MobileRead Forums - View Single Post - Troubleshooting Can I use any USB wall (mains) power to charge my Kindle?

allenlux · 10-25-2009, 04:22 PM

Just to be clear to the most recent posters:

1) it's not a problem of just finding the right physical connectors - that's dead easy. The issue is that even with the right physical connector, most USB wall chargers seem to cause a malfunction in the Kindle 2 as shipped in Europe. This malfunction (of the symptoms are described above) is reversible by rebooting and charging with the Amazon charger.

2) the Kindle appears to charge when attached to any USB wall charger, in that the charging symbol appears and the charging light is on. That is not the problem (see above).

By the way, the charging light is yellow while charging and green when fully charged (Kindle User Guide p9 and p22).

I suspect that the issue is related to the fact that the Kindle needs a more sophisticated type of USB wall charger which uses a resistance between the D+/D- pins and/or the ID pin to signal to the Kindle that it is connected to a "good" charger. Probably we'll see more "good" chargers as the new standard type of USB chargers for mobile phones - which also use a micro-USB connector - come onto the market. See the reference to "Universal Charger Solution" here. If somebody actually owns a charger conforming to the new standard - I believe some Blackberries use them - it would be most interesting to know if it works with the Kindle 2.

10-25-2009, 04:22 PM	#29
allenlux Member Posts: 20 Karma: 10 Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Bofferdange, Luxembourg Device: Kindle 2 International	Just to be clear to the most recent posters: 1) it's not a problem of just finding the right physical connectors - that's dead easy. The issue is that even with the right physical connector, most USB wall chargers seem to cause a malfunction in the Kindle 2 as shipped in Europe. This malfunction (of the symptoms are described above) is reversible by rebooting and charging with the Amazon charger. 2) the Kindle appears to charge when attached to any USB wall charger, in that the charging symbol appears and the charging light is on. That is not the problem (see above). By the way, the charging light is yellow while charging and green when fully charged (Kindle User Guide p9 and p22). I suspect that the issue is related to the fact that the Kindle needs a more sophisticated type of USB wall charger which uses a resistance between the D+/D- pins and/or the ID pin to signal to the Kindle that it is connected to a "good" charger. Probably we'll see more "good" chargers as the new standard type of USB chargers for mobile phones - which also use a micro-USB connector - come onto the market. See the reference to "Universal Charger Solution" here. If somebody actually owns a charger conforming to the new standard - I believe some Blackberries use them - it would be most interesting to know if it works with the Kindle 2. Last edited by allenlux; 10-25-2009 at 04:26 PM.