Charge your iPad from your PC

tbergman · 06-26-2010, 09:16 AM

One of the things I never liked about my iPad is the requirement to have a separate charger and that it couldn't charge from a standard USB port.
ASUS has come out with a driver that allows this. I've installed this and now my iPad, instead of saying "Not Charging" while plugged into my PC, has the plugged in symbol. I have not yet determined how long it takes to charge etc.
This is working fine for me but I did run into some comments on the web about crashes etc. so it's probably a good idea to set a system restore point prior to installation.
Although officially designed for ASUS brand PCs and Motherboards, it seems to work on just about any brand. Mine's an EVGA brand running Windows 7. Many others on the web are also reporting success on non-ASUS products.

http://event.asus.com/mb/2010/ai_charger/

[Edit]
Just tried it on my Dell Latitude D630 laptop also running Win7. Seems to work fine.

Tom

Javed · 06-26-2010, 09:50 AM

Seems like a great idea, tbergman!

For those that have a Gigabyte motherboard, there is a "Gigabyte On/Off Charge" driver available that will suit some of their motherboards. More information about this (including the supported boards and the driver download link) is here.

HarryT · 06-26-2010, 10:23 AM

You should be very wary of updating motherboard drivers unless you are certain that you have the appropriate motherboard in your PC. Doing so has the potential to cause hardware damage, or even render your PC unusable.

JMikeD · 06-26-2010, 10:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarryT

You should be very wary of updating motherboard drivers unless you are certain that you have the appropriate motherboard in your PC. Doing so has the potential to cause hardware damage, or even render your PC unusable.

What HarryT said.

Mike

sjfwhite · 06-26-2010, 11:04 AM

After installing this driver the other night, I started having BSOD's when my computer was being woken up from sleep for automatic backups. My mobo is a P7P55D Pro. After perusing the Asus forums, I see that others have had this problem. I am running Windows 7 Ultimate x64.

Bremen Cole · 06-26-2010, 01:26 PM

Just to clear up an issue about charging. When plugged into an active Windows computer, your iPad IS charging. I realize it says "not charging" but it in fact is. But, it is trickle charging, and will take longer to charge than if you had the full 10 watt. You can prove this by running the battery down and plugging it in overnight. Of course the computer has to be active (not hibernating, or in "sleep" mode......

It works, I don't mess with it because I just use the wall plug every night.......

HarryT · 06-26-2010, 01:29 PM

You may wish to refer back to this thread, in which this issue has been discussed previously.

Yoshi 1080 · 06-27-2010, 05:08 AM

The iPad charges on about every powered USB connection when it (the iPad) is switched off, though painfully slowly. The reason is that USB is only specified for 2.5W (500mA/5V), about the same amount of energy the iPad needs to just operate. Its battery has 25Wh, leading to a charging time of 10 hours on a normal USB connection (again, only when switched off).

Most mainboards follow the official specs and only deliver up to 2.5W over USB. I’m not sure what this mysterious driver does, but I sure as hell wouldn’t install it on anything other than supported Asustek hardware. If it does anything hardware-related, it might kill at least your USB ports.

tbergman · 06-27-2010, 10:52 AM

There's a similar product available from MSI.
http://www.msi.com/index.php?func=newsdesc&news_no=1013

Note that the ASUS product claims it works on "any desktop". The MSI product claims it works on their entire product line, includng notebooks, As many of these products pre-date the iPad by many years, it's reasonable to assume that there was no particular hardware design implementation that allows the increased current draw from the USB ports.

The Gigabyte version, referenced earlier, is clearly designed for a specific hardware feature available in their newer products and is likely an entirely different, possibly better, implementation only available for specific products.

I guess we all have to decide for ourselves what risks we're willing to take.

06-26-2010, 09:16 AM	#1
tbergman Connoisseur Posts: 59 Karma: 7642 Join Date: Jul 2009 Device: Kindle	Charge your iPad from your PC One of the things I never liked about my iPad is the requirement to have a separate charger and that it couldn't charge from a standard USB port. ASUS has come out with a driver that allows this. I've installed this and now my iPad, instead of saying "Not Charging" while plugged into my PC, has the plugged in symbol. I have not yet determined how long it takes to charge etc. This is working fine for me but I did run into some comments on the web about crashes etc. so it's probably a good idea to set a system restore point prior to installation. Although officially designed for ASUS brand PCs and Motherboards, it seems to work on just about any brand. Mine's an EVGA brand running Windows 7. Many others on the web are also reporting success on non-ASUS products. http://event.asus.com/mb/2010/ai_charger/ [Edit] Just tried it on my Dell Latitude D630 laptop also running Win7. Seems to work fine. Tom Last edited by tbergman; 06-26-2010 at 09:58 AM. Reason: Additional Information

06-26-2010, 11:04 AM	#5
sjfwhite Enthusiast Posts: 43 Karma: 20 Join Date: May 2010 Location: Ontario, Canada Device: Kobo Libra 2, Apple iPad Mini 2	After installing this driver the other night, I started having BSOD's when my computer was being woken up from sleep for automatic backups. My mobo is a P7P55D Pro. After perusing the Asus forums, I see that others have had this problem. I am running Windows 7 Ultimate x64. Last edited by sjfwhite; 06-26-2010 at 11:06 AM.

06-27-2010, 10:52 AM	#9
tbergman Connoisseur Posts: 59 Karma: 7642 Join Date: Jul 2009 Device: Kindle	There's a similar product available from MSI. http://www.msi.com/index.php?func=newsdesc&news_no=1013 Note that the ASUS product claims it works on "any desktop". The MSI product claims it works on their entire product line, includng notebooks, As many of these products pre-date the iPad by many years, it's reasonable to assume that there was no particular hardware design implementation that allows the increased current draw from the USB ports. The Gigabyte version, referenced earlier, is clearly designed for a specific hardware feature available in their newer products and is likely an entirely different, possibly better, implementation only available for specific products. I guess we all have to decide for ourselves what risks we're willing to take. Last edited by tbergman; 06-27-2010 at 10:59 AM. Reason: spelling errors

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06-26-2010, 09:50 AM	#2
Javed Grand Sorcerer Posts: 10,270 Karma: 1126878541 Join Date: Oct 2009 Device: Astak Pocket PRO, iPod Touch, PRS-650	Seems like a great idea, tbergman! For those that have a Gigabyte motherboard, there is a "Gigabyte On/Off Charge" driver available that will suit some of their motherboards. More information about this (including the supported boards and the driver download link) is here.

06-26-2010, 10:23 AM	#3
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383043 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	You should be very wary of updating motherboard drivers unless you are certain that you have the appropriate motherboard in your PC. Doing so has the potential to cause hardware damage, or even render your PC unusable.

06-26-2010, 01:26 PM	#6
Bremen Cole Wizard Posts: 1,115 Karma: 2718 Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Texas Device: iPad	Just to clear up an issue about charging. When plugged into an active Windows computer, your iPad IS charging. I realize it says "not charging" but it in fact is. But, it is trickle charging, and will take longer to charge than if you had the full 10 watt. You can prove this by running the battery down and plugging it in overnight. Of course the computer has to be active (not hibernating, or in "sleep" mode...... It works, I don't mess with it because I just use the wall plug every night.......

06-26-2010, 01:29 PM	#7
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383043 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	You may wish to refer back to this thread, in which this issue has been discussed previously.

06-27-2010, 05:08 AM	#8
Yoshi 1080 Addict Posts: 303 Karma: 204 Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Germany Device: iPad, iPhone, Mac	The iPad charges on about every powered USB connection when it (the iPad) is switched off, though painfully slowly. The reason is that USB is only specified for 2.5W (500mA/5V), about the same amount of energy the iPad needs to just operate. Its battery has 25Wh, leading to a charging time of 10 hours on a normal USB connection (again, only when switched off). Most mainboards follow the official specs and only deliver up to 2.5W over USB. I’m not sure what this mysterious driver does, but I sure as hell wouldn’t install it on anything other than supported Asustek hardware. If it does anything hardware-related, it might kill at least your USB ports.

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