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I know at some point I'm sure I asked for fewer connector types. Seeing it now: I suspect unique connectors to a purpose is insanely useful usability. Immediat

I know at some point I'm sure I asked for fewer connector types. Seeing it now: I suspect unique connectors to a purpose is insanely useful usability. Immediate failure feedback has it's uses. See NEMA outlet variation [1]. [1]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NEMA_connector#/media/File:NEMA_simplified_pins.svg https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NEMA_connector#/media/File:NEM...

city41 5y ago
I recently received a new work laptop in the mail. And IT had stuck a piece of paper inside explaining it is essential I only charge it with the charger it came with, other usb-c chargers/cables might not work and could possibly damage the laptop. I am very ignorant on usb-c, but to me it seems crazy it's come to things like that.
- maxerickson 5y ago
  How true is it?
  - Macha 5y ago
    Not working? Totally true. Damaging it? There's definitely historical evidence for it [1], but I think the situation is a little improved these days. I personally had a nexus 5x charger damage a Pixel 3a such that that charger and usb a-c cables were the only ones which would work in that device from then on. [1]: https://www.engadget.com/2016-02-03-benson-leung-chromebook-pixel-usb-type-c-test.html https://www.engadget.com/2016-02-03-benson-leung-chromebook-...
    - donatj 5y ago
      Fwiw, I have been charging my Pixel 3aXL with my Nexus 5X charger every night since I got the 3aXL a year and a half ago without issue.
    - jazzyjackson 5y ago
      I had a pixel 3a melt its own charging port, drawing too much power from an aftermarket usb hub
  - concinds 5y ago
    Bad USB-C cables and hubs could brick M1 Macbooks as recently as February of this year before Apple issued an update.
  - adzm 5y ago
    Off brand chargers are probably more of a concern than the actual cable. There are some really shoddy ones out there.
  - neoromantique 5y ago
    Not very, barring some ridiculous chinese knock-offs. Normally low power cable wouldn't be able to negotiate more power than what it is rated for.
  - frosted-flakes 5y ago
    You can charge with any cable that supports that power level. The problem is you can buy cheap cables that don't meet standards and can burn up. Or, the laptop won't charge at all because the user's own charger doesn't support Power Delivery, and IT doesn't want to deal with supporting 3rd party chargers—I know my Dell XPS 13 won't charge over normal USB at all, and needs a 45W charger to charge at full speed.
  - atatatat 5y ago
    Lots of Nintendo Switch charger/dock anecdotes revealing issues here.
    - mschuster91 5y ago
      Most of the anecdotes revolve around a specific faulty dock whose manufacturer thought it were a brilliant idea to implement PD with a microcontroller that used 9V signalling level, whereas the (standard compliant!) Switch PD chip expected 5V (with 6V max) and as a result, the dock fried the Switch's PD chip. Also, the Nintendo Switch Dock's male USB-C plug is a tiny bit more narrow to provide a smooth slide in/out (and the Switch-side female receptacle is standard-conforming)... un-licensed and thus unaware dock vendors cluelessly tried to emulate that and botched the tolerances, exposing the CC pins to 15V. See https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2019/08/heres-why-nintendo-switch-consoles-keep-frying/ https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2019/08/heres-why-nintendo-sw... for more. tl;dr: the Switch is standards-compliant, the problem are third party accessories.
  - philistine 5y ago
    My own work laptop is a bit old and has a barrel plug and USB-C. When the laptop is truly out of juice, only the barrel plug will charge it. So I can't leave it at work. YMMV.
  - nikau 5y ago
    Not at all - its likely they wanted to reduce support calls from people who try and charge the laptop using mobile phone and other inappropriate chargers. I use dell, Lenovo, & apple PD chargers interchangeably without issues.
    - IshKebab 5y ago
      You can charge a laptop with a mobile phone charger. It just charges really really slowly (or probably not at all if you're actually using it).
      - llampx 5y ago
        Depends on the charger and on the laptop whether that works.
      - disiplus 5y ago
        i could not charge my late 2016 pro with my huawei charger (45w)
        hadlock 5y ago
        The 2016 model will charge in sleep mode on a 30w charger, it's just glacially slow, 2-3% per hour at best. 65W seems to be the universal standard for day-to-day use with laptops.
      - nikau 5y ago
        Generally it has to be usb-pd and 45W or more in my experience.
  - hadlock 5y ago
    I think that piece of paper spreading FUD is a simple attempt by the IT department to minimize the number of people trying to charge their laptop off of an 10-18w cell phone charger and generating charging failure tickets in the system Dell famously won't charge off anything less than 65w USB-C PD when turned on, and I think 30w when turned off. Apple will trickle charge when off, on 15w (standard phone charger) if the charger truly is USB-C PD compliant (about 50% of the time these days) Given that most people don't own a 65W USB-C PD charger (yet) I can see the IT department adding warnings in an attempt to avoid confusion and reduce the amount of extra work. That said, I've been using USB-C 65W chargers since the original Pixelbook came out + Nexus 5, and later Anker branded 65W chargers and I've never had any problems. I generally don't use off brand stuff though.
  - viraptor 5y ago
    Not common, but there are models more susceptible to issues than others. For example I've got a Lenovo Yoga which breaks when connected to an apple charger. The touchpad starts to misbehave and if you put it to sleep, it won't wake up until you disconnect the charger. (no long term damage though as far as I can tell) OnePlus 6 phone behaves correctly, but gets much hotter with the apple charger than with its own / google nexus / lenovo.
  - pantalaimon 5y ago
    The Nintendo Switch famously has this problem on third-party USB-C docks
  - skrap 5y ago
    I burned out my XPS 15 USB-C charging electronics by using a high-end charger. I think many laptops of a certain age were not rigorously tested for USB charging. Hopefully that's changing.
- deleted 5y ago
  [deleted]
icelancer 5y ago
The NEMA code is exactly what I think about when I think about USB-C's failures. Imagine if NEMA connectors were standardized and the voltage/amperage was disconnected from the shape of the connector? Ridiculous. While a standardized USB-C connector with non-standardized features isn't that dangerous, it's equally stupid, and was solved decades ago.
- kortex 5y ago
  1) NEMA connectors cannot signal how much voltage/power they can handle though. If they could, there would be more pressure to use a single connector 2) You absolutely can plug the wrong IEC13/14 cable in to incompatible devices, or pass more capacity than it's rated for. For example, I've seen equipment with IEC14 sockets that only takes 120V (not SMPS), nothing stopping you from plugging in a UK240xIEC13 and letting some angry pixies loose. Is that IEC compliant usage? Who knows, but it's convenient so manufacturers do it anyways.
presentation 5y ago
For the purpose of power delivery this makes sense, but for the purpose of sending data down a wire, most people’s use cases can be done with the throughput of most usb-c cables, it is really convenient to just use any cable lying around for any data usage.
- pishpash 5y ago
  It was a missed opportunity to decouple power delivery from data link at the port through a visible, mechanical design like maybe a two-part connector. That way the data-only portion should always work as long as you've got a proper cable.
userbinator 5y ago
I wish laptops would've standardised on the 20V barrel jack (maybe with slightly different sizes to denote current capability), like they almost did before USB-C came along.
- nikau 5y ago
  What's the advantage of that over usb-pd chargers that also deliver 20V?
  - dijit 5y ago
    That there aren't as many 5-12v ones that you can accidentally use in place of it? That there aren't a bunch of cables which _might_ work, not to be confused with the same cables that carry data.
    - nikau 5y ago
      Yeah but usb-c is safe - if its not the right protocol it just defaults to 5v and nothing gets damaged. Barrel connectors of wrong voltage and/or polarity will let out the magic smoke.
  - userbinator 5y ago
    A much simpler and more robust interface.
- izacus 5y ago
  With USB-C charger, I can charge my: - ANC Headphones - Laptop - Tablet - Phone - Portable in-ear headphones and bunch of other stuff I carry around while traveling. All of those with a single 100W laptop charger. I can't do that with a barrel connector. It's a huge improvement despite "confusion" everyone on this site loves harping on.
  - dijit 5y ago
    I'd be very cool with a charging standard that included the needed info. 20v/140w :: 12v/80w etc; and a different connector for _data_ with similar markings for 40G/20G/10G/5G/480Mb

city41 5y ago

I recently received a new work laptop in the mail. And IT had stuck a piece of paper inside explaining it is essential I only charge it with the charger it came with, other usb-c chargers/cables might not work and could possibly damage the laptop. I am very ignorant on usb-c, but to me it seems crazy it's come to things like that.

maxerickson 5y ago
How true is it?
- Macha 5y ago
  Not working? Totally true. Damaging it? There's definitely historical evidence for it [1], but I think the situation is a little improved these days. I personally had a nexus 5x charger damage a Pixel 3a such that that charger and usb a-c cables were the only ones which would work in that device from then on. [1]: https://www.engadget.com/2016-02-03-benson-leung-chromebook-pixel-usb-type-c-test.html https://www.engadget.com/2016-02-03-benson-leung-chromebook-...
  - donatj 5y ago
    Fwiw, I have been charging my Pixel 3aXL with my Nexus 5X charger every night since I got the 3aXL a year and a half ago without issue.
  - jazzyjackson 5y ago
    I had a pixel 3a melt its own charging port, drawing too much power from an aftermarket usb hub
- concinds 5y ago
  Bad USB-C cables and hubs could brick M1 Macbooks as recently as February of this year before Apple issued an update.
- adzm 5y ago
  Off brand chargers are probably more of a concern than the actual cable. There are some really shoddy ones out there.
- neoromantique 5y ago
  Not very, barring some ridiculous chinese knock-offs. Normally low power cable wouldn't be able to negotiate more power than what it is rated for.
- frosted-flakes 5y ago
  You can charge with any cable that supports that power level. The problem is you can buy cheap cables that don't meet standards and can burn up. Or, the laptop won't charge at all because the user's own charger doesn't support Power Delivery, and IT doesn't want to deal with supporting 3rd party chargers—I know my Dell XPS 13 won't charge over normal USB at all, and needs a 45W charger to charge at full speed.
- atatatat 5y ago
  Lots of Nintendo Switch charger/dock anecdotes revealing issues here.
  - mschuster91 5y ago
    Most of the anecdotes revolve around a specific faulty dock whose manufacturer thought it were a brilliant idea to implement PD with a microcontroller that used 9V signalling level, whereas the (standard compliant!) Switch PD chip expected 5V (with 6V max) and as a result, the dock fried the Switch's PD chip. Also, the Nintendo Switch Dock's male USB-C plug is a tiny bit more narrow to provide a smooth slide in/out (and the Switch-side female receptacle is standard-conforming)... un-licensed and thus unaware dock vendors cluelessly tried to emulate that and botched the tolerances, exposing the CC pins to 15V. See https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2019/08/heres-why-nintendo-switch-consoles-keep-frying/ https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2019/08/heres-why-nintendo-sw... for more. tl;dr: the Switch is standards-compliant, the problem are third party accessories.
- philistine 5y ago
  My own work laptop is a bit old and has a barrel plug and USB-C. When the laptop is truly out of juice, only the barrel plug will charge it. So I can't leave it at work. YMMV.
- nikau 5y ago
  Not at all - its likely they wanted to reduce support calls from people who try and charge the laptop using mobile phone and other inappropriate chargers. I use dell, Lenovo, & apple PD chargers interchangeably without issues.
  - IshKebab 5y ago
    You can charge a laptop with a mobile phone charger. It just charges really really slowly (or probably not at all if you're actually using it).
    - llampx 5y ago
      Depends on the charger and on the laptop whether that works.
    - disiplus 5y ago
      i could not charge my late 2016 pro with my huawei charger (45w)
      - hadlock 5y ago
        The 2016 model will charge in sleep mode on a 30w charger, it's just glacially slow, 2-3% per hour at best. 65W seems to be the universal standard for day-to-day use with laptops.
    - nikau 5y ago
      Generally it has to be usb-pd and 45W or more in my experience.
- hadlock 5y ago
  I think that piece of paper spreading FUD is a simple attempt by the IT department to minimize the number of people trying to charge their laptop off of an 10-18w cell phone charger and generating charging failure tickets in the system Dell famously won't charge off anything less than 65w USB-C PD when turned on, and I think 30w when turned off. Apple will trickle charge when off, on 15w (standard phone charger) if the charger truly is USB-C PD compliant (about 50% of the time these days) Given that most people don't own a 65W USB-C PD charger (yet) I can see the IT department adding warnings in an attempt to avoid confusion and reduce the amount of extra work. That said, I've been using USB-C 65W chargers since the original Pixelbook came out + Nexus 5, and later Anker branded 65W chargers and I've never had any problems. I generally don't use off brand stuff though.
- viraptor 5y ago
  Not common, but there are models more susceptible to issues than others. For example I've got a Lenovo Yoga which breaks when connected to an apple charger. The touchpad starts to misbehave and if you put it to sleep, it won't wake up until you disconnect the charger. (no long term damage though as far as I can tell) OnePlus 6 phone behaves correctly, but gets much hotter with the apple charger than with its own / google nexus / lenovo.
- pantalaimon 5y ago
  The Nintendo Switch famously has this problem on third-party USB-C docks
- skrap 5y ago
  I burned out my XPS 15 USB-C charging electronics by using a high-end charger. I think many laptops of a certain age were not rigorously tested for USB charging. Hopefully that's changing.
deleted 5y ago
[deleted]

icelancer 5y ago

The NEMA code is exactly what I think about when I think about USB-C's failures. Imagine if NEMA connectors were standardized and the voltage/amperage was disconnected from the shape of the connector? Ridiculous. While a standardized USB-C connector with non-standardized features isn't that dangerous, it's equally stupid, and was solved decades ago.

kortex 5y ago
1) NEMA connectors cannot signal how much voltage/power they can handle though. If they could, there would be more pressure to use a single connector 2) You absolutely can plug the wrong IEC13/14 cable in to incompatible devices, or pass more capacity than it's rated for. For example, I've seen equipment with IEC14 sockets that only takes 120V (not SMPS), nothing stopping you from plugging in a UK240xIEC13 and letting some angry pixies loose. Is that IEC compliant usage? Who knows, but it's convenient so manufacturers do it anyways.

presentation 5y ago

For the purpose of power delivery this makes sense, but for the purpose of sending data down a wire, most people’s use cases can be done with the throughput of most usb-c cables, it is really convenient to just use any cable lying around for any data usage.

pishpash 5y ago
It was a missed opportunity to decouple power delivery from data link at the port through a visible, mechanical design like maybe a two-part connector. That way the data-only portion should always work as long as you've got a proper cable.

userbinator 5y ago

I wish laptops would've standardised on the 20V barrel jack (maybe with slightly different sizes to denote current capability), like they almost did before USB-C came along.

nikau 5y ago
What's the advantage of that over usb-pd chargers that also deliver 20V?
- dijit 5y ago
  That there aren't as many 5-12v ones that you can accidentally use in place of it? That there aren't a bunch of cables which _might_ work, not to be confused with the same cables that carry data.
  - nikau 5y ago
    Yeah but usb-c is safe - if its not the right protocol it just defaults to 5v and nothing gets damaged. Barrel connectors of wrong voltage and/or polarity will let out the magic smoke.
- userbinator 5y ago
  A much simpler and more robust interface.
izacus 5y ago
With USB-C charger, I can charge my: - ANC Headphones - Laptop - Tablet - Phone - Portable in-ear headphones and bunch of other stuff I carry around while traveling. All of those with a single 100W laptop charger. I can't do that with a barrel connector. It's a huge improvement despite "confusion" everyone on this site loves harping on.
- dijit 5y ago
  I'd be very cool with a charging standard that included the needed info. 20v/140w :: 12v/80w etc; and a different connector for _data_ with similar markings for 40G/20G/10G/5G/480Mb