USB power

Axe_meister

Has the power output of a USB port dropped in recent years.

I'm sure in the past old older PCs/Laptops I could charge phones/ipods fairly quickly.

I recently dug out a really old gen 2 ipad 20GB it would just not charge over USB had to use the
clunky charger that came with it.

Likewise any modern devices I try to charge seem to take an age to charge.

Fuzzdog

Pretty sure bog standard USB can only technically supply 500ma max to a single device unless it's one of those funky high power ports intended for charging.  An iPad charger is well over 2A.  Not too surprising it charges quicker.

I think it's less a case of USB ports delivering less power these days, and more a case that modern gizmos have far larger batteries and higher charging requirements.

Fazer

charging it from a laptop or desktop?
the laptop may be running on lower power consumption? also check if the computer charger is a bit older, maybe its not giving out as much charging power itself

digitalscream

Fuzzdog said:

Pretty sure bog standard USB can only technically supply 500ma max to a single device unless it's one of those funky high power ports intended for charging.  An iPad charger is well over 2A.  Not too surprising it charges quicker.

I think it's less a case of USB ports delivering less power these days, and more a case that modern gizmos have far larger batteries and higher charging requirements.

Exactly. My Sony Xperia Z can't charge from USB at all - it requires more power to run than the 500mA at 5V (2.5W) a USB 2.0 port can put out. The Battery Charging profile allows for up to 1.5A at 5V (so 7W).

USB 3.1 can handle a *lot* more - between 10W and 100W depending on the voltage used (up to 20V, I believe). We're not there yet, though.

fretmeister

Can anyone recommend a good powered USB hub?

I've got an external Blu Ray player that is a bit picky sometimes.

RaymondLin

fretmeister said:

Can anyone recommend a good powered USB hub?

I've got an external Blu Ray player that is a bit picky sometimes.

I have this

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B009EX24T4/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

It charges my iPhone 6 no problem. It supports USB 3.0's 900mA power per port.

Sambostar

I am not very intelligent.  Can you tell me. If you plug your computer into a USB mains socket, will it charge?

 

http://www.screwfix.com/p/lap-13a-2-gang-switched-socket-usb-charger-port-black-nickel-flat-plate/26218

 

dogload

digitalscream said: Fuzzdog said: Pretty sure bog standard USB can only technically supply 500ma max to a single device unless it's one of those funky high power ports intended for charging.  An iPad charger is well over 2A.  Not too surprising it charges quicker.
I think it's less a case of USB ports delivering less power these days, and more a case that modern gizmos have far larger batteries and higher charging requirements. Exactly. My Sony Xperia Z can't charge from USB at all - it requires more power to run than the 500mA at 5V (2.5W) a USB 2.0 port can put out. The Battery Charging profile allows for up to 1.5A at 5V (so 7W).
USB 3.1 can handle a *lot* more - between 10W and 100W depending on the voltage used (up to 20V, I believe). We're not there yet, though.

Interesting. I have a Sony Xperia T that charges quicker depending on the USB lead that I use. The Sony one that came with the phone requires the phone to be charging for ages. I have another, shorter lead that came with one of those portable rechargeable emergency chargers, and using that one takes significantly less time, for some reason.

digitalscream

dogload said:

Interesting. I have a Sony Xperia T that charges quicker depending on the USB

lead that I use. The Sony one that came with the phone requires the phone to be charging for ages. I have another, shorter lead that came with one of those portable rechargeable emergency chargers, and using that one takes significantly less time, for some reason.

I've noticed that, too. I have a couple of leads where it doesn't even supply charge as fast as the battery drains with the radio turned off.

vasselmeyer

How leads can affect the speed of USB charging:

http://lifehacker.com/cables-can-significantly-impact-the-charging-speed-of-y-1532784722

chrispy108

Sambostar said:

I am not very intelligent.  Can you tell me. If you plug your computer into a USB mains socket, will it charge?

 

http://www.screwfix.com/p/lap-13a-2-gang-switched-socket-usb-charger-port-black-nickel-flat-plate/26218

 

No, computers put power out over their USB ports, not take it in.

The socket you linked to is for phones and tablets etc

Gassage

After about 15 years of using USB sockets I'm still not quite sure which way up the male side goes.

wibble

Gassage said:

After about 15 years of using USB sockets I'm still not quite sure which way up the male side goes.