USB mains plugs - interchangeable?

[Tigger]

Two weeks to go and I'm now looking at minimising my luggage!

I will have three devices to charge... So are USB mains plugs (ie plugs wot go into mains electrical sockets and have a standard USB socket in them) interchangeable? Eg can I use my Garmin USB plug for my mobile phone, or vice versa?

I can see the relevant information on the plug but it doesn't mean much to me - understanding matters electrical has never been a strong point! They look pretty similar - does the different input Ampage (if that's a word!) matter? Output Ampage?
Garmin:
Input 100-240V ~ 0.3A 50-60Hz 10-20VA
Output: 5.0V (symbol) 1.0A MAX

htc phone (this USB plug is particularly neat and compact):
Input 100-240V ~ 0.2A 50-60Hz
Output: 5.0V (symbol) 1.0A

and for interest, old sony ericsson phone:
Input 100-240VAC 0.15A 50-60Hz
Output: 5.0VDC (symbol) 0.7A

(I've changed units so they are the same eg 200mA to 0.2A. I take it AC and DC in the last one are alternating and direct current which the other two have just omitted to say?)

On a related matter, does anyone know if the latest compact cameras are chargeable via USB? I may go for a last minute camera upgrade (an early birthday present ) if it means I can avoid taking the bulky plug + cable + external battery charger unit.

[The Mechanic]

I think you can use the same mains plug for any USB chargeable unit. I use my Apple one for my iphone, kindle and Garmin Edge 800. I guess it also depends on the connection at the other end of the USB lead so you may need more than one cable or a bunch of adapters. The input voltage is generally Alternating current (AC) and the output is Direct Current (DC) All USB chargeable units use 5V DC as that is what comes out of a USB socket on your computer. Note that the USB charger for the the IPad is bigger than a standard one as, I believe, the IPad takes a larger current whilst charging. It will still charge from a standard charge plug but takes longer.

PS Not sure about cameras. I have a Panasonic Lumix and it has a separate charge for the battery. I have two batteries and each one will do over 150 pictures (the most I have ever taken without charging.)

[rjb]

In a nutshell - yes they would all be interchangeable. I believe the "ratings" marked on the chargers only show a nominal output current and voltage for safety reasons. Providing the device you are charging does not exceed the capacity of the charger then it's perfectly ok.

Enjoy your tour - I hope you will keep us all entertained with your exploit's

[[XAP]Bob]

Except for apple (and generally even then) they are the same.

Beware cheap chinese versions than have poor voltage and no current control though.


The labels show the nominal voltage (which should be 5V), and the maximum current they will supply (they won't push this through a device which wants less, it's just the most they'll push).

Basically if you have a tablet then use it's charger for everything (as it will be 2A capable, not 700mA) - it's won't melt anything else though.

[Mark1978]

Yes, they are interchangable and all equipment that accepts charge from USB will be able to take varying degrees of charge - i.e. charging through the lighter socket works more slowly than mains.

[hamster]

Generally they are interchangeable - USB is after all the standard. However, some devices exchange data with the USB power supply and get sulky. My Blackberry will not charge from most USB chargers for example.
Big devices like the iPad have a bigger charging current and often say that they are not charging when in fact they are, but at a low rate (my iPad does this with my Dell PC, which has its USB capability defined by accountants not engineers ) - it just takes 10-20 hours to charge.

[BeeKeeper]

There are differences. My Google Nexus 7 came with its own micro-USB charger and the instructions strongly recommend this is the only charger you should use. The explanation, I think, is because its output is 5.0 volt 2.0 amps, not the 0.7 or 1.0 amp often seen on other chargers. You can charge the Nexus up with other chargers but I guess they may grow hot and/or it could take longer to fully charge the tablet. Conversely, will the Nexus charger provide too much current and risk frying the smaller batteries in a mobile 'phone? I don't know am but unwilling to try an experiment.

So the answer is all these chargers provide the same voltage, assuming they are made properly, but the devices they were made for may have different current requirements. I suspect there is not much difference between 0.7 and 1.0 amp chargers and these could be considered interchangeable but plugging the big battery on my Nexus into a 0.7 amp charger might not be wise as it may try to draw too much current and overheat the charger.

[freeflow]

No. Some USB chargers have 'bespoke ' wiring and although the connector is the same you can't charge. An example of this is the Kobo I bought for my wife. The charger will not work with any of the samsung phones we have nor the subsequent nexus 7. So before you go check that the devices yu want to take actually charge from the charger you are taking. You're unlikely to break anything by plugging in to check. You may also want to consider aquiring a small battery for charging in emergencies. I have a 5000 mah and it has proved invaluable in the past for bridging the gap between heavy usage and an available charging point. A particularly memorable occasion was when I was doing a 100 and had forgotted to charge my bryton. I rode to my planned break or to the 2% charge level then stopped for 20-30 minutes for a break (longer than normal) but enough to get 1 hour+ use out of the bryton (this was with the backlight permanently on.

[Mick F]

Maybe they aren't all the same ............. but they are in this house!

Garmin charger, iPod charger, electronic cigarette charger ................... all chargers will charge any of them.
Any of the devices will charge in our computers too.

[Mr. Viking]

I believe the USB wall plugs have the same output voltage, as they are designed as a universal system. However, as the voltages quoted on the devices you listed are the same, and the currents are very close (they aren't always as exact as you might imagine) I would certainly be happy to use the same adapter for all of them.

[RickH]

If you want to charge more than one at a time you can always use a dual USB charger, such as this


or even a 4xUSB one with interchangeable pins for use in most countries such as this

Although this one has had more mixed reviews.

Rick.

[al_yrpal]

I THINK the current is the maximum that the charger will deliver. The charger doesn't control the current, the resistance of the battery does. Therefore take the one that is rated at the highest current. I think that the charger will contain a current limiter.

Al

[honesty]

USB is meant to be a universal standard. In general you will see 2 charger versions though, one rated up to around 2.1A which is used by tablets to charge the bigger batteries faster, and the standard ones at 0.5A. Tablets will charge of the 0.5A one, but very slowly. Phones and other devices (other than devices that are quite old, pre-2007 ish) should charge fine on the higher amp ones as well, in fact they will charge faster.

I said meant to be a universal standard as some manufacturers supply what looks like usb but isnt chargers or cables. Either the charger will only work with a specific wiring configuration or the cable has a slightly funny shaped end to it or the device tries to communicate with the charger and can't. Either try everything beforehand or buy a decent generic USB charger to get around this.

Saying all that, the EU has mandated that all mobile phones (and tablets) will charge from a standard USB micro cable, so you should get everything to work. Apple have got round this by offering a 25 quid adapter...

[rjb]

I THINK the current is the maximum that the charger will deliver. The charger doesn't control the current, the resistance of the battery does. Therefore take the one that is rated at the highest current. I think that the charger will contain a current limiter.

Al

That's the best explanation so far otherwise the entire output of the national grid some 40 Giga Watts would be charging down those wires to your little device at the end of it - that would make it go with a bang

[maxwellhadley]

You can learn more than you ever wanted to know about USB chargers here, and one particular horror story here.