The USB Type-C problem. Help needed

Dan73b

Dan73b

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Buying USB Type-C cables - Help needed

Hi all

I recently decided to take the plunge and get a USB Type-C phone. USB C makes a lot of sense to me for many reasons but after doing some research I've learned that most Type-A male to Type-C male cables (standard charging cable for Type-C phones) are actually unsafe to use.

I don't know an awful lot about voltage, amperage and usb products but what I understand is that if one of these USB Type-C cables is made incorrectly, they end up drawing too much charge from the device sending the current (computer, wall charger, powerbank, etc) and can easily cause damage in this way. Here's a video explaining the issue https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2784L4auJ-Q

What's nice for USA the rest of the world is that Benson Leung, a software engineer at Google, is testing cables on Amazon and posting very detailed reviews saying weather or not they're safe to use. The issue for us in SA, however, is that none of these safe cables are available locally. There is an Android app called CheckR that can tell you if a cable plugged into your device is safe but it has to be downloaded via APKmirror and as far as I know it only works on Pixel phones. I'm also not 100% ok with using my phone to test a cable that could be damaging it already.

So I would like to reach out to the Mybroadband community to see if anyone else has been facing this issue and what cables they've bought, used and can verify are safe. I don't want to have to order from Amazon. I'd much rather get a R200 cable on Takealot but it's difficult to know if they're safe or not.

I've tried a R300 Energizer cable from DionWired. It barely even fit my phone and wouldn't charge it at all... so I took it right back for a full refund.

Thanks for reading. Any type of input will be helpful.

Dan
 
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i am starting down this journey so hopefully can learn and also provide information where possible
 
I recently got a snug flat USB cable.

the difference it makes is quite dramatic.
the brand is pretty good give them a try.

also look for flat cables, it should prevent a lot of the issues you are reading about.
 
Baxteen said:
I recently got a snug flat USB cable.

the difference it makes is quite dramatic.
the brand is pretty good give them a try.

also look for flat cables, it should prevent a lot of the issues you are reading about.
Click to expand...

Thanks! I've seen Snug cables for sale in a few places but failed to find any reviews on them. Maybe I'll give one a try.

I'm also considering one of these http://www.takealot.com/ldnio-type-c-charging-data-cable-red/PLID42987431 after just finding the same product on Amazon with positive comments... nothing from Benson Leung but somebody did mention that it passes the "CheckR test" and I suppose that's good enough for me to consider trying it out.

I'll get one of the two (or both) when my refund from Dionwired is complete and post my findings here.

Do flat cables make a difference to the charge? From what I understand, flat cables may last longer because they tangle less but I'm sure there are good and bad quality examples of both flat and round cables. It all depends on the brand. I personally prefer round cables because I find them easier to handle.
 
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Budza said:
I've ordered this: https://www.aliexpress.com/store/pr...rt-IC-QC3-0-USB-Wall/1941878_32679797334.html

Should be here in a few weeks. I don't have a Type-C phone yet, but I'll see what tests I can to when it arrives.

I haven't watched the video- does it mention how to do the CheckR test? Got a TLDR?
Click to expand...

Awesome, let me know how it is. I've decided to just order one of the safe cables from Amazon ( link here: http://a.co/g7fKkmf ).
I just hope it doesn't take too long to arrive.
CheckR looks simple enough to use, you just open the app and plug in the cable & that's all. It'll say if it's charging correctly or not. It only works on pixel phones though. There are a few other Android apps that show charge current, not sure which of those would work best though.

When my cable arrives I'll post a review here. If everyone could do the same it would be awesome :)
 
Update: I resorted to ordering one of the Benson Leung tested cables on Amazon https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00VIWE1ZY/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Very good cable, no complaints. It cost me about R300 for the cable, a phone cover and all the customs & shipping. It took about 3 weeks to arrive.

To anyone wanting a safe cable: I rate the best way to go is to just get on Amazon, at least until the safe brands make their way to SA.
 
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