My new favorite USB charging setup

[y_p_w]

I'm used to charging my devices with computers, whatever power supplies came with the devices (not as common any more), and various power adapters that I've purchased separately. Years ago I bought a Belkin surge protector that also had two USB outlets, although I think the total USB power output is something 500 mA.

But recently I got this little doodad:

Anker 321 Power Strip

All-in-One Power: 3 AC outlets, 2 USB-A ports, and 1 USB-C port power everything on your desk from a single compact power cube. Small Size, Massive Portability: At roughly the size of a tennis ball, this power strip fits easily into your luggage to keep you powered on any trip. Fast Charge...

www.anker.com

15 total watts to both USB-A ports and 20W to the USB-C port. Also a max of 1250W AC to three AC outlets.

I can't really use it where they don't have 110-125V AC, but this would have come in handy for a recent trip where I found myself running out of outlets for my power adapters. There were a few places I only had access to a single outlet. My only criticism of this one is the angle of the cord from the plug. If it went at a right angle (not 45º) it would be ideal, especially since I like to use the lower outlet for a AA battery charger. But then again I could just plug that into one of these outlets in the cube.

 

[Astro14]

Anker makes great chargers. Great cords as well.

Their Ga-N based chargers run cool, are compact, and put out a surprising amount of power. I travel with three of them. They take up only a little space, but charge quickly, so my iPad is ready for me to log back on to BITOG…

 

[JohnnyG]

Anker makes some pretty nice stuff. I like the design since you can plug in charging packs or transformers on each side.
Thanks for posting.

 

[BMW Dom]

I love Anker! Good quality and price

 

[Quattro Pete]

GaN chargers are the latest cat's meow. Great for travel.

 

[Warstud]

I'm used to charging my devices with computers,

I charge my Bluetooth Speaker at work with a computer . It charges so much quicker than plugging it into the wall .

 

[Rand]

I charge my Bluetooth Speaker at work with a computer . It charges so much quicker than plugging it into the wall .

that probably depends on what you are plugging into the wall.

 

[gathermewool]

I'm used to charging my devices with computers, whatever power supplies came with the devices (not as common any more), and various power adapters that I've purchased separately. Years ago I bought a Belkin surge protector that also had two USB outlets, although I think the total USB power output is something 500 mA.

But recently I got this little doodad:

Anker 321 Power Strip

All-in-One Power: 3 AC outlets, 2 USB-A ports, and 1 USB-C port power everything on your desk from a single compact power cube. Small Size, Massive Portability: At roughly the size of a tennis ball, this power strip fits easily into your luggage to keep you powered on any trip. Fast Charge...

www.anker.com

15 total watts to both USB-A ports and 20W to the USB-C port. Also a max of 1250W AC to three AC outlets.

I can't really use it where they don't have 110-125V AC, but this would have come in handy for a recent trip where I found myself running out of outlets for my power adapters. There were a few places I only had access to a single outlet. My only criticism of this one is the angle of the cord from the plug. If it went at a right angle (not 45º) it would be ideal, especially since I like to use the lower outlet for a AA battery charger. But then again I could just plug that into one of these outlets in the cube.

I have that exact one. I like it

 

[fsdork]

I charge my Bluetooth Speaker at work with a computer . It charges so much quicker than plugging it into the wall .

I'm sure you can tell time, so I'm not saying you're wrong - but that only makes sense if you're using a relatively low wattage 120 V to 5 V adapter. Any decent smart phone charger will blow a typical computer's USB power output out of the water.

 

[y_p_w]

GaN chargers are the latest cat's meow. Great for travel.

I don't think my cube uses GaN circuitry though.

I've got the Anker PowerPort Atom III for my computer, which is GaN. It's only 45W to USB-C and 15W to USB-A, but it's enough to charge my Mac on the road. I don't usually take the original Apple 65W adapter and MagSafe 3 cable with me. It operates really cool. I don't think any of my other Anker adapters are GaN thought, although they're all solid values.

I got that cube because it just seemed kind of cool. It is kind of bulky compared to regular power adapters, but then again last time I was on the road I brought one of these (or at least an older version with lower USB power). And using the cube at home, I can put it on a table where I have better access if I want to use shorter USB cables.

 

[y_p_w]

I'm sure you can tell time, so I'm not saying you're wrong - but that only makes sense if you're using a relatively low wattage 120 V to 5 V adapter. Any decent smart phone charger will blow a typical computer's USB power output out of the water.

Depends. I know the original USB power standard was a max of 500 mA or 2.5W. That was pretty sad, and we saw things like USB hard drives that came with double ended cables where one end was only to draw more power. However, a lot of newer ones can supply more current than that - especially if they can determine the power needs of the device. My older Mac says it can supply up to 2100 mA to several Apple devices, but that changes if I have multiple Apple devices connected (reduces to maybe 1500 mA each). And USB-C ports are supposed to be even better - even when just using a USB-A adapter.

Power adapters can be somewhat tricky when they have multiple outlets. The Anker cube that I have is rated for up to 3000 mA output (at 5V) to the two USB-A ports, but maxed at 2400 mA for each one. If they're both used, I'm not sure how the power distribution occurs. I've got another adapter (came in a 3-pack) which is an Anker PowerPort III 12W with two ports. It says it can output the max 2400 mA to either port. But with a lot of these with multiple ports, the output of each port isn't independent of each other. I'll still use both USB ports if I'm limited for AC outlets or if I didn't bring another power adapter. But sometimes I've plugged two devices in where (after waiting overnight) one device was fully charged while the other one barely charged.