Charging up

Confused by fast charging, USB PD and Qi? Darien Graham-Smith finds out what’s watt and provides some advice on how best to top up your battery-powered devices

Charging up your devices used to be simple: you’d just plug in the right cable, wait an hour or two, then unplug and go. And today, with almost every portable device supporting USB charging, things ought to be even easier. Unfortunately, there’s still considerable confusion. Although the USB Type-C connector has become ubiquitous, the amount of power it actually conveys can vary considerably, depending on which devices and chargers you’re using, and even which cables you’re using. If you want to charge up your devices quickly and reliably, here’s what you need to know. The bad old days The original USB 1.0 standard, as published in 1996, was designed to provide up to 500mA of power at 5V – equivalent to 2.5W. This was enough to drive peripherals such as optical mice and…

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PC Pro (Digital) - 1 Issue, July 2024

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