Can you charge a tablet through the USB port?

Q: How can I charge my tab without A charger?

All of these methods require either a charging cable thats compatible with your iPhone or Android device or a wireless charging pad..

USB is a technique known as "Universal Serial Bus" Like every port, electricity is required to make things work. The reason USB comes with a male and female form, is because the female port sends out electricity.

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Can you charge A tablet with A USB port?
Can USB port be used for charging?
Is there another way to charge tablet?
How can I charge my tab without A charger?

USB uses 5volts on its power port, and a very low voltage (don't know the specifics, but probably blow or close to 1 volt to use as data transmission.

That said, Electricity flows in one way, from + to -.

When Electricity flows from + into another + the circuit overloads as it short circuits. Depending on protections in place in the devices, it will likely damage one of the devices, but in more safe cases, it will simply not work.

In one of the comments on another answer, you mention you want to do the reverse, for the exact same reason, that is not going to work, because again, power flows in one way, and that'll cause for a collision.

I have a tablet that only has one USB port that it used to recharge the battery (so no extra charger port), and I need to connect another device to it (ex: USB drive or printer) that only needs to transfer data (ie it does not need power from the USB) at the same time the charger is on.

                       ____________
                      |            |
                      |   TABLET   |
                      |____________|
                             |
                     ________|________   
              ______|____      _______|_______
             |           |    |               |
             | USB DRIVE |    |    CHARGER    |
             |___________|    |_______________|

There are some cables that allow to connect those devices (like the one pictured below), but it seems that applied to the example above it would provide energy to the USB drive and not to the tablet.

Is this possible? Do you guys know anything that can make this work?

Izzy♦

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asked Jul 2, 2015 at 11:09

It is depending on your device. Some Samsung Tablets can be charged while using OTG with special adapters. The cable you post in your question don't work. Some devices have a special mode for USB Host and changing at the same time. Most devices can only charge OR host.

answered Jul 2, 2015 at 14:08

I can't speak to your specific device, particularly as you haven't named it, but assuming it supports the functionality, you would use an adapter such as this one which provides both a micro-USB input to continue charging the phone/tablet, and a USB-A port for the OTG functions. You'll find a variety of alternatives linked to via Amazon as well, with different layouts, and some with additional ports. Just be aware that compatibility differs from device to device. If you have Amazon Prime, then the one I linked to is cheap enough to be almost disposable if it doesn't pan out.

answered Jul 2, 2015 at 16:38

TurboFoolTurboFool

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Try this converter or a similar one (there are plenty of them on Amazon), just please read "Product description" first. It says what could work and which devices were checked.

answered Oct 16, 2018 at 16:40

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I own a rather old and obscure Android tablet (Point of View, made in the Netherlands). Its AC charger quickly gets too hot while playing and charging at the same time. The battery icon then starts to blink and I must disconnect it.

Allegedly I can charge with USB too. The manual says it's possible, albeit slower. Doesn't say how to actually do it. When I connect a USB cable to either my PC or to an AC/USB charger, it doesn't charge. However, the tablet does "feel" something, because when it's sleeping and I then connect it to USB it awakens.

When the tablet is connected to a PC, I'm prompted to activate USB storage. But nothing about charging.

There are, by the way, two mini-USB sockets on the tablet, one marked "USB" and the other "Host". Nothing in the manual about what they mean.

Your help would be appreciated.

Apr 6, 2016 25,142 261 113,340 14,334

Very odd. But they add strange features to different devices. If that is the case, the only way to make it charge may well be via a charger cord rather than USB. That does seem really odd though. You might try contacting the manufacturer, before making any purchases, and see if they have any other suggestions or fixes.

Apr 6, 2016 25,142 261 113,340 14,334

It should charge just fine when connected via USB to the computer. However, the computer cannot be in sleep mode. Also, it won't charge as fast when connected via USB to a computer, so if you try to do anything while it is, you will be draining it faster that it is charging. The fastest way to charge it, when connected to a computer, is to turn the tablet off, connect it to the computer, and then make sure the computer does not go into sleep mode.

You can avoid the sleep mode problem by changing settings on the computer. Making it possible to charge even when the computer if completely shut off. (That was the way computers used to be, and you had to turn select to turn off the ability to charge/use a port when off. Now it is reversed.)

Also, the tablet is really not made to be used, especially with very active features like games, while plugged in to charge. The strain on the device, the charger and the battery would be quite great. Your best bet would be, to charge it more quickly, turn off the tablet, and let it charge for a few hours.

Some more basic info on your tablet can be found here... http

/www.pointofview-online.com/club/FAQ.php

Thanks. Are you saying that even though my tablet indicates "Not charging" while connected to a PC through USB, it may actually be charging?

Apr 6, 2016 25,142 261 113,340 14,334

It should be charging, unless the computer is turned off (then it may not work) or the tablet or computer is sleeping, which can also prevent charging. To know for sure, your best bet is to make sure the computer is on (and not sleeping) and the tablet is either on (with sleep turned off) or off completely and just plugged in.

If that doesn't work, then there may be something wrong with the cord. Even the link I added to my post, which takes you to info on that tablet, states it should charge via USB. To see that info click on the link. then on the "Batteries" tab and finally on "How should I charge my device?".

No, sorry, nothing works. The tablet won't really charge, no matter what: on, off, or sleeping. It's not about the PC sleeping (it's not) or about the cord (I use the same cord to charge other devices).

But as I said before, it doesn't seem that simple: when I connect the USB cable, the tablet gets a bit warm near the socket, which may indicate low-level charging, and the battery seems to hold stable at whatever percent it was. However, there's no "charging" icon.

As for charging while the tablet is off: funnily enough, this is impossible. Once the tablet is off and I connect a USB cable, it turns immediately on. If I try to turn the tablet off while a USB cable is connected, it turns off and immediately on again.

Apr 6, 2016 25,142 261 113,340 14,334

May 30, 2010 2,195 2 21,810 406

Is it also possible that the battery could be pretty much kaput? You did mention that it was an older tablet. Just a thought.

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Can you charge A tablet with A USB port?

1 Answer. Hi, You can charge it via the micro USB port e.g. connect to a computer's USB port via an appropriate cable or use a mobile phone charger that has a micro USB plug connector.

Can USB port be used for charging?

The USB port can also be used to charge personal devices, but with a current limit of 500mA on the original design, this might have been an afterthought. A typical USB network consists of a host that is often a PC and peripherals such as a printer, smartphone or camera.

Is there another way to charge tablet?

You can charge your tablet from the mains power. All tablets come with a power cord that will plug into a wall socket. The second way you can recharge a tablet is by using the cable that came with it to connect to a computer. The cable transfers power from the computer to the tablet to recharge the battery.