Receptacle with USB

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FionaZuppa

FionaZuppa

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AZ
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Part Time Electrician (semi retired, old) - EE retired.
Two questions.

1) Does NEC have any verbiage for receptacles that also carry low voltage USB ports? Does using a recept w/ USB change BC count, etc?
2) I am looking for a quality recept that is dual yoke size but only one recept w/ USB-A and USB-C on the other half, w/ 3 to 3.6A USB ability. Eaton and Leviton don't seem to have it, but other crap brand names do but come with low quality/noisy USB power.

Kinda like this pic (red box), but want USB-C in there too.

And like this Anker model, but I not quite trusting Anker just yet for recepts.

(Anker model with two USB-A and one USB-C.)
 

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FionaZuppa said:
but other crap brand names do but come with low quality/noisy USB power.
Click to expand...
Just curious how you determined the USB power was "low quality" or noisy, and what your criteria is for either? And why would the device accepting it as charging power even care.

I don't see how it changes the BC count any, or the load calculation.

Take a look at 406.3(F) and 406.6(D).
 
These chinsy DC USB supplies are crude. Just put them on a scope to see the DC under load, and then look at it in FFT function. I also had some that when loaded you get an annoying high pitch audible.
 
This is one reason why I'm against those USB charger receptacles, most are junk. Another is that they changed the standard from USB-A to C. So now go around and change out all the A's out for C's. Then next year change them out for whatever the tech idiots will come up with next.

This is why we have plug-in chargers. When the technology changes just plug in the latest, no service call required.

-Hal
 
I had a couple in my house at one time. Took them out
realized they use energy whether anything is charging or not.
Much easier to do as Hal suggested and saves money also.
Unplug the wall wart every time your done charging something.
 
I use Legrand usb receps. They have an A/C “fast charging” 3.6A model, and a 6A dual USB-C PD model.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
The world adopted USB-C years ago for devices. Why crapple and others have chosen to not be in the flow is on them.

Charging ports dont really matter so much. They make a USB-A cable for every device out there, but it's limited to 5v, slow charge.
The USB-C stuff should have the smarts to deliver up to 60watt with varying voltage. The lightning port will still limit watts even when the cable is in a certified USB-C charger. C is also a much smaller form factor than A.

All devices seem to support the 5v slow charge, so I am not sure why if you had USB-A recepts you would then need to change them out later, it's just limited to 5v slow charge. But it is a reason why I was looking for a quality recept that had one A and one C port. A & C will be around for years to come (A is already a dinosaur).
 
From Legrand site. Seems they just parallel the C port to A power? Not iq of MFi or PD certified, at least not yet. IQ 3.0 and PD good for 100watt.

Legrand should know better than to use the words "fast charge". Those words span most charging more than 15w. As of today, the PD spec is the best one out there, auto configs for highest volts with lowest amps.

Model TR20USBAC6W, it's not even 3.6A.
Legrand Technical Support

· a year ago



The ultra fast chargers we have now do not support power delivery. Which is what you would need to charge the Macbook at it's normal speed. We will be launching Power Delivery supported USB chargers around 2nd qtr of next year.
Click to expand...
 
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I guess I am curious about NEC verbiage (or if they are looking at these usb recepts more closely) because the watts in USB is getting up there. 100+watt (possibly more if say it's a full rated dual port USB-C PD, which would be 200watt. 200watt DC from a tiny space on the yoke, is making some heat (in a recept box). 20vdc 200watt, that's 5amp per port.
 
I have no more interest in combo devices like these than I do in, say, TVs with built-in DVD players.
 
FionaZuppa said:
From Legrand site. Seems they just parallel the C port to A power? Not iq of MFi or PD certified, at least not yet. IQ 3.0 and PD good for 100watt.

Legrand should know better than to use the words "fast charge". Those words span most charging more than 15w. As of today, the PD spec is the best one out there, auto configs for highest volts with lowest amps.

Model TR20USBAC6W, it's not even 3.6A.
Click to expand...

radiant 15A Ultra-Fast Plus Power Delivery USB-C Outlet

Maximize the fast charging potential on even the latest devices with Legrand’s Ultra-Fast Plus Power Delivery USB Outlets featuring USB Type-C ports.
www.legrand.us www.legrand.us

Link to PD type


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
FionaZuppa said:
The world adopted USB-C years ago for devices. Why crapple and others have chosen to not be in the flow is on them.
Click to expand...
Apple has changed the charging ports on iPads from the crappy lightning port to USB-C although the iPhones haven't changed. The USB-C connection is far superior to Lightning; on my iPhone the connector has to be positioned "just so" for charging to happen, and often after I walk away it stops. I solved the problem by adding a spare battery charging case; it still has a Lightning port but it has a rubber gasket around the female connector that holds the male connector firmly in place.

On their laptops for a while they just had a pair of USB-C ports so you had to get some sort of breakout dongle to connect just about anything to the computer, but I heard that Apple has recently admitted that that was a mistake. That said, if there can be only one port (like on my iPad) I much prefer that it be USB-C.
 
ggunn said:
Apple has changed the charging ports on iPads from the crappy lightning port to USB-C although the iPhones haven't changed. The USB-C connection is far superior to Lightning; on my iPhone the connector has to be positioned "just so" for charging to happen, and often after I walk away it stops. I solved the problem by adding a spare battery charging case; it still has a Lightning port but it has a rubber gasket around the female connector that holds the male connector firmly in place.

On their laptops for a while they just had a pair of USB-C ports so you had to get some sort of breakout dongle to connect just about anything to the computer, but I heard that Apple has recently admitted that that was a mistake. That said, if there can be only one port (like on my iPad) I much prefer that it be USB-C.
Click to expand...

I bought a new iPad in December. It still has a Lightning connector. When did they switch?

My iPhone is going on 5 years old. The only connector issues I’ve had were with cheap, aftermarket cables from Amazon, never Apple OEM. When I did have a problem it was always due to dirt in the phone port.
 
retirede said:
I bought a new iPad in December. It still has a Lightning connector. When did they switch?

My iPhone is going on 5 years old. The only connector issues I’ve had were with cheap, aftermarket cables from Amazon, never Apple OEM. When I did have a problem it was always due to dirt in the phone port.
Click to expand...
It could be that they didn't change all the iPads. Mine is an iPad Pro; it has the USB-C port and I've had it for nearly a year. I have a dongle for it that has (2) USB-C ports, (2) USB-A ports, (2) card readers of different sizes, and an HDMI port. All in all I like the USB-C port much better than the Lightning port that was on my last iPad.
 
AFAIK, the only reference in the NEC is 406.3(F). It just says that the USB power supply has to be "integral" to the receptacle. The question is probably more what UL is looking at when they approve these. This article is dated, but might point you in the right direction:
iaeimagazine.org

Receptacles with USB Chargers

iaeimagazine.org iaeimagazine.org

As long as there was one 120 V receptacle in the assembly, I don't think it creates any problems related to quantity and location of receptacles.
 
My google Pixel phone came with type C. I had to buy some extra cables for it, but can still use any USB port to charge it.

I like the USB C cables. They work upside down. :)

The cheap cables I bought from Amazon to supplement the miserly one Google supplied have been great.
 
petersonra said:
My google Pixel phone came with type C. I had to buy some extra cables for it, but can still use any USB port to charge it.

I like the USB C cables. They work upside down. :)

The cheap cables I bought from Amazon to supplement the miserly one Google supplied have been great.
Click to expand...
A to C charging is still "slow charge".
Get a IQ or PD type-C wart charger (30w or better) and a C-C cable, much better charging. The certification means connected devices can negotiate more watts, otherwise it just falls back to slow charge.
 
FionaZuppa said:
A to C charging is still "slow charge".
Get a IQ or PD type-C wart charger (30w or better) and a C-C cable, much better charging. The certification means connected devices can negotiate more watts, otherwise it just falls back to slow charge.
Click to expand...
most of my charging is overnight so slow or fast really does not make much difference.
 
retirede said:
I bought a new iPad in December. It still has a Lightning connector. When did they switch?

My iPhone is going on 5 years old. The only connector issues I’ve had were with cheap, aftermarket cables from Amazon, never Apple OEM. When I did have a problem it was always due to dirt in the phone port.
Click to expand...
Apple is still using Lightning. They never adopted the more common USB-C.
A 30w C wart (IQ or PD certified) using C to Lightning cable is what Apple users should be using. When traveling carry a USB A-to-C adapter, because so many places still only have 'A' slow ports, or, carry the extra A-Lightning cable. I am still kinda baffled as to why so many new vehicles today can basically drive themselves, yet don't have a IQ or PD C port for charging devices.
 
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