I can charge my thingy with any ole cable??

[heycal]

I'm not the sharpest knife in the drawer when it comes to such things, and I only recently realized my 2020 MacBook Pro charges with a USB cable I think they are called, not some specific weird Apple only plug. This seems to mean that I could charge my Macbook Pro with my kindle charger instead of that white brick thing the MacBook Pro came with -- and I can charge my kindle with my the brick thing.

A short test seems to indicate this is so. If I have this right, this could be very convenient for me in a number of ways -- like not having to pack my Apple charger when I leave town for a week, but just bring my much smaller Kindle charger.

Am I understanding everything right?

 

[dmr727]

You can certainly use different power adapters, but the thing to remember is that different adapters are likely to have different power outputs depending on what it's been designed to charge. I don't know the wattage of your Kindle adapter, but it's likely to be far lower than that of your MBP's. Which means your MBP will charge very slowly, or perhaps even discharge if you're actively using it. So if you're looking to just carry around one adapter, I'd bring the MBP's - even if it's bigger.

There are also a number of third party adapters that provide nice levels of power output in a small size, some even with multiple ports so you can charge your devices at the same time. Here's one that I use while out on the road:

Anker 726 Charger (Nano II 65W)

The Only Charger You Need: Say goodbye to your old power bricks. Anker 726 Charger ( Nano II 65W ) has the power you need to fast charge your phone, tablet

www.anker.com

 

[heycal]

You can certainly use different power adapters, but the thing to remember is that different adapters are likely to have different power outputs depending on what it's been designed to charge. I don't know the wattage of your Kindle adapter, but it's likely to be far lower than that of your MBP's. Which means your MBP will charge very slowly, or perhaps even discharge if you're actively using it. So if you're looking to just carry around one adapter, I'd bring the MBP's - even if it's bigger.

There are also a number of third party adapters that provide nice levels of power output in a small size, some even with multiple ports so you can charge your devices at the same time. Here's one that I use while out on the road:

Anker 726 Charger (Nano II 65W)

The Only Charger You Need: Say goodbye to your old power bricks. Anker 726 Charger ( Nano II 65W ) has the power you need to fast charge your phone, tablet

www.anker.com

Thanks for your response. So you yourself leave the official Mac charger at home when you travel?

If you're saying the worse that could happen using my Kindle charger is a slow charge, or even a discharge while using it, I may just go ahead and risk that. My computer needs on this trip will be very minimal, so I should be fine with the Kindle charger. I was just worrying that it would somehow not work or be bad for the Macbook or such.

 

[Fishrrman]

What is the output of the Apple charger you have?
Determine that.

Then get a charger that has that output (at least), and also has a USBc port labeled "PD" (power delivery).

BUT...
By the time you've done all this, it's probably just as easy to pack the Apple charger along.
At least that way you'll KNOW what you're getting.

 

[MisterSavage]

Thanks for your response. So you yourself leave the official Mac charger at home when you travel?

That's what I do.

I have an Anker charger and I just connect my Macbook to the 45W USB-C port. Works great!

 

[raythompsontn]

So you yourself leave the official Mac charger at home when you travel?

I bring one charger when I travel. A charger made by Anker as the charger has the foldable plugs. I use that charger to charge my MacBook Air.

Anker 713 Charger (Nano II 45W)

The Only Charger You Need: Say goodbye to your old power bricks. Anker 713 Charger (Nano II 45W) has the power you need to charge your Samsung Galaxy devic

www.anker.com

I then connect two USB-C cables to the MacBook (USB-C to USB-C and USB-C to Watch charger) that I then use to charge my iPhone and my Watch. This allows me to only carry one charger and three cables.

In a pinch if my phone battery is getting low and my MacBook has power left, I can used the MacBook to charge the phone, or the Watch, without being connected to any power.

 

[heycal]

I understand it's better to bring the official charger, or get a fancier higher powered one like that Anker one, and I may do that next time. But what is the worse that can happen if I just go with the Kindle charger on this particular trip, a trip where I will not be using my mac much at all? (I even debated leaving it at home and doing without it.) Slow charge or discharge while using would not be fatal. Any other potential downside?

 

[Moreplease]

Slow charge or discharge while using would not be fatal. Any other potential downside?

No.

By setting the display to the dimmest comfortable brightness and closing unused apps and browser tabs, you’ll improve your odds of charging rather than discharging when using the computer.

 

[raythompsontn]

But what is the worse that can happen if I just go with the Kindle charger on this particular trip,

There is no worse that can happen as nothing will happen. Charging may be slow, but that is it.

 

[jaytv111]

I doubt you can use the Kindle supply. It's probably 5 or 9 watts, according to Amazon that's the power supplies they sell for Kindles. I don't think a Macbook would charge or run at all on a less than 18 watt supply, I could be wrong but I think that's the hard minimum. 18 watts is what the iPhone 11 Pro came with, or some iPads came with it, they now have 20 watts, which is a very similar supply.

And Macbooks should be used with at least 30 watts. Ideally, with the power level it came with (30 for Airs, 60 to 140 for Pros). You can use lower but I do think 18's the bare minimum, it'll take all night to charge with 18, at least on the 15 or 16 inch Pros.

A good Anker with at least 30 would work, but preferably spring for 60, like this: https://www.anker.com/products/a266...ons_for-laptops=undefined&Sort_by=Recommended

Hopefully the Kindle works okay too, it should have no reason to not work with a standard type-C but you never know, especially if it's an earlier one that predates USB-C.

 

[heycal]

The Kindle charger definitely works, though I ended up bringing the Mac charger in the end, and will likely get that Anker one in the future.

Thanks, everyone.

 

[MisterSavage]

And Macbooks should be used with at least 30 watts. Ideally, with the power level it came with (30 for Airs, 60 to 140 for Pros). You can use lower but I do think 18's the bare minimum, it'll take all night to charge with 18, at least on the 15 or 16 inch Pros.

On a trip recently I used one of those little Anker 20W cubes with my M1 Pro and I was pleasantly surprised that it was able to keep the battery level from dipping while I was using it.

 

[bladerunner88]

Also as I recently discovered on a Flight if you have a device with a USB-C Port and a USB-C to USB-C Cable you can use it to charge another device. As in I was able to use my iPad Pro to charge my iPhone which seemed easier that having to dig thru the overhead and block the aisle while looking for the right charging bits....

 

[raythompsontn]

Also as I recently discovered on a Flight if you have a device with a USB-C Port and a USB-C to USB-C Cable you can use it to charge another device.

When I travel I carry one charger, 35 watt, for the MacBook Air. I then use USB-C cables to charge my iPhone and my watch from the MacBook. The 35 watt charger is more than enough to charge all three devices while I am sleeping.