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iPad Mini Ships with Same 5-Watt Power Adapter Bundled with iPhones
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steve-p
macrumors 68000
Same here. I have 4 iPhone/iPad chargers which are in fixed locations in the house and just use whichever is most convenient for any device at the time. Same with 2 MBPs with different charger power ratings that never move, I just use the closest one. Nothing bad ever happened.
*facepalm*. How many more missteps can we tolerate Apple. You're on a slippery slope here.
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tejaykay
macrumors 6502
Similarly to PC Power supplies, they tend to scale to the demand placed upon them. Even though a supply is 12W it means it can handle up to a 12W load. If you used it to charge a device at 5W or 10W then it would still consume much less than 12W of power.
Transcribed through thought by Siri on my JB iPad 16 OSX Hybrid AT&T FTL 256TB, sent to me through an
TimeWarp Network Switch (rapid product cycles make this model available next year, though AT&T FTL is promised to be implemented before the end of 2018).I love google. Its just my iphone doesn't charge faster on my ipad's charger. It's not sarcasm, its a fact.
http://www.geekwire.com/2012/battery-breakthrough-technology-promises-triple-lithium-ion-capacity/
Expect it in consumer products in a couple years.
You mean 0.1 amps. 12W at 120V /= 1A. Even at a power factor of 0.8, which is close to what these power adapters are, it still wouldn't reach 1 amp.
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Gnomepatrol
macrumors member
I see a lot of people do not understand physics or electronics here. The device will only pull as may watts as it was intended to handle. Same if you used your iPad charger for you iPhone. Regardless of how you feel, your iPhone is only going to pull the 5w from it and not the rated the charger is at. Why would they give you a higher watt charger than what your device can utilize?
Hi, any chance you were able to put a meter on your 10/12w? I borrowed a friends 10w, which seemed to charge faster, but I was hoping to get a definite yes/no from you. Thanks!
I put my mini on the 10w charger for the first full charge, coming back from a complete dead (mini powered off) and it took 3 hours to charge it to 100%.
Next complete power drain, I will try charging with the 5w, which I suspect is going to take much longer.
The feeling I am getting is the mini will draw more if on the 10/12w. Anyone try the 12w yet? What was your time?
Next complete power drain, I will try charging with the 5w, which I suspect is going to take much longer.
The feeling I am getting is the mini will draw more if on the 10/12w. Anyone try the 12w yet? What was your time?
I haven't heard anything but once my mini is completely dead, I am going to charge it on the 5w. Not sure when that will be though.
Earendil
macrumors 68000
Regardless of the results, you should go ahead and charge it on the 10w again and make sure you get close to the previous results, just to make sure the levels of drained and full are the same.
XboxMySocks
macrumors 68020
Holy what? Dude, it will only draw 5w regardless of what you plug it into... directly plug it into the wall if you like, won't charge it any faster
Earendil
macrumors 68000
That depends on what hardware Apple was able to squeeze into the Mini. If it uses battery tech similar to the full iPad, it can pull 10w just like it's bigger brother. If Apple was only able to squeeze in iPhone battery tech due to whatever constraints they were working with, then you're right, it will only ever pull 5w regardless of the charger used.
I'm betting the second scenario is the likely one. The thing is stupidly thin, and I'm betting it's closer to an iPhone then an iPad in terms of engineering constraints.
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I have heard the mini taking 5 hours or more on the 5w charger, so I am thinking the mini does draw more if on a 10/12w, maybe not the full 10 or 12 but it definitely does. I will say this, when I did a little test, I put the mini on the 5w for 10 min. It charged 3%, when I put it on the 10w, it charged it 8%. So I honestly think there is something going on here.
@Earendil, I will charge it again with the 10w in a day or so. I understand what you mean. This was the first complete drain and charge for my mini, so it could be even less time on that charger, simply because it was training the new battery.
Earendil
macrumors 68000
FYI, I do not believe that the percentage gauge is linear and completely accurate. It relies on interpreting information, as there isn't a direct way to measure charge. Completely dead to completely charged is the only test if all you have to go on is the charge state as reported by the device.
Also, the state of the batteries charge I believe will have an effect on the rate at which it can be charged. So even if the percentage were dead accurate, I'm not so sure that 0-10 percent would be the same charge time as 90-100 percent. But I got a C in Electronics. Someone else want to pitch in here? 🙂
As a side note, the lack of direct measurement is the reason that older devices display percentage less accurately. The battery is no longer within spec (especially near max and min values), and so the data that the logic uses to derive a percentage is really off. Thus my two year old iPhone now shuts off at around 6% battery life.
I hear you.
Additionally, from 90-100%, Apple also employs a trickle charge, which takes much longer for it to charge at that point. So this I am sure also skews the results.
I agree, the only way to have a more accurate, but never perfect conclusion is to drain the battery, and charge from empty to 100%, and hopefully this will give us better answers.
Regardless though, if I got 3 hours on the 10w and I get 5-6 hours on the 5w, it is pretty conclusive the mini draws more on the higher watt chargers, which I will be confirming quite soon.
Did a full charge, from dead to 100% on the 5w and it took about 4h 50m which is much more than on the 10w at 3h.
I am going to get the 10w charger again and do another test to see what I get now, as I have charged the mini to full twice now, so the battery is trained, I might get a better time on the 10w.
I am going to get the 10w charger again and do another test to see what I get now, as I have charged the mini to full twice now, so the battery is trained, I might get a better time on the 10w.
Tinmania
macrumors 68040
And I knew someone would continue to insist on this nonsense. Never mind the facts as long as placebo effect is firmly in place.
Michael
I can definetly confirm the iPad Mini is drawing more than 5 watts from the 10 watt charger.
I am about to finish a charge on the 10w. In 2 hours and 18 min it has charged it to 96%.
The first charge I ever performed on this device was with a 10w and it did it in 3 hours.
I also charged it on a 5w which took close to 5 hours.
I would have to conclude that the 10w charger is definetly providing it more juice and it is drawing it.
I am almost inclined to get the 12w charger and see if it is even faster.
Can anyone confirm the 12w charges faster the about 2.5 hours?
BTW, I was not using the Mini all three times I charged it, and it was charged from a completely dead, turned off battery to 100% (except this last time).
I am about to finish a charge on the 10w. In 2 hours and 18 min it has charged it to 96%.
The first charge I ever performed on this device was with a 10w and it did it in 3 hours.
I also charged it on a 5w which took close to 5 hours.
I would have to conclude that the 10w charger is definetly providing it more juice and it is drawing it.
I am almost inclined to get the 12w charger and see if it is even faster.
Can anyone confirm the 12w charges faster the about 2.5 hours?
BTW, I was not using the Mini all three times I charged it, and it was charged from a completely dead, turned off battery to 100% (except this last time).