USB-C Charging lights that only work with a USB A to C cable?

Um… as far as I have noticed, a USB-C cable is a USB-C cable is a USB-C cable. The smarts of the system are in the host and target devices.

What USB-C to USB-C cables have you encountered that are application specific?

Um, I think you’re in the wrong thread. Post that in one of the LT1 threads.

They’re not when I have to specifically buy a 3.0 cable to connect my computer to my drive enclosure for it to operate as intended.

The majority of them are 2.0 cables, which is fine for users who care more about fast charging their phones, but not as data cables.

The USB-IF could have made all USB-C cables meet 3.0 at a minimum, but it didn’t. What sense did it make to create a fancy new connector to usher in the new era of fast data, and then allow cables using the same connector to be gimped to 2.0 speeds? That’s not full forward progress.

And there’s the silliness of the whole 3.x Gen1/Gen2 naming scheme, which is a separate issue, created by geeks, for geeks. The average Joe who has.a hard time telling if their phone is fast charging stands no chance trying to sort out that mess.

There are 6 different types of USB-C to USB-C cables and they all look the same, it’s without doubt one of the worst cable standards I’ve ever encountered.

I have encountered at least one device (Canon EOS R camera) which will not charge from an incorrect type of “USB-C” cable.

USB is a mess.

The wonderful thing about standards is that there are SO MANY to choose from!

Yes, the committee should have developed a robust standard. Do you have any real expectations that cable manufacturers would meet them?

Ultrafire USB-C cables! Supports charging at 1.21 jigga Watts! Data transfer rates of eleventeen Terra bits per femptosecond! On sale now!

Well damn.
You learn something new every day.

Remember when even the USB A to C cables were problematic because the manufacturers didn’t put in the necessary resistor? Fun times.

In case it helps at all, the only light I’ve heard of which probably does work with a C-to-C cable is the Fenix PD36R. And I haven’t even been able to 100% confirm if it works. But based on the info I’ve found, it sounds like it probably does.

Otherwise, it seems to be the norm that lights require an A-to-C cable for charging.

I sent an email to Olight asking about the $300 light mentioned above that misbehaves like this. I’m curious what they say.

I can see a $25 light design skimping on $0.60 of “optional” parts… but a $279 X7R?

Do we have a contact at Astrolux I can ask about their lights?

I kind of feel like the whole “USB-C” thing on flashlights is a joke - the benefit of USB-C over all the other variants of USB is the ability for them to dynamically work out between the devices which device needs charging and which can be used to charge from, for example if I plug my phone into my laptop and the phone gets charged or if I plug my phone into my battery pack, the phone gets charged - but plugging the battery pack into the laptop, the laptop gets charged, all with the same cable.

That’s useful!

Being able to charge my flashlight from my battery pack or charge my phone from my flashlight, with the same cable, that’s also useful.

The way it’s implemented on flashlights is nothing more than a very mild convenience in it having the same connector - especially useless if the connector it needs (USB-A to USB-C) is one of the less common types available. It’d actually be much easier to find a USB-A to USB Mini or Micro cable.

So the whole things a bit of a sham…

LT1

Apple iPhone Pro 18W USB-C charger - FAIL

Anker Premium 60W 5-Port Desktop Charger with One 30W Power Delivery Port - FAIL

Anker PowerCore 10000 PD Redux Power Bank - FAIL

ZGGCD Universal charger with USB-C - FAIL

Monoprice Select Plus USB Power Bank - Success!

I have 2 bike lights with USB-C ports:

  • Cycliq Fly 12 CE - charges via C-C, but not all A-C cables (from memory)
  • Cycliq Fly 6 CE - charges via all A-C cables I’ve tried, not C-C

USB-C chargers tested:

  • Plugable USB Type-C Power Delivery 60W Power Supply
  • Google Pixelbook 45W charger

The Relic XR2 I recently got will charge A-C or C-C and charge other devices C-C. Check out my posts for my initial review video and more info.

The Noctigon K1 charges fine from an Apple MacBook USB-C charger. Also an iPad charges it too fine, useful in an emergency I guess.

Wuben T70 - fail ( released 12/2018)
Nitecore Minix - pass!( modern, just released 2021) (though it is very small, high current not used or needed)

Sofirn SC21 - PASS

It charges just fine using the USB-C chargers that came with my Samsung phone and Lenovo Laptop.

Geeeee wiz.

For some reason this thread reminds me of this thread…… :laughing: :open_mouth:

PS. Sorry, Amish. Not hijacking ya. I just couldn’t help myself. :wink:

This is a big headache for me as well.

I’m in the process replacing all my cables w/ C - C and C - Lightning, thus eliminating A ports all together. However I found a ton of made-in-China (no prejudices, most of mine just happen to be made in China) small electronics w/ C-inputs only support A - C.

If you ask the manufacture of most lights w/ C-ports they’ll tell you they only support A - C charging, especially smaller brands.

*On The Road M4 - Fail
*Nitecore T4K - Pass

I routinely charge my Acebeam EC65 from an early Anker 12V charger having one C and 3 A outputs, using the C port to do it. The cable is a several-years-old one from Home Depot. From this thread it sounds like it’s the earliness of the Anker USB C charger that makes this possible, maybe combined with having randomly stumbled on a compatible cable. Ugh!!!