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My cat water fountain comes with a spicy USB power adapter

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Re: My cat water fountain comes with a spicy USB power adapter

#191

Post by ComputerGuru »

itslennysfault wrote: post #114
iamflimflam1 wrote: post #91

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well, USB is a standard - you would expect a standard USB output to deliver a standard voltage.

Interestingly, even Samsung phone chargers put out 9v, but I think they only do that when connected to a Samsung device. On the plug is says 5v and 9v, and (I'm assuming) they switch to 9v when they detect a device that can use it for fast charging.

It’s called QuickCharge and was a standardized version of Apple’s fast charging or USB C PD many years before USB C was a thing. Samsung was a key player.

The charger emits 5V unless the device supports higher voltage and negotiates it.

Re: My cat water fountain comes with a spicy USB power adapter

#192

Post by latchkey »

alexpotato wrote: post #139
denotational wrote: post #2

This is the sort of thing that almost (but not quite) pushes me to support mandatory certification (enforced by patents/other IP protections) for consumer devices that use a familiar connector like USB. Consumers shouldn’t need to worry about the specific output voltage; the presence of a USB-A connector should indicate that it abides by the specification. The hacker in me hates the idea of enforcing something like t…

> pushes me to support mandatory certification It wasn't mandatory but this is one of the main reasons Underwriter's Laboratory was started. The market needed a certification to say "yes, this things does what it's says it does and in a safe manner". My dad owned a retail store in the 1970s and he distinctly remember being told "Lots of retailers won't carry a brand/item unless it has the 'UL' sticker on it." https:/…

These days, any thing can have any sticker.

Re: My cat water fountain comes with a spicy USB power adapter

#193

Post by homefree »

jorvi wrote: post #111
homefree wrote: post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is the reason I only use apple chargers for charging everything.

There are much higher quality chargers (and cables) than Apple's. Anker is well known, and Baseus is getting there. They are especially nice because they make GaN chargers, putting a lot of power in a tiny package. It honestly kind of baffles me how crappy Apple's cables and chargers are when they simultaneously make one of the best USB-C to 3.5mm DACs on the market, and then sell it for $10 .

Are they as high quality? I’ve seen the Apple charging hardware breakdowns and they pack a ton of stuff in there.

Re: My cat water fountain comes with a spicy USB power adapter

#194

Post by zwirbl »

alexpotato wrote: post #139
denotational wrote: post #2

This is the sort of thing that almost (but not quite) pushes me to support mandatory certification (enforced by patents/other IP protections) for consumer devices that use a familiar connector like USB. Consumers shouldn’t need to worry about the specific output voltage; the presence of a USB-A connector should indicate that it abides by the specification. The hacker in me hates the idea of enforcing something like t…

> pushes me to support mandatory certification It wasn't mandatory but this is one of the main reasons Underwriter's Laboratory was started. The market needed a certification to say "yes, this things does what it's says it does and in a safe manner". My dad owned a retail store in the 1970s and he distinctly remember being told "Lots of retailers won't carry a brand/item unless it has the 'UL' sticker on it." https:/…

Would this be comparable to a CE marking in Europe or more like a TÜV certification?

Re: My cat water fountain comes with a spicy USB power adapter

#196

Post by s1artibartfast »

mint2 wrote: post #115
sod wrote: post #96

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> courteous and long How about urgent and short? e.g. One day a kid will charge their toy over night with your 13v usb-c charger and they'll burn their house down.

Just a little too short, add: “and this email notification demonstrates you are aware of the hazard which will be relevant in lawsuits.”

and they will respond with "We sincerely thank you for your concern. We have a 6 month email retention policy in place to address your issue"

Re: My cat water fountain comes with a spicy USB power adapter

#197

Post by small_fish »

jamincan wrote: post #170
toddmorey wrote: post #107

> The idea of a water fountain for cats may sound odd Cats instinctively love & trust moving water as stagnant water can accumulate bacteria & disease. So a cat fountain sounds like a gimmick or novelty but it’s a great idea.

I got one after I noticed how much my cat liked to jump up to the sink and try to drink from the tap while I was using it. He loves it, and anecdotally seems to drink more than he did without.

One of my cats learned to bump the faucet lever on the kitchen sink when he wanted a drink. Fortunately the sink only overflowed twice but that was enough to make me very serious about not leaving dishes in the sink.

Re: My cat water fountain comes with a spicy USB power adapter

#198

Post by MilaM »

akx wrote: post #77

Lidl does this too – the rotary tool Parkside PFBS 12 B3 comes with a charger that's obviously not USB-PD, but has an USB-C plug and it puts out a solid 13 volts at all times. (See https://www.kompernass.com/en/accessories/2316/charger-8 for an image.) I sent Lidl a courteous and long mail about this and they didn't really care other than "please open a service ticket with your local Lidl", which I didn't care to do…

I have the same tool and charger and only noticed the out-of-spec voltage after trying to charge the tool with a regular USB-C cable and charger. It's really disappointing someone thought this is a good design.

Newer revisions of the tool don't seem to have this flaw though. They only come with a USB-C cable and no charger in the box.

Also thanks for reminding me to put a big sticker on the charger with a warning!

Re: My cat water fountain comes with a spicy USB power adapter

#200

Post by tivert »

rollcat wrote: post #179
denotational wrote: post #2

This is the sort of thing that almost (but not quite) pushes me to support mandatory certification (enforced by patents/other IP protections) for consumer devices that use a familiar connector like USB. Consumers shouldn’t need to worry about the specific output voltage; the presence of a USB-A connector should indicate that it abides by the specification. The hacker in me hates the idea of enforcing something like t…

This. Nintendo comes to mind; charging the Switch (the earlier models IIRC) with a third-party adapter was a lottery, and the losing prize was a fried console. They've been guilty of this practice for as long as they've been making electronics - I think it was the NES or the SNES that used a standard barrel jack and voltage, but reversed the polarity, with no circuit to protect the console. Also - using Ethernet port…

> They've been guilty of this practice for as long as they've been making electronics - I think it was the NES or the SNES that used a standard barrel jack and voltage, but reversed the polarity, with no circuit to protect the console.

Is there actually a standard about that? IIRC, recently things have drifted towards "center positive" as customary, but most adapters and devices have the little diagram about how they're wired for a reason.

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