this post was submitted on 02 Apr 2025

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Mildly Infuriating

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311

Trying to buy anything with USB-C Power Delivery: Listing a million devices instead of the output voltages / amperage (dubvee.org)

submitted 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

56 comments fedilink hide all child comments

Instead of the sane approach of specifying 5, 9, 12, 15, and/or 20 volts and the amperages, products insist on listing every model of device in existence instead.

Most will do 12V, but I always want to make sure it'll power my laptop (20V) as well.

A big thank you to reviewers who post images of the actual products where it shows the relevant info in one short line on the labels:

e.g. PD Output: 5V=3A, 9V=3A, 12V=3A, 15V=3A, 20V=3A

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[–] [email protected] 1 points 6 days ago

To be faaaaaaair... The devices no longer have the DC voltage and current ratings listed on them like they used to.

[–] [email protected] 95 points 1 week ago (1 children)

This is mostly the fault of what people search for.

90% of your average buyers don't go on shopping sites and search "20W USB-C PD Charger" they go on and search "Samsung S22 charger" or whatever they've got.

Sellers are incentivised to design the listings around that, or they simply won't get the clicks.

[–] [email protected] 77 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Yeah, I get the "SEO" aspect of it, but they could at least include the actual specs somewhere.

[–] GrumpyDuckling 10 points 1 week ago (1 children)

I always do just so other people can search for it later. There's sellers of aftermerket chargers that will blur out the specs so you can't just find a cheaper one.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 week ago

🫡

[–] [email protected] 19 points 1 week ago (4 children)

I could be wrong, but I just did some quick research and it looks like the PD spec always supports all of those voltages. I also did a reverse image search of the image you posted, and it's some no-name brand from Amazon. Don't buy no-name brands from Amazon. Stick to Anker.

[–] [email protected] 16 points 1 week ago (2 children)

Moved to UGreen after Anker's nonsense with their cameras. Used Anker for many years up to that point though. Not that there should ever be security issues on a charger, but I'm happy with UGreen.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 week ago

Same. And I've bought many UGreen chargers and cables since that whole ordeal. Since then I've seen some Anker chargers, batteries, and desk power strips that looked really appealing and that I would've bought if I wasn't avoiding them.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Good to know. I had heard Anker did some shady stuff but never caught wind of a good replacement. The phone charger scene is obscene as seen by OP, and and I would rather buy from Anker than buy garbage.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 week ago

Oh definitely. If my choices are no-name garbage or Anker, it'll always be Anker. You'd be better off with nothing than that shit.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (3 children)

Looks like revision 2 of the PD spec requires all of those voltages, but in revision 1 it doesn't require 20v. And if they're not listing the voltages, they're prob not listing the PD spec revision it adheres to.

RavPower was my jam before they got booted from Amazon, but yeah, I stick to Ankler for the most part (unless I just need a dumb power bank to dump solar into that'll charge my better power banks - e.g. the 50,000 mAh behemoth I've got charging outside right now).

The reason I had to stray here is because I'm looking for a 12v -> USB PD adapter I can hook to a 12V solar panel. Not the "cigarette lighter" kind, but the kind you hard wire. No-name is about all you can really buy unless I want to crack open an Ankler or fuss with a cigarette lighter-style adapter (those are a PITA sometimes lol).

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (5 children)

12v solar -> USB PD adapter

Is this by chance closer to what you are looking for? input voltage range is 13V-27V, output is usbc-pd 18w or 12v-1.5A the DC out is a bit higher.

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[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

I'm having trouble imagining what you're setting out to accomplish. 12v solar panels are higher than 12v. This one gets to 18v, for example. You need a solar charge controller to convert it to 12v, and then you'd need something like this to convert it to 5v to charge your battery bank. Whether your battery bank will "take" 12v without electronics to tell it to is beyond the scope of my knowledge, but AFAIK 5v is universally accepted.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

I've got two sets of solar panels and two different use-cases.

The panels my power banks use are all regulated 5v output (3x 6 watts, one 20W, and one 12W). I take one or more of those backpacking.

The 12V->USB PD adapter I'm looking for is to hook into my 12V 50 or 100 watt panel I take camping (which one i take depends how many people plan to charge from it). In addition to being a charging point for my laptop, it would also charge my power banks much quicker since they support QC/PD charging at higher voltages than the 5V panels produce.

But yeah, PV panels "open circuit" voltage is closer to 17-21 volts, but once you put a load on them, they're closer to 12-14.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Oh I think I get it now. So you can terminate the solar panel with something like this and then charge phones with a standard car charger with PD. I like that idea.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Exactly. Except I'm trying to avoid those kinds of "cigarette lighter" style adapters, but I've used them before (which is why I'm trying to avoid them this time around lol).

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 week ago

Yeah, it's hard to find good ones. You could invert it to 120v AC and plug in a regular charger, but you lose efficiency doing that, not to mention the added danger, weight, and complexity.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 week ago

USB PD 1.0 is irredenta in 2025. 2.0 is basically irrevent outside of old device still on sale.

If the charger does 60 watts or greater it's going to be 20v. https://www.renesas.com/sites/default/files/media/images/normative-voltage-source-pdp-rating.png

Everything made in the past like 4 years is 3.0. Ideally you shouldn't buy anything that isn't PPS (programmable power supply) because it makes charging a LOT more efficient.

But good luck finding a 12v adapter, they're very hit or miss on supporting it since 12v is optional now and not a lot of things support it.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 week ago

My understanding is that Samsung uses an odd standard that means they can't quick charge from Anker devices. That was at least true a few years back. Would be great to know if that's changed.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 week ago

12v is optional from PD2.0 onward

[–] [email protected] 13 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

Basically amps is capped at 5 ampere, so it's watts / 5. So for 20V you need 100 watt. USB Power Delivery specification revision 2.0 does up to 240W with 48V which is pretty awesome.

I'd love a 20V battery for power tools that just has a USB3 plug instead of special chargers.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 6 days ago

I'd love a 20V battery for power tools that just has a USB3 plug instead of special chargers.

Good news, I'm starting to see products like this on the market!

[–] [email protected] 13 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

Citizen, desist using science words immediately, and get back to consuming ContentSlop™ as appropriate for your clearance level.

Okay, maybe that's a bit spicy, but getting googlebombed by basic stuff when I'm looking for something technical does feel like this. Duckduckgo will even replace your search with a totally different search sometimes!

[–] [email protected] 12 points 1 week ago

Frustrates me as well, but the reason is quite simple that people search for "$device cable", and sellers need to list all of them so the search engine of choice lands the user there.

They should still list the specs though.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 week ago (4 children)

For some reason, "amperage" mildly infuriates me. It's current.

Voltage equals amperage times ohmage.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 week ago (2 children)

Ohmage? You mean resistance?

[–] [email protected] 1 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago)

That's the joke. Edit: oops, you got the message already! 😂

[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

That was the joke. They are making everything in the equation end in -age. Because "amperage" bugs them.

Volt + age
Amper(e) + age
Ohm + age

[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 week ago

In other words, ohmage is an homage to amperage.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Then why doesn't "voltage" bug you? It's the same sort of word: unit + "age".

To fully satisfy you, it should be:

electrical potential difference = current * resistance.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 6 days ago (1 children)

Potential or electromotive force. "Voltage" is long accepted. The only use of "amperage" you'll find in The Art of Electronics is in the index: Amperage, see current. Ampère called current "intensité du courant", hence I in V = I × R.

I don't know why it bugs me. This is Mildly Infuriating... The place for nitpicking! 😅

[–] [email protected] 2 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago)

Agreed, and thanks for the history lesson!

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 week ago (7 children)

Why is 'voltage' fine then?

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[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 week ago

I raise you "cubic capacity" meaning volume.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 week ago

Lmao, I got this same problem looking for webcams. It has "1080p" in the title, but it doesn't says how much MP has, so I can't buy a proper webcam because I can get a shitty ass camera with 1080p but with a shitty image quality.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 week ago (2 children)

Also it should be 'any device'

[–] [email protected] 14 points 1 week ago

Any device made according to the spec. So mostly "not Nintendo Switch".

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (3 children)

Should be, but not all of them support 20V. I'm less concerned with the wattage (I usually buy a minimum of 20W) since my laptop is designed for 45W but is smart enough to throttle and not charge the battery if supplied with less. I've tested it down to 20W (which the BIOS warned me about) and it works about the same as when it's in "Battery saver" mode. However, if I put it to sleep or power it down, it'll charge from 20W just fine.

[–] pipes 2 points 1 week ago (1 children)

With all the low wattage usb chargers that all of us probably have at home my strategy is to only buy laptop chargers (so I can travel with just one) so usually minimum of 45W, for me ideally 65W (so 20V 3.25A) just because I have a few old thinkpads with the larger battery. A GAN 65W charger is as compact as an old 20W phone charger, look for example at the Anker Nano II which is the last one I bought.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 week ago (1 children)

That's exactly what I do.

I've got a 2-port 100W GaN PD travel charger that I use for pretty much everything. When I travel, my laptop and phone are hooked into that, and the laptop acts as a charging hub for all of the smaller stuff.

[–] pipes 2 points 1 week ago

Nice, good strategy

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