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Saw someone posting this on Reddit and thought it's a pretty good price. I've been buying Blitzwolf cables but might give this one a try!
Amazon review by Benson here
Choetech USB Type-A to Type-C Benson Approved Cable 1m US $1.45 (~AU $1.95) @ AliExpress
250
paperkut on 16/11/2016 - 19:34 aliexpress.com (500 clicks)
Last edited 17/11/2016 - 13:49 by 2 other users
Last edited 17/11/2016 - 13:49 by 2 other users
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The review is to show it's safe. There were a slew of cables that were unsafe.
The review is to show it's safe. There were a slew of cables that were unsafe.
And I've purchased heaps of cables that have been certified as safe but are actually rubbish and fail the checks. The USB Type C is turning out to be a complete mess with non compliant cables everywhere.
A USB-A to USB-C cable is a bit of an abortion really. There is not really much point owning a USB-C device and then operating it via legacy USB connection. It's like owning a Ferrari then putting E10 unleaded in it, and bolting up a set of 175/70 retreads on steel rims.
Regarding "unsafe" - that is really only under a particular situation, where the device to be charged thinks that it can draw 5V 3A which is more than the charger can put out, or a USB Type A connector can reliably cope with. Probably the worst that can happen is that the charger current limits and shuts down. Or the voltage drop is so high that the charge gets terminated anyway.
So, unsafe is a strongly emotive word. The term that Benson would use would be "non-compliant". I am not saying that these shitty cables are OK - but more to point out that if you have a USB-C connector on your phone then you really should be powering it with a proper USB-C charger that complies with USB PD specs.
Bit of an abortion? No. I have about ten Micro-USB cables scattered all over my home, office, backpacks, luggage etc.
"if you have a USB-C connector on your phone then you really should be powering it with a proper USB-C charger that complies with USB PD specs"
Not something I will really care about that when I end up in the middle of nowhere with a dead phone and forgot my 'proper' charger. I like having cables I can plug in to conventional USB chargers or laptops or car USB ports at a pinch.
Well apparently that Google engineering had one of his devices fried from a dodgy cable…
Which tells about his device non following usb specs, usb should handle even shorts between aby 2 lines.
I like having cables I can plug in to conventional USB chargers or laptops or car USB ports at a pinch.
Good point, I suppose.
However if I had a phone that could fast charge, I would retain a proper USB-C cable, and then a tiny USB-A to USB-C adaptor for the emergency situations.
when I end up in the middle of nowhere with a dead phone and forgot my 'proper' charger.
Quite strange to carry a cable with you, but not take a charger. BTW, if you use Fast Charging over USB-C, then your dead phone will be charged twice as fast, so it's much easier to get effective "top up" throughout the day. :-)
Quite strange to carry a cable with you, but not take a charger.
Really? Everything has USB ports these days - rental cars, aircraft seats. I usually have a USB charger that can take lightning cables, USB-A, and USB-C cables.
shipping's quite expensive though
Free Shipping to Australia via China Post Ordinary Small Packet Plus
Becomes $3+ if you try to order more than one.
I see. 😅
Can we order multiple orders of 1 cable instead?@O O: Yup. Hopefully the seller packs it all together otherwise there will be many envelops arriving.
Price showing up as US$4.04 - maybe expired?
Still says $1.45 for me. Maybe you've changed the shipping option? I had that issue this morning.
Ordered 3 back in October from this "official" seller (separate orders because it's free shipping if you order one but you have pay for more than one… go figure) but they still haven't arrived, tracking still shows they're in China. At least they do respond to you on Aliexpress and offered a refund. Hopefully you'll have better luck if you're buying.
That's not really a full review of the cable.
All he's doing is checking if the voltages on the pins in accordance with specs.
So that doesn't mean that the cable is good quality, sturdy, long lasting or has a low voltage drop at high current.
Any cable that has USB Type A to USB Type C is operating in "legacy mode". So, not using USB PD "fast charging" in any way nor increasing voltages. You might get 5V 2A or so, but not fast charging. However some Qualcomm QC devices might communicate via this cable and be able to step up the voltage to do a "Quick Charge".