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by dheera 1760 days ago
USB-C sucks, I break a USB-C cable a week. They're physically too weak. I've very rarely broken 120VAC plugs or cables.

Also you can't exactly have a USB-C PD power strip of 10+ plugs without it costing a fortune because of all the negotiation needed per-port. Now they're onto some GaN bullshit just to make the PD adapters smaller.

The standards are a shitshow, there are incredible number of non-compliant USB-C cables.

802.3at PoE is slightly better, you can get 24+ ports for a couple hundred bucks, most cables advertised to meet PoE specs do in fact meet them.

But really the best would be straight up 48V on 2 rails and a bunch of plugs. No negotiation, no bullshit, no GaN, just 2 wires. Equipment, cabling, power strips would be dirt cheap. Individual devices can have very compact, efficient buck converters to get the voltage they actually need.

2 comments

> But really the best would be straight up 48V on 2 rails and a bunch of plugs.

Isn’t that what the “old” PoE was before 802.3at/f? Just plain non negotiated 48V over a cable with RJ45 plugs?

I have a bunch of USB-C PD boards. Each one is about 1x2 cm and costs around $1. That's small enough. And good cables exist.
> Each one is about 1x2 cm and costs around $1.

Well, I don't. The 100W PD plugs I own cost typically $60 or more. Put yours on Amazon if they can do 100W and I'll happily buy them.

And if it doesn't support full 100W it's a PITA because that's more thing the user has to think about.