USB Charging Delemma

[WayneW]

For people who are curious about what ano describes above, this could be an easy way to test:
http://www.cyberguys.com/product-details/?productid=76178&rH=1770
 
Luckily Apple devices are the most widely standardized so it works for us.

 
Here is a much cheaper and simpler tool.  It doesn't tell you what anything is capable of, but gives you an idea of what is happening realtime.  It doesn't records peaks or anything fancy like the above link, but what do you want for $3
 
http://www.ebay.com/itm/USB-Power-Current-and-Voltage-Tester-USB-Mobile-Power-Current-Test-HE-/360787044037?

 

[EyeofSauron]

this thing works well if you just want a bunch of usb charging ports: http://www.amazon.com/Family-Sized-Desktop-Charger-Smartphones-USB-Powered/dp/B00DVH62J2/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1387225447&sr=8-3&keywords=anker+usb

 
I'll vouch for that device.  It's sitting on my desk right now, and it keeps my iPhone, my wife's iPhone, and two iPads pretty well charged-up. 

 

[Gatoreye]

It looks like this device has promise and I think would deliver what everyone wants in that it can deliver the amount needed for each device (if it works as described).  I'm not sure what the logic behind the form factor was because I don't think most people have that large of an area to put all their devices in a circle. I'm sure there is some technical reason for it, but from a practical standpoint it seems a normal rectangle would have been better with 1' cables that provided enough space to rest all your devices side by side. Interesting nonetheless.
 
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/853175871/octofire-8-port-168-amps-84w-turbo-smart-usb-charg

 

[Neurorad]

Time for me to buy a couple Decora USB chargers.  We're installing 'angled outlet strips', under the top cabinets, in a portion of the kitchen.  This is not my kitchen, pictured here, but an example I found online:
 

 
5 Foot strip will house 4 Decora duplex power outlets, we'll probably use 2 of those for combo power/usb.  Another 5' strip will just use 4 power outlets.
 
Very high quality, we used these angled outlets in the rest of our kitchen, during the first phase of the remodel, and they work great.
 
Any updates on USB outlet technology?  The Leviton T5632 hasn't been updated in a couple years, AFAIK.  Still working well?

 

[Neurorad]

I'd like to add that we have a lower cabinet dedicated to a charging station, with a vertical power strip, recessed shelves, and a place for a dedicated USB charger (probably Anker, fixed in place with Velcro, top shelf).

 

[tmbrown97]

Oddly enough lately I've noticed that I'm not getting the super quick charge I used to get out of mine - just in the last couple weeks.  I don't know if it's one of the cords or what.  I noticed Home Depot is selling Cooper now for the same price. It claimed 2.1A - not sure if it'll fast charge two devices.  I don't think there's been much development since these do work and they're quite convenient.  Out in my neck of the woods they've started putting those into new home construction in the counter-height outlets.

 

[RAL]

I've had good luck with these Hubble USB outlets. They work properly with devices like Samsung cell phones which don't exactly follow the USB charging protocol.

 

[ddennerline]

I installed a Leviton R02-USB4P-0BW, 4-port, 4.2A, decora charger last year. I regularly charge three devices, and it seems to do the job fine. I did install a new electrical box (3ft up a wall) specifically for this plug-in charger, so I didn't have to give up a kitchen outlet.

 

[Neurorad]

Thanks so much for the specific recs.

Seems like the very newest models provide for the most recently developed Apple and Samsung technology, for fast charging. In a year, it will change, again. Maybe I'll stick with manufacturers' bricks above the counter, and change out the Anker USB charger in the cabinet every couple years.

 

[ano]

Back in the early days of USB charging, a standard USB port would provide a maximum of 500ma. (And there is an evolution of this.) This worked fine for a while, but then tablets and a whole lot of other devices came out that needed more than 500ma to charge. So Samsung, Apple, and other companies all came out with wall wart chargers that could supply much more than the 500ma standard USB current, but they had a problem.  If the tablet or phone just automatically drew its 1A or 2A from the USB jack, and their special charger wasn't used, it could overload the charger and cause a fire.  So what each manufacturer did was connect various resistor values to the unused USB data lines, and this would tell the device that it was connected to an authorized charger, and it could ramp-up its charging current without burning out the charger.  Apple even used three schemes, one signalling low current (1A) and the other signaling 2.1A, and one for 2.5A 
 
That was a solution, but now there was a new problem. If you had an "Apple" charger, and plugged in an Android device, the Android phone didn't recognize the resistor signaling, so only could draw 500ma even if the charger could supply 2.1A  Likewise, a charger designed for Android, couldn't charge Apple devices at more than 500ma. 
 
So now with many proprietary ways for chargers to speak to devices, it was a big mess. If you didn't have the correct charger, your device would only charge at the 500ma rate, if at all.  I believe there are 5 or 6 different proprietary changing schemes in all. (3 for Apple, 1 for Android, 1 for Samsung, 1 for Nikon)  So you could have a USB charger rated at 3A, but if its coded for Apple it WON'T charge an Android phone at more than the 500ma rate.
 
So what is the final solution?  Texas Instruments and others created a chip to "read" the device, then fool it into thinking it has the correct charger. Better USB charger now incorporate these, but cheaper older USB chargers do not.  Anything that says they are a "Smart Charger" has the circuit to fool the device. They "read" the device and then pick the coding that allows the highest charging.  Make sure any charger you buy has this.
 
Otherwise I have noticed that chargers that are WHITE are usually coded for Apple. Chargers that are BLACK are Android, but there are exceptions to this.
 
That is your history lesson for today. :wacko:

 

[giesen]

To add to it further, the latest Samsung fast chargers will increase the voltage to 9V if a fast-charging device is detected.

 

[Neurorad]

Thanks for the details, ano. I foresee continued changes in the future, as well. I'll stick with a new under-counter/in-cabinet multi-USB Anker device, every couple years.

 

[ano]

Thanks for the details, ano. I foresee continued changes in the future, as well. I'll stick with a new under-counter/in-cabinet multi-USB Anker device, every couple years.

Anker is a great company, by the way. Many years ago they used to offer this device that plugged into a USB port and had a USB socket on the other end.  What it did was detect the charger type it was plugged into, detect what device was plugged into it, and bridged the two for max. charge current.  So basically it made a dumb USB charger into a smart USB charger. 
 
They were very cheap, maybe $6 each so I bought a bunch of them because they were very handy.  After i bought them Anker called me and asked me all about them and how I liked them. My impression was that they weren't selling very well, so wanted to see why I wanted a bunch of them. I think they were a product few people understood.  I still use them all the time, especially when traveling. 

 

[Neurorad]

Yeah, they're constantly updating their product line. Always make sure you're buying the most current model.