PowerExpand 7in1 USB-C - Does not charge laptop

#1

Just purchased the PowerExpand thinking that it would support my work from home set up.

  • USB-C power cable (from laptop) went into the PowerExpand hub
  • USB-C Hub cable went into laptop (Lenovo Thinkpad)
  • HDMI from monitor went into Hub
  • USB mouse went into Hub

Everything worked except the laptop did not charge. Did I get the wrong product?
The User manual mentions something I don’t fully understand.

“We recommend using a 60W PD (Power Delivery) charger: 48W for charging the laptop and 12W for powering the hub.”

I just checked the ‘blackbox’ on the Lenovo power cable and it says it’s 45W. Is that 100% the issue?

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#2

That is a question for @professor! :laughing:

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#3

Not so much wrong product but your charger is now too weak to do the extra effort. Consider either a powered hub or buy a higher Watts charger.

The Watts matters less than the voltage. Chances are the 45W charger is 15V, when you use the hub the 33W drops to 12V or 9V and then the laptop won’t charge. Voltage determines if something works or doesn’t work, current then decides if it works how well it works.

Consider a 60W charger, that’s probably the best value for you. Also remember if you did invest in more than 60W then you also need a 100W cable and may give no benefit as the charger and the cable and hub must all support >60W. So I think if you can get a good price for 60W then that should be optimal.

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#4

@professor Thanks for the not super techy reply. I understand where I’m at with my hub solution.

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#5

In all likelihood, the difference would not be very noticeable. If you constantly push your computer to the max, I suppose there is a chance that it would very slowly drop in battery percentage, but that seems quite unlikely. I am also not entirely sure which 6-in-1 you are referring to that has an SD Card Reader.