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

Post by diffeomorphism » Tue, Jun 07, 2022, 7:59 PM UTC

samatman wrote: post #211

mrtksn wrote: post #123

By the way, that's also how Tesla and all other cars have the same electric plug in EU(not the USB mandate but the car plug standardisation mandate). Of course, the first thing that comes to mind is what happens if better solutions are found. Will EU block innovation? That question is addressed in the Q&A: https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/QANDA_... In essence, they seem to believe that wired char…

> Will EU block innovation? It already has. Tesla's connector is nicer (you can call that subjective but it isn't) and the supercharging network in the US is deploying the clunky standard sort of connector as well. If EU legislation were universal, that would preclude any future where the superior connector is licensed and takes over from the crappy designed-by-committee alternative, because Tesla would be forced to…

Post by eastbound » Tue, Jun 07, 2022, 8:01 PM UTC

lattalayta wrote: post #585

throw0101a wrote: post #563

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> In all my years, I haven't had a single Lightning connector fail on me. The solid metal where the contacts reside is just too robust to wear out or get damaged (unless you somehow step on it the right way or let it corrode). I'm on my second phone where the Lightning connector barely works anymore. 'Thankfully' this one support Qi so I can charge wireless, but if I want to do a wired backup or upgrade I have to jig…

If you haven't, you might want to try carefully "cleaning out" the lightning port with a toothpick or other small tool. I've seen multiple iPhones collect enough lint and dust in the lightning port over the years to make the connection still work sometimes but be unreliable until you clean it out https://www.tomsguide.com/how-to/how-to-clean-iphone-chargin...

Post by maccard » Tue, Jun 07, 2022, 8:02 PM UTC

thefz wrote: post #338

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…

I've always found that charge works, sometimes it's not as fast as it can go, but it works.

Post by interestica » Tue, Jun 07, 2022, 8:05 PM UTC

Nextgrid wrote: post #646

interestica wrote: post #462

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I wanted to get a trimmer with USB-C. Unfortunately, all that I found would not allow c-to-c charging. Only charging from A. The 'A' basically allows a 'hot wire' type charge to go through for power. C-only charging requires negotiation. There's no way to tell up front that the charging is limited like this and manufacturers don't want to highlight it.

You can build your own cable by buying a "USB-C trigger" (as they're called on eBay), it's a board with a USB-C port and a power delivery controller chip that's preconfigured for the specified voltage.

Post by enragedcacti » Tue, Jun 07, 2022, 8:10 PM UTC

garaetjjte wrote: post #645

jokabrink wrote: post #271

The whole discussion reminds me a bit of the similar move the EU did back in 2009: Introduce a (voluntary) common external power supply (Micro-USB). Now, I feel the same arguments are brought in again. 1) Hinders innovation 2) Lock on a single technology 3) Creates trash by soon obsolete "deprecated" connector types My bet: 2024 (!) onwards, nearly nobody will be affected by the "downsides".

Alternative history: EU actually makes micro-B mandatory back in 2009, and as a result USB-C never gained traction because all phones were forced by law to use micro-B.