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Why have chargers moved to using USB power cables?

"11"

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Noticed when looking at chargers lately, many use USB cable/power block.

Why the move? What advantages are there? And are there any disadvantages?

The old AC brick and DC input seems less messy, and don't have to bother to buy a separate power block (for those chargers that don't supply it) that will be capable of running the charger at all of its rated outputs.

(Tried using a search engine for answers but apparently don't have the wordage right to come up with the relevant info.) Thanks!
 

JuicyLucy

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I *believe* it is because USB is "universal" (stands for Universal Serial Bus) whereas electrical plugs can vary tremendously

It means they can be sold anywhere in the world whereas plugs must be specific to where in the world you live
 

"11"

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I *believe* it is because USB is "universal" (stands for Universal Serial Bus) whereas electrical plugs can vary tremendously

It means they can be sold anywhere in the world whereas plugs must be specific to where in the world you live
Thanks... I can see that as an advantage to the manuf's as they can sell the same unit internationally. That solves all kinds of problems for them, assuming they're not providing the needed power block to go with it.

If they do provide the power block (and some do) - that negates much of the advantage for them, as power blocks are of course not universal, but perhaps still cheaper than providing AC cords/bricks for ea country.

But if they don't provide a power block, then they're the only ones getting an advantage, as to the end user it's more trouble to have to buy a separate item, and research it to make sure it will serve the needs of the unit.

I would think units powered by standard AC/brick would be a more robust delivery system than USB/block, but I'm no electrician.
 

Vape Fan

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More universal locally too. The one I have desktop is connected via a 10' little wire, basically, to a charging hub that was already there for cell phone, camera, mouse,,,and is easy to manage. No unruly electrical cable to route or find a plug for not to mention some of those inline blocks are big and cumbersome. For home, office, other setting, an outlet might not be available or easily accessible.
Easier to use in a car or for traveling. You don't always have to have or use an adapter.
 

"11"

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More universal locally too. The one I have desktop is connected via a 10' little wire, basically, to a charging hub that was already there for cell phone, camera, mouse,,,and is easy to manage. No unruly electrical cable to route or find a plug for not to mention some of those inline blocks are big and cumbersome. For home, office, other setting, an outlet might not be available or easily accessible.
Easier to use in a car or for traveling. You don't always have to have or use an adapter.
Good points... can see if you already have a hub that's powered by AC. And didn't think about the car (I'd never use that myself but can certainly see how others would and have seen many come with a car adapter).

I wonder which power source is considered better for a charger, if either. I'd prefer AC unless there is some technical advantage to USB. I did read something about this in the review link that lists all the chargers but read too much to remember now.
 

Carambrda

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Good points... can see if you already have a hub that's powered by AC. And didn't think about the car (I'd never use that myself but can certainly see how others would and have seen many come with a car adapter).

I wonder which power source is considered better for a charger, if either. I'd prefer AC unless there is some technical advantage to USB. I did read something about this in the review link that lists all the chargers but read too much to remember now.
Wallwarts typically are too wide to be able to fit two or more of them in adjacent sockets on a powerstrip, or else they typically can't handle enough current to be able to use them for charging at decent speeds. Power adapters with an AC cord don't have these limitations, but they still take up considerable space, their AC cord is more expensive because AC requires a thicker cable for it to be compliant, and, they can't be held up by a wall socket so they have to be placed somewhere else, which makes them generally less safe for those who either aren't aware or are negligent of the fact that a wall socket is positioned by a certified electrician in such a particular way that safety is promoted to a certain level.

If using multiple devices, each device typically needs its own separate power adapter or wallwart so, also typically, a lot of people end up using a powerstrip also in addition to them. The bigger all the clutter, the more people will be tempted to put them in a spot that poses some additional safety risk. Whereas USB wall chargers also come with multiple USB ports to allow multiple devices to be charged at once, which makes USB wall chargers more compact, more energy efficient, and cheaper because it's only just a single piece vs multiple adapter pieces. The USB standard is so widespread that the enormous demand for USB components and cables is what lowers their prices even further still. As for a battery charger that uses an internal AC power supply, it generates extra heat, which heats up the batteries thereby accelerating battery aging. USB wall chargers can be used to avoid this, and, if a USB wall charger burns out, then this burnout doesn't occur right underneath the batteries so that's yet another layer of safety, as AC/mains voltage can cause a scarier spark than a battery charger that operates at a much lower DC voltage.
 
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