Belkin Gan Charger Stays Warm Not in Use

Cam44 on 27/01/2024 - 13:36

I have a Belkin 65w Gan charger (2x USB-C).

I noticed yesterday that when not charging a device, it still feels warm to the touch compared to my google charger which feels stone cold.

Are these gan chargers meant to be like this or is there an issue here?

For reference I leave a USBC to USBC cable, and my Samsung watch 6 wireless cable plugged in to the unit.

The unit is about 2 months old, but never checked it's temp before so not sure if this is normal or a new undesirable feature haha.

Grateful for any insight

Electrical & Electronics Belkin GaN Charger USB Charger

Comments

  • grog on 27/01/2024 - 13:48

    Disconnect all cables and put the item on a table etc for an hour or so??

    • deme on 27/01/2024 - 14:02
      +2

      So when he plugs it back in it will get warmer again. What's the point they are asking if this is normal or not?

      • askbargain on 27/01/2024 - 16:48
        +1

        so he will realise it's his samsung watch charger?

    • elgrande on 27/01/2024 - 15:07

      Also can fry an egg

  • Sye on 27/01/2024 - 15:20

    Where did you buy the charger from? Just want to check it's not a fake.

    • Cam44 on 27/01/2024 - 19:12
      +1

      Bought from JB hifi

  • Switchblade88 on 27/01/2024 - 18:09

    Wireless chargers have a constant quiescent current draw, for detecting device presence. This means the wall charger will be actively outputting power, and thus would be warm because it's in use.

    • deme on 27/01/2024 - 18:54

      I just measured it, I get 0 Watts.

      So it's going (if any) to be pulling < 0.5W
      If your 65W charger is getting warm on a load of <0.5W that's a problem.

      • Cam44 on 27/01/2024 - 19:17

        Thanks for thsat.

        Did you test on the watch6 wireless charger or a different wireless charging device?

        I've had just the wireless charger unplugged since the post and can confirm the unit was cool to the touch the same as the google charger.

      • Switchblade88 on 27/01/2024 - 19:56

        How are you measuring?

        Plug in power meter? Calibrated ct clamp ammeter? Inline USB power meter?

        Not all measuring devices are created equal, especially when you're not measuring the OP's actual devices to determine if they're functioning the same as yours.

        • deme on 27/01/2024 - 20:10

          Plug in power meter, why in Earth would old mates wireless charger without anything on it be using enough power to cause the charger to be warm.

          • Switchblade88 on 27/01/2024 - 20:28

            @deme: So your 0w measurement is pretty well worthless; plugin meters don't have the resolution or accuracy at low wattages, and this is exacerbated by non-linear loads like a power supply. You might have 10w +/- 10w in variation, which is worthless for these kind of uses.

            The OP already said above:

            I've had just the wireless charger unplugged since the post and can confirm the unit was cool to the touch

            Therefore the wireless coil is drawing a current, and the GaN charger is outputting said current. Simple explanation.

            Your just making stuff up, why would an induction charger use any power?

            Just because it shouldn't be drawing power, doesn't mean that's a correct assumption that it isn't.

    • Cam44 on 27/01/2024 - 19:15

      Wouldn't the power use of this be so low, and the Gan chargers being so efficient, that it shouldn't change temperature?

      • Switchblade88 on 27/01/2024 - 19:57

        You would assume so, but not necessarily in real world usage

        • deme on 27/01/2024 - 20:14

          Your just making stuff up, why would an induction charger use any power?

          • askbargain on 27/01/2024 - 23:29

            @deme: An induction charger uses power primarily due to the principles of electromagnetic induction. Here's a breakdown of the key reasons:

            Creation of Magnetic Fields: The charger has an induction coil that creates an alternating magnetic field. This process requires electrical energy to generate the field.

            Losses in Efficiency: No energy transfer is 100% efficient. Some energy is lost in the form of heat due to resistance in the charger's coil and in the air gap between the charger and the device being charged.

            Energy Transfer to the Device: The magnetic field induces an electric current in the receiving coil (in the device being charged). This process of transferring energy wirelessly is less efficient compared to direct wired connections, leading to more power usage.

            Standby Power Consumption: When not actively charging, induction chargers can still consume a small amount of power, known as standby power, for maintaining their readiness to charge.

            Control Circuitry: The charger contains control circuitry to manage the charging process, detect the presence of a compatible device, and regulate power transfer. This circuitry also consumes power.

            use chatgpt so you don't write dumb comments

  • foxmulder on 27/01/2024 - 21:16

    Is the heating issues the same today? I remember yesterday was very hot. My chromecast was very hot yesterday, it reset a couple times before I need to unplugged the cable from the power.

    • Cam44 on 28/01/2024 - 16:07

      Definitely not weather related. Looks as though the Samsung watch wireless charger is creating the slight heat.

      Hopefully someone knows whether this is normal for a gan charger to have a noticeable difference in heat with this watch charger plugged in, or whether it's worth getting JB hifi to swap it over.

      • askbargain on 28/01/2024 - 16:56

        cheaper to get a separate brick for your watch charger than buy a new gan charger

        • Cam44 on 29/01/2024 - 00:22

          That would defeat the purpose of why I purchased a 2x USBC gan charger in the first place.

          And if there's a valid issue with it, how would swapping it over under warranty cost me money?

          • askbargain on 11/02/2024 - 19:35

            @Cam44: because it's part of the design of this specific gan charger

  • Gdsamp on 28/01/2024 - 15:59

    GaN Charger

    • Cam44 on 28/01/2024 - 16:05
      +1

      Thanks for your valuable input.

      Charger should have been lowercase and you also forgot the full stop.

      See how no one cares?

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