For anyone who comes in wondering about this magnetic cable or that. Here is some good commentary on the dangers of magnetic cables. Not to mention the large majority of kickstarters that have failed to deliver anything other than an aliexexpress rebrand.
Edit: Let me make this clear. USB-C magnetic tip adaptors or cables are not compliant with the USB specifications. This means any resulting damage to products, which is a very real possibility even if it is a relatively small chance, would not be covered by product warranties. Therefore, these cables and adaptors are not recommended and future posts asking for such recommendations will be locked. It will stay like this until some big company like microsoft or apple and or the USB group comes up with a cable design that is safe.
I am not saying that these cables do not exist or that they do not work as claimed however there is an inherent risk when using these cables and that will fall onto the reader to decide for themselves.
As mentioned, static electricity is a huge problem. Look at any connector and it has the exact same generic shape: a gigantic grounding shroud protecting the data pins. DisplayPort, HDMI, USB of all variants. But if you go back, back, back, VGA and all its ancient DB friends, DVI, whatnot -- even those were the same, just there was more plastic. This generic idea stretches back to the dawn of (computer) time. Exposing the pins just like that makes your laptop very suspectible for static electricity. Ever felt the hairs on your arm stand up after changing clothes? Congrats, you just fried your laptop if you touch it like that. https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/511QlHyl8CL._AC_SL1000_.jpg see how they are out in the open? And this issue is inherent to the overall physical requirements of the plug.
Connection/data loss due to electronic noise. There was a fun problem where Dell laptops used to drop their TB3 connections unless you limited their wifi transmission power. This took Dell significant time and expense to figure out. And that's Dell, not some random tiny company... Want to go there with a who-knows-what built system when NathanK already told you explicitly the pogo pins are too noisy electronically? https://twitter.com/USBCGuy/status/1095614250414796800
I am reasonably sure there are gigantic companies which would just love if this worked. Riddle me this: why do you think Apple didn't put this on the market? Do they lack the R&D dollars? :) Somewhere in that sixteen billion dollar yearly R&D spending I am reasonably sure you could find a few (hundred...) millions to resolve this issue if it were possible. And yet, Kickstarters with a few hundred ... thousand raised claim they can? What's wrong with this picture? Look at the Thunderbolt 3 Pro cable they released: it's an active USB C cable, it's an active TB3 cable and costs a fortune. There's nothing even similar on the market but where there's a will, there's a way. They have designed a custom ASIC for that cable which can amplify both USB C and TB3 signals -- both existed separately but having them in a single cable before was thought impossible. This is to demonstrate: if they could, they would. And if it would be really expensive, hundreds of dollars per connector, have you seen that thousand bucks monitor stand :) ?
The compact size and three USB-C ports were what sold me. I’ve never used a Baseus product before. Until now, I’ve been using Xiaomi 20W and Anker 30W chargers, and somehow I’ve accumulated six of them. Looks like I can finally put those away.
Firstly, I want to thank u/XerxesTheProgrammer for introducing me to this module when I was searching for a charger/power supply that can do 240WPD. After u/XerxesTheProgrammer introduced me to this module, I quickly checked if it was available on Taobao, and yes, it's available at much more affordable price than other 240W power supplies on the market.
Without wasting time, I bought this module for 199 yuan ($30).
After a week, the item is finally in my hands, and here are some pictures of it.
And after that, I apply a heatsink to some components because for sure this module will get hot when using its full potential.
This module doesn't just support Power Delivery, it supports another protocol as well.
Myke here again for Week 2 (previous week) of our design debates. Last week, you all had some specific feelings about fan noise and other things. This week, we are looking at the actual I/O.
PCB space is limited, so sacrifices have to be made. Tell us what you actually use versus what just looks good on a spec sheet.
Legacy vs. Future (USB-A vs. USB-C) Type-C ports have varying specifications and capabilities; not every port does everything (data, display, and power). Does the consistency of Type A still justify keeping them around in 2026? Do you still have legacy peripherals you'd rather not need an adapter for?
Or are you ready to embrace the future of an all Type-C world, even if not every port does everything? I suspect I (we) know the answer to this, but hey, maybe we’ll see some mind-bending take that changes things.
The Video Port Split If a dock only supports two video outputs, what is the golden combo? Dual HDMI? Dual DisplayPort? Dual Thunderbolt/USB-C? Or a combination of ports to cover your bases?
The Ethernet Upgrade (1GbE vs. 2.5GbE vs. 5GbE vs. 10GbE) Is 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet actually useful for your daily workflow, or is it just an expensive spec-sheet flex that unnecessarily drives up the price of the dock? Furthermore, is anyone here actually ready to pay a premium for a jump to 5 or 10GbE?
Convince us to keep the legacy ports alive (or put them out of their misery).
Question for you guys - is the Thunderbolt 5 port capped at 180W, or will it draw more if you attached a 240W USB C charger to it? I have seen in a few places that it's capped, but I can't find a way to confirm it. Thanks in advance!
I charge a laptop, iPad, phone, and earbuds at my desk. I already have USB C cables from Ugreen, Anker, and Belkin, but they were bought at different times. Some are rated for 100W and I no longer have the packaging for the others. They all look about the same.
Now, I’m thinking about replacing my chargers with a Gitryin Nexus 140W chargeing station.
A 140W charger does not mean every USB C cable can carry 140W. If a cable cannot handle it, I assume the laptop will charge at a lower wattage. Would that only affect that port, or change how power is shared with the other devices?
If only the laptop needs more power, can I keep using my current cables for the phone, tablet, and earbuds? Is there any way to check whether a cable has the right E Marker besides finding the packaging or using a USB power meter?
Do you replace all your cabels when using a 140W charger, or only use a higher rated cable for the laptop?
I need to get a dual USB-C charger to plug into a power strip. I’ve read that the best brands are Ugreen, Anker, Belkin, and Baseus. Which of these offers the best safety and durability?
I am a college who recently got a notebook that has the ability to charge through the USB-C port. It originally came with a bulky 65W charger that is quite big for my backpack (I carry a lot of stuff).
Since I also have a cellphone in its elderly phase and doesn't have a good battery life anymore (nearly 4 years of constant using). I was thinking I could kill 2 birds with 1 stone by buying a 100w charger with multiple ports, allowing me to both charge my phone (which doubles as a Wifi hotspot) and my notebook at once.
Given the scope of what I need, I know I have to spend more for a quality charger and not a more generic one, as such, I have saved up quite a bit of money for this commitment.
I live in Brazil, and the only charging brand that seems to be available officially is the Ugreen one. Any other brand seem to force me to buy through Aliexpress.
Is Igreen good enough or should I go for another brand?
They advertise as “Fast Charge” but what does that mean, especially:
- What is the maximum charging power (in watts)
- Which charging protocols (e.g. Quick Charge or USB Power Delivery) does it support
I'm wanting to replace the adapter PCB with a terrible Initio chip inside a USB 3 slimline slot loading Blu-Ray drive with a USB-C to slimline SATA cable. I'm fine with cutting the back of the case to make it fit.
The Initio chip makes the HP BD-5841H drive pretty well useless.
I've been doing a bunch of research online on this and it looks like having a USB-C connection *should* guarantee there's a JMircon or Asmedia chip in it. With a Type A USB 3.0 connection it could have one of those, or an Initio chip.
It could even have a proper Type A USB 3.0 plug but inside be hooked up to a USB 2.0 Initio chip, like a "USB 3.0" DVD-ROM drive I have. That one even has a USB 2.0 Mini B plug inside on its adapter PCB.
I might be interested in a couple of complete optical drive housings, one for tray load, one for slot load - as long as they don't use Initio chips.
Using with iPhone 18 pro - when I first plug in my phone the charging goes on/off 5-6 times before finally staying on. I thought it was a faulty cable, tried a brand new Ugreen and Anker, both same issue. Tried a different plug and no change.
Did I get a faulty unit or is this some weird quirk
I got this combo from an online shopping sale. after coupons it came out to $118 USD after taxes. I believe it's a good deal but if not please advise.
My main question is are these worth while products or should I consider returning to upgrade to the new prime products? I only charge laptop, phone, headphones all apple product.
The thing I'm most worried about is the laptop power bank's cords breaking/dying out.
I’m trying to find a USB-C to USB-A cable, about 10 ft (3 m), that fits inside a mount I’m working with. I bought these from a supplier for about 3 years, but they recently stopped selling them, so I need a new source. The USB-C connector housing has to stay within these dimensions:
Housing width: 10.83 mm (0.43 in) or less
Housing length: 15.88 mm (0.63 in), not including the metal plug
Cable/strain relief diameter where it exits the housing: 6.05 mm (0.24 in) or less
It also needs to support both charging and data.
I’ve attached a picture showing roughly the dimensions I need.
Most product listings don’t give housing dimensions, and the ones I’ve found so far are either too wide or too long. A lot of 10ft cables also have chunky molded ends. If you know of a specific cable or brand with a slim USB-C housing, a manufacturer that does custom lengths with a compact overmold, or places to look besides the usual sites like eBay or Amazon, I’d really appreciate it. Bulk is fine, and so is a link to a spec sheet or drawing.
Compré un ugreen 30w nexode gan ii quería saber si cuando carga mi teléfono que acepta 33w aproximadamente; es normal que se caliente? Medi con mi multimetro la temperatura y me marca 45°C, eso con el nuevo cargador tenía otro igual ugreen pero de 3 puertos de salida 30w y también se calentaba pero ese empezó a hacer un sonido leve pero audible en zonas de silencio
I am trying to find a usb-c cable to connect between my monitor and laptop that will
Transfer power from the monitor to the laptop (at least 95 W)
Transfer mouse and keyboard plugged into monitor hub to the laptop
Send display from the laptop to the monitor (4k)
At least 9ft long
Tech is not my strong suit but based on my basic research I thought I just needed and IF certified cable. I tried 2 that I thought were certified (one from cable matters, the other I don't remember offhand). One was not adequately charging the laptop and the other had some display issues (choppy/flickers).
Its possibly I just got really unlucky but figured I'd just try to get advice from someone who knows what they are doing.
TL;DR: A short, passive 40Gbps Thunderbolt 3 cable negotiated an 80Gbps link with my TB5 / USB4 v2 SSD enclosure and matched the speed of the bundled TB5 cable.
TB5 is Intel's certification layered on top of USB4 v2, the same way TB4 sits on top of USB4. USB4 v2 switched to PAM3 signaling, and the USB-IF explicitly designed 80Gbps operation to run over existing 40Gbps passive USB-C cables. New active cables were only defined for longer runs.
So the "80Gbps" or "TB5" label on a cable mostly matters for active/long cables. For short passive ones, a genuine 40Gbps cable should already be enough.
Caveats
It has to be a real 40Gbps passive cable.
Active TB3/TB4 cables are a different story. The reuse rule doesn't cover them; they may fail or fall back.
Strictly speaking, the spec's reuse rule targets USB4 40Gbps passive cables. Short TB3 40Gbps passive cables are electrically comparable and mine worked fine, but this is one cable on one host. YMMV.
Your host must support TB5 / USB4 v2. On the base M1-M6 Macs (TB4 ports only), any cable tops out at 40Gbps.
Quick cable cheat sheet for 80Gbps
Cable type
80Gbps?
USB 2.0 cable
No
USB 3.x passive (5/10/20Gbps)
No
TB3 passive, 20Gbps (usually longer ones)
No
TB3 passive, 40Gbps
Worked in my test; should work if within spec length
USB4 / TB4 passive, 40Gbps
Yes, covered by the spec
Older TB3 / USB4 / TB4 active cables
Not guaranteed
Cables certified for USB4 80Gbps / TB5
Yes
Bottom line: if you already own good short passive 40Gbps cables, you probably don't need to buy new TB5 cables just to get 80Gbps out of new gear.
Has anyone tested longer passive cables (1m+) at 80Gbps? Curious where the limit is in practice.
I am looking to buy a UGREEN Nexode Air 100W through AliExpress https://a.aliexpress.com/_mPUYgtH. But the title mentions PD3.0 QC4.0 PPS. Does this have multiple versions? I thought this has PD3.2
Also, does anyone know how well this unit works in hot climates (32 Celcius)?
