4 ms·
Any advice on buying these? A lot of the GaN bricks look impressive, but they're always made by a sketchy peripheral maker.
by dehrmann 5y ago
Any advice on buying these? A lot of the GaN bricks look impressive, but they're always made by a sketchy peripheral maker.
- kitsunesoba 5y agoI don't know if they make the size you need, but Anker makes GaN chargers and their products are usually pretty solid.
- scottlamb 5y ago* Make sure they are UL listed for safety, as Animats pointed out in an earlier discussion. [1] Some aren't, even from well-known brands like Anker. * If they are multi-port, make sure you're happy with how they distribute power. Most likely you want the majority of the power going to port 1 where you stick a laptop, but some drop it down to 50W or lower if you just have a cable in one of the other spots, much less any device connected. I love the monoprice ones. They're small, inexpensive, inconspicuous, and meet the standards I described above. They also charge all my devices reliably, unlike my (larger, I think non-GaN) Nekteck chargers that spend their time in a drawer now. Buy a 5A cable to get the full 100W out of them at 20V. [1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21679302 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21679302
- X-Istence 5y agoEven-though the Anker brick I have does not have an Underwriters Laboratory logo on it, it does have a TUV and a CE logo. TUV is the equivalent to UL but is a testing house mostly geared towards Europe. That being said, TUV like UL is listed as a Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory (NRTL) in the United States (for more information see: https://www.tuv.com/usa/en/ctuvus-certification.html https://www.tuv.com/usa/en/ctuvus-certification.html) and thus is just as safe. The UL logo may be more recognizable in the US, however they too certify for both markets, with UL also having their UL EU certification program.
- Scoundreller 5y agoA TUV mark would only be accepted in North America it was a cTUVus stamp on it. What I wonder is if TUV in Europe just tests at just 240V if it’s labelled 100v-240v, or across the labelled voltages (though lower voltage should mean fewer problems).
- X-Istence 5y agoThe Anker power charger I have on my desk has a cTUVus logo on it.
- dddw 5y agoI can recommend the minix 66w gan charger. Ideal for travel.
- baybal2 5y ago> A lot of the GaN bricks look impressive, but they're always made by a sketchy peripheral maker. 90% of them are in fact just exact copies of Navitas reference design, and are made by just a few factories which sell white label.
- contingencies 5y agoInfineon: https://www.infineon.com/cms/en/product/power/gan-hemt-gallium-nitride-transistor/ https://www.infineon.com/cms/en/product/power/gan-hemt-galli... Nexperia: https://efficiencywins.nexperia.com/efficient-products/mosfet-and-gan-fet-application-handbook.html https://efficiencywins.nexperia.com/efficient-products/mosfe... TI: https://www.ti.com/lit/pdf/tiduds8a https://www.ti.com/lit/pdf/tiduds8a
- mschuster91 5y agoFor chargers, I exclusively buy Anker. They're the best there is.
- tim333 5y agoI'm currently charging the Air M1 off a 20W Anker Nano which is kind of amazing it works for a 30g device although it charges very slowly but is quite handy to drop in your bag in case you run out. I've ordered a 45W one but they are out of stock presently. (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Charger-Anker-Durable-PowerPort-Included-White/dp/B08PP3B5MC/ref=psdc_1326521031_t2_B087FY53G3 https://www.amazon.co.uk/Charger-Anker-Durable-PowerPort-Inc...)
- watersb 5y agoI have a collection of RAVPower GaN chargers that are very solid so far. Been using them for about a year now. In fact, the Apple power brick that came with my M1 MacBook Pro is still in its original packaging; I have not used it yet. The 65 Watt RAVPower one seems as if it's about half the size. More than half the mass, though. (I have never needed to try warranty support for RAVPower things.)