Everything Major Is Now Done.. ?

[craigix]

We are looking at the apple solution, ie having usb->mains adaptor as these are quite cheap and easy to obtain for every region.

 

[Vorporeal]

Yeah, that would be an easy solution. And if anyone wanted faster charging (using AC directly, as opposed to through USB), they could order a PSP charger and use that.

 

[Enverex]

Would AC charging using the power port really be that much faster than an AC adapter USB method pushing 2 amps?

 

[puppydee]

I would hope we would get the proper FAST AC charger and not a CHEAP slower usb charger. When I ordered my Pandora I was under the impression that we where getting an AC charger as standard.

 

[lulzfish]

They're thinking about a USB charger that's powered from AC.
I have one for my Palm Z22, because it can only charge through USB. The AC adapter just has a powered mini-USB and no data lines.

 

[DAP]

Would AC charging using the power port really be that much faster than an AC adapter USB method pushing 2 amps?

You would not be able to push 2 amps using the USB method. A usb port is rated for 0.5 amps. Many devices have current sensing abilities on their USB ports and will shut them down if they detect excessive current. If the Pandora were designed to draw 2 amps from the USB port, it would be hit or miss if you could actually charge it from a particular USB port.

 

[fischju2000]

Would AC charging using the power port really be that much faster than an AC adapter USB method pushing 2 amps?

You would not be able to push 2 amps using the USB method. A usb port is rated for 0.5 amps. Many devices have current sensing abilities on their USB ports and will shut them down if they detect excessive current. If the Pandora were designed to draw 2 amps from the USB port, it would be hit or miss if you could actually charge it from a particular USB port.

Said by Squidge:

The problem with USB is that it cant provide enough current to charge as fast as the psp power supply.

Actually, you have the best of both worlds with USB. You can use an identification resistor to decide how to charge. So if you plug in a normal usb cable to a PC, it will draw anything between 100mA to 500mA, but if you plug it into a mains or 12V adaptor, you can draw 2A. This is only possible with mini usb.

Most USB-charging phones work in the same way, and is also the reason why people get confused when they use a bogo standard usb cable to a AC->USB adaptor instead of the provided charger or cable and then post questions asking why there phone doesn't charge.

Has anybody actually tried charging it with mini-usb at 2 amps from mains? I imagine a lot of heat would be created doing this...

 

[WizardStan]

Would AC charging using the power port really be that much faster than an AC adapter USB method pushing 2 amps?

You would not be able to push 2 amps using the USB method. A usb port is rated for 0.5 amps. Many devices have current sensing abilities on their USB ports and will shut them down if they detect excessive current. If the Pandora were designed to draw 2 amps from the USB port, it would be hit or miss if you could actually charge it from a particular USB port.

The USB port is only rated to provide up to 500 mA. Any device plugged into the USB port will be limited to said 500 mA or less. If the device tries to draw more, the current will either not be available, or the device will simply be cut off.
That doesn't mean a device can't be designed to use more than that 500 mA. If an AC adapter can provide up to 2 amps of power, there is absolutely nothing preventing a device to which this adapter plugs in from drawing the full 2 amps. For example, my Blackberry charges only via USB. I can charge it off my computer, drawing as much as it will allow (between 100 and 500 mA), but the AC->USB adapter gives a steady 700 mA, producing a much faster charge rate. There is no reason the Pandora couldn't do the same.

 

[Monk]

I would hope we would get the proper FAST AC charger and not a CHEAP slower usb charger. When I ordered my Pandora I was under the impression that we where getting an AC charger as standard.

With the MAIN emphasis on not wanting a CHEAP AC charger, I pretty much agree with that. I'm mildly intruiged at the idea of an AC USB charger in general - it's an idea - I'd make do with a "proper" AC charger and my car-battery USB charger. Or, of course, maybe one of the actual USB computers around here overnight.

I seem to recall being berrated for concerns about batteries and charging times - I wouldn't want the battery charging time to be overly long due to going for a "cheap" solution which saves only OpenPandora money.

 

[Prometheus]

I don't believe there is any need to worry about cheap adapters. Please do remember the remarks given some time ago when cheap adapters sold by DealExtreme were suggested - they were dismissed because cheap adapters often have problems (including some quite dangerous ones).

 

[Monk]

I remember quite well - had Craig not said they were looking at cheap it would never have crossed my mind

Or should that be ?

 

[WizardStan]

I would rather that they looked at and rejected a cheap one than just decided to go with a more expensive one even in part because it was more expensive.
"This one must be good, it costs twice as much as the others!"

 

[rabidpoobear]

Has anybody actually tried charging it with mini-usb at 2 amps from mains? I imagine a lot of heat would be created doing this...

Yeah, I think that is your imagination. It would create just as much heat as any other 5v 2A wall-wart would (depending on its efficiency.) Or did you mean heat in the Pandora? There should be virtually no heat dissipation in the Pandora itself if the charging circuit is running off of 5v as well.

 

[Enverex]

Has anybody actually tried charging it with mini-usb at 2 amps from mains? I imagine a lot of heat would be created doing this...

Yeah, I think that is your imagination. It would create just as much heat as any other 5v 2A wall-wart would (depending on its efficiency.) Or did you mean heat in the Pandora? There should be virtually no heat dissipation in the Pandora itself if the charging circuit is running off of 5v as well.

I'm guessing he meant the transformer itself in the charger due to it pushing 2amps (which is quite a lot, I know my router transformer gets hot at hell pushing 1.5A but that's at a higher voltage).

 

[gruso]

It doesn't matter if it's charging with a PSP style adaptor or a mains USB adaptor. The voltage, current, and heat generated will be the same. It's just different shaped plugs.

 

[Squidge]

I'm guessing he meant the transformer itself in the charger due to it pushing 2amps (which is quite a lot, I know my router transformer gets hot at hell pushing 1.5A but that's at a higher voltage).

I'm guessing your PSU is linear rather than switch mode, which would explain the heat.

 

[Monk]

It doesn't matter if it's charging with a PSP style adaptor or a mains USB adaptor. The voltage, current, and heat generated will be the same. It's just different shaped plugs.

+1

 

[javaJake]

Would be nice if we can see a todo-list on that level.

http://openpandora.wordpress.com/roadmap/

 

[Enverex]

Would be nice if we can see a todo-list on that level.

http://openpandora.wordpress.com/roadmap/

I think he was referring to something more official and considerably more detailed rather than just a few major points.

 

[Bosbeetle]

How is the testing going, did the pandora team already get some feedback from the factory