PRS-950 Will PRS-950 charge with any USB charger?

asdfffdsa · 12-31-2011, 12:15 PM

I have accumulated various USB wall-outlet chargers over the years (ie the ones with the wall plug and a USB port). Will these work with the PRS-950? Or do I need a special charger for the PRS-950?

Analogus · 12-31-2011, 12:45 PM

My experience:

It should work with most wall(!)-chargers.

But: you cannot be 100% sure it will! I wouldn't hesitate to try it. In my experience the reader (350 in my case; should be very similiar to the 950 concerning charging) the reader is robust against wrong voltage and false poling.
But it is very sensitive against such thing for loading.
In other words: the reader will not be destroyed but is just not loading.

In my case solar-chargers (3 different out of 3) didn't work at all.
2 (out of 2) different battery-pack-chargers didn't work at all.
1 (out of 1) crank charger didn't work at all.
2 (out of 2) cellphone-wall-adapters work well

One of the solar-charger was like this one:

So far as I know, in case of Sony-readers 2 of the 4 USB-wires have to be short-connected to start the charging mode. Otherwise there could happen nothing or just a visible loading icon without real loading.
Maybe (guessing) this 2 cables are connected in most wall-charger.

In short:

Try it out! I did a lot of very rough experiments and the reader is still living.

A.

banjobama · 12-31-2011, 06:24 PM

I use my HTC phone wall charger for my PRS-650 all the time with no problems. I think it will be fine with any charger.

Analogus · 12-31-2011, 07:39 PM

No, not any charger. There are reports which claim that some specific wall chargers (e.g. from cellphones) doesn't work with the x50-readers.

It could happen that the reader recognizes the charger as 'PC' and tries to connect without loading.

A.

Purple Lady · 01-02-2012, 05:51 PM

I charged my 950s today with two different cell phone chargers and it worked fine. I used the charger from my Motorola Atrix and the one from my husband's old Palm phone.

gardenstate · 01-02-2012, 11:34 PM

The Sony AC charger Model PRSA-AC1 that came with my 950 is output rated at 5V 1500 mA. Many std USB chargers are 5V but at a much lower amperage -- resulting in a longer charge time.

vishcompany · 01-03-2012, 04:19 PM

@ everybody: Could you please add your chargers to this list in the wiki?

Thanks

ScalyFreak · 01-03-2012, 10:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vishcompany

@ everybody: Could you please add your chargers to this list in the wiki?

Thanks

That list is for the T1, op asked about chargers for the 950.

And to answer the original question, I use the charger for my Motorola Droid 2 with my 950 whenever I read in bed, and it works just fine.

vishcompany · 01-04-2012, 01:20 PM

That's correct, you got me here. On the other hand, the t1 and the x50 models all have micro usb connectors, so it is interchangeable. My charger works for both, my 350 as well as for the t1.

litoria · 01-10-2012, 04:27 AM

I have just been getting a $5 ebay solar charger identical to the one pictured by Analogus working with my prs350

I found my PRS 350 won't charge if the 2 USB data wires are floating (disconnected). It will charge if the 2 data wires are tied together.

This could explain why some USB chargers work and other don't.

So to get the solar charger to work I've dissected a USB cable ($1 on ebay) cut the data lines (which should be green & white but best to confirm by testing w/multimeter which plug pin they connect to) and soldered them together.

My PRS-350 then draws 260ma @ 5.2V which should correspond to a 2-4 hour charging time (depending on the prs-350 internals).

Analogus · 01-10-2012, 05:01 AM

litoria:

Thanks for trying that method!
I was not sure which of the 4 cables to connect. In annother forum there you can find the info that you should connect one of the data-wires with one of the power-wires.

A.

Edit:
Did you charge the reader over at least one hour and did it charge verifiably?
Mine (without connecting the wires) partly showed the loading sign and/or charging message, but didn't charge at all

litoria · 01-11-2012, 08:45 AM

Yep I charged my prs350 for over an hour (from 1/4 bars to 4/4 bars).

Some devices do require the data lines tied to a particular voltage to charge. I didn't try this with my prs350 because it seems just tying the two data lines together is sufficient.

I had less success recharging the battery in the solar charger from the sun - seems to need at least 2 days sun.

JSWolf · 01-11-2012, 04:26 PM

Apple USB chargers will NOT work with Sony Readers and most USB chargers that say they are Apple compatible won't work.

JSWolf · 01-11-2012, 04:26 PM

I use an iGo charger with a Blackberry tip. Works very well for my 650 and the T1.

It comes with a free tip and the tip you want is an A97. The price is $11.99. I have no idea how much shipping is.

http://www.igo.com/mobile-devices/wa...uAQAlOsQ%3D%3D

12-31-2011, 12:15 PM	#1
asdfffdsa Member Posts: 19 Karma: 5364 Join Date: Nov 2011 Device: not sharing	Will PRS-950 charge with any USB charger? I have accumulated various USB wall-outlet chargers over the years (ie the ones with the wall plug and a USB port). Will these work with the PRS-950? Or do I need a special charger for the PRS-950?

01-10-2012, 05:01 AM	#11
Analogus Fanatic Posts: 568 Karma: 2170348 Join Date: Apr 2011 Device: 2x Sony PRS-350; PRS-300 (†), Paperwhite (†), Voyage	litoria: Thanks for trying that method! I was not sure which of the 4 cables to connect. In annother forum there you can find the info that you should connect one of the data-wires with one of the power-wires. A. Edit: Did you charge the reader over at least one hour and did it charge verifiably? Mine (without connecting the wires) partly showed the loading sign and/or charging message, but didn't charge at all Last edited by Analogus; 01-10-2012 at 05:29 AM.

01-11-2012, 04:26 PM	#14
JSWolf Resident Curmudgeon Posts: 80,782 Karma: 150249619 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Roslindale, Massachusetts Device: Kobo Libra 2, Kobo Aura H2O, PRS-650, PRS-T1, nook STR, PW3	I use an iGo charger with a Blackberry tip. Works very well for my 650 and the T1. It comes with a free tip and the tip you want is an A97. The price is $11.99. I have no idea how much shipping is. http://www.igo.com/mobile-devices/wa...uAQAlOsQ%3D%3D Last edited by JSWolf; 01-11-2012 at 04:40 PM.

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12-31-2011, 12:45 PM	#2
Analogus Fanatic Posts: 568 Karma: 2170348 Join Date: Apr 2011 Device: 2x Sony PRS-350; PRS-300 (†), Paperwhite (†), Voyage	My experience: It should work with most wall(!)-chargers. But: you cannot be 100% sure it will! I wouldn't hesitate to try it. In my experience the reader (350 in my case; should be very similiar to the 950 concerning charging) the reader is robust against wrong voltage and false poling. But it is very sensitive against such thing for loading. In other words: the reader will not be destroyed but is just not loading. In my case solar-chargers (3 different out of 3) didn't work at all. 2 (out of 2) different battery-pack-chargers didn't work at all. 1 (out of 1) crank charger didn't work at all. 2 (out of 2) cellphone-wall-adapters work well One of the solar-charger was like this one: So far as I know, in case of Sony-readers 2 of the 4 USB-wires have to be short-connected to start the charging mode. Otherwise there could happen nothing or just a visible loading icon without real loading. Maybe (guessing) this 2 cables are connected in most wall-charger. In short: Try it out! I did a lot of very rough experiments and the reader is still living. A.

12-31-2011, 06:24 PM	#3
banjobama Busy Read'n Posts: 980 Karma: 5039283 Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Auburn, WA Device: Pocketbook Touch Lux 5	I use my HTC phone wall charger for my PRS-650 all the time with no problems. I think it will be fine with any charger.

12-31-2011, 07:39 PM	#4
Analogus Fanatic Posts: 568 Karma: 2170348 Join Date: Apr 2011 Device: 2x Sony PRS-350; PRS-300 (†), Paperwhite (†), Voyage	No, not any charger. There are reports which claim that some specific wall chargers (e.g. from cellphones) doesn't work with the x50-readers. It could happen that the reader recognizes the charger as 'PC' and tries to connect without loading. A.

01-02-2012, 05:51 PM	#5
Purple Lady Grand Sorcerer Posts: 5,698 Karma: 16542228 Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Pennsylvania Device: Huawei MediaPad M5, LG V30, Boyue T80S, Nexus 7 LTE, K3 3G, Fire HD8	I charged my 950s today with two different cell phone chargers and it worked fine. I used the charger from my Motorola Atrix and the one from my husband's old Palm phone.

01-02-2012, 11:34 PM	#6
gardenstate Groupie Posts: 195 Karma: 1069472 Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Chicago,IL USA suburb Device: Sony PRS-T1 and PRS-950	The Sony AC charger Model PRSA-AC1 that came with my 950 is output rated at 5V 1500 mA. Many std USB chargers are 5V but at a much lower amperage -- resulting in a longer charge time.

01-03-2012, 04:19 PM	#7
vishcompany Addict Posts: 289 Karma: 189800 Join Date: Mar 2009 Device: Gen3(†); PB302(↓); PRS-350; T1; voyage	@ everybody: Could you please add your chargers to this list in the wiki? Thanks

01-04-2012, 01:20 PM	#9
vishcompany Addict Posts: 289 Karma: 189800 Join Date: Mar 2009 Device: Gen3(†); PB302(↓); PRS-350; T1; voyage	That's correct, you got me here. On the other hand, the t1 and the x50 models all have micro usb connectors, so it is interchangeable. My charger works for both, my 350 as well as for the t1.

01-10-2012, 04:27 AM	#10
litoria Junior Member Posts: 2 Karma: 1010 Join Date: Jan 2012 Device: prs-350	I have just been getting a $5 ebay solar charger identical to the one pictured by Analogus working with my prs350 I found my PRS 350 won't charge if the 2 USB data wires are floating (disconnected). It will charge if the 2 data wires are tied together. This could explain why some USB chargers work and other don't. So to get the solar charger to work I've dissected a USB cable ($1 on ebay) cut the data lines (which should be green & white but best to confirm by testing w/multimeter which plug pin they connect to) and soldered them together. My PRS-350 then draws 260ma @ 5.2V which should correspond to a 2-4 hour charging time (depending on the prs-350 internals).

01-11-2012, 08:45 AM	#12
litoria Junior Member Posts: 2 Karma: 1010 Join Date: Jan 2012 Device: prs-350	Yep I charged my prs350 for over an hour (from 1/4 bars to 4/4 bars). Some devices do require the data lines tied to a particular voltage to charge. I didn't try this with my prs350 because it seems just tying the two data lines together is sufficient. I had less success recharging the battery in the solar charger from the sun - seems to need at least 2 days sun.