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Apple Reportedly Planning to Limit iPhone 15's USB-C Port in the Same Way as Lightning
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They cleared stated what interoperability was required; which was a bare minimum level. The S23 would work to that level to meet the directive but not necessarily at higher power levels; nothing was said about data.
There is no port standard, that's the problem. USB is a mess of standards. What was mandated was a specific female/male hole in your device and male/female plug both ends of the cable to put into it.
Ahhh Tim Cook... preaches inclusivity and diversity with every given chance but when it is about the color green, then you are required to pay big cash just to be included even for things like transfer data rate!
What a righteous way of doing things... 😂😂
I mean, surely hypocrisy must have a new definition after this! 😂😂
What a righteous way of doing things... 😂😂
I mean, surely hypocrisy must have a new definition after this! 😂😂
Idk why they don't just go Thunderbolt? It keeps them with their "Proprietary Apple" port but yet still backwards compatible with USB C? Let's them keep their "Official Apple" cable chips and again IS BACKWARDS COMPATIBLE WITH C. Makes sense to me... And I'm just a nobody.. Surly Apple could figure this out...
Weird. I’ve used my old iPad charger on devices from any number of different companies and never had an issue. In fact it is one of the few that works with my Vuze camera. Admittedly, I didn’t get mine until after the iPad was introduced in 2010, so maybe yours was an early or prerelease version that had some weird issues, but did that cable and phone combination work on any other non-Samsung charger? I guess Apple could have changed them later to make them work well with everything, but that doesn’t fit the narrative this article is pitching.
That's a pretty cool trick considering the iPad wasn't introduced until 2010 and Lightning wasn't until late 2012...
Same here. Guess that's what you get using a device before it exists.
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1) I've had cheap dollar store cables from China catch fire. Just because there's a standard doesn't mean everyone is following it.
2) Basically the same idea as running too much amperage through too thin a wire. If you're battery is over-drawing it'll get hot and swell and can rupture causing a fire. This is also one of the issues with wireless fast charging. That causes excess heat already because of how it works but if you charge the battery too fast it also causes heat and can cause the battery to swell and rupture. IIRC, that's what happened with the Note 7 batteries initially and then some of them failed from blunt force.
3) Refer back to 1. Cheap foreign manufacturers don't care about standards and they're all over the place. Part of the connector protocol and the PD is the controller chip which communicates with the device to determine how much draw it needs.
Data transfer doesn't affect the environment, so huh? Thank the EU for generating the very e-waste they claim they're fighting, how about?
A common trick is thin wire with thick outer cover to appear to be a lower gauge wire.
The only time I use cheap cables and plugs is in a rental car because I often wind up forgetting them when I turn it in. If I remember, I ask the agent if they have a car cord and they usually have a box full; I just use that and leave it in the car.
As I wrote: "Stick to name brand / well-reviewed cables and don't buy your cables at the corner gas station or dollar store"
You stated: "If the resistance of the wire is wrong for your phone, it could cause the battery to overheat and catch fire."
Thus my question - please explain in detail just how that works.
Yes, if the device charging circuitry pushes too much current into a battery it can overheat; especially if there's a mismatch between the device charging circuitry and the battery capabilities. But that has nothing to do with your claim that the wire resistance can cause battery overheating.
I am not an EE, but would suspect he is using V=IR. At 5 volts, low impedance could cause the current to exceed specs and possibly battery damage as well as overheat the cable. This assumes there is no current limiting circuitry in the charging loop.
Yes, with a simplistic Ohm's Law view one might think the cable resistance governs the charging current (given constant voltage).
That is not the case however - especially in today's electronics. Our devices typically have rather sophisticated charging circuits which adjust the cell charging voltage and current throughout the battery charge cycle. While those circuits can fail - or be misdesigned - or be paired with improperly built battery cells/packs - the charging cable's "resistance" can't cause a battery to overheat by any mechanism I can think of. Thus my curiosity.
That's why I said "This assumes there is no current limiting circuitry in the charging loop."
I would assume some sort of current limiting feature since it is a simple way to protect expensive parts. However, that doesn't eliminate the possibility of cable overheating.
One issue I see with the EU directive and cables is the requirement to support PD. It will be interesting to see how the U interprets that, especially if device manufacturers default to the lowest speed for cables that do not properly ID as PD capable at higher charging speeds; even if the cable manufacturers claim it is a PD cable. I suspect people will complain "my cable doesn't work. Apple/Samsung/Google is throttling 3rd party cables..." when it is actually the cable's fault.
Adding to teh confusion will be devices that use USB-C but have some custom implementation and potential can be damaged by a USB-C PD charger. I suspect people will simply assume legacy devices meet the directive and not realize they may not; especially if update versions are released that look like the older devices.
Bingo - and to clarify, I was agreeing with you and expanding the point. sorry if I was unclear.
I'm not sure I've seen anything in the EU directive requiring USB-PD support.
As I understand things, the USB-PD spec requires the charger to stick to 5V at a max of 900mA unless a higher spec if negotiated between the device and charger. At some level I believe there's also a requirement of the cable to communicate it's capabilities as well, with the devices defaulting to the lowest / safest.
As such, all should be copacetic so long as the devices adhere to the USB-PD spec. Now if someone buys some cheap-azz no name high wattage charger or cable and it fakes its adherence to the spec, well...
That is correct, below 60W and PD above 15W (or 5v /3A), assuming the standard cable conforms to the spec in terms of software protocols for charging. Interestingly, the spec allows for non-standard plugs at the power plug end since it only references device plugs as far as I can tell.
From the annex:
1. Hand-held mobile phones, tablets, digital cameras, headphones, headsets, handheld videogame consoles and portable speakers, in so far as they are capable of being recharged via wired charging, shall:
(a) be equipped with the USB Type-C receptacle, as described in the standard EN IEC 62680-1-3:2021 ‘Universal serial bus interfaces for data and power - Part 1-3: Common components - USB Type-CTM Cable and Connector Specification’, which should remain accessible and operational at all times;
(b) be capable, in the case of charging power lower than 60 watts, of being charged with cables which comply with the standard EN IEC 62680-1-3:2021 ‘Universal serial bus interfaces for data and power - Part 1-3: Common components - USB Type-CTM Cable and Connector Specification’.
2. Hand-held mobile phones, tablets, digital cameras, headphones, headsets, handheld videogame consoles and portable speakers, in so far as they are capable of being recharged via wired charging at voltages higher than 5 volts or currents higher than 3 amperes or powers higher than 15 watts, shall:
(a) incorporate the USB Power Delivery, as described in the standard EN IEC 62680-1-2:2021 ‘Universal serial bus interfaces for data and power - Part 1-2: Common components - USB Power Delivery specification’;
(b) ensure that any additional charging protocol allows the full functionality of the USB Power Delivery referred to in point (a).
I don't see Apple doing anything on the power side, since there is no real upside to not sticking to PD, beyond perhaps some sort of MagSafe connector at the pier plug end; which I also doubt they'd do. Data protocols, however, could require a MiFI type chip for fast transfers to ensure cables can handle it properly.
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1) Which was what I initially stated as well. MFI cert at least promises they tried as the cable has to be verified by Apple for certification.
2) If the device is asking for more wattage than the wire can provide, it can cause damage to the battery. Can't recall where I read that, probably was on here. As I'm not an electrician I cannot explain it. Resistance impedes current, that I recall from college.
To the best of my knowledge* there's no way for the cause-and-effect you list to occur in the sorts of devices we're talking about. Thus my curiosity as to just exactly how such a thing is supposed to occur.
Yes, resistance due to wire gauge can limit the current conveyed, but we're talking charging currents between 900mA to 3A in most instance, and up to a max of about 5A for high power USB-PD charging. That maximum current is limited by what the device being charged draws (and negotiates with the charger). So the wire might overheat if too tiny a gauge (22-24AWG or smaller), but the wire can't cause any greater current to flow than what the device wishes to draw.
I would suggest you go back to your source of this claim and find out if the person making that claim can explain just how it's supposed to work - if you do find out that they have a real mechanism rather than just conveying incorrect information, please tag me as I'm curious to learn about the cause/effect relationship here.
(*) Although my career choices led elsewhere, I did a good bit of EE coursework in college as well as further study of electrical systems in obtaining an advanced amateur radio license. So I know a bit, but also would love to expand my knowledge when something doesn't seem to fit what I presently know.
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Apple dropped the charger on their own to save THEIR costs.
It clearly states that the charging standard is USB-C but I sincerely doubt that mfg. will have 2 physical ports on small handheld devices separating charging and data transfer. Larger devices do of course but we are rapidly moving to a cable less environment on many of these handheld devices. Chargers themselves must still standardize on USB-C in the EU in any event.
Below is an excerpt from the EEI RED (Radio Equipment Directive) :
"A harmonised charging port for electronic devices
USB-C will be the common port. This will allow consumers to charge their devices with any USB-C charger, regardless of the device brand."
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(AFAIK) USB Type C - aka USB-C - is a connector/port specification and not a data transfer specification.
Do you see something in the directive related to one of the various data transfer standards which can be implemented on a USB Type C port?
This is a disappointing business decision. They might as well put their lawsuit shoes on now because this is clearly not adhering to the unified connection the EU envisioned. They would be wise to open it up to full high speed transfer and charging on all models and all “quality” cables. A chip-checking
usb-c, is not universally compliant. I am predicting a Class Action level Lawsuit within the first 90-180 days if all other high quality cables don’t work at full capacity or trigger screen warnings.
usb-c, is not universally compliant. I am predicting a Class Action level Lawsuit within the first 90-180 days if all other high quality cables don’t work at full capacity or trigger screen warnings.