[HN Gopher] USB Type-C finally shows up in power tools
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USB Type-C finally shows up in power tools
Author : webmobdev
Score : 95 points
Date : 2022-01-29 09:32 UTC (13 hours ago)
(HTM) web link (www.xda-developers.com)
(TXT) w3m dump (www.xda-developers.com)
| asddubs wrote:
| the real win with power tools would be a unified battery standard
| across manufacturers
| dijonman2 wrote:
| one size doesn't fit all. I quite like different battery
| designs. I have tools from multiple manufacturers, Milwaukee is
| my current favorite but Dewalt flexvolt is a close second. It
| can pump out 60 volts for high current tools.
| asddubs wrote:
| sure, I do think there should be several standard form
| factors, based on the fact that there's different voltage
| tools alone. But it can still be standardized so that there's
| just like 4 - 6 to choose from, rather than every
| manufacturer forcing you into their ecosystem of incompatible
| chargers and batteries.
| somehnguy wrote:
| Unfortunately I don't think the various manufacturers would
| ever agree to such a thing. It's a relatively easily solvable
| problem if you own a 3D printer though. There are a ton of
| adapters available on thingiverse already to mix and match
| batteries between them.
| asddubs wrote:
| I think it should just be mandated by the government
| dijonman2 wrote:
| Government should be minimal, regulation and policies
| aren't a magic wand. Functioning free markets self
| regulate. The crux is that it's very expensive and
| difficult to break into the market.
|
| I'm also really tired of hearing folks continue to advocate
| for regulation of everything.
| nautilius wrote:
| I cannot thank the free market enough for lead free gas,
| lead free paint, airbags, seat belts, removal of
| chlorofluorocarbons, etc.
| manquer wrote:
| Free market does not function without regulation enabling
| it, Interface standards are where regulations are pretty
| much absolutely to enable competition. No market is truly
| free, markets without regulation would only optimize for
| profit not better products or value for consumers.
|
| Interop standards make markets freer. Vendors have
| negative financial incentive to support interop,
| larger/dominant they are the incentive worsens. Given
| reality of lock-ins, network effects and
| inefficiency/friction of migrations it is impractical to
| expect a better product will replace the ones without
| interop.
| agentdrtran wrote:
| Wow, they self regulated? So how do I get my dewalt
| batteries in my milwaukee drill as a result of this self-
| regulation?
| asddubs wrote:
| it worked for phone charger adaptors. every phone had its
| own proprietary connector before the EU stepped in and
| mandated micro usb. and things immediately got so much
| better.
| orhmeh09 wrote:
| Where do they have functioning free markets anyway?
| xt00 wrote:
| The approach they are taking here is great. The type-C port is
| down inside the device as part of the battery so should be almost
| always protected from crap getting in there. So if the charging
| port fails / gets bent / gunked full of paint / dirt somehow
| (which seems unlikely anyway), you just buy a new battery (which
| you would likely need to do anyway eventually). I just hope
| nobody puts the port on the tool itself, since that could easily
| get gunked up and be a point of failure.. Good idea these guys
| went with.
| LoveMortuus wrote:
| You can just have a USB cover to prevent stuff from getting
| into the port and cleaning it isn't that hard either. I find
| USB C much easier to clean then USB micro B.
|
| But I do agree that it's better to prevent then to fix the
| problem.
| pcdoodle wrote:
| I don't mind USB-C but the dang cables and adapters have limited
| discoverability. Power Delivery seems to go up to 240W for USB-C.
|
| Other options for passing power and data would be PoE (90W Max
| using all 4 pairs). PoE also is very discoverable and easily
| crimped by an end user.
|
| Any other standards out there we should be aware of?
| karmakaze wrote:
| There's Powerline ethernet over AC. Imagine a 'radio' plug
| instead of RJ-45 doing double-duty.
| ianai wrote:
| As soon as we're talking about serious power, I'd like to see a
| UL-certification or something similar. I'd like to know this
| little widget isn't going to burn my house/apartment down.
| raybb wrote:
| Back in 2019 I went on a search for an electric toothbrush with a
| usb-c charging port. I found one that seemed reasonable and it
| was from Xiaomi. I've quite enjoyed their phones so gave it a
| shot and have been pretty happy with it since then. Only downside
| is that it doesn't charge at all using a macbook charger. I guess
| it might be due to too much power? Using smaller charging bricks
| seems to fix it.
| 2III7 wrote:
| Higher wattage chargers do not provide more power than the
| device being charged draws. Try reversing the USB-C connector,
| with some devices I have found that the reversible connector is
| in fact not always reversible.
| ComradePhil wrote:
| My vape refuses to charge with a high wattage charger.
| Reversing doesn't work.
| throwawayt215 wrote:
| I found this comment about electric toothbrush interesting.
|
| https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29359544
| ianai wrote:
| I wish the standard had included something on the cable and PD
| port to signify how much power they were capable of handling.
| Something like 3 little LEDs (one for less than 50W, two for
| 50W-100W, etc or something) or even just a number like 50W,
| 100W, etc. The user experience so far is kinda scary levels of
| vague.
| giancarlostoro wrote:
| I have commented it before if the inside of then were color
| coded like USB 3 is usually blue.
| newaccount74 wrote:
| The problem ist that USB-PD allows a lot of different
| voltages, and chargers have a different max current for each
| voltage. Many newer chargers are even programmable, where the
| source can request arbitrary voltages and currents.
|
| Power supplies typically have supported voltages and currents
| printed on them, but in my experience the easiest way to
| figure out if it works is to just try it.
| twistedpair wrote:
| Perhaps the USB Chainsaw [0] will eventually be a reality?
|
| DeWalt, are you listening?
|
| [0] https://www.thisiswhyimbroke.com/usb-powered-chainsaw/
| [deleted]
| chaz6 wrote:
| There a new standard called USB Programmable Power Supply which
| allows devices to specify exactly what voltage they desire in
| 10mV increments. I have started getting adapters for all my
| electronics (e.g. label printer) so I can standardise on one kind
| of power supply. Most things use one of the normal voltages
| (5/9/12/15/20) so USB PD will often suffice, however not all USB
| PD chargers support all the voltages. I have a Delta Electronics
| USB PD charger that does not do 12V.
| emptybottle wrote:
| Hoping this pans out. I was gifted a black and decker drill which
| has a proprietary shape charge cable, and of course that cable
| has been misplaced.
|
| A reasonable standard would prevent so much equipment from
| entering the landfill due to lost/expensive cables.
| hyperpl wrote:
| I agree. I find it to be quite annoying having to worry about
| misplacing my Philips Sonicare charger, electric shaver
| charger. I've already had to replace some of them but I also
| find it to be particularly arduous packing them for extended
| trips and also having to worry about {100,110,240}V
| compatibility.
| asddubs wrote:
| I mean this still has a charger with a proprietary connector to
| the battery. just the PSU for that charger is usb-c now (at
| least for the dewalt one)
| cjcampbell wrote:
| That's true (for now), and hopefully this is just a first
| step. As that, it does have other perks too. The Dewalt
| adapter is 2-way, allowing you to use existing batteries to
| power USB-C devices.
| blacksmith_tb wrote:
| I have replaced a bunch of annoying DC barrel chargers with
| little usb-c to barrel adapters, if your charger uses a barrel,
| odds are you can find one that will work.
| fragmede wrote:
| "USB-C trigger" seems to be the magic phrase to search for.
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