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Why would cables, notably USB C cables, work differently depending on the power source? I've got a few (4 pack) highly rated cables that work fine as far as fast charging when used w/ all of the QC3 rated wall chargers, but don't always work well when used w/ QC3 rated power banks. Note that I have other cables that work just spiffy w/ those same power banks and phones. Ain't all electrons the same? FYI, the various cables are mostly different colors in my attempt to color code them in different locations for spousal unit's benefit. The many swaps make it clear that something goofy is afoot, and I'm hoping y'all will be able to explain it.
GRAY USB C cable works fine for QC3 everywhere... no issues, but already using gray for micro USB cables on 6 port wall charger, w/ white for USB C and red for Apple lightning cables.
RED USB C cable works fine w/ all single and multi-port QC3 rated wall chargers and devices. Also works w/ BLACK 20KmAh QC3 power bank,
but not w/ WHITE 20KmAh power bank, or black 10KmAh power bank, w/ QC3 phones, but does work w/ QC2 phone.
For cable rationing, I want to use the red USB C cables w/ all of the QC3 power banks, but this color coding system has gone awry.
Why, oh why, oh why???
Thanks.
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No answer from me but I have also noted this. We have a variety of Android phones and cameras that charge from various points around the house and noted a while back that certain cables work better in certain power sources.
Paul
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Thanks Doc... interesting as all heck, but I'm not sure whether that article cleared things up, restated what I was trying to say in excruciating detail, or muddied the waters even further. What I took from it was; the USB C powering and cabling conundrum is a hot mess, good luck dealing w/ it cuz it's 2018 and it ain't gettin' better anytime soon, and BTW, the few peeps that (may) actually know WTF is going on aren't cooperating, and probably won't until somebody puts a gun to their collective heads and forces 'em to roll out some standards whereby us folk in trenches can power and cable our gear in a more concise and reliable fashion.
Is that about right?
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If I may borrow from our late Leader, "It's a bag of hurt."
I have experienced rather inconsistent performance from USB-C cables negotiating a USB3 vs USB2 speed connection based on which way the same cable is inserted into the same port. Reversible in theory is great and in practice is slightly less great.
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This image shows why the Lightning cable won't go away any time soon. (Apple doesn't want to have to conform to a higher level standard.
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Lew Zealand wrote:
If I may borrow from our late Leader, "It's a bag of hurt."
It's bigger than a bag...
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Buzz wrote: What I took from it was; the USB C powering and cabling conundrum is a hot mess, good luck dealing w/ it cuz it's 2018 and it ain't gettin' better anytime soon, and BTW, the few peeps that (may) actually know WTF is going on aren't cooperating, and probably won't until somebody puts a gun to their collective heads and forces 'em to roll out some standards whereby us folk in trenches can power and cable our gear in a more concise and reliable fashion.
Is that about right?
In practical terms, I'd say this:
Buy short cables that are certified slightly above what you're trying to do -- picking up a 0.5-meter high-power charge cable suitable for charging a MacBook Pro when you actually only need to charge a 20w MacBook would be an example -- and try it with another charger if your charger doesn't seem to provide enough power or charge as quickly as you think that it should.
Also, read other people's reviews of chargers to see whether any particular charger reliably quick-charges devices like yours under real-world conditions
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Doc, I'm still flummoxed...
Per Amazon's listings;
RED CABLE:
COMPATIBILITY:This USB C Cable can fast charge and sync well with Samsung Galaxy S8/S8 Plus, LG V30 V20 G6 G5, Macbook, OnePlus 3T 2,Nexus 5X/6P, Google Pixel/Pixel XL, Lumia 950/950XL, Nintendo Switch, ChromeBook, Moto Z and other type c cable devices.
GRAY CABLE:
COMPATIBLE WITH:Work with the new USB Type-C devices such as Samsung Galaxy S9 / S8, Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus/S8+, LG G6,G5,V20, LG Nexus 5X , Huawei P9/P9 Plus, Huawei P10/P10 Plus, Huawei Mate 9, Mate 10 Pro, Google Nexus 5X ,Nexus 6P, Google Pixel, Google Chromebook Pixel, Lumia 950, Lumia 950XL, OnePlus 2,3,3T, ZTE Axon 7, Moto Z2 play, HTC 10, Nokia N1, Asus Zen AiO, Lenovo Zuk Z1, Nintendo Switch, 2015 Apple new MacBook with 12" Retina Display and other usb type c cable device.
They're supposedly covering all of our devices. Red rated 4.5 stars, gray rated 4.3 stars, both w/ mass quantities of verified reviews. Red & gray both 78% 5 stars, and red 13% to gray's 5% 4 stars to account for the slightly higher overall rating. I mostly use 3 and 4 footers w/ QC3 rated chargers (wall, car, and portable), and shorter just for charging the power banks, for which we have no issues. Longer cables are only used w/ non QC3 chargers, and again, no issues to speak of there either. I guess if I bought enough enough cables, and swapped thru all the permutations, I could a batch that were both color coded properly, and worked where desired... and then have $200 - $300 of spare cables hanging around. Am I wrong to want to buy seemingly properly speced cables, and expecting them to work? There are some combinations that work, but others don't, and I'm not gonna even get into the ones that sometimes do and sometimes don't, or the ones that do for a while and then stop working properly. "Hot mess" was an understatement.
Thanks Doc.
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Buzz wrote:
Doc, I'm still flummoxed...
Don't look at "compatible with x-devices" lists. Just because it can charge the device doesn't mean that it can do so full-speed. Look for some indication that it's certified for Quick Charge (Qualcomm) or Thunderbolt and THEN you look at the reviews to see that other people are enjoying quick-charging with that cable. Note that shorter cables generally are more capable than long ones and active cables are better than passive ones if you want to use it for data, too.
Then you buy a charger that's certified for Quick Charge 2.0 at 15w or Quick Charge 3.0 at 37w. Not just "supports" or "compatible" but "certified."
It's not as hard as it seems. Just a few minutes of reading before you hit the "buy" button.
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