Are other mini usb chargers like the Motorola mini usb for the razr and others damaging to the battery? I heard that they have a lower voltage and I would just like to hear the truth to this

It always recommended to use chargers that are designed specifically for the device.

That little disclaimer aside, I have shared a wall charger with my wife (RaZR v3xx), as well as a car charger. I did this for about a year with my old BB, and continue to do it now with my 8310. The only noticeable difference is a slower charge rate when I use the Motorola charger. No ill effects have cropped up on any of the phones, my wife's included.

i was using a charger which routinely 'reset' my b-berry
it took me a while to diagnose the issue

changed chargers and everything was fine

be careful

hit and miss type of thing

I use the motorola wall/travel chargers all the time with all my BB's.

OK, here's more info then you may want to know. First of all, no USB charger should damage your BlackBerry unless the charger is defective. Any device can develop a defect, and mini USB battery chargers are no exception. That's true whether its the OEM BlackBerry charger or any other one.

USB stands for Universal Serial Bus and is an industry standard with published specifications. In particular, the voltage supplied is specified as 5 volts, +- .25 volts - ie, the voltage must be from 4.75 to 5.25 volts. In addition to voltage, the USB specification defines how much current the device must supply, and gives two options - hi power and lo power. Hi power capable means it must supply 500mA of current, and that's what the BlackBerry (and most, but not necessarily all other) chargers supply. Its also possible to meet the USB specification and only supply 100ma, which is the lo power spec. If a charger meets the lo power but not the hi power spec, it will supply 100mA or more of current, but less than 500ma. This would result in slower charging as reported by some, but would not damage your BlackBerry.

Reports of a charger damaging a BlackBerry or its battery (or resulting in other problems such as the reported reset issue above) are a result of an individual charger having a defect, not a basic compatibility issue of any kind. Any USB charger that's not defective will charge your BlackBerry, but some will charge it slower than others.

USB As a Power Source

^ That is a great post. + Rep for you, oh sorry wrong site.

and as further clarification to that great post, the device will only draw the current it needs, up to the maximum. Just because a device is rated to provide 1AH, and your phone may only draw 650mAH, the 1AH wont fry the device.

Thanks for the great responses...my explanaition for this is because I plugged my BB into my old v3 car charger and my friend snapped and said don't you know that kills you're battery the guy at Cingular said you have to get the BB specific charger ... I thouht it was just a selling ploy and now I know so thank you

Thanks for adding that Sith, I had forgotten that's another common misconception, that a charger rated at a higher current might "fry" your BB or its battery.

hey its easy to look good following a great post

This information should be in the FAQ...a common concern that is used to scare customers into buying gear they don't need. (And yes, I mean me as well...) :(

JC or others, feel free to copy into the FAQ if you desire...

Yes...please.

My wife's Motorola charger will charge my BB, but my BB charger will not charge her Motorola RAZR. Both are mini-USB. Does the Motorola require a low-power charger? I can't find this documented anywhere...

~J.

Strange as it may seem, despite the Razr wallwart charging my BB a little slower, the resulting charge seems to hold longer on my BB. I'm not electrical engineer so I really can't explain it. Hopefully, it's not a bad thing. Maybe it's all those lethargic amperes that are taking their sweet time going into my battery, taking their sweet time leaving my battery. =) Like I said, I'm no electrical engineer.

-h

I have a question in light of the statement that you can't fry your BB using a higher voltage charger. A few months ago, my Pearl refused to charge and I had to get rid of it. It happened right after I was using a car charger (non-OEM), and I started the car with the BB plugged in to the car charger. Someone on this forum at the time was saying that the car charger wasn't a problem, except if you start the car with the BB plugged in it can deliver a charge that will fry your circuit board. Is this true? I have not been charging anything in my car ever since!!!!

here is the thread post #10
Blackberry 8100 Charging Issues

Don't confuse voltage with current. Two different things. You can indeed fry something using the wrong voltage, but cannot do any damage with a charger rated at a higher current. Voltage is measured in volts and current is (usually) measure in MA or Amps.

The issue with turning on the car with something plugged in has to do with the potential" for a voltage spike, and nothing to do with current. The "logic" is that the initial power will not be stable and can create voltage spikes. This is not generally a problem in modern automobiles with stable power generation and tons of built-in electical devices (radios, Navs, etc)and well designed Regulators. Worse case is that you would probably fry your plug-in charger long before it reached the device.

You have nothing to fear from leaving the stuff plugged in prior to starting the vehicle.

Woahhh! You CAN fry your BB using a higher voltage charger, you CAN'T using a charger rated with higher amp's.
As has previously been said, USB is a standard and so no one should be using that style of connector and not supplying 5v. As long as it supplies 5v you should be safe.
Now as it supplies 5v and your car runs on 12v the charger has to step down the voltage to 5v, if this is done in a very crude mannor, for e.g. just by using a resistor, then if the car voltage rises by a surge then so will the output from the USB which could fry your BB.

Now all this said, All Mini USB chargers should output 5v and should have some surge protection to ensure that the 5v is constant.

It sounds like your charger was without this additional circuitry and your car had quite a surge!