Touch Which usb phone chargers work with Kobo Touch

[Tangent]

The Kobo website says you can use a wall charger if it has an output of 5V, 500mA micro USB adapter.

Which phone (or other) chargers have this rating?

[siraks]

any one with a micro usb attachment.
example : my samsung galaxy s

[Tangent]

The Kobo specs specify a rating of 5v/500mA for a charger.
Are all micro-USB chargers 5v/500mA?

Edit: To answer my own question: No. I checked the micro-USB charger for a blue-tooth headset I have and it is rated at 5v/180mA

[Terisa de morgan]

Not, they aren't, but they have to show the especs. If they give 5V and 500mA or more, it' OK (as any device, BTW)

[FJames]

All USB chargers put out 5v, and are safe to use for charging any device that uses a USB charger. Most of them will put out at least 500 ma of current, which is the standard minimum capacity rating for USB host ports. There are some low-capacity USB chargers that put out less than 500 ma for use with devices with a very small battery like your Bluetooth headset. A charger that small won't work well with the Kobo because it will take a very long time to complete a charge, but it would probably get the job done eventually.

[ldrover]

I have been using my iPhone charger with my KT. Works very well. (I use the usb cord that came with the Kobo.) Very handy when travelling.

[molman]

Exactly as FJames said.

If you are after a specific one, I use the Genuine Apple i-products (iphones/ipods etc) chargers to great success. These have a 5V/1A output which works great - providing more current than required, and I just happen to have a handy collection of them about. Also great if travelling as it meets spec for both my phone (iphone) and eReader (Kobo Touch) so I don't need to take multiple, just the two cables.

Edit: ldrover beat me to it

And if you need it charged even more quickly, Belkin produces some 2.1 amp AC (and car, for that matter) chargers for USB. Should be an iPod/iPhone/iPad and a microUSB model (sold as a Galaxy S/Kindle charger). Basically USB AC adaptor plus the suitable USB cable.

[ciruelo]

My Samsung Wave charger also works perfectly for my Kobo Touch.
I didn't know that when I got the reader, but it's a really handy feature!

[IamARobot]

My iPhone chargers as well as my Garmin 405 charger both work with the Kobo Touch.

[Patita]

I tried to charge my Kobo WiFi today using the charger that I use for my iPad and iPhone. Although blue light turned pink (red?) the Kobo told me to plug my device into a charger, which I'd already done. I disconnected it and reconnected it several times with the same message returning every time. I wasn't sure it was actually charging, so I phoned the Kobo customer care number. The person told me that you're not supposed to use a charger, only a computer, that it must plug directly into the USB port on the computer (not using a hub), that the computer must be set so that it won't fall asleep during the charge, and that using a charger can void your warranty.

So I checked the Kobo site (http://kobobooks.com/wifi_faq) and found this under FAQs: "The Kobo eReader does not come with an AC power adapter. However, the Kobo Wireless eReader will charge using any mini-USB adapter such as those that come with iPhone (USB) or BlackBerry® devices." I phoned back and got the same person and pointed this out to her. She said, "Oh, that's only a FAQ." (By which I think she meant, it's not a recommendation.) She repeated the bit about voiding the warranty and I said that if that was the case, the above statement should not be on their website. She agreed and said that she would make a note. She said that you can use a charger "if you want to" but repeated the warning about the warranty.

Does anyone here know anything about this? I can't find the warranty, but I was told that I would know the above information if I read it. It's not in the user guide. This is just inconsistent.

I would certainly appreciate some input on this.

Thanks.

[JedV]

I use my wife's Samsung Nexus S charger.

I've noticed that my desktop PC's front USB ports remain powered, even when my computer is off (the power supply is still sucking phantom voltage). I can charge my KT with the PC off

[molman]

@Patita: The warranty can be found here: http://download.kobobooks.com/learnm...h_Warranty.pdf

With regards to charging via PC, the little fold out ("welcome" slip in my box did say "To charge your eReader, connect it to your computer using the USB cable" so I guess that is the official instructions, though if it is listed in a FAQ on their site I would say they would be hard pressed to bring it up as an issue.

Maybe it's just the party line to avoid any issues with 3rd party charger which they have not control over, so it is fair enough from that perspective - not fair for Kobo Support to have to diagnose faulty chargers, or perhaps ones unable to provide enough current.

From a technical perspective there should be no issue using a AC powerpak/charger. Any charger the provides more than the 0.8A (Amps) and 5V (Volts) - what the Kobo Touch is specified to need. The Volts is the real important part, though no usb style charger should be anything other than 5V.

I believe USB ports can provide power when computer off under the specification but unlike when the computer is on and it can negotiate the draw I think there are some default values (100mA, 500mA, 1A etc..). Potentially why it was suggest the computer be on (plus some machines may not provide said power when off?).

Hope that helps.

EDIT: Sorry just saw you said Kobo Wireless not Touch. The Wireless warranty is on this page (http://kobobooks.com/wifi_support) use the drop menu to download. The User guide has the same connect to computer to charge and the draw for this is 0.7A rather than the 0.8A for Touch. If it is still saying connect to charge but the light is indicating charging it may still be charging, it's just not ticking the screen over because it's not registering the computer connecting. If you plug in and charge this way (charger) does the battery bar go up after leaving it like that? Anyway maybe a Kobo Wifi user can chime in, though this is a Kobo Touch thread.

[robko]

I would agree with Molman that they are covering their butts since somewhere out there there is likely a wall charger that due to design and/or malfunction could cause an issue. I can say I have used various phone chargers on my Kobo Original/Wifi/Touch's and never had a problem yet. I also agree that when it's in their FAQ they would have to prove why it was way out of spec or faulty to give you grief from that perspective.

[digiSara]

Originally Posted by Patita

I tried to charge my Kobo WiFi today using the charger that I use for my iPad and iPhone. Although blue light turned pink (red?) the Kobo told me to plug my device into a charger, which I'd already done. I disconnected it and reconnected it several times with the same message returning every time. I wasn't sure it was actually charging, so I phoned the Kobo customer care number. The person told me that you're not supposed to use a charger, only a computer, that it must plug directly into the USB port on the computer (not using a hub), that the computer must be set so that it won't fall asleep during the charge, and that using a charger can void your warranty.

I charge my Kobo WiFi all the time using the adaptor for my iPod and the cable plugged into it. I've never gotten that message. I think you do have to remember to choose "Keep Reading" though - I forgot to choose that once and the light never changed to Blue.

Is your charger made by Apple?