USB type C 12v laptop charger?

[barryd]

Just took delivery of some Honor Magicbook 14" laptops and they are really nice. So much so Mrs D is considering having one but they are a USB C type charger. Same USB C type connection at either end of the cable which just plugs into the plug in charger and into a wall socket.

The deal breaker will be if we cant get a charger for the van. Its 20v / 3.25amps so about 65 watts according to the back of the machine. None of the cheap USB C sockets you can get for phones etc will be beefy enough I suspect.

I found this that should work. https://www.lenovo.com/gb/en/access...tech/65W-USB-C-DC-Travel-Adapter/p/40AK0065WW

Anyone using anything similar?

 

[wildebus]

Sounds a bit of a push to me? USB is 5V - so a 65W charger would add up to 13A . Well beyond the current capability of most USB C sockets I think?
a 12V socket could deliver that level of power ok.

 

[alwaysared]

Just took delivery of some Honor Magicbook 14" laptops and they are really nice. So much so Mrs D is considering having one but they are a USB C type charger. Same USB C type connection at either end of the cable which just plugs into the plug in charger and into a wall socket.

The deal breaker will be if we cant get a charger for the van. Its 20v / 3.25amps so about 65 watts according to the back of the machine. None of the cheap USB C sockets you can get for phones etc will be beefy enough I suspect.

I found this that should work. https://www.lenovo.com/gb/en/access...tech/65W-USB-C-DC-Travel-Adapter/p/40AK0065WW

Anyone using anything similar?

I tried a Motorola charger on a Honor mobile which on paper was the same spec as the original Honor one but it lost the fast charge ability, it did however charge albeit slower. So I would think there is some sort of "talking" going on between the two Not sure if the Honor laptop would be the same

Regards,
Del

 

[barryd]

Sounds a bit of a push to me? USB is 5V - so a 65W charger would add up to 13A . Well beyond the current capability of most USB C sockets I think?
a 12V socket could deliver that level of power ok.

I think the USB C cable is just the conduit. It would need a charger to plug in the cable to but one that will run off a 12v socket. That one in the link should be powerful enough but if you read some of the comments some say its only powerful enough to maintain the charge while in use but does not charge the device until you close the lid or shut it down. Some say its fine. It will depend what the amps are the machine is pulling I Guess. Given its a brand new Ryzen 5 device I was surprised that it requires 3.25 amps but I guess that will be its maximum requirement under load. My i5 thinkpad is 15.6" and a few years old and requires the same amp adaptor. The 12v charger I have for that in the van is fine though. (different connector).

given the price of that Lenovo adaptor and the question of whether it will work or not it maybe worth just going for a 300w pure sine wave invertor which would cope easily I would have thought and probably offer a faster charge as well as it having other uses. This seems too cheap to me though but Invertors are not something I know much about. https://www.amazon.co.uk/BESTEK-Power-Inverter-Smart-Adapter/dp/B076P9PGX3

 

[wildebus]

I think the USB C cable is just the conduit. It would need a charger to plug in the cable to but one that will run off a 12v socket. That one in the link should be powerful enough but if you read some of the comments some say its only powerful enough to maintain the charge while in use but does not charge the device until you close the lid or shut it down. Some say its fine. It will depend what the amps are the machine is pulling I Guess. Given its a brand new Ryzen 5 device I was surprised that it requires 3.25 amps but I guess that will be its maximum requirement under load. My i5 thinkpad is 15.6" and a few years old and requires the same amp adaptor. The 12v charger I have for that in the van is fine though. (different connector).

given the price of that Lenovo adaptor and the question of whether it will work or not it maybe worth just going for a 300w pure sine wave invertor which would cope easily I would have thought and probably offer a faster charge as well as it having other uses. This seems too cheap to me though but Invertors are not something I know much about. https://www.amazon.co.uk/BESTEK-Power-Inverter-Smart-Adapter/dp/B076P9PGX3

Bestek are a decent brand. That inverter you have linked to looks excellent value at the price of £42.99! The 300W MSW ones are around £30-£35 and are good value, so an extra tenner or so for a PSW version looks the biz.

 

[Obanboy666]

Sounds a bit of a push to me? USB is 5V - so a 65W charger would add up to 13A . Well beyond the current capability of most USB C sockets I think?
a 12V socket could deliver that level of power ok.

I think the USB C cable is just the conduit. It would need a charger to plug in the cable to but one that will run off a 12v socket. That one in the link should be powerful enough but if you read some of the comments some say its only powerful enough to maintain the charge while in use but does not charge the device until you close the lid or shut it down. Some say its fine. It will depend what the amps are the machine is pulling I Guess. Given its a brand new Ryzen 5 device I was surprised that it requires 3.25 amps but I guess that will be its maximum requirement under load. My i5 thinkpad is 15.6" and a few years old and requires the same amp adaptor. The 12v charger I have for that in the van is fine though. (different connector).

given the price of that Lenovo adaptor and the question of whether it will work or not it maybe worth just going for a 300w pure sine wave invertor which would cope easily I would have thought and probably offer a faster charge as well as it having other uses. This seems too cheap to me though but Invertors are not something I know much about. https://www.amazon.co.uk/BESTEK-Power-Inverter-Smart-Adapter/dp/B076P9PGX3

I went through the same dilemma with my Macbrook pro and my son suggested rather than bugger about with more charge cables etc etc just use the 300 watt Victron inverter that I use for the sky box on the rare occasion I watch the cricket on Sky when off grid.
Works a treat.

 

[barryd]

Just being a bit anal about power I am not a fan of invertors as I dont think they are as efficient as a dedicated 12v charger. However having said that two things spring to mind. Using that 300w invertor I assume that the 240v official Honor charger will charge the laptop much faster than a 12v one and also it wont be over stressed and being pure sine wave should protect the equipment better? I hope she decides she doesnt want one now! Its my fault for getting her to test one. She loves it. So £500 and now a blooming invertor! Still its her Birthday on the 3rd Jan and I always struggle at the best of times after Christmas to find her something.

 

[st3v3]

I'm pretty sure other stuff will charge it, just slowly. Unless you're on it 24/7 that's fine surely?

How much is the laptop? PM if you prefer

 

[xsilvergs]

Just took delivery of some Honor Magicbook 14" laptops and they are really nice. So much so Mrs D is considering having one but they are a USB C type charger. Same USB C type connection at either end of the cable which just plugs into the plug in charger and into a wall socket.

The deal breaker will be if we cant get a charger for the van. Its 20v / 3.25amps so about 65 watts according to the back of the machine. None of the cheap USB C sockets you can get for phones etc will be beefy enough I suspect.

I found this that should work. https://www.lenovo.com/gb/en/access...tech/65W-USB-C-DC-Travel-Adapter/p/40AK0065WW

Anyone using anything similar?

I have a Chromebook which charges through USB-C, when away in the van I just use Type-A to USB-C lead and leave it on over night. In the morning it's charged. The Chromebook does notify me it's a low power charging source but I've not had any problems.

£46.99 sounds a lot of money, I use one of these LINK

 

[barryd]

I'm pretty sure other stuff will charge it, just slowly. Unless you're on it 24/7 that's fine surely?

How much is the laptop? PM if you prefer

£500 although I get them a bit cheaper.

Its one of these.

Honor MagicBook 14 AMD Ryzen 5 3500U 8GB 256GB SSD Radeon Vega 8 14 Inch Full HD Windows 10 Laptop - Space Grey - Laptops Direct

Buy Honor MagicBook 14 AMD Ryzen 5 3500U 8GB 256GB SSD Radeon Vega 8 14 Inch Full HD Windows 10 Laptop - Space Grey from LaptopsDirect

www.laptopsdirect.co.uk

They are a sister company of Huawei. I bought ten for a client who was on a bit of a tight budget and needed ten entry level laptops. I would normally go Lenovo or HP etc but these were recommended and there was nothing of that spec at that price from Lenovo etc but the build quality is superb for a cheap laptop. Metal case as well. Spec is good for the price point. There is just naff all stock left of anything at the moment.

 

[barryd]

I have a Chromebook which charges through USB-C, when away in the van I just use Type-A to USB-C lead and leave it on over night. In the morning it's charged. The Chromebook does notify me it's a low power charging source but I've not had any problems.

£46.99 sounds a lot of money, I use one of these LINK

Thats just a cable though. I have the cable. The laptop comes with a charger and a USB C to USB C cable. One end plugs into the 240v charger and the other end into the side of the laptop. There are USB type C cigar lighter type plugs but they are just for phones etc. I doubt any of them will be beefy enough for a 14" laptop. I emailed Honor and they dont do them. I think all it needs is a 12v USB cigar lighter type charger thats capable of putting out 20v at 3.25 amps. The trouble with the Lenovo one is it has moulded cables so if it breaks your knackered which is why the 300w invertor might be a better option as its the same price!

I think the last adaptor I got for Mrs D's current Dell was about £15!

 

[xsilvergs]

Thats just a cable though. I have the cable. The laptop comes with a charger and a USB C to USB C cable. One end plugs into the 240v charger and the other end into the side of the laptop. There are USB type C cigar lighter type plugs but they are just for phones etc. I doubt any of them will be beefy enough for a 14" laptop. I emailed Honor and they dont do them. I think all it needs is a 12v USB cigar lighter type charger thats capable of putting out 20v at 3.25 amps. The trouble with the Lenovo one is it has moulded cables so if it breaks your knackered which is why the 300w invertor might be a better option as its the same price!

I think the last adaptor I got for Mrs D's current Dell was about £15!

Well I just plug the A end into one of the USB in the van and the C end into my Chromebook and it charges.

Sorry if I misunderstood your original question.

No inverters, no stepping 12v to 20v.

 

[Tezza33]

Well I just plug the A end into one of the USB in the van and the C end into my Chromebook and it charges.

Sorry if I misunderstood your original question.

No inverters, no stepping 12v to 20v.

USB in the van is only 5v so it will only charge phones or tablets not a 20v laptop

The deal breaker will be if we cant get a charger for the van. Its 20v / 3.25amps so about 65 watts according to the back of the machine. None of the cheap USB C sockets you can get for phones etc will be beefy enough I suspect.

I found this that should work. https://www.lenovo.com/gb/en/access...tech/65W-USB-C-DC-Travel-Adapter/p/40AK0065WW

Anyone using anything similar?

Macbook Pro, as well as a lot of other modern laptop chargers, are 20v with USB C it might be worth looking at one of these, I am sure it will fit the bill
Pwr USB-C Laptop Car Charger for MacBook Pro 13 15: Amazon.co.uk: Electronics

• FEATURES / POWER SPECS : Only Pwr+ Chargers Have Extra Long 10 Ft Power cords / Output Max: 5V 3A, 9V 3A, 12V 3A, 15V 3A, 20V 4.5A (30W 45W 60W 65W 85W 90W) / Input Volt: 12V / OEM Original Genuine Charger Laptop Adapter Power Cord Replacement by PWR+
• COMPATIBILITY: Apple MacBook Pro 13 13.3 15 A1706 A1707 A1708 MJ262LL/A MNF72LL/A MNF82LL/A | Razer Blade Stealth RZ09-0196 P/N: RC30-016803 RC30-01680300 RC30-0239 | Lenovo IdeaPad 720 720s (13" ONLY!); Yoga 370 910 920 ThinkPad L380 X380 A275 A475 E480 E580 L580 P51S T470 T470s T480 T480s T570 T580 X270 X280 X1 Carbon | Toshiba Tecra X40, Portege X20W X30 | Google Pixelbook | Huawei MateBook X Pro | Microsoft Surface Book 2, Surface Go
• Dell XPS 12 9250, 13 9365 9370; Latitude 11 5175 5179, 12 5285 5289 5290 7212 7275 7285, 13 7370 7389 7390 | Asus Q325 Q325U Q325UA, Chromebook C302 C302C C302CA; C101 C101P C101PA C213 C213S C213SA, Zenbook 3 UX390 UX390U UX390UA UX490 UX490U UX490UA, Transformer 3 T305 T305C T305CA, Pro T303 T303U T303UA, AsusPro B9440 B9440U B9440UA | Acer Chromebook CP5 CP5-471, CB515 CB515-1HT, R13 CB5-312T, Swift Spin 7 SF713 SF713-51 SP714 SP714-51 | Samsung Chromebook Plus XE513C24, Pro XE510C24

 

[xsilvergs]

USB in the van is only 5v so it will only charge phones or tablets not a 20v laptop

Guess my Chromebook fulls outside the category of computer. USB-C is a bit modern for me

Does USB-C vary the applied voltage to the device, starting at ~20v to achieve the higher charge current and then reduce the voltage to 5v as full charge is reached?

Here's the label from my charger:

And the label from the Chromebook

 

[alwaysared]

Guess my Chromebook fulls outside the category of computer. USB-C is a bit modern for me

Does USB-C vary the applied voltage to the device, starting at ~20v to achieve the higher charge current and then reduce the voltage to 5v as full charge is reached?

Here's the label from my charger:

View attachment 90014

And the label from the Chromebook

View attachment 90015

I think you'll find that the device knows what voltage is required, your adapter provides 3A for 5v, 9v and 15v devices and 2.25A for 20v devices.
Edit: Some devices can work at more than one voltage, my Motorola mobile will work at 5v, 9v and 12v it needs the higher voltage to utilise the fast charge.
Regards,
Del

 

[barryd]

USB in the van is only 5v so it will only charge phones or tablets not a 20v laptop





Macbook Pro, as well as a lot of other modern laptop chargers, are 20v with USB C it might be worth looking at one of these, I am sure it will fit the bill
Pwr USB-C Laptop Car Charger for MacBook Pro 13 15: Amazon.co.uk: Electronics

• FEATURES / POWER SPECS : Only Pwr+ Chargers Have Extra Long 10 Ft Power cords / Output Max: 5V 3A, 9V 3A, 12V 3A, 15V 3A, 20V 4.5A (30W 45W 60W 65W 85W 90W) / Input Volt: 12V / OEM Original Genuine Charger Laptop Adapter Power Cord Replacement by PWR+
• COMPATIBILITY: Apple MacBook Pro 13 13.3 15 A1706 A1707 A1708 MJ262LL/A MNF72LL/A MNF82LL/A | Razer Blade Stealth RZ09-0196 P/N: RC30-016803 RC30-01680300 RC30-0239 | Lenovo IdeaPad 720 720s (13" ONLY!); Yoga 370 910 920 ThinkPad L380 X380 A275 A475 E480 E580 L580 P51S T470 T470s T480 T480s T570 T580 X270 X280 X1 Carbon | Toshiba Tecra X40, Portege X20W X30 | Google Pixelbook | Huawei MateBook X Pro | Microsoft Surface Book 2, Surface Go
• Dell XPS 12 9250, 13 9365 9370; Latitude 11 5175 5179, 12 5285 5289 5290 7212 7275 7285, 13 7370 7389 7390 | Asus Q325 Q325U Q325UA, Chromebook C302 C302C C302CA; C101 C101P C101PA C213 C213S C213SA, Zenbook 3 UX390 UX390U UX390UA UX490 UX490U UX490UA, Transformer 3 T305 T305C T305CA, Pro T303 T303U T303UA, AsusPro B9440 B9440U B9440UA | Acer Chromebook CP5 CP5-471, CB515 CB515-1HT, R13 CB5-312T, Swift Spin 7 SF713 SF713-51 SP714 SP714-51 | Samsung Chromebook Plus XE513C24, Pro XE510C24

Yep that would do it but I have to wonder if at that price I may as well get the invertor which can be used for other things. IT looks the proper job that one though.

 

[barryd]

Guess my Chromebook fulls outside the category of computer. USB-C is a bit modern for me

Does USB-C vary the applied voltage to the device, starting at ~20v to achieve the higher charge current and then reduce the voltage to 5v as full charge is reached?

Here's the label from my charger:

View attachment 90014

And the label from the Chromebook

View attachment 90015

Thanks for going to that trouble. This bit I find confusing.

As Del says above though the device knows what to draw from the charger but if you are plugging in your lead into a standard 12v USB socket in the van I thought USB sockets only ever put out 5v but i could be wrong. Is this why there are so few USB C chargers for sale? You just need a beefy USB 12v socket an you just plug your standard USB C lead in and away you go? Got to be more to it

Is it just a standard USB socket you plug your cable and Chromebook into? Does it charge while your are using it?

 

[barryd]

In theory if you look at the specs further down the page this should do it.

Baseus 65W Car Charger QC4.0 Quick Charging USB Type C Cigarette Lighter Adapter | eBay

<li> Note: 20 V outputs on the USB port are possible if the input is 24 V (large truck)</li> <li> </li> <li>Feature:</li> <li> </li> <li>1.With two outputs, one charger is sufficient: supports fast charging of PD and QC at the same time with a single car charger. It can charge phone, tablet...

www.ebay.co.uk

Whether its worth risking a £500 new laptop on a fifteen quid socket off ebay I dunno.

 

[jagmanx]

I have an ASUS transformer
Which only chargers off USB C
I got a 12V unit which is a cigarette lighter socket with uSB C socket and it came with a suitable lead ie USB C at both ends
PS Before I got said 12V unit I used the mains plug togrther with a 150watt inverter
This one (or similar eg 120watt)

Ring Can Inverter | Halfords UK

Shop the latest The Ring Can Inverter converts 12v DC to 230AC, suitable for charging laptops & other devices. at Halfords UK

www.halfords.com

 

[xsilvergs]

Does a 20 volt Chromebook charge from a 5 volt USB supply?

Chromebook on charge from a 5 volt USB, unfortunately for my test my Chromebook was still at 91% SoC when i started the test.

Prior to USB charging.

Charging lead connected, it realises it it a low power (Not USB-C) connection.

Charge voltage and current through the USB-A to USB-C lead

Charging setup. The PSU can deliver up to 2 Amps but is supplying 900mA, the USB power board is delivering 1.9 Amps to it.

One and half hours later (been out walking the dog) power consumption is down to 25mA.

And the 20 Volt Chromebook is completely charged from a 5V USB supply

Big grins here.