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Charging multiple devices from USB charger

onlyconnect

pfm Member
It's common now to use three-way cables for USB charging - they have micro USB, USB C and Apple connectors.

So let's say I have a USB charger eg I have a Sony one which says 5v 1.5a.

Now I connect three devices for charging.

If my rudimentary electronic knowledge is correct, they are in parallel so will draw more current. Could you burn out your charger this way?

Tim
 
Should be fine a Sony one should have been designed to limit the maximum current, a cheap eBay one I wouldn't risk it.

Pete
 
Bigger things need more charge current as a rule, you may well find the charger gets hot.

I only use 2A chargers now and have 4 different leads permanently attached.
 
I bought for peanuts a multicharger from Lidl three years ago. It does that job perfectly.
 
All sorts of sensible suggestions; but the question asked is relevant because typically these cables are given out with no instructions and I've noticed that people just charge multiple devices from one charger assuming it will work. My question is whether this is safe, and it looks like you are confirming my suspicion that it is not. Which suggests, perhaps, that distributing these cables without any warning is a mistake.

Tim
 
A 1.5a charger can deliver 1.5a - if your 3 devices require 2a then they will all be charged at less than max speed, and the charger will operate at its limits. Hopefully those limits are safe :)
 
I suspect the OP is referring to using one of these type cables —> https://smile.amazon.co.uk/Charger-WODSAN-Braided-Multiple-Connector-Black/dp/B07RZYKJLL/ref=sr_1_3?crid=1FH779ARZGC30&keywords=usb+multi+charger+cable+3+in+1&qid=1570999220&sprefix=usb+multi+charger+cable,aps,155&sr=8-3 and charging three separate devices from a single USB charger. If this is the case then unfortunately I have no idea whether this is a good idea or not.

These cables are not designed to charge multiple devices at the same time and I wouldn't use one for that purpose. At best you get slow charging. 1.5a output means 0.5a per device for three devices. Standard chargers are designed to feed one device at time, not sure how they would cope with the output going to batteries at different states of charge.

Far better to have a multi output charger like the Anker products already mentioned, each device gets optimal charging current within the limits of the charger.
 
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+1 for Anker chargers. Mine’s a 6 port job but I could really do with more. We also have a couple of Ikea Kopplas (3 port). All “do the job”; none get any hotter than “barely warm”.
 


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