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One of the hottest topics when it comes to mobile devices is Fast charging. Question is, What is Fast charging? Well, Fast charging is nothing but charging your device faster than usual. The overall process is not so simple as it sounds though. Before going any further, we need to know something called Wattage or Power.
What’s Wattage or Power?
Current Electricity has three main aspects to focus i.e. Voltage, Current, and Resistance. We will be dealing with voltage and current here.
Wattage or power deals with Voltage and Current only, is the amount of electric current transported, as voltage drives that current forward to its destination. Therefore, a 3A and 5V charging break will deliver 15W of power. The math is the same but numbers are different for every fast charging advertisement you see.
The Process
Fast charging is a dynamic way of charging your device with three main stages.
- Stage 1 – Constant Current: Voltage increases towards its peak, while current stays constant at a high level. This is the phase where a lot of power is quickly delivered to the device. This is when your device charges faster.
- Stage 2 – Saturation: This is the phase where the voltage has reached its peak and the current drops down. Coming to this stage, after 70-75% completion of charge your device follows an ordinary charging scheme. Takes care of heat emission from the device as well. Charging the device faster literally stops at this point.
- Stage 3 – Trickle/Topping: When the battery is charged over 97% or so, then in this phase, the power will either slowly trickle in, or will periodically charge a low “topping” amount as the phone consumes battery. Here the smart charging circuit does not allow the battery to cover charge rather pauses charging for some time to drain a few juices and then starts to recharge. The process continues until you unplug your device.
Wrapping Up
All mobile phones and a majority of personal electronics and electrical vehicles use Li-Ion batteries, as battery technology hasn’t been updated for a few decades so the amount of depreciation has a greater impact overtime on the battery’s lifespan. However, the software is modified to get the most efficiency possible, and there comes the low power mode or battery saving options. As time is precious to everyone, therefore this technology has become popular these days.
Question is, Is it safe to fast charge your device? Stay with us to know the answer.
