Chargers, adapters and gen 2 cables - several questions

#1

I know this is a holy grail search effort of finding one cable, one charger, two tiny adapters (micro and lightning), and a little 10,000-15,000 back up battery for true emergencies. And all with the fastest charge possible. Would love any help bc I’m kind of spinning in circles with all the info out there on usb c and PD and Anker’s propriety tech (IQ).

Importantly, for frequent travelers with apple devices who want a minimal yet fast and light weight tech travel kit, what are you using?

For others who like to deep dive into the help, thank goodness for you, specific questions and thoughts below.

  1. Does anyone know of a reputable adapter that works with a c-c cable to charge micro port devices? Anker’s is the reverse of what I need. I have a tiny travel keyboard, headphones and a few other items that have micro ports. I really want a little 0.5 - 0.75 inch adapter to pop on the end of the cable to charge those so I can travel eventually with just one cable.*

  2. I’m confused about PD and IQ. I’m moving my tethered and wall plug chargers to PD. The fastest charge I can get in the lowest weight possible. I have Anker’s newest c-c gen 2 cables coupled with a few different chargers used based on trip/device needs - new 30w c-pd Atom 1, Satechi 75W Dual Type-C PD Travel Charger, and Anker PowerPort II 49.5W Wall Charger. I suspect I won’t see the benefits of these paired chargers and cables if I use an adapter but is there any harm? Do I risk fritzing the micro devices? Is there a different safer yet minimalist strategy to do here other than an adapter?

  3. Am I misinformed to think a c gen 2 6’ cable would perform faster than a gen 1 6’ cable for charging? I don’t care about data speeds. All of my work is in the cloud. The reason I ask is because I inadvertently used the c-c cable that came with my 2018 iPad Pro to charge my 2017 13” MacBook Pro. It was a slower charge. I went down this rabbit hole of inquiry, even calling tech support. Buried in the MBP spec sheet is a note that it uses the gen 2 cable. After that I noticed the difference in thickness and gave away my gen 1 c cables so I can’t do this again.

Sorry for the detailed questions but maybe I just need to accept what I want doesn’t exist and isn’t happening for years. I just SO want to drop some weight from my tech needs.

Also if it helps, I have two iPhone XS Max phones, the iPad Pro 11”, MacBook Pro 2017 13” (ugh, I upgraded from the 12” and the change in power needs is killing me). Plus some minor items that use micro (Boise headphones, the tiny Logitech travel keyboard, Fenix flashlights, etc). The MBP gets left behind these days due to weight and power needs but if I can cross use cables and other power related accessories that’s a bonus. See point above about gen 1 vs gen 2 cables.

*for lightning… I’m hoping after the 3’ lightning cables come out someone (Anker PLEASE!!!) makes the little adapter. Looks like Apple may not convert its phones until 2021 or later. A girl can dream!

#2

Easy question to handle first would be the cables gen 1 vs 2.
Yes, they are essentially the same with faster data speeds, though with newer gens unseen things such as construction and parts could be different (better or worse) so there is also this to consider.

The c-c adapter is also fairly easy, mainly this would be reverse and considering you must join like cable lines to each other in a way that could have major implications, I doubt you could/should use something like this. Type C is basically a 2x multiplier for every single line going from 1 source to another, to make it work you need a fairly sizeable body to run all of these lines together to their standard mate. This would be running 24 lines (8 if doing a power only plug) down to 5 (2 if power only) in a manner that allows full useability of your products. It just isnt going to be done, too much hassle. You could also run into safety issues as PD can run multiple voltages and higher currents than micro usb in thr event of malfunction.

PD (power delivery) and Anker proprietary IQ charging are pretty different in terms of how they function. IQ is a 5 volt “up to 2.4 amp” charge port. It will basically feed this full level to a device and then scale back once it “sees” whats needed. So if your device needs 1 amp, the IQ wont force 2.4 it will just scale back and go at 1. Think universal supply with locked voltage and variable current. PD on the other hand is a variable supply and variable current. It can vary its voltage supply (5/9/12/20) based on the maximum useable voltage of a device by pinging it to find the sweet spot. It will do something similar to the current after finding this voltage sweet spot with current to optimize it as well. What you are left with is a fast charge voltage paired with the best current for a low heat / high speed charge. An example of this is my LG v35, it takes 5V 1.6Amps to normal charge (both PD and IQ can achieve this), or it can fast charge at 9v 1.6Amps (PD only can do this).

Hope this helps.

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#3

Thanks for the quick reply. To confirm I understand, you advise against using the c-c cable with adapter for micro devices. I thought the PD charger combined with the cables would negotiate the power needed thus avoiding an overload. But you seem to suggest it could still happen. Am I correct in my read?

#4

Its not that I advise against it, more like the design to make it work would create a bit of a headache. going from micro usb to use c is easy because you just split/increase the number of lines you are sending. Going the opposite direction is harder because you have a choke of sorts where you feed a lot of lines together (this would also create a larger and longer body to interface). PD can negotiate, but its the top end tech, you would be going backwards going to micro-usb, instead of going from micro-usb to usb-c.

To be honest, your best choice would be to find a good multi output battery pack and charger (PowerCore 10000 PD and the Powerport Atom PD4 when it releases are 2 good choices), then carry 3 cables (USB-C, Micro-USB and Lightning of your choice). Your needs are kind of diverse, so if you try to get much lower you will most likely sacrifice performance.

#5

Get the Anker 3 in 1 cable, plus a c-c lead (for the speed on mobile phone)

Get the pd2 USBC (which is C-C and usbA) I have this, and with the right C-C it’ll definitely fast charge a Samsung Galaxy S8 in approx 1 ½ hrs from 30%

Change out of 50 and only 2 cables n 1 charger

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#6

While I like the 3 in 1 cable plan, it would be a step down for performance but should work well enough. The reason I went 3 cables is because every device uses max ability, but if slightly less charge times and performance are ok, then the 3in1 is a great idea too.

#7

That’s y I said get a c-c also, yes it’s an extra lead, but really???

With the pd2 USBC it has a c n a socket… A socket for all charging needs… headphones, speaker etc, lightning if needed, C for slower stuff (a 3 in 1 C version will charge your phone over night)

Seeing what you want to do, a 3 in one, plus a c to c, will do what you want… Let’s be honest… An extra lead ain’t that bad, but at least you have the options

Idea
PD IQ POWERBANK, charge c to c, and use the 3 in one for the handset… Which would be fine overnight.

The PB will last a couple days, so next night charge headphones or speaker and phone.

So that 4 way combi.would work, at minimum products.

#8

Thank you all for the thoughts. The power bank option is a good one that at least gets me the pd benefit. I have Anker’s 3-in-1 cable, which is kind of clunky to carry. The dongle-like adapters make it difficult to roll without bending the plugs one at least one end. I like the octopus adapters better - especially the chafon one with micro, c, and lightning without the lengthy cable - for a quick back up. But I haven’t seen any that work with Usb c Pd chargers.