EU Common Charger Directive.

Chan Tran · Dec 26, 2024

I am in the USA but still the rule affects products in the USA too. What do you think about the the Common Charger Directive? I don't like it though. I prefer the charger made to suit the need of the device. When they said common charger it's actually common power supply where the charger must be built in to the device that needs charging. I prefer the charge control circuit to be in the charger.

Sirius Glass · Dec 26, 2024

How will the common charger directive play with the lithium ion batteries in which only its own unique charger must be used to prevent fires?

pbromaghin · Dec 26, 2024

It seems a bit counter-productive. If, as you say, the charger will actually need to be in each individual device it may increase, rather than decrease complexity and waste. Fixing technological development of connectors at the USB-C will take advantage of innovation that has happened but will stifle it for the future.

A solution looking for a problem, perhaps? Bureaucrats justifying their own existence?

ic-racer · Dec 26, 2024

I don't know what that is. Do you have a link [to the 'Common Charger Directive]?

Sean · Dec 26, 2024

As a bit of a gadget nut it has been quite helpful to have most things able to charge with USB-C. Laptops, ereaders, earbud cases, mobile phones, camera, bluetooth devices (speakers). There is no digging around for a proprietary charger. I can pull the USB-C out of my laptop and stick into my earbuds case or phone for 15mins. I don't think it needs legislation or a mandate, as it is driven by consumer demand anyway.

pbromaghin · Dec 26, 2024

Sean said:
As a bit of a gadget nut it has been quite helpful to have most things able to charge with USB-C. Laptops, ereaders, earbud cases, mobile phones, camera, bluetooth devices (speakers). There is no digging around for a proprietary charger. I can pull the USB-C out of my laptop and stick into my earbuds case or phone for 15mins. I don't think it needs legislation or a mandate, as it is driven by consumer demand anyway.

Yes, my wife is an Apple-phile and having to dig up the right charger is inconvenient. A First World Problem, I have to admit.

MFstooges · Dec 26, 2024

I can't believe that there are people still consuming misinformations i.e. somehow the directive mandates the battery or charger to be built in the device.
It's a no brainer K.I.S.S. directive to stop manufacturers like Apple to intentionally make unnecessary "proprietary" charger. Apple subcontracts the charger to China anyway and let their sheeps pay big bucks to produce more e-waste.
This is also why the sheeps buy Teslas just to be able to use their supercharger. There's really no magic in the charging technology there.

halfaman · Dec 26, 2024

ic-racer said:
I don't know what that is. Do you have a link [to the 'Common Charger Directive]?

The EU common charger

The common charging solution promotes the use of common chargers for mobile phones and other portable electronic devices.

single-market-economy.ec.europa.eu

Chan Tran · Dec 26, 2024

MFstooges said:
I can't believe that there are people still consuming misinformations i.e. somehow the directive mandates the battery or charger to be built in the device.
It's a no brainer K.I.S.S. directive to stop manufacturers like Apple to intentionally make unnecessary "proprietary" charger. Apple subcontracts the charger to China anyway and let their sheeps pay big bucks to produce more e-waste.
This is also why the sheeps buy Teslas just to be able to use their supercharger. There's really no magic in the charging technology there.

The USB charger (any of them) is not a charger but only a power supply. A common USB charger can supply ony 5V at 2.4A max. A USB PD can supply 5, 12 and 20V with different current depending the need of the device being charged. But the device being charged has to have the charging circuit to control the charge current as well as terminal voltage and terminate the charge correctly.

MFstooges · Dec 26, 2024

Chan Tran said:
The USB charger (any of them) is not a charger but only a power supply. A common USB charger can supply ony 5V at 2.4A max. A USB PD can supply 5, 12 and 20V with different current depending the need of the device being charged. But the device being charged has to have the charging circuit to control the charge current as well as terminal voltage and terminate the charge correctly.

Are you saying the world should call it USB power supply?
There have been differences and development in USB circuitries since USB. C'mon there is world outside Apple :

USB-C, USB-B, and USB-A: What's the Difference? - ViewSonic Library

Understand the difference between USB-C, USB-B, and USB-A, and learn how USB-C is making life easier in products across the globe.

www.viewsonic.com

Chan Tran · Dec 26, 2024

MFstooges said:
Are you saying the world should call it USB power supply?
There have been differences and development in USB circuitries since USB. C'mon there is world outside Apple :

USB-C, USB-B, and USB-A: What's the Difference? - ViewSonic Library

Understand the difference between USB-C, USB-B, and USB-A, and learn how USB-C is making life easier in products across the globe.

www.viewsonic.com

Yes the USB isn't a charger it's a power supply and for sure you can use it to power a lot of thing and not charging. In fact a real charger can not be used to power a device without battery.

MFstooges · Dec 26, 2024

Chan Tran said:
Yes the USB isn't a charger it's a power supply and for sure you can use it to power a lot of thing and not charging. In fact a real charger can not be used to power a device without battery.

sorry but you have no clue about USB charger

MattKing · Dec 26, 2024

It is a great idea. Everything made going forward can be charged using the same plug.
I think most countries do the same things with their household power receptacles - aka "wall plugs" - and at least in North America, more than one country uses the same design.
And standardizing "fast" charging is similar to standardizing the load capacity of household wiring - meaning you can use that new toaster oven without tripping the breaker for the kitchen.

MattKing · Dec 26, 2024

Chan Tran said:
Yes the USB isn't a charger it's a power supply and for sure you can use it to power a lot of thing and not charging. In fact a real charger can not be used to power a device without battery.

It is neither - it is the plug/connection used, and the associated protocol for transmission of both data and power used with that plug.

koraks · Dec 26, 2024

Sirius Glass said:
How will the common charger directive play with the lithium ion batteries in which only its own unique charger must be used to prevent fires?

It's a bit of a misnomer. It should have been labeled 'Common Power Adapter Directive' instead; that would have been more technically correct. Charging (if applicable) is managed by the device itself and whatever onboard charging electronics it requires for its batteries. Safety provisions are part of this device (over-current, over-voltage, over-charging and over-discharging protection) and the battery pack itself (thermal protection). They're not implemented in the power source.

loccdor · Dec 26, 2024

These types of blanket solutions tend to have some negative consequences that the (sometimes) well-intentioned originators never thought about.

The solution to being annoyed at the high price of an Apple charger is to weigh that in your consideration of purchasing an Apple product. Many people already do this.

A larger number of rules that products must conform to often creates less competition (leading to higher prices) because smaller companies find it harder to enter highly regulated markets than larger companies do. That's related to the concept of regulatory capture. Regulations incur additional expense which is passed onto the consumer. What is the cost of redesigning an entire line of products charging method? Do you think that Apple won't incorporate the money now being lost from the charger into the price of their products? No $40 charger? +$40 to all the iPhones. Or maybe +$60, from the additional money spent on redesign?

There's no free lunch. I'm in favor of standardization where it makes sense. In all but a very few cases, I don't want it to be legislated.

koraks · Dec 26, 2024

Moderator note: with this topic, it's easy to stray into the realms of a discussion of the do's and don'ts or pros/cons of public policy. Please don't. We'll monitor this thread and may end up locking it at some point because of this.

wiltw · Dec 27, 2024

Sean said:
As a bit of a gadget nut it has been quite helpful to have most things able to charge with USB-C. Laptops, ereaders, earbud cases, mobile phones, camera, bluetooth devices (speakers). There is no digging around for a proprietary charger. I can pull the USB-C out of my laptop and stick into my earbuds case or phone for 15mins. I don't think it needs legislation or a mandate, as it is driven by consumer demand anyway.

One issue is that one 'USB-C' (charger A) may have both 5V and 20V output capability, while a different 'USB-C' (charger B) may have only 5V output capability, and the device which needs to be charged will only be charged when plugged into a 20V output charger, yet visually one cannot differentiate charger A from charger B unless only looks closely at the mouse print on the label afixed on the chargers.
The labelling on USB chargers needs to put the output Voltage capability in LARGER print...ordinary folks do not necessary understand 'USB' vs. 'USB PD' nor have those terms on the tip of their tongue.

BradS · Dec 27, 2024

I think it it fantastic. Now, I can use the same USB-C power block to charge the phone, the modern cameras, and whatever else might come next. All can use the same power brick and cable. Fabulous!

Agulliver · Dec 27, 2024

From my point of view, I already have legacy devices with at least four different kinds socket for charging via USB. The standardisation of future devices can only be a good thing. Mostly now I only need to travel with two types of cable. Perhaps being able to cut that to one in the future would be great, though that would require purchasing a new digital camera with a new connector.

Alan Edward Klein · Dec 27, 2024

MattKing said:
It is a great idea. Everything made going forward can be charged using the same plug.
I think most countries do the same things with their household power receptacles - aka "wall plugs" - and at least in North America, more than one country uses the same design.
And standardizing "fast" charging is similar to standardizing the load capacity of household wiring - meaning you can use that new toaster oven without tripping the breaker for the kitchen.

When my wife and I visited London and Paris from the USA, I bought two different AC converters before leaving for the two cities so my chargers and other powered equipment would work there. The AC outlets in Britain and France are different from each other and from the AC outlets in the USA.

Alan Edward Klein · Dec 27, 2024

koraks said:
It's a bit of a misnomer. It should have been labeled 'Common Power Adapter Directive' instead; that would have been more technically correct. Charging (if applicable) is managed by the device itself and whatever onboard charging electronics it requires for its batteries. Safety provisions are part of this device (over-current, over-voltage, over-charging and over-discharging protection) and the battery pack itself (thermal protection). They're not implemented in the power source.

Could this have to do with the issue of e-bikes and other high powered rechargeables are catching fire because people are using the wrong supply sources to charge them?

wiltw · Dec 27, 2024

ic-racer said:
I don't know what that is. Do you have a link [to the 'Common Charger Directive]?

I looked up the European requirement. The key elements are

A harmonised charging port for electronic devices

USB-C will be the common port. This will allow consumers to charge their devices with any USB-C charger, regardless of the device brand.

Harmonised fast charging technology

Harmonisation will help prevent different producers from unjustifiably limiting charging speed and will help to ensure that charging speed is the same when using any compatible charger for a device.

Unbundling the sale of a charger from the sale of the electronic device

Consumers will be able to purchase a new electronic device without a new charger. This will limit the number of chargers on the market or left unused. Reducing production and disposal of new chargers is estimated to reduce the amount of electronic waste by 980 tonnes yearly.

Improved visual and written information for consumers

Producers will need to provide relevant visual and written information about charging characteristics, including information on the power the device requires and whether it supports fast charging. This will help consumers understand if their existing chargers meet their new device’s requirements and/or help them select a compatible charger. Combined with the other measures, this will help consumers to limit the number of new chargers purchased and save at least €250 million a year on unnecessary charger purchases.

Even after reading the above description, I nevertheless think that the issues which I rasied in Post 18 still apply!

Alan Edward Klein · Dec 27, 2024

Agulliver said:
From my point of view, I already have legacy devices with at least four different kinds socket for charging via USB. The standardisation of future devices can only be a good thing. Mostly now I only need to travel with two types of cable. Perhaps being able to cut that to one in the future would be great, though that would require purchasing a new digital camera with a new connector.

I probably have about twenty cables I don't use any more. I lost track which one is used with what. I use to label them with a tag. But the whole thing has gotten out of hand.

koraks · Dec 27, 2024

Alan Edward Klein said:
Could this have to do with the issue of e-bikes and other high powered rechargeables are catching fire because people are using the wrong supply sources to charge them?

No, that's an unrelated issue. That is really to do with battery chemistry and charging conditions, which is essentially unrelated to the power adapter as such.

EU Common Charger Directive.

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