Topic: Nintendo Switch: USB-C and Portable Battery Recommendations

@JaxonH Thank you for this. While I'm not getting the Switch at launch, I'm thinking of starting to get some of the accessories I want for the Switch right now, and a power bank is right at the top of the list.
So yeah, thanks for the recommendations.

@Vee_Flames
No problem.

I'm no expert, but hopefully we can clear up some confusion by pooling our knowledge here. I'm sure there's some techie experts bound to chime in at some point

It should be noted that the Pro Controller and Charging Grip both come with charging cables. USB A to USB C. And while you won't be able to fast-charge with USB A it should be enough for most scenarios. Your battery will slowly drain while playing Zelda for example but it'll charge it up just fine while playing less demanding games or while idle.

If you got a portable battery for Pokemon Go and get a Pro Controller? You're basically set.

@skywake
That may be enough for some people, but I want the fastest charging possible. And I'd like to squeeze enough juice from the portable battery that it doesn't slowly drain, but rather holds steady. A full 3A charge through USB-C to USB-C might be enough to make the difference.

As for wall charging, the official charger charges to 90% in 2 hrs, and I don't think anything will top that. It could, with a 15V 3A USB-C wall charger, but even if we can't find one that matches the same output of the official charger, just getting one that's smaller with foldable prongs and detachable cable would be a win in my book.

Nice thread.

I'm currently eyeing a powerbank that has 3a out. It is only 5v though, which makes sense considering the usb a plug.

I'll check the cables too. I expect to play this on the go and to carry it along quite a bit, and bringing a charger is a no go with the concept of extra stuff to carry and the dependency of a wall outlet.

Any powerbank out there with proper usb c out? I've got a MacBook pro charger that has it but other than that...

While I have no idea how much this will charge the Switch, for $12 you can't go wrong buying this one. I've had it for months and it charges my HTC M9 completely. https://smile.amazon.com/Jackery-Premium-3350mAh-Portable-Cha...

@McGruber that's the thing: you CAN go wrong. It charges at 1amp, and no excess capacity. That bank is smaller than the entire switch battery, so don't expect to get anything more than 80% of an extra charge at a very, very slow rate.

@erv I figured something like that, but maybe there are people like me who don't want to spend more than $15 on a power bank. A little extra juice is all I think I'll ever need for Switch because I doubt I'll take it outside much. This is a great battery to have for a phone though, and it charges my phone faster than any wall charger I have.

@McGruber oh it's not a useless product, far from it. The use case with the switch is likely to be different though, which is why it matters for some people

As a sidenote, when picking cables, check out the better quality ones. You'll basically want one that has a good rating (usb 3 to usb c of course) instead of just the cheapest. There's a nice article for those who want to learn more about it here: http://goughlui.com/2014/10/01/usb-cable-resistance-why-your-...

I'm picking up a powerbank that has 5v 3amp out in a usb-a plug. One good usb-a to c cable is all I need. Macbook pro chargers announce themselves gradually upwards (5v 2.1 amp, 9v 3amp etc) so I expect that one to be compatible too.

A good quality cable that has a low awg rating and aomething like usb 3.1+ spec on the usb-a end should be good.

I've got to say, if powerbanks with usb-c out were more affordable, I'd get one. But I don't want to spend 90 euros for one. I appreciate a quality product but that's too much for now.

@erv This is going to be my first USB-C device (followed by HTC 10 ). Will USB 2.0 to USB-C charge it significantly slower than USB 3.0? And do we know how long the Switch's charging chord is? I plan on playing in handheld mode in my apartment a lot since my TV and my bed are not in the same room, so a long cable would be ideal.

A real quick question (this kind of stuff confuses me).

So I got this power bank last year: Click Me

I've also purchased the Belkin USB A to USB C cable (on the Benson approved list)...so will the output of my charging bank that I already have potentially damage my Switch? All this amps/watts etc confuses me! Haha.

So off the top of my head, usb 2.0 was designed for up to 0.5amp, which is not enough throughput. 3.0 had the idea of 0.9 up to 1.5 through clever wiring, but that won't suffice either. Or, not that much.

3.1 has support up to 5amps if I'm not mistaken. Google me on these things, I might mix them up.

So if the usb-a connector has output of 3amps, make sure the cable is at least usb-a to usb-c with the usb-a end being graded at version 3.1. Usb c cables, if not the rock bottom cheapest, will have more power throughput capability.

Longer cables mean total voltage drops as the current isn't much to begin with. But usb-c cables solve for that mechanic somewhat.

So a usb-c output on the adapter means the best case scenario. If the charger you use has usb-a (the classic one) out, you'll end up with a max voltage of 5, usually, which is prone to drop over length.

So yes: 2.0 in general charges way slower. 3.1+ is where you want to be. The length will be your enemy though - hence, powerbanks...

Real good questions. The blowing up part is a voltage thing. (Edit: it's an overcharge, technically. Zap zapp. Blowing up is resistance related.) We measure total watts as amps * voltage.

So higher amps don't matter. Too high a voltage means damage. More amps means more to draw in a shorter amount of time: higher throughput.

In short: the output being 5 volt, you will never blow up anything. I don't know what the switch max voltage is (if the charger can seed 15 volts, let's assume that) and then finding a powerbank that outputs that kind of charge takes away the portability lol.

So 5 volts will always be safe. You can feed it 7 amps or 8 amps, it won't matter - the battery in the switch will just draw the amount it can. at 5 volts, that would be 5*amperage in watts.

The dilemma comes from charging speed. If the amperage is low, the speed goes down. If you are able to draw 2 amps, a rough calculation is switch battery capacity / amp feed.

4.3 amps/hour (4310 mAh - now you know what that stands for ) / 2 makes for a charge time of 2 hours.

In theory...

@erv I realise my link was broken to Amazon...fixed now.

Ahh ok - so technically the powerbank I has does auto-detecting on the device it's connected to deliver its fastest possible charge speed with 2.1A (max) output and 5V...so technically that should be safe and ok for the Switch?

Thank you so much for the explanation I think I get it.

@erv
Technically USB 1.0/2.0/3.0/3.1 is mostly about the speed. You can have USB 2.0 ports that support more W than some USB 3.0 ports. USB Type A, B & C refer to the cables and ports themselves. The power spec is again a separate thing. In general if a port is USB 3.1 it's probably Type C and it likely can supply more power. If a port is Type C it's more likely to be 3.1 and it's more likely to supply more power. But they don't always go together.

The Type C connector does support upto 100W of power delivery. Type A/B does not

@ProjectX1991 Yep. The confusion is not your fault. Add in cheap cables that can't carry the amperage and things start to dazzle.

Your powerbank is safe. If it's optimal, it might even charge the switch in about two hours when it's off. When gaming, it'll probably just slow draining it.

@skywake that's what I though too, until I googled the amperage specs. you'll want that 3.1+ cable to get over the 1.5 amps the others have... usually.

With the awg value mixed in (one is for data, one is for power) I now understand why some cables are cheap and some are expensive.

For instance, I'll buy a cable with 30awg for data and 22 for power. Sturdy and charges the device quick enough.

I still wonder why nintendo is so conservative in its charging speed estimates though. If the switch really is able to pull 2.6 amps, then the switch should charge to full charge within 1 hour and 45 minutes or something - switched off of course.

@ProjectX1991
If it's on the list, and says OK on the right (they either say yes or no on the right side) then it's in spec. You should have nothing to worry about.

But be sure to check the ratings for it. It may only be 2.0 (Im looking for 3.1 just in case) and it may have someone who tested it who says ya, it only gets 2.7A instead of the full advertised 3A. So keep other factors in mind as well. The list is just to ensure they meet specification. There are some details on the Sheet as well like Amps and stuff

My phone,the One Plus 3 has a thing called "Dash Charge" ,it's seriously quick.It charges the 3000mAh battery from 0 to 60% in 30 minutes whether I'm using it or not.Even using the most intensive apps on my phone,nothing seems to slow it down..I'm pretty sure it's the fastest phone charger around or at least it was when it came out.The newer 3T model has a 3400mAH battery and it retains the same speed.I'm pretty sure it's designed specifically for these phones though but I might be wrong.

Will this be safe to use on the Switch?