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Is it safe to charge a phone with a wireless charger in a car without an inverter?

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Realmaplesyrup

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Jul 24, 2020
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So I've always been told and told people not to charge their phone in a car without using a sine wave inverter because it can cause the battery to swell over time. Which I used to work at a phone repair store and have seen it happen a lot. My question is can you use a wireless charger without having to use an inverter? It seems as though it's going to charge the same exact way because the input and output will be completely different.
 
Realmaplesyrup said:
So I've always been told and told people not to charge their phone in a car without using a sine wave inverter because it can cause the battery to swell over time. Which I used to work at a phone repair store and have seen it happen a lot. My question is can you use a wireless charger without having to use an inverter? It seems as though it's going to charge the same exact way because the input and output will be completely different.
Click to expand...

Isn't wireless charging powered via 5VDC USB?
 
If your talking about using a PWM inverter with an AC 120V adapter to charge your phone then yes, I would not recommend it. But get yourself a 12V adapter to plug into you cigarette lighter and you should be good to go or a quality pure sine inverter. I’d be more concerned about using a generic Chinese made adapter. It’s always recommended to use OEM adapters and wires for a reason.
 
I charge wired and wirelessly from the USB port in my cars. I used to use a USB converter that plugged into a 12Volt lighter port on my older cars. I only use an inverter to charge power tool batteries when working in the field and never paid attention to that issue.
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Last edited:
Ampster said:
I charge wired and wirelessly from the USB port in my cars. I used to use a USB converter that plugged into a 12Volt lighter port on my older cars. I l
only use an inverter to charge power tool batteries when working in the field and never paid attention to that issue.
Click to expand...
For many/most devices it really isn’t an issue, until it is.
 
smoothJoey said:
How does that work?
Click to expand...
Well I was taught at the repair shop that I worked at that plugging your car directly into a USB charger that the current from the alternator was not flowing steady. So it would pulse or something and cause the battery to have a shorter life span. I believed it because I always saw a difference between people who would come in with swollen batteries but maybe it was just because they used an off brand adaptor in the first place.
 
rmaddy said:
And isn’t wired charging powered via 5VDC USB?

I don’t understand what an inverter has to do with charging a phone in a car.
Click to expand...
It was my understanding that using an inverter gave you more pure output, thus not damaging electronics or batteries overtime?
 
Realmaplesyrup said:
Well I was taught at the repair shop that I worked at that plugging your car directly into a USB charger that the current from the alternator was not flowing steady. So it would pulse or something and cause the battery to have a shorter life span. I believed it because I always saw a difference between people who would come in with swollen batteries but maybe it was just because they used an off brand adaptor in the first place.
Click to expand...
I guess you are talking about alternator ripple.
I further guess the 12 volt to 5 volt converter embedded in the usb charger is not filtering out the ripple.
You can measure ripple using the this method https://www.underhoodservice.com/alternator-ripple-testing-the-ghost-in-the-machine/
 
Haha. I haven't had alternator ripple since I started driving EVs ten years ago. My biggest expense for my 2016 EV with 105,000 miles has been tires and 12 volt batteries. Haven't touched the brakes. Sorry about the hijack and shameless plug.
 
Realmaplesyrup said:
I can assure you that I am not pranking and just a dumb dumb that wants to make sure he is not going to damage the battery in his phone.
Click to expand...

I think the issue is that the vast majority (in my mind anyway) of folks charge their phone through an auto-provided USB port, or an adapter to the cigarette lighter port thus always pulling from DC. Not all cars offer 120VAC plugs with a built in inverter. None of mine do. Most quality AC-DC bricks for phone charging (that provide USB output) likely don't care whether it's PSW or MSW, but cheap ones might not fair so well.
 
Realmaplesyrup said:
I can assure you that I am not pranking and just a dumb dumb that wants to make sure he is not going to damage the battery in his phone.
Click to expand...

Switch mode 5v USB chargers have come a long way since 1990s. Charge your cellphone the easiest way possible.

Or is the concern about charging your Nokia 5160?
 
Realmaplesyrup said:
can assure you that I am not pranking and just a dumb dumb that wants to make sure he is not going to damage the battery in his phone.
Click to expand...
Seriously- the phone’s software controls the charge is my understanding.
The best life (I’ve been told) is not staying plugged in constantly. Don’t plug in until 20%

I don’t “know” that - it’s what I’ve been told.

I might be wrong on this too: but bleeding down 12V to 5V is not generally regulated so driving down the roads at 13.8V or 14.2V could be charging your phone at 5.5VDC which still may be a nonissue

I just use my phone and not lose sleep over the battery. Batt life and phone replacement is a shamscam anyways. But you can’t diy an alternative.
 
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