[RESPONDED] USB-A expansion card does not seem to charge Android phone

Framework Laptop 13 Linux
1

Hello, I’ve got a Framework 13 on which I’m running Ubuntu 23.04. When I plug my Android phone (a Pixel 5) into either of my USB-A expansion cards, the phone reports either that it is “Connected, not charging” or “Charging slowly.” In practice, the phone seems only to stay at its present charge rather than increase charge.

I’ve tried various configurations: laptop turned off, laptop on and plugged into the wall, laptop running off of battery alone. I’ve changing Ubuntu’s “Power Mode” config – setting it to “Performance” seems to make no difference.

I believe I’ve eliminated my cable and phone as the primary causes for the unexpected behavior with the following observations:

  • My partner’s older iPhone does charge when plugged into the laptop, but more slowly than she is accustomed to.
  • My Android charges as expected when plugged into her Windows tablet via the same USB cable.

Do I have to change some config at the OS level (or perhaps a BIOS setting) to enable my computer to power other devices? I’ve never needed to do so with any other Linux machine, but I suppose anything is possible with new hardware.

Thanks for your help,
-Frank

2

Welcome to the forum.

I’d suggest first determining what current it’s charging at. There are many apps that will give you an estimation. Here is one https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.gombosdev.ampere

Be aware that you will never get fast charging. Computer ports are not meant to be a high wattage power supply. Fast charging usually requires higher voltage, above the standard 5 volts.

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Hi @universalhandle , I think these expansion slots are not meant for charging, the power draw just is not enough to charge current devices.

1 Like
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I think this is the same question I posted about before (11th gen).

The solution I found was to use a cheap USB 3.0 hub, when plugged into the hub I get the full 5W for my phone and 7.5W for my tablet. Without the hub I get 2.5W max output on my smart devices but simple devices can still draw up to 5W.

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On my AMD FW13 I tested and found that despite the USBA port is physically capable of deliver much higher current, it’s that the smartphones refused to draw more than 0.5A(I plugged the USBA card into a 100W PD charger and got the same result) so it’s not the fault of the computer and BIOS or OS tweak is unlikely to improve. The use of USB 3.0 hub does triple the current draw, to about 1.4 to 1.5A. However the power cuts off when the current reaches 1.69A and I think that’s a bit weird as there’s no DC-DC converter within the USBA expansion card so the current limit should be 3A not below 2A. The USBC is capable of delivering sustained 5V3A output.