Phone charging issue

[Dandock]

I’m having trouble charging my iPhone. My first, a 6, was fine but since then I’ve had concerns. After the 6 I got a 12 and have just got a 15 but with both of these the charging is inconsistent: it simply cuts in and out -seemingly on about a 35 second cycle - but doesn’t gain any charge at all just gradually loses it. Sometimes, though, both have charged as expected. Buts it’s a lottery. Sometimes it does: sometimes it doesn’t.
I’ve had two OPCs check the UBS port and both declare no issue (don’t know exactly what they do apart from plug a phone in!).
Having just upgraded to a 15 and experienced the same issue - new phone but, of course, a new UBS3 cable - it would again look like the problem is with the car’s UBS port. Has anyone had similar issues and if so with what result?

[dammitjanet]

I've seen a similar issue with some older Belkin chargers, that don't have the ability to provide enough current for charging. Having said that, the fact that it sometimes works sounds odd. I've also seen an issue with my own 12 where it won't charge unless I reboot the phone

[Col Lamb]

Hi Mike.

Sounds like Kitty is throwing a strop and if rebooting the phone does not work try these.

Have the OPC’s checked to see if there are any Patches or Bulletins to update the PCM Firmware?

Also check if they have done any such updates when she was in for service.

Are you having problems with the USB port in the centre armrest?

If you have the rear seat USB charging ports in Kitty try using them.

The USB A to C cable that you are using, is it one of Apple’s own?

I’d buy a 12v cigar socket charging unit, an Anker unit is £9.99 and try using that, if that is OK you then know it is Porsche’s software problem.

Good luck.

[Dandock]

Thanks guys. I tried both phones this morning and they charged without issue. Having said that both had a good amount of charge (+/-50%) to begin with. Will try again when more depleted just in case that’s a catalyst. But, yes, it could well be cables albeit I seem to remember buying a new cable for the 12 following issues with the Apple one.

And lots of accounts online. Emergency reboot seems popular.

Will report back.

[dammitjanet]

FYI it seems the USB ports might be limited to about 10W of power, which puts them in the standard charging range. Apples chargers deliver up to 30W, and the iPhone 12 comes with a basic of 20W

[Dandock]

FYI it seems the USB ports might be limited to about 10W of power, which puts them in the standard charging range. Apples chargers deliver up to 30W, and the iPhone 12 comes with a basic of 20W

Surely that would preclude most in-car facilities together with many hotels, aircraft and trains.

[dammitjanet]

FYI it seems the USB ports might be limited to about 10W of power, which puts them in the standard charging range. Apples chargers deliver up to 30W, and the iPhone 12 comes with a basic of 20W

Surely that would preclude most in-car facilities together with many hotels, aircraft and trains.

Not necessarily, it entirely depends on the circuits involved.

Think of it as two electronic circuits in opposition to each other. On the phone side, there is the phone which has no idea what power of the charge has been supplied, so it runs a set of tests as follows:

1) charge seen, start charging at lowest current/power level
2) after x seconds, try and draw more current, if the voltage drops, go back to the level at 1, else continue charging
3) after y seconds, try and draw more current, if the voltage drops, go back to the level at 2, else continue charging

Given that laws of electricity, V= IR and P = I*I*R, this is usual when detecting the power of a supply, if the voltage drops, then the supply is not rated for the current drawn.

Now think about the circuit in the charger, most of the chargers these days have protection circuits that:

a) auto turn off when when the current draw is too large and then reset when no current is being drawn, this kind of protection is very cheap and can be done with a few resistors and a transistor in a feedback loop or built into the design of the transformer coils
b) reduce the current in the same situation i.e fail gracefully - this requires more circuit components (and therefore) pricier

Put the two together, and if you have a) plus the 1-2-3 above, you'll see a phone start to charge then after x, or x + y seconds, stop charging, then start again

Systems in cars are most commonly specified to fail unless excessive load, it there to protect the car and their systems.specifically related to provide the charge required.

[Wing Commander]

Hello Mike!

Hope you’re well.

Cheers,

[Dandock]

Hello Mike!

Hope you’re well.

Cheers,

Yes thanks, Simon. Battling on!
Eighth anniversary approaching. And looking at the price points of the EV certainly won’t be going there.

And you?

[Dandock]

FYI it seems the USB ports might be limited to about 10W of power, which puts them in the standard charging range. Apples chargers deliver up to 30W, and the iPhone 12 comes with a basic of 20W

Surely that would preclude most in-car facilities together with many hotels, aircraft and trains.

Not necessarily, it entirely depends on the circuits involved.

Think of it as two electronic circuits in opposition to each other. On the phone side, there is the phone which has no idea what power of the charge has been supplied, so it runs a set of tests as follows:

1) charge seen, start charging at lowest current/power level
2) after x seconds, try and draw more current, if the voltage drops, go back to the level at 1, else continue charging
3) after y seconds, try and draw more current, if the voltage drops, go back to the level at 2, else continue charging

Given that laws of electricity, V= IR and P = I*I*R, this is usual when detecting the power of a supply, if the voltage drops, then the supply is not rated for the current drawn.

Now think about the circuit in the charger, most of the chargers these days have protection circuits that:

a) auto turn off when when the current draw is too large and then reset when no current is being drawn, this kind of protection is very cheap and can be done with a few resistors and a transistor in a feedback loop or built into the design of the transformer coils
b) reduce the current in the same situation i.e fail gracefully - this requires more circuit components (and therefore) pricier

Put the two together, and if you have a) plus the 1-2-3 above, you'll see a phone start to charge then after x, or x + y seconds, stop charging, then start again

Systems in cars are most commonly specified to fail unless excessive load, it there to protect the car and their systems.specifically related to provide the charge required.

Apart from explaining what I’m experiencing re the intermittency, the science actually baffles me. And as the thing sometimes charges without issue it leaves me, perhaps, more baffled than ever