Slow iPad Charging via 10W adapter

I had this problem too. I had to backup everything, reset the whole iPad, wipe it clean to like new, then restore. That fixed it. The iPad gets confused at to it's actual battery level and ends up in trickle charge all the time.

Its a pain. But it worked. Had to do it a few times now. Maybe it's because I leave mt iPad plugged in most of he time, I don't know.

If the wires couldn't handle the current they'd get hot and melt. I don't think the wires are the problem.

Let me partially take that last statement back.

There could be a problem with an aftermarket cable's design. The data lines are used to negotiate things between the charger and device. A problem there might make the device default to trickle charge mode.

This thread has been very helpful. I thought the cable wouldn't matter that much but boy was I wrong. I have several iphone/ipad cables, some are stock cables and some are from meritline and ebay.

I compared the power drawn using one of those killawatt meters. And sure enough, it varies from 2 watt to 10 watt. The original cable shipped with iPad is the best. Now I mark those cables by the actual wattage the cable can deliver so I don't use the wrong cable anymore.

The iPad cable looks just like iPhone cable but it looks like they are not made of the same material.

I've Run into,this problem recently, myself. I got a replacement iPad 2 after I'd shattered the screen on the original iPad 2. I noticed that it charges at a rate of 10% per hour, using the same charging gear as before (including the 10w adapter the first iPad 2 came with). I drained the battery, charged it up full to calibrate. Same charge rate. Even with aftermarket cables I've seen my previous iPad charge at a far faster rate. I've even tried a different 10w charger that the previous iPod used. So I'm not sure what's up. It is charging and the charge holds very nicely for a long time.

Sadly, for me, replacing the iPad means either driving 3.5 hours to the nearest Apple Store (which is what I did recently) or sending this one in to Apple and being without it or a replacement for a week or two.

After reading this thread, I decided to take a close look at the cables. I noticed the iPad and iPhone cables-while they look nearly identical-are, in fact, of different diameters, the iPad's being the larger of the two.

I'm also having the same problem. My original iPad USB cable got lost so I bought a cheap cable coz there's no "cable only" for sale, you have to buy a charger and it's too expensive. I had to charge my iPad for 8 hours.

how can i test my cables?