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EU: Call to introduce common charger for all mobile phones

europarl.europa.eu

141–150 of 185 posts

Re: EU: Call to introduce common charger for all mobile phones

#141

Earlier quoted context omitted.

OH good and mandate separate mic and audio out as well :-)

Component video out, HDMI, optical audio out, SCSI, Serial ports and a floppy drive. These should all be required by law in every device.

I meant for audio, thou was temped to add a 3.5 inch floppy to my new pc build might be difficult to fin a TREX board though

Re: EU: Call to introduce common charger for all mobile phones

#142

Why stop at mobile phones? Is there a reason laptops need so many different connectors? I am willing to bet many random connectors are just planned obsolescence or a secondary revenue stream for producers. Also, let's take this further. Any reason laptop displays can't internally have a rather standardised connector? We are throwing away perfectly good displays on broken laptops. What if I could buy a $20 adaptor and…

IMHO everything that can be safely and reliably powered via a USB cable (of whatever a relevant standard connector type) should be powered that way nowadays (with exception of PoE and other cases where a non-USB power supply actually adds significant value for the consumer). An unpleasant surprise I have recently experienced was a Nintendo Switch refusing to connect to an HDMI TV without being attached to a Nintendo…

It's actually a different story with the Switch. Apparently it doesn't follow the USB specification correctly which means if you use a charger with higher power output than the expected it damages its battery whereas if the spec was followed the device negotiates it's power requirements with the charger and avoids any damage.

Re: EU: Call to introduce common charger for all mobile phones

#143

Why stop at mobile phones? Is there a reason laptops need so many different connectors? I am willing to bet many random connectors are just planned obsolescence or a secondary revenue stream for producers. Also, let's take this further. Any reason laptop displays can't internally have a rather standardised connector? We are throwing away perfectly good displays on broken laptops. What if I could buy a $20 adaptor and…

Another example: I have an electric razor which takes up to 1A at 5V (DC). Sounds perfect for a USB charger, right? It does not have a USB connector but a proprietary thing. The one with the USB connector is labelled travel razor and costs 20 € more. It's outrageous because most likely the USB connector is even cheaper than the other because it is produced in much higher numbers.

If the charger dies before the machine itself, I will modify the cable and see how well that works.

Re: EU: Call to introduce common charger for all mobile phones

#144

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Honest question: Do you need a vendor ID if your device only supplies/draws power and doesn't use the data lines? Is a vendor ID necessary for things like USB-PD?

Yes.

How do old devices without Internet connection recognize new IDs registered after their manufacture?

Clearly, there's no ID, but rather some kind of protocol for negotiating voltage levels.

Re: EU: Call to introduce common charger for all mobile phones

#145
post #95

Why stop at mobile phones? Is there a reason laptops need so many different connectors? I am willing to bet many random connectors are just planned obsolescence or a secondary revenue stream for producers. Also, let's take this further. Any reason laptop displays can't internally have a rather standardised connector? We are throwing away perfectly good displays on broken laptops. What if I could buy a $20 adaptor and…

Why stop at computers? Dewalt, Milwaukee, Makita, and every other power tool uses its own proprietary battery connector. Why stop at DC power? Last I checked, Germany, France, England, Italy, and many of the smaller countries all had their own AC power connectors. Why stop at hardware? iMessage, Hangouts, Messenger, Slack, and all the rest use their own proprietary interfaces. I still can't even save "a spreadsheet"…

AC wall plugs all work with each other besides the UK.

Re: EU: Call to introduce common charger for all mobile phones

#146
post #73

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Let's take this further still. Why not mandate identical car tire sizes, having the fuel door in the same spot on every car, all the controls inside the car be universal... How about actually just making one car that embodies every European's needs?

Car tyres have standardised valves and fuel inlets are also standardised, and those two things are the exact equivalents to a mobile phone charging port. Car controls are obviously universal as well, so I'm not sure what your point actually is.

If you buy a new car these days you'll spend quite a bit of time figuring out the controls for the stereo, heat, interior lights,etc. Had someone standardized that we wouldn't have to spend time figuring out every car maker's new interior. Sounds great, right?

Re: EU: Call to introduce common charger for all mobile phones

#147
post #83

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Let's take this further still. Why not mandate identical car tire sizes, having the fuel door in the same spot on every car, all the controls inside the car be universal... How about actually just making one car that embodies every European's needs?

Aren't car controls pretty universal already? At least the pedals, the turn signals, the steering wheel, the "warning lights" button, the seat belt release button, the parking brake whether it is electronic or manual, are pretty much the same in any car. Gears in autos are pretty much the same (PRND) and manual transmissions have the same layout. Also, to get a closer analogy to the topic of the discussion, the fuel…

If you've never driven a BMW, you may get stuck, as the reverse is in an unexpected place and you have to lift the lever to get there, also unexpected. (As far as I remember)

Re: EU: Call to introduce common charger for all mobile phones

#148
post #135

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A government is involved, because it is fairly obvious that Apple and others are not going to take the initiative themselves. A revamp of the regulation on a common charger will help reduce considerable amount of electronic waste, which will ultimately have a positive impact on the environment.

How is having a government-mandated charging port going to have a positive environmental impact, other than by having a mandate which forces everyone to stick with their current connectors and stop adopting new ones?

There is likely to be a grace period involving a pragmatic discussion, before any regulation is passed. It will revolve around adoption of USB-C as a common standard moving forward, rather than the knee-jerk reaction you are proposing. The Commission's powers are subject to strict limits when adopting 'Delegated acts' which cannot change the essential elements of the law and must define objectives, content, scope and duration of the delegation of power. In any event, the Parliament and Council may revoke the delegation or express their objections.

Re: EU: Call to introduce common charger for all mobile phones

#149
post #73

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Car tyres have standardised valves and fuel inlets are also standardised, and those two things are the exact equivalents to a mobile phone charging port. Car controls are obviously universal as well, so I'm not sure what your point actually is.

If you buy a new car these days you'll spend quite a bit of time figuring out the controls for the stereo, heat, interior lights,etc. Had someone standardized that we wouldn't have to spend time figuring out every car maker's new interior. Sounds great, right?

It might be nice, but that's not really comparable to what this proposal entails.

Re: EU: Call to introduce common charger for all mobile phones

#150
post #95

Why stop at mobile phones? Is there a reason laptops need so many different connectors? I am willing to bet many random connectors are just planned obsolescence or a secondary revenue stream for producers. Also, let's take this further. Any reason laptop displays can't internally have a rather standardised connector? We are throwing away perfectly good displays on broken laptops. What if I could buy a $20 adaptor and…

Why stop at computers? Dewalt, Milwaukee, Makita, and every other power tool uses its own proprietary battery connector. Why stop at DC power? Last I checked, Germany, France, England, Italy, and many of the smaller countries all had their own AC power connectors. Why stop at hardware? iMessage, Hangouts, Messenger, Slack, and all the rest use their own proprietary interfaces. I still can't even save "a spreadsheet"…

> Why stop at computers? Dewalt, Milwaukee, Makita, and every other power tool uses its own proprietary battery connector.

This is a good idea too. Lots of industries 'differentiate' only to lock-in users. There is no technical reason these connectors need to be different.

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