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One thing I'll tack onto this in case someone with the right knowledge comes by: anyone know a site for good reviews of charging accessories? We ask a lot of o

by sq_ 6y ago

One thing I'll tack onto this in case someone with the right knowledge comes by: anyone know a site for good reviews of charging accessories? We ask a lot of our chargers these days (e.g. 100w USB-C PD), and the price-quality curve seems to be very jumpy. Have had good experiences with companies like Anker or Aukey, but also seen tear-downs of failed units one price tier down that had zero isolation between mains voltage and what's going to the device. Would love to find some better guidance on buying such things.

gibolt 6y ago
Just stick with name brands. They go on sale regularly, aren't that pricey, and will prevent fried devices or a burnt down house
- sq_ 6y ago
  I generally agree, but with charging especially it seems to be hard to figure out what exactly "name brand" means. Obviously you've got companies like Anker that've been around for a good while, but, in my opinion at least, it can be tough to distinguish up-and-coming brands pumping out great products from not-so-great brands producing junk. For instance, I've bought stuff from Aukey and Ravpower that's worked well so far, but I wouldn't necessarily call those name brands yet in the US, unlike Anker.
x0 6y ago
If you buy it in store, it should follow your local regulations. It's generally the cheap stuff on eBay that is the problem.
- sq_ 6y ago
  I mean, at least in the US, you can buy utter crap in the store at crazy prices. Plenty of stuff that just barely hits the regulatory requirements but doesn't do any good engineering work beyond that.
- fomine3 6y ago
  Local regulation is basic so they can still sell badly implemented USB Type-C charger, non-MFi Lightning cable, and so on.
bmn__ 6y ago
https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2015/11/google-engineer-leaves-scathing-reviews-of-dodgy-usb-type-c-cables-on-amazon/ https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2015/11/google-engineer-leav... https://medium.com/@leung.benson https://medium.com/@leung.benson
- sq_ 6y ago
  Wish someone would do teardowns/testing of these cables/chargers on a wide basis (or that I had the skills to do it myself). I've seen a few people doing such things for computer PSUs, multimeters, and the like, but not for charging devices. Too bad.

by sq_ 6y ago

gibolt 6y ago

Just stick with name brands. They go on sale regularly, aren't that pricey, and will prevent fried devices or a burnt down house

sq_ 6y ago
I generally agree, but with charging especially it seems to be hard to figure out what exactly "name brand" means. Obviously you've got companies like Anker that've been around for a good while, but, in my opinion at least, it can be tough to distinguish up-and-coming brands pumping out great products from not-so-great brands producing junk. For instance, I've bought stuff from Aukey and Ravpower that's worked well so far, but I wouldn't necessarily call those name brands yet in the US, unlike Anker.

x0 6y ago

If you buy it in store, it should follow your local regulations. It's generally the cheap stuff on eBay that is the problem.

sq_ 6y ago
I mean, at least in the US, you can buy utter crap in the store at crazy prices. Plenty of stuff that just barely hits the regulatory requirements but doesn't do any good engineering work beyond that.
fomine3 6y ago
Local regulation is basic so they can still sell badly implemented USB Type-C charger, non-MFi Lightning cable, and so on.

bmn__ 6y ago

https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2015/11/google-engineer-leaves-scathing-reviews-of-dodgy-usb-type-c-cables-on-amazon/ https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2015/11/google-engineer-leav... https://medium.com/@leung.benson https://medium.com/@leung.benson

sq_ 6y ago
Wish someone would do teardowns/testing of these cables/chargers on a wide basis (or that I had the skills to do it myself). I've seen a few people doing such things for computer PSUs, multimeters, and the like, but not for charging devices. Too bad.