Question Whoa your Horses... I want Slow Charging, here's my idea...

[Jimmy Recard]

Hello,

TL : DR - I'm soliciting some super sexy details on interesting ways to charge stuff slowly.


I'm hoping you guys can help me flesh out a plan to slow things down when charging my family’s devices. It’s a little long/detailed, but be brave, and maybe you can add some useful wisdom to share with us all?

I’ll leave the more detailed stuff for the second half - in case you just want to read the more important ideas at the start (and then comment).


Obviously, I want to do this to extend, and protect the battery life of my devices. However, please do not argue about whether or not that matters… that is not what this thread is for - ok.

I’ve tried reading up on this, and not had too much luck. From what I’ve seen online, I know that I’m not the only one interested in this info.

Please note that all of the below devices are USB-C, except the Nokia which is [Micro USB (USB 2.0)]



Our devices are:

Samsung A33 Smartphones
Samsung S7-FE Tablets
Bose QuietComfort II (note the II, also called QC II) - ANC earbuds
Soundcore by Anker Life P3 - ANC earbuds


Nokia C01 Plus 4G [Micro USB (USB 2.0)] - dirt cheap, recent, very basic backup phones
Boss TU-05 guitar tuner


I’m most concerned with the first group of devices.


For Reference, I will be charging some of these with my PC some of the time. The motherboard is a Gigabyte Z690 Aorus Pro DDR4 (rev. 1.x)

Z690 AORUS PRO DDR4 (rev. 1.x) Specification | Motherboard - GIGABYTE Global

Lasting Quality from GIGABYTE.GIGABYTE Ultra Durable™ motherboards bring together a unique blend of features and technologies that offer users the absolute ...

www.gigabyte.com

It has multiple USB types, up to USB 3.2 Gen 2x2, 2x USB-C ports…
Though, it is mostly a mix of USB 3.2 Gen 2, USB 3.2 Gen 1 / Blue and Red, and older USB 2.0/1.1.

I’ve realised that I can slow it down a tad by using the older style USB ports, instead of the faster newer ones. But it doesn’t make that much difference, sadly.


We have 6x phones (3x Samsungs, 3x Nokia backup phones), 2x Samsung Tablets - all for myself, and my family. Of course, I want to get this right - if I'm going to shell out to buy a bunch of new stuff.

BTW, I’m in Australia if that is germane to any of your responses (seriously, how often do you get to write ‘germane’ in daily usage). We use 240 V, 50-60 Hz for Wall Power plugs/adapters etc.

So I’ve read about Programmable Power Supply / PPS, and it sounds like a good thing. But, can you get it on a super slow cables and/or slow chargers?


Please note - if you suggest any brands or specific items to buy, I only want either official/genuine branded items (e.g. Samsung), or at least very well known, reliable third party brands (more affordable but not cheap/nasty – eg Belkin, Cygnett but no cheap no name/super generic brands etc).



So, should I just keep using all the genuine wall chargers which we already own (all essentially brand new); but buy specific USB-C/A cables to slow down the charging?
I don’t care if that will dramatically reduces Data transfer rates - as I could just use them for charging only (would it actually slow Data down) ?

Should I avoid anything with PD listed? Someone told me any USB-C cable will likely fast charge… should I avoid them and just get USB-A to USB=A and put an adapter plug on the end to USB-C (maybe over thinking that) ?


Another idea, could I just get really good quality USB Cables, with fast Data Transfer and High Power, but then just plug it into a USB 1/USB 2 extension cable or Converter Plug, and then back into a USB A to USB-C Cable or Converter plug to 'dumb it down' for slow charging? That way I could still use it as a fast data/high power cable when I want too?

I know that sounds convoluted, but it could work - right?


Or alternately, is it really necessary to buy super slow chargers instead of focusing on the cables?

Examples of what I mean... (these are no name brands, just as examples)

USB A - USB C Cable (hopefully slowest USB A type that I can find)

1m USB A to USB C Charging Cable Durable - USB-C Cables | Cables | StarTech.com Australia

1m USB A to USB C Charging Cable - Durable Fast Charge & Sync USB 2.0 to USB Type C Data Cord - Aramid Fiber M/M 3A Black | Australia

www.startech.com

USB-C to USB-A Extension Cable

Unitek USB-C to USB-A Active Extension Cable, 5 Metres -CERTECH

Unitek USB-C to USB-A Active Extension Cable, 5 Metres

www.certech.com.au

and/or instead use a USB-A to USB-C Adapter (or two instead of two cables)

https://www.jbhifi.com.au/products/satechi-aluminium-usb-a-to-usb-c-adapter-space-grey

Or alternately, is it really necessary to buy super slow chargers instead of focusing on the cables?




As an extra optional solution…

Is there a way via windows 11 / BIOS etc, to arbitrarily slow down charging for specific USB Ports (e.g. not all of them) ?
Or if that won’t work for the PC, is there some weird adapter/limiter or something I can buy to place in-line when charging via USB in the PC?


For Car Chargers and Power Banks, I’m thinking along similar lines as above?
BTW - I have no experience at all with either of those; so please point out anything that I might overlook when buying them (for this ‘slow’ purpose).



I’m thinking about my overall plan to slow things down via two main sets of possibilities...
(Remember… Australian - 240 V, 50-60 Hz)



Primary Group
USB Cables (for both PC USB Charging, and Wall Charging)
Wall Chargers


Secondary Group
Car Chargers
Power Banks



Obviously, the Primary group is my main concern, with the Secondary being an extra bonus.

We don’t have any Car Chargers, or Power Banks yet, but I’d like to buy them now. We have old ‘dumb’ vehicles, no fancy integrated android stuff.
Just cigarette lighter thingies. I assume that’s the only way to use car chargers, without messing with wiring etc.

We have official Samsung chargers for both the phones and tablets, so again - we already have one per device. No chargers for the other devices listed.

So can you tell me per device or type of device, what exact values/numbers I should look for when it comes to amp, voltage, wattage, both IN and OUT (it says IN and OUT on some)…
eg, should I get below this Amps, voltage and wattage for the phones, these values for the tablets etc… or for specific items.


If you look at the info I pasted in (way down below) for the Samsung USB-C - ‘Wall Charger for Super Fast Charging 25W’, from the item page - that's the kind of detailed info I'm looking for (to know how 'slow' a charger/cable I should buy). It's just a big ol' pile of numbers.


I imagine you could go tooo slow, I don’t want that.
I don’t necessarily want things to be plugged in overnight, I just want to avoid super/fast charging.

So charging for an hour or 2 at the maximum - would be good (depending on the device). We try to charge regularly so the batteries don’t usually go below 50-70%.
I also have the Samsung phones, and tablets auto-limited to 85% charging.



That's the end of the first half - Below here will just be specific Power/Charging info that I had found for each device… so please do comment if you have some useful advice, as it would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you for your help, and read on below for the rest of the details...



Samsung A33 Smart Phones Chargers

Wall Charger for Super Fast Charging 25W
Travel adapter Model - EP-TA800

Wall Charger for Super Fast Charging 25W | Samsung Australia

Fast Charge AC Charger - Type C - 25W (A series) White (EP-TA800NBEGAU) - See the benefits and full features of this product. Learn more and find the best Mobile Accessories for you at Samsung Australia.

www.samsung.com

Samsung S7-FE Tablets Chargers

Fast Charging Travel Adapter (USB-C)(9V)
Travel adapter Model - EP-TA200

EP-TA20 | EP-TA20HWECGAU | Samsung AU

The perfect wall charger and travel companion for smartphone or tablet enthusiasts. Charge your Samsung battery from empty to 50% charge in only 10 minutes.

www.samsung.com

For the official Samsung USB-C - ‘Wall Charger for Super Fast Charging 25W’, on the item page it says:

Super Fast Charging max. 25W, PD 3.0 PPS max. 25W


Input Voltage
100-240 V

Output Voltage (Max, Normal Charge)
5 V

Output Voltage (Max, Fast Charge)
PDO : 9 V / PPS : 3.3-5.9 V or 3.3-11.0 V

Output Current (Max, Normal Charge)
3 A

Output Current (Max, Fast Charge)
PDO : 2.77 A(9 V) / PPS : 3.0 A(3.3-5.9 V) or 2.25 A(3.3-11.0 V)






For the Bose QuietComfort II - ANC eabuds…

I found this (below); buried in the ‘Regulatory and Legal Information’ section of the Manual.

But I’m not sure if these are the actual numbers, or just the ‘safe/max’ levels set for the Taiwan Restriction of Hazardous Substances Table which was directly above it?

Input Rating: 5V p 1.2A
Output Voltage: 5VDC
Output Current: 0.16A x 2
Output Capacity: 680mAh








For the Soundcore by Anker Life P3 - ANC eabuds
In the manual, it says...


Input
5V ⎓ 0.35A

Battery capacity
63 mAhx2 (earbuds);
800 mAh (charging case)

Charging time 3 hours







For the Nokia C01 Plus 4G [Micro USB (USB 2.0)], the manual says...


Battery:
3,000 mAh
Removable
Charging:
5V1A Charging
Voltage:
210-240
Wattage:
5 W

I don’t know if anything might need to be different with this having a removable battery?




I couldn’t get any info on power values etc, for the Nokia C01 Plus 4G, or the Boss TU-05 Guitar Tuner.





That’s the end, again, please comment if you have something useful to add, and thanks for reading this far.

 

[Mooncatt]

From my understanding, there is no benefit at super slow charging in terms of battery health.

For starters, the device being charged determines the charge rate, not the power supply. If you have a phone that was designed to charge from a basic 5V2A 10W usb charger and plug it into a 65W power delivery charger, it's not going to be fed 65W. It'll still charge at the 10W spec. Charging less than the designed spec of the phone is going to have little to no effect on overall battery health. The biggest way to protect the battery is keeping it roughly between 20-80% during use, and around 60% if putting into storage.

In terms of cables, don't try using them to mitigate the charge rate. In most cases, the only way to do that would be those no name dirt cheap cables, and that's because they use such thin wires that they cause slower charging from higher electrical resistance. That just isn't safe in my opinion. There are some designed specifically for high power usage, but again it doesn't matter either way. Even if you happen to get one of these, the entire chain from power supply/charger to the phone must be compliant to send that high power. If not everything complies, it fails safe to a slower standard.

One option may be to get a low power charger. Even if we set the questionable benefit aside the trend is towards higher power spec compatibility. It may be hard to source what amounts to a bare bones charger from a reputable company. It you do find one, the next problem is the devices will still be trying to charge at their regular rate. Using them would be like keeping your car in first or second gear and red lining the RPM's all the time. Sure it won't blow up right away, but it will stress the charger out and risk premature failure.

If you want to go through with this, then your idea of a programmable power supply would be the only option I'd consider, but I still think it would be a waste of time and resources.

 

[fuzzylumpkin]

I dunno about your other stuff, but the Samsung devices should have the option to disable fast charging in Device Care.