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Outfitting your travel kit for USB-C

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Old Feb 10, 2019, 10:52 am
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Last edit by: cheltzel
If you want to use USB C for more than charging, then these two posts are useful: 1 2.

When planning your charger loadout, do note the charger your laptop shipped with is not a requirement, a lower one will be fine. For example, https://9to5mac.com/2018/09/25/60w-u...-all-macbooks/ says

the 87W charger filled up my 15-inch MacBook Pro battery more quickly than the 60W charger, but not by very much. After an hour and a half, the 87W charger added 76% battery while the 60W charger added 72%.
On the other hand, most laptops are not built to use higher wattage even if available. It won't hurt your laptop, though.

Buy chargers on Amazon at your own risk, they are known to commingle stock from every third party sellers. But, the chargers here do not have fakes (yet?) so even Amazon might be safe.

The smallest USB C chargers:
  1. Mu One. 45W. Comes with UK, US, EU folding plugs. 96 x 55 x 14mm, 82g with the UK plug attached. 3.78 x 2.17 x 0.55 inch, 2.89oz. Manufacturer shop, https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07N1PK1RP https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07N1PK1RP
  2. RAVPower GaN 45W : 72 x 54 x 14.9mm / 2.83 x 2.12 x 0.59inch, 75g / 2.65oz. This is a similar charger to Mu One only without the nifty plug heads. It is marginally cheaper, but without the unique multi-region folding plugs it isn't as good of an option for international travelers. Manufacturer shop, https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07H9WMW6N
  3. Innergie 60C (nee 55CC): 65W 60 x 30 x 30mm / 2.3 x 1.2 x 1.2 inch, 85g. While much thicker than the previous two, when the socket is hidden in a recess this has a much better chance to fit. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07GBYVF4Q Also, a cable is available to charge legacy laptops https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07GBYL5KZ only compatible with the Innergie 60C. This makes the Finsix Dart fully obsolete, it started as a legacy laptop charger and a USB C cable was planned and reviewed two years ago but never shipped.
If you have more than one USB C device:
  1. Satechi 75W: USB C 60W, USB C 18W, two USB A share 12W. 4" x 2.63" x 1", 11.14 oz. Manufacturer shop https://www.amazon.com/dp/B078864F15
  2. LVSUN LS-PD87-2C sold as Hyperjuice 87W charger: two USB C and one USB A all three share 87W. 4.33" x 3.86" x 0.79", 8.32oz Aliexpress Hyper https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07KLWDY9C
  3. Hyperjuice battery: 27000 mAh USB C 100W, USB C 60W, USB A 18W. 7.2" x 3" x 0.84" / 183.2 x 77.1 x 21.3 mm Manufacturer shop (although it goes through indiegogo, it is not crowdfunding, it's just a shop)
  4. Maru & Masa Kickstarter: Maru is a 82mm/3.23" diameter bagel, 28mm/1.1" thick, 7.4oz, USB C 45W, USB C 18W, two USB A share 15W, three international AC sockets, nifty interchangeable international plugs. Masa is a battery 80 x 80 x 28 / 3.15" x 3.15" x 1.1" , 11.3oz 18000 mAh, USB C 45W, USB C 15W, Qi 7.5W, kickstand. Promised shipping: April 2019 https://www.kickstarter.com/projects...e-yet-powerful
  5. SuperTank & SuperPort 4 Kickstarter: SuperPort 4 is a 114 x 100 x 24 / 4.5" x 3.95" x .95" charger, weight not disclosed, USB C 100W, USB C 18W, two USB ports share 18W. SuperTank is a 27000 mAh battery w/ lots of features, 4.7" x 2.8" x 1.6", 17oz USB C 100W, USB C 60W, USB A 18W, USB A 15W all ports share 138W Promised shipping: May 2019 https://www.kickstarter.com/projects...ek-recharge-in
  6. AlsterPlus Kickstarter: 7.4" x 3.28" x 0.85", 20oz / 568gr, 27000mAh battery with 2 x 100W USB-C + 2x 18W USB-A, lots of features. All ports share 156W.
  7. Anker Atom PD4. Two USB C, two USB A all share 100W, USB A per port is 12W max. 4.1" x 3.3" x 1.3", 13.5oz. https://www.amazon.com/Anker-Chargin.../dp/B07VSMK849
  8. MagicFox PD180. This is a DC-DC unit, it takes 12-28V 180W via a 5.5mm x 2.5mm jack or 100W max via USB- C input and provides three ports: USB C 100W, USB C 40W, USB A 40W. Size 3.15" x 2.76" x 0.53", 3.44oz. Possible interesting AC-DC choices: Lenovo 4X20Q88542 at 135W either from Encompass with very long ship times or from Japan via Rakuten, Lenovo-to-5.5mm plug adapter here. 4.65" x 3" x .83", 15.24oz. If that's not enough Razer has a 180W which, AFAIK has the right plug. Notably light at 14.82oz, 5.98" / 152mm x 2.87" / 73mm x 0.93" / 23.5mm. The MagicFox PD180 itself is, so far, China only, I had good experiences with Superbuy as proxy so https://www.superbuy.com/en/page/buy...832086035.html While the MagicFox PD180 itself is cheap, high wattage, quality, lightweight AC-DC adapters are anything but.
Getting multiple units from the small section can be more compact and versatile. It is expensive, though and requires plugging multiple devices. Recommended: power strip, wall tap, wall tap. Add USB A ports via slim chargers, Amazon list and https://www.amazon.com/dp/B016XO41KQ/

Cabling wise, AmazomBasics and Monoprice is your friend. Do not use female USB C to USB A / micro USB adapters, these are explicitly forbidden by the USB C standard. Male USB C to USB A / micro USB is fine.

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Outfitting your travel kit for USB-C

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Old Sep 20, 2023 | 2:25 pm
  #781  
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Not the smallest or most powerful option available, but...

Amazon has the
Anker 615 Anker 615
available for $39.99. (Look for the green "Savings" heading and click redeem, or use promo code ANKER9125S to get that price).

This is only 65 watts, so whilst it has 3 USB ports (2xC, 1xA) it will only charge one device at what would normally be full speed. If you plug in 2 USB-C, it'll drop to 45 watts, which is still enough to charge most things (at least when idle), but will obviously be slower. The real benefit over most of their other devices is the 3 foot power cord, and the fact it's a "power strip" (if only with a single socket!)
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Old Sep 20, 2023 | 3:03 pm
  #782  
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Originally Posted by docbert
Not the smallest or most powerful option available, but...

Amazon has the Anker 615 available for $39.99. (Look for the green "Savings" heading and click redeem, or use promo code ANKER9125S to get that price).

This is only 65 watts, so whilst it has 3 USB ports (2xC, 1xA) it will only charge one device at what would normally be full speed. If you plug in 2 USB-C, it'll drop to 45 watts, which is still enough to charge most things (at least when idle), but will obviously be slower. The real benefit over most of their other devices is the 3 foot power cord, and the fact it's a "power strip" (if only with a single socket!)
I was trying to figure out how this negotiates charge rates. In the description I found this helpful nte:


Also, note that this works with power sources up to 240v (as do many similar power strips). Thanks for the suggestion -- I'm ordering one of these!
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Old Sep 20, 2023 | 4:08 pm
  #783  
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So this topic becomes even more timely with the introduction of iPhones with USB-C ports. As noted above I have already purchased several USB-C fast chargers so this will not result in much disruption though I may have to purchase a few more C<->C cords (though I believe the phones come with them).

Unfortunately I have no plans to purchase new Airpod Pros so I will still need to carry a C->lightning cord. And perhaps replace the A->lightning with an A->C cord for rental cars (see discussion above). But we are getting there...

Now what to do with all those soon-to-be-useless ipad charging cubes, A->lighting and C->lightning cords. Maybe a bulk sale on ebay or at the local flea market? Or perhaps I should bring them to Mexico on my next trip?
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Old Sep 22, 2023 | 1:55 pm
  #784  
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I received the Anker 615 referred to above. It's pretty nice, but when using the USB-C connectors to charge my MacBook laptop it only seems to get recognized as a high speed charge device after about a minute of negotiation. That is to say the power icon goes from to a minute after I plug the machine into this power supply. Plugging into any other power supply seems to get it recogni⚡ed almost instantly. My phone sees it as a fast charger instantly.
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Old Sep 30, 2023 | 12:48 pm
  #785  
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For everyone looking for cables both A-C and C-C. https://www.mycablemart.com/ I picked up a few 6ft C-C 100w PD certified cables for $6 each and a bunch of A-C 5gbps cables for $5 each. MyCableMart has always had incredibly high quality cables, I've never had one go bad on me.
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Old Oct 30, 2023 | 9:23 am
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Oh well, the Baseus Gan5 slim adapter looks to apparently be nothing special: while it does allow for the slimmer profile, its performance is apparently not great
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Old Oct 30, 2023 | 1:39 pm
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I have an Aukey 65 watt multiport charger.

Only 2 ports.

I was using for my MacBook Pro, using only the USB-C PD port and my MBP would disconnect and reconnect over and over again, that is the indicator showing that it's being charged.

Switched to a mini Anker charger, again 65W PD GAN with two ports, but using only the USB-C PD port.

I guess you get what you pay for. I think the Anker was $10-20 more.

OTOH, I have a Baseus multi port charger, 2 USB-C and 2 USB-A ports, 65 watts. Nice build quality. But when I connect my iPhone 15 Pro Max to one of the USB-C ports, it does the same thing, continually trying to maintain a charging connection. This occurs when I'm connect a third or fourth device, even something as light as my AirPod Pro case connected to one of the USB-A ports via a Lightning cable.

I can understand the chargers struggling to sustain a power connection to my 14-inch MBP, with M1 Pro processor, not even an M1 Max.

But charging an iPhone and AirPods Pro at the same time?

I'm wondering if going to a 100 or 120 watt multi port charger would make a difference. Those are larger so maybe better to get two smaller chargers instead.
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Old Oct 31, 2023 | 11:36 pm
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Originally Posted by Boraxo
Now what to do with all those soon-to-be-useless ipad charging cubes, A->lighting and C->lightning cords. Maybe a bulk sale on ebay or at the local flea market? Or perhaps I should bring them to Mexico on my next trip?
Cant do anything with the lightning cables except sell them (or keep them for old devices), but any USB-A chargers should still be usable with a USB-A to USB-C cable just no USB-PD charging, probably limited to the previous charging limits.

(So, likely 5W, 10W or 12W, dependent on your chargers limitations; new devices should all be able to use Apples 2.4A@5V spec / 12W capability.)
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Last edited by crackjack; Nov 1, 2023 at 8:08 am
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Old Nov 1, 2023 | 7:30 am
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Originally Posted by frappant
OTOH, I have a Baseus multi port charger, 2 USB-C and 2 USB-A ports, 65 watts. Nice build quality. But when I connect my iPhone 15 Pro Max to one of the USB-C ports, it does the same thing, continually trying to maintain a charging connection. This occurs when I'm connect a third or fourth device, even something as light as my AirPod Pro case connected to one of the USB-A ports via a Lightning cable.

I can understand the chargers struggling to sustain a power connection to my 14-inch MBP, with M1 Pro processor, not even an M1 Max.

But charging an iPhone and AirPods Pro at the same time?
The Baseus is having issues with the power renegotiation for whatever reason.

Could be an issue with the Baseuss controller, could be an issue with one of your devices calling for too much power, could be your device is asking for too low a charge so the Baseus redirects the power only to find it has to again send power to the low-current device and thus renegotiates, could be the Baseus an issue with too much wattage being drawn on one circuit causing a safety shutdown and thus requiring the renegotiation.

Perhaps the higher wattage charger will help, or maybe the charger just needs a different profile for its power sharing/negotiation.

Of course, I am just throwing theories out - I am not an expert and plus, there are too many unknowns here. Perhaps someone like chx would be able to give better advice.

Last edited by crackjack; Nov 1, 2023 at 7:37 am
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Old Nov 1, 2023 | 11:29 am
  #790  
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Originally Posted by crackjack
Cant do anything with the lightning cables except sell them (or keep them for old devices)
I purchased a 4 pack of lightning to USB C adapters from Amazon. There are lots of rental cars with USB A only and no wireless Apple carplay which was my last rental at HPN
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Old Nov 1, 2023 | 7:11 pm
  #791  
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Originally Posted by TGarza
I purchased a 4 pack of lightning to USB C adapters from Amazon. There are lots of rental cars with USB A only and no wireless Apple carplay which was my last rental at HPN
Is there an authorised / quality adapter other than Apples $30 one?

As reasonably decent USB-A to USB-C (USB 2.0) cables
can go for $5 each for 3ft can go for $5 each for 3ft
(and $10 for USB 3.x), that is preferred
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Old Nov 2, 2023 | 12:33 am
  #792  
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Originally Posted by crackjack
As reasonably decent USB-A to USB-C (USB 2.0) cables can go for $5 each for 3ft (and $10 for USB 3.x), that is preferred…
A new cable is definitely the best way to go, particularly as cheap as they are. You can also use a
male A to female C adapter male A to female C adapter
and any C-C cord you already have. That adapter is technically banned by the USB standard because you can do stupid things with it, but it's fine for using a C-C (or C-lightning) cable on a USB-A port. I've used one for CarPlay and Android Auto in rental cars for years.
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Old Nov 2, 2023 | 4:33 am
  #793  
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Originally Posted by der_saeufer
A new cable is definitely the best way to go, particularly as cheap as they are. You can also use a male A to female C adapter and any C-C cord you already have. That adapter is technically banned by the USB standard because you can do stupid things with it, but it's fine for using a C-C (or C-lightning) cable on a USB-A port. I've used one for CarPlay and Android Auto in rental cars for years.

We may have discussed this before but at the risk of repeating myself, personally I would stay away from such dumb adapters.

The one below is much better, with a pull up resistor and chip; I carry one in my travel kit, just in case.

(I do use use USB-A to USB-C cables with old USB-A chargers at home, particularly when fast charging is not needed. My Nitecore battery came with one, think I got others with external SSDs or HHD enclosures, though those would be 5Gbps+ capable.)

I have seen the same from other brands, but at least CC is a semi-known entity.

(I may have been wrong before, I believe the pull up resistor is the key to identifying the host end, while the chip enables 5Gbps data speeds.)

Originally Posted by crackjack

There are active adapters with a controller chip inside which are ok - I think these are essentially a USB-C hub with 1-out hardwired as a male legacy connector - but I believe those are only USB A adapters, e.g. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B074V4QBS4).
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Last edited by crackjack; Nov 2, 2023 at 4:51 am
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Old Nov 2, 2023 | 9:57 am
  #794  
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"Dumb" adapters should have the resistor just like an A-C cable, to indicate to the PD device that it can't pull more than 5V/2A. When Android phones first started using USB-C, there were a lot of really sketchy A-C cables out there. Benson Leung at Google was testing them and reporting the dangerous ones, but that seems to have trailed off as C-C got more common.

The one you linked is also USB 3.0 capable, which the $3 adapter I use isn't. For the small extra price over a no-name adapter, I'd recommend it too. It's better than having to carry an extra cable just for the rental car.
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Old Nov 2, 2023 | 9:47 pm
  #795  
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Originally Posted by der_saeufer
The one you linked is also USB 3.0 capable, which the $3 adapter I use isn't. For the small extra price over a no-name adapter, I'd recommend it too. It's better than having to carry an extra cable just for the rental car.
Yes, I only bought it after seeing Bensons acknowledgement of it. Especially, he confirmed that it checks for and blocks unsafe connections between USB-A ports, e.g. will not allow Vbus voltage on the following:
Device-A < A-cable-C >Adapter> A-Device, or
Device-A <Adapter< C-cable-C >Adapter> A-Device

(Granted, people with a bit of an understanding on how USB works shouldnt try something like that but you can never account for the lets see what this does factor. Better to have the smarts in there just in case.)
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