Here is your new device with a USB-C port*
only compatible with the specific cable provided in the box
this post was submitted on 28 Dec 2024
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i see people complain about this constantly yet i have never heard anyone irl complain about it, i'm starting to believe you're all literally just making it the fuck up
I'm pretty sure people are just reading what they want to read. The actual box will say something like "please only use the cable provided", and this makes sense because that's the only cable they have tested to be safe.
It's just a simple phrase to make sure that when some idiot uses three different converters on six cord extensions, he can't sue the company when his house is on fire.
No there are some silly proprietary techs which either prevent compatibility or severely limit charging speed. As well as a lot of devices which simply didn’t bother to put any circuitry in and just used the USB-C port as a dumb power connector which only works with their charger and cable. I provided examples in my last message.
People assume it's "just a cable" and might not understand some of the details.
Cables contain a chip to tell devices the power they can carry safely.
So most USB-C cables should work to a degree, but might not be enough to power a device fully. The default is to allow 60W, but the USB-C standard currently allows for up to 240W. So a random seizure-brand cable from Amazon may "work" but be unable to power the device while it's running.
There was also an issue a few years ago where devices could draw too much power and destroy whatever was charging them. Not so bad if it was a charger, but it was happening to laptops when you plugged a phone into them.
Other things not in the standard but easy to find are USB-C extension cables, and cables with USB-A (regular rectangular USB) on one end and USB-C on the other.
Definitely, USB-C is a standard and as such can't be modified to be incompatible.
A few years ago I decided to make sure everything I purchased was USB-C where possible. Items I have that I can think of:
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Philips Sonicare toothbrush case - only works with USBA to C cable.
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BlockBlueLight hexagon night light - only charges with the cable supplied USBA to C.
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air mattress (random Amazon brand) inflator has USB c charger that will not charge anything but does allow the inflator to work, no power bank or USB-C charger works.
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I have several “non-iQ” chargers with random incompatibility between Samsung and Apple devices.
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A tennis racket style electric fly swatter works with some chargers and not others
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USB-C IR camera which works on android but not on new iPhones due to some power pin incompatibility.
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I have a drawer full of USB-C cables with various ratings up to 140w, have to select the correct one for the application.
It may be just that these are all pre-EU unifying the standards, but there is enough USB-C e-waste in my house that I purchased in good faith that USB-C means it’s compatible, but it isn’t.
The EU specified that it can't be the case.
Doesn't the regulation also specify the support of USB PD for fast charging?
USB-C is a comedy standard
Finally caught up to Brazil
too bad the usb-c standard has so many problems. still better than nothing, but definitely a big missed opportunity
Such as? The only problem I've had is that the cables tend to go bad faster than past USB cables (especially DP output and fast charging), which I can't be too mad about since so many different things are crammed down a thin wire.
USB C suffers from distance degrading earlier in distance. https://community.infineon.com/t5/Knowledge-Base-Articles/Maximum-length-of-the-cable-for-applications-in-USB-Type-C/ta-p/250571#.
There is a lack of consistent standards. They’re all over the place and manufacturers just do whatever they want. Because of this, you can literally have only one cable or adapter that works for a device. In some cases, a third party cable can actually damage the device.
My anecdotal experience:
3.5mm to USB C adapter in three versions. I need one for an Android based tablet and a laptop. I have one from three different brands, Walmart, Apple and Google. The Walmart version works, but every single time you play audio from silence a pop is heard. The Apple version doesn’t work at all. The Google version works perfectly.
For the USB cable itself, it’s rated at 100W and comes from BestBuy. My laptop detected that the provided cable isn’t their OEM version and limits power intake to 65W instead of 100W. My tablet uses the full 85W and my phone uses the full 18W from their respective chargers.
One would be under the assumption that these products are universal, but this isn’t the case.
Are you burning through USB C cables faster than micro USB cables? I think I've lost one in the past 5 years.
Yeah they last about 6 months to a year in my experience. I have MicroUSB cables from 15 years ago that still work.
What brand are you buying?
You should look at how you handle them or where do you buy them. My oldest is still fine after 8 years.
It is impossible for me to handle things gently; I have ADHD
yay!
That's very good.
Usb-c might have its issues, but who is perfect?
It works great, provided you get good cables, and its just perfect for charging. Which is this all about.
Yeah maybe the other 10th functions in usb-c standard could be messy, but this is about charging and not HDMI or audio or whatever mix.
I want 3.5mm jack for audio anyway and not usb-c!
Absolute W moment.
Can anyone tell me if this applies to cameras? I'm not in the EU but there's still lots of cameras being sold with micro usb charging and very few with usb-c.
As regards digital cameras, the radio equipment concerned is any digital photo and video camera, including action cameras. Digital cameras designed exclusively for the audiovisual sector or the security and surveillance sector should not be required to integrate the harmonised charging solution.
what constitutes exclusive audiovisual sector digital cameras I am not sure. It's probably defined elsewhere.
https://www.theverge.com/24330106/usb-c-common-charger-directive-explained-europe
This article is a bit more comprehensive, it says that every device that needs up to 100 Watt must be using USB-C, so cameras are explicitly included.
Portable gaming devices with a higher power intake seem to be excluded.