(I still had a prototype from Sofirn of the Q8 extension. A bit cheating was required: it needed a paperclip to have the tube make contact with the driver ground)
I am happy that the plug type is usb-c (i was not even around during the design). I much prefer it to the micro-usb plug. My last two phones were full usb-c pd capable phones with usb-c chargers, but I’m not complaining at all.
I’m glad it was decided to go with usb-c charging. Nothing in my home uses micro usb. Usb-c is the current and future of charging. To make a lantern as advanced and awesome as the LT1, it only makes sense to use usb-c. Whatever the increased cost is, I’m happy to pay it. Not to mention old devices that were micro usb, the charging ports never lasted very long. I have usb-c devices that are 3 years old and still charge great.
USB C is a big step forward, micro USB is pretty much a legacy product already and rightly so purely based on durability.
USB C was the right choice, I don’t think it needs full capabilities but standard charging would be worth doing for very minimal price increase (two resistors).
Apple and most Androids are supporting USB C going forward so I think that alone will dictate the market.
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That light house is awesome!
I wonder how many cells a full size Coleman replica would take, some serious runtimes if a bit of a lump!
$1, $2 or even $3 (with labor cost) extra is a small price to pay to future-proof the device for the next 5-10 years (so that you don’t need to keep a legacy USB-A cable around when every other small device in your home will be using USB-C only).
USB-C Power Delivery supports max 100w (20v 5a), which means that a lot of new devices will be using USB-C for power. There are already home Ethernet switches powered by USB-C.
No it was not. But it is still expected at some point, never really called off. Maybe the LT1 is reason for revival of the extension, I checked it for the fun of it but I do see the benefits.
I am buying this lantern (I have 3 Q8’s) only as a means of dealing with disaster. No hobby camping or backyard parties. This could be from power outage or a forest fire. California is currently a particularly widespread example regarding sudden lack of power. I also live in a forest, in an earthquake zone, with occasional floods, landslides, and volcanoes having bad weather directions. One road in/out. I would like to “see” my way through these things.
I have chosen to make lighting as durable and usable as possible. That is this year. Next year (or whenever) I need to be able to use as many possible charging sources as possible. For instance, dropping into the emergency shelter facility for a recharge, using a neighbors backup power, etc. The full USB-C implementation will replace many older power sources. Would you like to have the largest range of possible recharging sources? Will charge time be important to you? What is the penetration rate of USB-C? New things will appear; but USB-C will probably be a well distributed interface for a significant time. Possibly longer than I have. Some semi-adoptors (e.g., Apple) will be an issue. I do not identify myself as a paranoid; but I do identify myself with prudent preparations.
Solar chargers are a great idea. I will probably get several of those.
I am just focusing on emergency devices. Fewer potential sources with incompatible interfaces is very desirable.
If batch 2 does not fix the USB-C issue, I will indeed attempt to alter it in the lantern if it seems possible. I looked into this a while back and seem to remember that the full USB-C is more complicated than a single resistor. Otherwise, why would it ever have been excluded on purpose.
Dunno if it was supposed to default to mode ramping, but that's how it came -- all good. Gotta tweak the tint some, then we'll see. So far all looks perfect.
The driver designer (Lexel) can answer those questions better than i can, as i have not looked at it closely, and not really worried about it myself as all my charger sources work fine, (and i do not have any of the chargers with the type-c socket port, or the C to C cables.