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EU reaches deal to make USB-C a common charger for most electronic devices

engadget.com

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Re: EU reaches deal to make USB-C a common charger for most electronic devices

#91

Post by pornel »

2000UltraDeluxe wrote: post #18
lekevicius wrote: post #14

As a European, I'm very happy. USB-A has been with us for over 20 years. It's only disappearing because of USB-C, and USB-C seems to have room to grow. I wouldn't be surprised if it will still be the most popular connector in 2035, and not just because "legislation stops innovation". Making sure there are no weird exceptions to a very good port is reasonable and good.

The idea's nice. I'll still have about 30 unusable micro-USB chargers lying around, though.

Cables, not chargers.

Your chargers are USB-A, and you can make them usable with an A-to-C cable.

There are no chargers with micro-USB output port (USB never specified such thing). Micro-USB has been designed to make cables essentially disposable (and not meant to be hardwired into any device), because the more robust side of the connector is in the device's port, and the fragile side is in the cable.

Re: EU reaches deal to make USB-C a common charger for most electronic devices

#92

Post by ChuckNorris89 »

mrjin wrote: post #88
ChuckNorris89 wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>It's still not a great spec if it's so complex that you can screw it up. People and companies can screw thing up royally regardless of spec complexity when there's no review/oversight involved. That's not a valid argument. If you want to force and check adherence to a spec you need to involve certification authorities (TÜV, SGS, UL, etc.) but then widget prices would increase dramatically. Edit: to address the child…

Just pick a couple of those USB-C docks on the market and check how many are actually working for you. I used over 10 different USB-C docks from different vendors. It doesn't matter which vendor, they all have various issues. They might be perfectly fine for some machines but lots lots of troubles for some other machines which are also perfectly fine with some of the other docks. I have never seen something worse tha…

>Just pick a couple of those USB-C docks on the market and check how many are actually working for you.

1) How is it the spec's fault that random OEMs go to extreme cost cutting measures in order to price dump themselves to the bottom by not following the spec? Of course they won't work properly.

But again, for the 100th time, that's not the specs fault that manufacturers actively choose to ignore it.

If a driver chooses to knowingly run a red light, is it automatically the fault of the spec (the highway code) ?

2) You're moving the goalposts. We are talking about USB-C charging spec here that's super easy to follow, and Nintendo didn't, not USB-C docs with display-port and other fluff. So this dock example doesn't apply to Nintendos' refusal to follow the charging spec.

Re: EU reaches deal to make USB-C a common charger for most electronic devices

#93

Post by rbanffy »

maccard wrote: post #23
stewx wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The issue with the Nintendo Switch is that Nintendo designed their own faulty USB-C charging implementation rather than merely using the reference design. It's not a failure of the spec, it's a failure to adhere to the spec. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16706803

And how am I supposed to know that when looking at a device that has a USB-C port for charging, and the instructions on the charger [0] say "Nintendo Switch can be charged by plugging the AC adapter into the console's USB Type-C connector." [0] https://store.nintendo.co.uk/en_gb/-nintendo-switch-power-ad...

According to this regulation, it seems devices and cables must be clearly marked as for what they can do.

Re: EU reaches deal to make USB-C a common charger for most electronic devices

#94

Post by rbanffy »

tmhrtly wrote: post #32
Nextgrid wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's still not a great spec if it's so complex that you can screw it up. I understand the complexity for data, but for power I wish it was as simple as power & ground wires and that's it. Compare that with USB-A where even cheap Chinese cables from the lowest bidder usually work (work well enough at least - you might get voltage drop but it will still charge if you leave it on long enough) because the spec is so simp…

Power and ground wires alone don't cut it sadly when you're dealing with much higher wattages. There needs to be a level of negotiation between the host and the charger to decide on a specific power (current & voltage) that both can support. In USB-A this was accomplished through a hodge-podge of different resistances applied across data lines, not officially part of the standard but just done by manufacturers. USB-C…

> I do agree however that the cable-labelling situation is awful.

The new rules mention that and aim to fix it by demanding clear labels.

Re: EU reaches deal to make USB-C a common charger for most electronic devices

#96

Post by rbanffy »

stewx wrote: post #11
maccard wrote: post #7

The problem with USB-C is that you can't just pick up a device cable and power brick and expect them to work together. As an example, my Apple 96W USB-C charger doesn't charge my nintendo switch. The cable that came with my phone doesn't charge said fully Mac when used with the 96w charger. There is no indication of incompatibility between these devices until you realise they don't work. This is going back to the dc…

The issue with the Nintendo Switch is that Nintendo designed their own faulty USB-C charging implementation rather than merely using the reference design. It's not a failure of the spec, it's a failure to adhere to the spec. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16706803

It looks like Nintendo would have to fix that in order to comply with the regulations. The bare minimum, if I read it correctly, is to label the port and charger making it clear what their limitations are.

Re: EU reaches deal to make USB-C a common charger for most electronic devices

#97

Post by akmarinov »

That's very interesting, not because the new iPhone would have a USB-C, but due to the fact that Apple continues selling older phones.

Currently they sell the SE, 11, 12 and 13

By 2024 they will be selling a SE, 13, 14 and 15. Will they rework the SE, 13 and 14 to get USB-C? Will they stop selling them just in Europe?

That's potentially a lot of money left on the table.

Re: EU reaches deal to make USB-C a common charger for most electronic devices

#98

Post by tyingq »

akmarinov wrote: post #90
simondanerd wrote: post #80

Will that have an effect on the devices sold on the US market? I would love an iPhone with USB-C.

Either (sorted most likely to least likely): 1. All iPhones get USB-C 2. Only EU iPhones get USB-C, US sticks with lightning 3. iPhones become portless with wireless charging only

I imagine there's also some option where you can charge your iPhone with any USB-C charger, but the special Apple charger will charge it up faster.

Re: EU reaches deal to make USB-C a common charger for most electronic devices

#99

Post by spacexsucks »

asutekku wrote: post #22
2000UltraDeluxe wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The idea's nice. I'll still have about 30 unusable micro-USB chargers lying around, though.

Sure, doesn't still mean we should stagnate and be forced to use tech that is basically obsolete for a modern world's requirements.

Basically obsolete. As someone who uses a 7 yr old ipad, a 10 yr old windows phone and a 9 yr old Nexus 7 this is hot garbage

Re: EU reaches deal to make USB-C a common charger for most electronic devices

#100

Post by [deleted] »

akmarinov wrote: post #90
simondanerd wrote: post #80

Will that have an effect on the devices sold on the US market? I would love an iPhone with USB-C.

Either (sorted most likely to least likely): 1. All iPhones get USB-C 2. Only EU iPhones get USB-C, US sticks with lightning 3. iPhones become portless with wireless charging only

[deleted]
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