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> The coolest part is the thing is powered by a USB C. [This is] a breath of fresh air. Serious question, looking for a serious answer from you: Why? The wafe
by simoncion 2y ago
> The coolest part is the thing is powered by a USB C. [This is] a breath of fresh air.
Serious question, looking for a serious answer from you: Why?
The wafer-style USB-C connector is mechanically inferior to the size of barrel-style connectors that are typically used for 100+W applications. It's far less resistant to torque and shear, and due to its small size is significantly easier to accidentally dislodge. While accidental disconnection isn't a huge problem for a battery-powered machine, this thing is wall-powered.
Making things worse, unless you want to roll the dice on Amazon not sending you something that might burn your house down due to underspecced conductors and/or connectors, you're going to have to pay a significant fraction of the cost of the PSU for the cable to connect it.
There are also the ergonomic factors to consider. On the overwhelming majority of consumer hardware that's powered with a barrel-style connector, there's only one place where that connector fits. However, on much-to-most of the consumer hardware that's powered with a USB-C connector, there are many plugs that will accept the power supply cable but will refuse to use it to power the hardware. Perhaps one day in the distant future, manufacturers will universally pay the money to make all USB-C-shaped plugs capable of powering the USB-C-connector-powered-hardware they're built in to, but that day is not today.
And sure, you can reasonably retort with "Well, you just keep trying plugs until it works.", as well as "Well, just turn on a light and read the printing on the plugs.". These aren't huge hassles. But I remember that one of the big hassles that the USB-C connector saved us from was "You don't have to try to plug it in three times to get it right.". Going from "Well, it just works, first try!" to "Well, you just have to find the right plug to make it work. Keep trying!" is backwards and a little sad.
- nashashmi 2y agoA use case is portability. I can transport the device between dock equipped workstations. Having to plug and unplug just one port vs 2 is a lot easier. I am not concerned with durability of the port. My experience with one of many usb port suited for high power delivery has been uneventful. I know my devices well enough. The only drawback is insufficient power delivery from docks. It’s only necessary to me that it works with less power.
- simoncion 2y agoCalling "being able to detach and reattach one cable" (assuming that the external power supply you're planning to use can actually handle the power and data transfer job you're asking of it, so really this is a capability which just isn't going to work some-to-much of the time) a "breath of fresh air" is pretty seriously overstating things. Especially when you're going to have a hard time powering a powerful small machine... 120->240W doesn't provide a lot of grunt.
- jokethrowaway 2y agoMy RPI is powered via USB-C but if it's the wrong cable or the wrong power source then it's useless; the device will boot and then restart immediately Pretty useless standard if the specs can vary so much
- simoncion 2y agoOn the one hand, if you plug in a power adapter that doesn't provide enough power to most anything, the powered device will malfunction. On the other hand, it's often the case with high-powered devices that power adapters that won't provide enough power simply won't fit in the receptacles of devices that need more power. (On the OTHER other hand, it's very rare [0] that a power adapter will ship with a cable that isn't rated for the load that the adapter is rated for.) [0] Well, unless you're buying drop-shipped trash from Amazon... but in that case, the whole damn assembly is probably a serious fire and/or electrocution hazard.