USB cable question

[HKJ]

@dodge_911

I beg to differ. Have tested a lot of cables, and none of them show a drop in amps, even really really crappy ones.

The cable do not change the current, but many phones and other devices will reduce the charge current when the voltage drops due to a crappy cable.

[Yokiamy]

@hIKARInoob

Yes. The “U” of USB stands for “Universal”. Some companies like Apple have their own standard indeed (not compatible). The only minor exception perhaps is the latest USB C type plug. But very few devices use this new format that require a different new cable. For example Samsung Galaxy S8, and Wuben T102 (only flashlight that I know of) use USB C.

Google pixel, as well as the Nexus 5x and my Nexus 6P

[dodge_911]

@HKJ

The cable do not change the current, but many phones and other devices will reduce the charge current when the voltage drops due to a crappy cable.

I thought I said that in the next paragraph. I always laugh when they advertise a 3A cable :)

[RollerBoySE]

@HKJ

@dodge_911

I beg to differ. Have tested a lot of cables, and none of them show a drop in amps, even really really crappy ones.

The cable do not change the current, but many phones and other devices will reduce the charge current when the voltage drops due to a crappy cable.

Exactly, and thus the charging time is affected considerably. Especially Apple drops the current quite a bit.

[Barkuti]

My custom cable uses 3 pairs of AWG24 (3 × AWG24 = AWG19.2623) wires for power transmission; this is 86.56mΩ of total wire resistance, or close to 260mV of drop when 3A of current flows through it. Bear in mind this is just for the cable! There are additional losses because of plug contact resistances (bottlenecks), which get worse with usage wear and tear. So even with my low drop custom cable such high rate would be problematic, I believe.

Honestly, lots of consumers are half-wits. Don't get me wrong, I may still be half-witted under certain circumstances. Problem is you really can't/shouldn't trust advertising (as a rule), but half-wits tend to. You know, when people buys UltraTurd 18650 9800mAh cells in bulk… :facepalm:

Cheers ^:)

[Venom]

Thanks for all the replies!

[Venom]

Just to update this thread. I went with the Anker Powerline Plus cable.

[NeutralFan]

Anker seems to be a quality company. We have many of their products, all bought on Amazon. My son has an Anker bluetooth portable speaker that stopped working after close to a year after we bought it. They replaced it without an issue and the new one has been working great despite the abuse he puts on it.

[Venom]

@NeutralFan

Anker seems to be a quality company. We have many of their products, all bought on Amazon. My son has an Anker bluetooth portable speaker that stopped working after close to a year after we bought it. They replaced it without an issue and the new one has been working great despite the abuse he puts on it.

I got my Anker cable from amazon and hopefully I will have no issue with them. By the reviews on Amazon any issue was taken care of by Anker without a hassle.

[jerm03]

I do a lot of charging of my tablets. Currently the cables I have and the wall plugs are as “Slow as Christmas.” The Paracables are rather expensive. Are the Anker cables better in terms of speed of charging?
Jerry

[RollerBoySE]

@jerm03

I do a lot of charging of my tablets. Currently the cables I have and the wall plugs are as “Slow as Christmas.” The Paracables are rather expensive. Are the Anker cables better in terms of speed of charging?
Jerry

I would say that Anker cables and Paracables are about equal when it comes to charging speed, and faster than cheap stuff.

[jerm03]

Thanks, I’ll get some.

Added: I found them on the WalMart website for $6.99 regular list price $29.00. They are 6 ft. I ordered 2 with no postage. $13.98.
Jerry

[XXX-Man]

I ordered this Aukey set and they work perfect up to 2.4A (don’t have a device that can use more)
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Aukey-5-Pack-Micro-USB-Cable-Fast-Charging-Adapter-5V2A-Data-Charger-Mobile-Phone-Cable-for/32637756862.html

[blinker]

Good, inexpensive cables at monoprice.com,

[alpg88]

@hIKARInoob

Hey Venom,

At the same time this means that as an Apple consumer you are forced to buy their cable with a nice profit margin for Apple.

there are tons of third party apple comparable cables on the market, you do not need to spend $30 for apple cable, you can buy same cable in pretty much any store, for 5-10 bucks, here in nyc most stores have them by registers. some of them feel more solid than real apple cable, and they come in different colors.

[RollerBoySE]

@alpg88

@hIKARInoob

Hey Venom,

At the same time this means that as an Apple consumer you are forced to buy their cable with a nice profit margin for Apple.

there are tons of third party apple comparable cables on the market, you do not need to spend $30 for apple cable, you can buy same cable in pretty much any store, for 5-10 bucks, here in nyc most stores have them by registers. some of them feel more solid than real apple cable, and they come in different colors.

The cheap cables works (most of them anyway).
But they typically charge slowly (especially iPads) and they don’t last very long.
I guess you get what you pay for.
No need to buy (expensive) Apple original though, just look for Anker and other MFI-certified ones.

[alpg88]

@RollerBoySE

@alpg88

@hIKARInoob

Hey Venom,

At the same time this means that as an Apple consumer you are forced to buy their cable with a nice profit margin for Apple.

there are tons of third party apple comparable cables on the market, you do not need to spend $30 for apple cable, you can buy same cable in pretty much any store, for 5-10 bucks, here in nyc most stores have them by registers. some of them feel more solid than real apple cable, and they come in different colors.

The cheap cables works (most of them anyway).
But they typically charge slowly (especially iPads) and they don’t last very long.
I guess you get what you pay for.
No need to buy (expensive) Apple original though, just look for Anker and other MFI-certified ones.

original apple ac to usb adapter outputs only 1A. that is not much current. you do not need thick wire for 1A.
also to be honest i do not think oem apple cable are such a great quality item to begin with, i had 2 fail. they are no better than most third party cables. but defiantly overpriced.

[Venom]

I did notice a difference in charging speed with the Anker powerline + cable compare to the factory Apple cable. Its not a huge difference but a noticable difference.

[RollerBoySE]

@alpg88

@RollerBoySE

@alpg88

@hIKARInoob

Hey Venom,

At the same time this means that as an Apple consumer you are forced to buy their cable with a nice profit margin for Apple.

there are tons of third party apple comparable cables on the market, you do not need to spend $30 for apple cable, you can buy same cable in pretty much any store, for 5-10 bucks, here in nyc most stores have them by registers. some of them feel more solid than real apple cable, and they come in different colors.

The cheap cables works (most of them anyway).
But they typically charge slowly (especially iPads) and they don’t last very long.
I guess you get what you pay for.
No need to buy (expensive) Apple original though, just look for Anker and other MFI-certified ones.

original apple ac to usb adapter outputs only 1A. that is not much current. you do not need thick wire for 1A.
also to be honest i do not think oem apple cable are such a great quality item to begin with, i had 2 fail. they are no better than most third party cables. but defiantly overpriced.

It’s a bit more complicated than that.
iPhone 6 & 7 can be faster charged with the iPad charger (and third party chargers that supports the standard), which delivers 2.1A (the standard allows for up to 2.4A). But this only happens if the charger (and phone) determines that the cable (and everything else) can handle the higher current; otherwise the charging current is stepped down.
So there is a good reason to use a bit better cables.

MFI-certified ( MFi Program - Wikipedia ) doesn’t mean Apple OEM by the way, just that the cable fulfills some basic requirements.

My personal favorites are Anker and especially Paracable, this since I like sturdy cables that don’t break.

[Pete7874]

@Venom

I did notice a difference in charging speed with the Anker powerline + cable compare to the factory Apple cable. Its not a huge difference but a noticable difference.

Difference for better or for worse?