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

@gcunit
It could damage your cable or device.

Here's an excellent piece that explains the deal, which I do recommend reading as we transition to USB-C

http://www.androidauthority.com/usb-type-c-and-3-1-explained-...

I bought a standard USB-C cable with a MyCHarge 8400 mAh portable battery. It extends the life of the switch by about 4-5 hours. It's great.

Also, my cable was about $20, and I don't recommend going too cheap on the cable

@gcunit Thanks for your test and it really helps!

@JaxonH Thanks for the link. However, when it comes to tech nowadays, I tend to think there's a lot of, for want of a better word, scaremongering.

Now, that article could be right on the money, but if the only thing at risk is the cable or the charger then I'll probably just risk it and believe it's a problem when I see it.

@gcunit
I hear you, but it's not scaremongering in this instance. It's just science.

When USB C came out it can handle 100W of power. Old USB A cant. So you have a cable with C on one end, it tells the device yes, you can pull all the power you want, even if the cable itself, or the charger can't handle it.

And when that happens, the charger can start overheating out sending WAY more current then it should, frying your device.

Benson Leung, a google engineer, fried his device using an out of spec cable. That's why he's on a personal crusade to raise awareness and demand manufacturers recall out of spec cables. Unfortunately it's common right now. They short cut and don't use the 56k ohm resistor necessary to ensure its safe to use.

So ya, in many cases I'd agree, but not with this. You really dont wanr to damage your $300 Switch over a $5 cable

Now come on, Jaxon - if Link employed the same approach he'd still be stuck on the Great Plateau

And with that, here's a further update regarding the powerbank I'm testing:

So my next test was to see how long the powerbank would take to charge my Switch from a 0-1% battery state, and how much of the powerbank's charge it would consume in doing so.

The headline data being that, using the USB-A to USB-C cable provided with the powerbank, it took about 3 hrs 48 minutes to charge to my Switch from dead to 100%, and it left the powerbank charge display on 61 (from 100).

So, quite adequate performance, I figure. Not amazingly zippy, and whether it's because I was waiting for it to finish IDK but the last few percent seemed to take longer.

But the powerbank dropping from 100 to 61 suggests that it is in line with the advertised potential of 2.5 Switch charges from one full charge of the powerbank.

So, all in all, on first impressions, I can recommend this powerbank as a backup power supply for a Switch. Everything was straight-forward, nothing got hot or even warm. The powerbank didn't power-down once Switch was charged to 100%, but perhaps if I'd left it another minute it might have done, because it does power-down after about 45 seconds of inactivity when unplugged.

Hi I'm using my MacBook USB-C to USB-C cable and charger (effectively USB-C version of iPad charger). Feel lucky to have one already.

Further update on the model I'm testing:

I wanted to see just how much play I'd get out of a fully charged powerbank. I'd already charged my Switch from 0% to 100% once, and this left the powerbank display on 61 (down from 100).

So I ran my Switch battery down to 0% again and connected the powerbank at 61. This time I didn't bother with any monitoring and just left it to get on with it, thinking I'd come back to find the Switch fully charged and the powerbank display at around 20.

I came back sometime later and the powerbank display was flashing '00'. My Switch was fully charged and doesn't appear to be anything but normal, but I am wondering what happened to the approximate 20% power I was expecting to find left on the powerbank. If it doesn't stop transferring charge when my Switch battery hits 100%, where does that extra power go?

Slightly less impressed now.

Am I right in thinking that I can just use the cable that came with the pro controller to charge the switch?

My phone charger is one of those modular ones where you can insert a USB cable before plugging it into a wall socket. Would save me buying a power bank.

@msm2000
Yes, but because it's USB A on one end that means 5V 2.4A is most you'll get, and even that can be limited by what power source you plug it into.

I'd check that phone charger Plug and read how many volts and amps it has. It may only be 5V 2A, or like iPhone 5V 1A. And don't use anything that's Qualcomm or proprietary speed charge. It can risk damage.

@JaxonH Thanks for the reply. The charger is 5V 1A. I'm not really sure what that means though. Does it just affect how fast it would charge?

@msm2000
Yes.

Voltage X Amperes = Watts (V x A = W) and watts are the total charge you get. So 5V 1A = 5W of charge. Switch official charger is 15V 2.6A = 39W of charge. Granted that's for the dock and everything else it powers. In handheld mode it's 5V 1.5A = 7.5W of charge. So you need at least that to not lose charge while you play, and keep charge times down.

If you want the fastest charge you'll want a standard 5V 2.4A charger (the max USB A can handle). Or if you really wanna charge fast, go with 5V 3A USB-C charger for 15W.

Just remember Volts and Amps are like a pipe with water flowing through. Volts are the water pressure, amps are the current or flow rate, and watts are the total volume of water coming out of the end. And resistance is the size of the pipe aka the most your cable can allow.

@JaxonH Thanks a lot for the advice. I tend to play docked more often anyway, so I'll keep a look out for the best options available to charge on the go.

@JaxonH

How accurate is your information and do you have sources? Nowhere on the switch does it say it's input is 5v @ 1.5A. I know the adapter says that for output, however the Switch itself only lists 15v @ 2.6A. I'm not entire sure why a docked version would require more power than an undock version unless it's simply due to the USB ports.

Hey guys, I'm wanting to use this Venture 30 to extend my switch battery while traveling for work. With a solid USB A to C cord (with the 56k ohm resistor) will this be safe to use? Thanks!

http://www.goalzero.com/mobile/p/382

So while the information in the thread is mostly spot on one pretty important technical specification was missed. The latest and greatest Portable chargers have something known as PD USB, also called power distribution. This allows them to quick charge themselves and other items at 15V / 3a, this is HUGE for the Switch and lets you charge your power bank in a few hours instead of half a day. I did a review of the best power banks available on my website if anyone want to check it out.

http://techpointgaming.com/portable-chargers/best-nintendo-sw...

My top choice is a PD compliant RavPower Unit, for a brief vote of confidence, it charges the switch 22% an hour while playing Zelda.

For some reason my switch doesn't charge with my battery bank even though it's 5v and 2.4amp...

@APerfidiousDane
It says it right on the official charger, also on Nintendo's official technical submissions, and pretty much common knowledge everywhere.

Just look at your official charger. It says 5V 1.5A and 15V 2.6A. That's as official as sources come.

@Eternal3lade
Thank yoy. Yes I was aware of the Power Delivery with Switch, and I'd heard that RAVpower would work at 15V 3A, but hadn't heard of any firsthand confirmation yet. Definitely a topic to be discussed. Anker PowerCore+ is not PD unfortunately, though they did say they were making one. Right now RAVpower is the only [affordable] option Im aware of.

@Chipeater
Could be the cable you're using, or it could be the battery itself. I'd recommend a USB-C battery. I'm using an Iogear and after longer time to test, I've discovered that using the USB A port with A to C cable gives just enough juice playing Zelda not to drain. Gained 1% in half an hour. So no extra charge and no drain. But using C to C cable from the C port, it gained 2% every 7 minutes playing Zelda on full brightness.

@Eternal3lade
I am curious though, because using my Iogear 10,000mAh USB-C portable battery, which should be 5V 3A in theory (in practice not sure exactly how much it's outputting), and I consistently gained 2% every 7 minutes while playing Zelda on full brightness, which over the course of an hour was about 17-18% charge gained per hour. In sleep mode it was much quicker though.

That doesn't seem all that much slower considering it's only at 5V. I've heard reports Switch tends to limit charge to around 15W, so whether it's 15V at 1A or 5V at 3A, it never seems to take more than 15W total. I haven't looked into it much, but maybe you can confirm or deny whether you've found this to be true. It's gotta be at least partially true if PD only yields 22% vs normal USB-C charging at 18%. And if that 22% is while in sleep mode or turned off, it would almost certainly confirm 15W is the limit

I wonder if charging at 3A has any adverse effect on the battery? I do have a 3A USB-C charger, but I do question if exceeding the official AC adapter is a wise move...