the FREE one you get when you bought the Kindle?

Oh, sorry, just reread it - you lost it ...

Lots of times you can get a very cheap copy recharger (I bought one for my Sony ereader) at an electronics store, but I did make sure it had the same specs.
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