That means it’s unlikely to be a PD charger.
Hey @James292715,
It’s likely that your Samsung wall charger has some sort of sticker or text on it that lets you know the specifics of the output power.
Maybe if you post a photo of that, we could get a better idea of how it is interacting with your Pico?
This thread is a great example of how no question is stupid 
Love the community!
I am fairly new to tinkering and MCUs and I have used phone chargers in the past to power-up dev boards like Pico as long as the adapter is rated 5V output (and use VIN pin if not powering by microUSB). Surprised to read other experiences but I’m learning from them.
This is good but I’d recommend try using software like Fritzing for convenience and better documentation of your own work.
PC
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Hi James
That might say it all. The output could be 9V or 5V. I don’t know how it knows what is wanted as I have no used one of these but someone is sure to know. Maybe you somehow got the 9V activated. Or maybe the 9V was there when you put it outside and it took a while for the Pico to finally give up.
Just a thought.
Cheers Bob
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Just a thought James - the breadboard was outside and the photoresistor was obviously exposed. Was the rest of the bread board exposed to overnight condensation / dew? possible short.
Cheers, Dave
I put it in a clear box with a hole drilled in it for the cable. There was no condensation inside thr box when i looked in the morning.
You haven’t indicated how the charger was connected to the Pico. If you plugged it in through the USB then if the charger accidentally provided 9V instead of 5V it is possible that the regulator on the Pico got fried, because it is only rated for a maximum input voltage of 5.5V. The Pico does not include anything at the USB-C socket to indicate to the charger that it is a PD connector, but it is not clear how that charger determines whether the required voltage is 5V or 9V. The user manual says “• Use only with compatible Samsung mobile devices.” and seems to imply that it is only for use with a specific Samsung product. But then that’s pretty much what they all say, and it’s hard to know when to believe it and when it doesn’t matter. It’s possible that the charger uses some different rule for setting a 5V or 9V charging rate, and although it’s hard to tell from the scanty information that Samsung provides, it is quite possible that it damaged the device if you connected it direct to the 5V USB. If it’s the regulator on the Pico that got fried then you would see that with 5V provided at the USB port there is not 3.3V at pin 36.
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It was plugged i to the usb port on the pico.
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Just reading threw this : GitHub - vdeconinck/QC3Control: Set the voltage of a Quick Charge 3.0 source via the Arduino.
And I believe the Samsung used a version of QC.
It seems it can work a little diffent depending on version and wiring (see site overview for the setup)
if the USB D- is 600mV and D+ is 0v = 5v output
if the USB D- is 600mV and D+ is 3.3v = 9v output
So depending on the levels of D+ and D- where doing would potential alter.
Key point, this is NOT a usb packet, its a voltage level on the wires.
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The Pico schematic does not indicate any resistors on the USB D pins, but it’s possible that something went wrong and the charger got confused. Checking pin 36 with 5V connected would confirm it’s the regulator.
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Hi James
Maybe this is one case where the manufacturer really means what they say.
I think it would be wise to believe what the manufacturers say until proven wrong. Safer that way
I have had a bit to say on this subject in the past but if people insist on using a device for something it is not designed to do they have to put up with any undesirable consequences that might come their way. Example the difference between a phone CHARGER and a power SUPPLY.
Cheers Bob
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Ya lesson learned. I purchased a proper power supply as well as another couple Picos. I wont make the same mistake again.
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Hi James
Good move. Mistakes are OK as long as a lesson has been learned.
Cheers Bob
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That is the worst way to manage this kind of thing.
Shame on you Samsung, very poor design just to get a faster charge rate.
Thankfully USB-C has come along.
Regards
Jim
PS My 2 cents
Hi James
We should be a little bit fair to Samsung here. According to one post above Samsung apparently do say use with “compatible” device. Maybe the “compatible” device is designed to operate with just a simple increase in voltage and the method to request it.
Samsung are a pretty big and respected outfit and I feel sure if the travel adaptor and “compatible” devices are married up the system might work as designed.
Cheers Bob
