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

@NEStalgia
Think It's fine. Great thing about USB C is the device will only pull what it's supposed to. If it pulls 3A it's cause it can.

Plus Nintendo said it could charge at higher Amps with USB C

@JaxonH Oh that's cool that Nintendo actually said that.

I know the old rule for batteries was the slowest possible charge was the best for long term viability, and tend to charge most things at .5C or so, but I'm sure modern Li-Ions meant for fast charge are (hopefully) better built to withstand it. And .5C is a LOT more amperage on big batteries like this anyway

@JaxonH I'm aware what the adapter says, that's why I mentioned it. You've misunderstood what I was asking but I've since figured out what I was looking for.

@NEStalgia No matter what the device you wouldn't have to worry about exceeding the amps. A device should always pull only what it needs or will use. Exceeding the Volts would be a much bigger issue to cause issues to the device.

@JaxonH Regarding the Google charger you recommended, I wonder if the link is correct as it looks bigger than you made it out to be. Also the USB-C connection comes down from the adaptor which can be an annoyance as I seem to encounter plenty of wall sockets either near the ground or a table surface with limited clearance.

Any recommendations where the cable runs horizontally from the plugged adaptor like the iPad adaptor? (that would work but a little anxious about using. 5.2V adaptor instead of a 5V job).

@FX102A
Uh, no that's definitely the right link. It's not that big, but keep in mind USB A chargers are typically a tad smaller than USB C chargers. It's definitely one of the smaller USB C chargers I've seen though.

Coming out of the bottom isn't a problem because it comes with a 1.8 meter USB C to C cable thats Benson approved. In fact, it's the only C to C cable I've found at 6ft length that's Benson Leung approved. So better to come out the bottom with a 6ft in spec C to C cable than come out the back with an A to C cable, or a 3ft C to C cable.

Does anyone know what the amperage is the switch can pull? I know the default adapter feeds it 39 watts, but can it pull upwards of 3amps at lower voltages?

@erv
It can do up to 3A.

Whether at 15V 1A or at 5V 3A, the Switch typically tends to draw 15W in handheld mode. My friend bought a tester because he was curious. He thought it could charge super fast with the 15V but turns out the higher the volts the lower the amps go.

@JaxonH Ah I see. That's actually good to know, thanks - and explains why the hold charge scenario is about what you get off a 3A bank charge. My bank charges about a percentage per 5 minutes during zelda - which I think is fine enough, if you don't plug the thing in at the last 4 percent or something.

@erv
Right.

The one thing I noticed though is using A to C, you won't hit 15W thanks to the limited 2.4A. So using a USB C battery with C to C cable does have it's benefits. I get about 2% every 7 minutes playing Zelda using my C port battery and C to C Google cable. 17-18% per hour. Not a huge increase over using an A port, but an increase for sure. When I use the A to C cable that came with Pro controller, on the exact same portable battery, I get no extra charge. No drain, but no extra charge.

@JaxonH actually, a cable with a better (lower) AWG value helps. My usb-a to usb-c cable has minimal voltage drop.

It explains the concept of the more expensive cables neatly. I understand why now

Would the Apple Mac book type c charger work?

everyone should get the best anker powercore they can afford and the best USB 3 A to C cable they can afford from bensons list. that's what i did, actually can't go wrong.

@martinskrtel37
Id actually recommend RAVPower over the Anker Powercore+, although the Powercore is still a good choice. Unfortunately the Anker doesn't include Power Delivery (PD) to deliver 15V. The RAVPower is one of the only batteries on the market with PD. That aside if you don't really care about Power Delivery or achieving 15V then the Anker is probably one of the best there is.

Good news is Anker is working on a new Powercore with PD included. Not sure when it's gonna release though.

@Codfish_joe
Which one? There are multiple MacBook chargers. Just check the charger for the profile... For example the 87W charger reads Output: 20.2V==4.3A or 9V==3A (USB PD) or 5.2V==2.4A

So the Switch can't handle the 20.2V at 4.3A. It will default to the 5.2V 2.4A except for the fact it uses Power Delivery, which will get it the 9V 3A profile. If you're using as a substitute with the dock I would not recommend that since the 27W falls short of the 39W of the official charger, but using it in handheld mode will do just fine. It never really draws more than 15W while in hand held mode, so it'll likely draw the 9V but the Amps will probably cap off around 1.65

Has anyone tired charging their Switch using a Samsung Galaxy Qualcomm Quick Charger and the official USB-A to USB-C cable that comes with the Pro Controller?

If so, how did that go? Were you able to play and charge at the same time?

@Mechageo
Don't use anything with Qualcom or quick charge. Switch is not compatible.

What's dangerous is you'll see the battery charging and assume it's fine... you won't know there's a problem until it's too late

@JaxonH Maybe you could enlighten me a bit about how the Switch negotiates how much power to draw from various things. I have a battery pack that has a Qualcomm QC 2.0 port and a "5v 2.4a" standard port. I thought that USB only allowed up to 1 amp on standard USB-A ports. How does having the 2.4a benefit the Switch at all?

@Mechageo

USB doesn't limit anything to 1 amp. 2.4 is pretty standard actually. Switch will draw, in handheld mode either 5V or 15V, and up to 3A, but not more than 15W total. Without PD or a charger specifically providing a 15V profile, you'll be using 5V. And with standard USB you'll get 2.4A, so 12W total. If you use USB C to C with a USB C plug you'll get 5V and 3A for 15W.

But I've read from more knowledgeable people than myself that Qualcom and proprietary fast chargers can damage Switch, so just use normal USB

@JaxonH Thanks!

@JaxonH
Am I to understand that only USB C is eligible for USB PD specs, and for cables with open ends, only C-to-C is eligible? Can you explain more why Anker Powercore+ isn't PD and hence can't deliver 15W even though its 20100 is capable of 5W 3A?

Also on a scientific note, why would a Qualcomm or other proprietry quick charging potentially damage the Switch? Is it because they might potentially output more than 15V?

Thanks for your attention!