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USB-C is about to go from 100W to 240W, enough to power beefier laptops

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Re: USB-C is about to go from 100W to 240W, enough to power beefier laptops

#171

Post by vmception »

grawprog wrote: post #113
cletus wrote: post #11

I look forward to USB 4.1a Type C.2 Phase iii.b Gen 3E and the 482646282 different cable capability combinations that all plug in and have no distinction of those capabilities whatsoever. I also look forward to all the necessary and helpful posts telling me how the identical ports on my laptop are in fact diffferent despite their identical appearance. But at least everything uses the same plug, so that’s nice.

I haven't had to delve into the world of trying to find an appropriate USB-C cable until fairly recently. I didn't actually understand the situation thinking a replacement USB-C cable should just work. Oh hell no and none of the packaging actually explains what features a cable supports, none of them actually explain what the cable is actually compatible with. The little android logo doesn't mean shit. Sure, you migh…

Try finding any accessory that has USBC

Its been over 5 years already

If your phone is about to die because yiu checked out of a hotel in the morning and your flight is at night and you are just cruising around in a car, you will not be able to stop anywhere and get a USBC car charger.

So anyway LPT: get USBC accessories on Amazon in advance and dont rely on them to have any particular feature of quality control.

Re: USB-C is about to go from 100W to 240W, enough to power beefier laptops

#172

Post by unnouinceput »

mavhc wrote: post #52

Powering 90% of the things in your house via DC power should be the future, no more switching from DC solar/battery back to AC and then back to DC again for no reason.

At 5V and your household needs: 1- refrigerator (400W when it motor is running); 2- vacuum cleaner (1000W when running); 3- TV's/PC's/light-bulbs (around 1000W in the evening when all are running at the same time) - all these amounts to at least ~2.5KW power. Now divide that by 5 and you get the intensity at 500A. Do you have any idea how thick the copper would need to be to allow 500A? a full 1cm x 1cm. Any idea how heavy that going to be? Or how expensive? That's why even for 10m distance AC at 220V is better.

Re: USB-C is about to go from 100W to 240W, enough to power beefier laptops

#173

Post by mnouquet »

burntwater wrote: post #135
gjsman-1000 wrote: post #133

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The leaks say MagSafe is coming back on the MBP 14" and 16" laptops coming, possibly, at WWDC next month.

I've sworn off the past 5ish years of Apple laptops, but if they bring MagSafe back, ideally along with a non-Touchbar option, that just might be enough to bring me back!

OOTH, you'll still be stuck with Big Sur (or worse).

Re: USB-C is about to go from 100W to 240W, enough to power beefier laptops

#174

Post by skybrian »

cletus wrote: post #11

I look forward to USB 4.1a Type C.2 Phase iii.b Gen 3E and the 482646282 different cable capability combinations that all plug in and have no distinction of those capabilities whatsoever. I also look forward to all the necessary and helpful posts telling me how the identical ports on my laptop are in fact diffferent despite their identical appearance. But at least everything uses the same plug, so that’s nice.

It actually is sort of nice, because "works" isn't binary. It's nice to be able to charge a laptop with what you have, even if it doesn't charge quite as fast. You can transfer data over a cable at lower speeds even if it doesn't run at top speed.

Using the "right" cable is performance optimization. This isn't like the old days when plugging things in the wrong way might damage your machine.

Re: USB-C is about to go from 100W to 240W, enough to power beefier laptops

#175

Post by mnouquet »

bravo22 wrote: post #72
Synaesthesia wrote: post #10

240W through those little pins in that little plug? I don't know if I want to power that large of a laptop with such a little plug.

Pin size limits the available current. 48V @ 5A = 240W

Does USBIF spec out conductor gauge ? For 5A, I wouldn't go anywhere below 20 or 22 gauge, but I highly doubt it's gonna be the case.

Re: USB-C is about to go from 100W to 240W, enough to power beefier laptops

#176

Post by mnouquet »

lmilcin wrote: post #121

5A, 50V Good luck. USB port just isn't physically ready for this. This is going to end with some spectacular fireworks once you factor in cheap Chinese engineering for cables, ports and chargers.

I bet people downvoting you don't understand physics... :-/

Re: USB-C is about to go from 100W to 240W, enough to power beefier laptops

#177

Post by djrogers »

asdff wrote: post #164
the_pwner224 wrote: post #143

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Thunderbolt cables generally have a lightning bolt mark, and are expensive and short and thick+inflexible. And because of that, you likely don't have any except for the one coming out of a thunderbolt dock or external GPU enclosure etc.

My apple cable I believe is thunderbolt but I'm not sure. It's white with no marking.

If there's no lightning bolt marking, it's just a charge & USB 2.0 cable, not thunderbolt. Genuine Apple Thunderbolt cables are marked, and the one you got with your MacBook for charging isn't one.

Re: USB-C is about to go from 100W to 240W, enough to power beefier laptops

#179

Post by djrogers »

asdff wrote: post #165
polutropos wrote: post #138

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Your Thunderbolt cables don't have the lightening bolt logo on them? I didn't think it was a 'requirement' but every TB cable I've seen always has the thunderbolt icon.

Not my apple one.

Then it's either not genuine Apple or it's not Thunderbolt. This is what an Apple Thunderbolt cable looks like:

https://www.apple.com/shop/product/MD862LL/A/apple-thunderbo...

Re: USB-C is about to go from 100W to 240W, enough to power beefier laptops

#180

Post by jquery »

madsbuch wrote: post #162
grlass wrote: post #134

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I wonder if the the committee have looked at integrating colour or some other indicator into the standard so that cable/port capabilities are clear visually. Though ofc the design challenge is for users to feel comfortable that putting red into blue won't break anything, it just might not give the expected features.

Or! We could go one step further, and change the connector to make sure that people use them correctly. Wouldn't that be clever!?

Didn’t Europe ban this?
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