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by phil21 1108 days ago
It's already starting, I've noticed. I've gotten a few very random devices lately they would traditionally have been powered by a custom barrel jack, that are now USB-C instead. One was a cheap light up dog collar, and I've recently picked up a soldering iron with it.

I expect the trend to continue as it's likely cheaper to toss in a single USB-C port and controller chip than it is to supply a power brick. I can see most stuff shipping without an actual PSU very soon - I'd estimate 50% of devices already do so these days.
2 comments
crote 1108 days ago
Part of it could be due to the EU legislating USB-C for charging on quite a few consumer products. Shipping a charger, let alone a proprietary charger, is rapidly starting to become a con rather than a pro.

And USB-C is starting to become dirt-cheap to implement on the device side. 500mA @ 5V can be done without any controller chip whatsoever, and you can do up to 3A @ 5V without active communication. It's just easier to use USB-C than it is to mess around with a custom power brick!

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gorbypark 1108 days ago
The big problem I’ve found is a lot of “cheap” things that have usb c don’t support PD. I have some hair clippers, a flashlight, some wireless ear buds and a semi expensive electric screw driver (from Lidl!) that have usb c but only charge with a usb a to c cables. It is infuriating.
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RunningDroid 1108 days ago
That sounds like they skipped a resistor: https://hackaday.com/2023/01/04/all-about-usb-c-resistors-an...

Someone made a fix, but it requires soldering: https://github.com/ide/usb-c-to-c-power-mod

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franciscop 1108 days ago
I've found connecting a usb-c to usb-a adaptor and then a usb-a to usb-c adaptor (effectively, c-to-c, but with two props) some times will trigger the traditional power deliver. Try on either end of the device.

The only two devices I have that still need it, a mouse and beard shaver, I use them irregularly enough (charge around once every few months) that this solution is good enough for me instead of having an extra plug+cable. Yes, it won't charge as fast as an actual usb-a to c cable, but for my case that's good enough.

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eternityforest 1108 days ago
Yeah, it's pretty infuriating, but it's still so much better than proprietary barrel jack crap
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