USBC “Standard”

[robes]

Can anyone shed any light? I’ve seen quite a few posts saying that we must ONLY use the supplied USBC cable and mains adapter for in camera charging . This more than & different from the usual manufacturers’ advice to only use the supplied chargers, because USB PD is an internationally agreed standard. OMD also say that their supplied charger can be used with other digital cameras which support usb charging, so why can I not use ANY certified USB PD stuff like my Apple cable & mains? Can it only be that the OM1 is too delicate / not fully USB PD compliant?

[gazza95]

While other usb connectors fit fine the supplied cable has two inductors to reduce any noise. Presumably this is more to do when shooting and charging at same time and to reduce risk of a glitch.

I've used to PD with its own cable to charge an OM-1 with no problem.

I used to use an apple charger and cable to charge EM1-X when travelling simply to reduce my baggage. This worked fine and never had a problem and I'll do this with the OM-1.The EM1-X however only charged when camera was not switch on.

Gary

[robes]

Thanks. Me too. I don’t know (nearly) enough about electronics to know if or why the issue may be with shooting under external power, but it would reassuring at least to know that charging while switched off is OK. The question remains about what “USB PD compliant” or “digital cameras that support USB charging” mean.

[Steambuff]

I think Olympus want you to use the provided cable, and any USB-3 or USB-PD supply or power brick can be used at long as it can supply 27W (9V at 3A)

USB-3 connectors/cabled are chipped ... This specified if the cable is -

1/ Data only (Will not charge)

2/ Power only (Will not transfer Data)

3/ Data + Power (BOth the above)

For the power option the chip specifies the Voltage i.e. 5V or 9V and the Current/Power rating (9v @ 3A - 27W). Only USB-3 and USB-PD cables are chipped and capable of 9v. [Note - USB1 or 2 supplies cannot supply 9v)

Olympus specify 27W i.e. 9v at 3 Amps. (This is why the cable is so thick) If the cable is only rated/chipped at 18W it will only charge/run at 2A (Therefore taking longer). So the cable/supply needed must be rated at least 27W to achieve the charge times in the charger or camera.

The danger is if you buy a cheap cable from Ebay or Amazon etc., it may only have thin cable rated at say 10W (5V@2A or 9V@1A), Therefore it should be chipped to limit it to 10W .... but dodgy sellers could chip it to provide more, then the danger is that it could run hot or even catch fire


Dave

[Ross the fiddler]

My Lenovo laptop uses USB-C type connector for power in & also uses a USB-C connector for Thunderbolt 4 connection too. All a bit confusing as to what I can plug into the same physical plugs without checking for full details first.

[MungoBrush]

EU Ruling:

"Manufacturers will be forced to create a universal charging solution for phones and small electronic devices, under a new rule proposed by the European Commission (EC).
The aim is to reduce waste by encouraging consumers to re-use existing chargers when buying a new device.
All smartphones sold in the EU must have USB-C chargers, the proposal said."

If the idea is to reduce waste, then "universal" should mean "universal"

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-58665809

[RedRobin]

.... That's just how the EC etc would like you to use it eventually but meanwhile, welcome to the real world!

Use the OMDS supplied USB-C cable, not any third-party cable and you won't risk connectivity not working properly. When someone has spent about £2K on a camera and their proprietory cable is included, why on earth would anyone want to use a third-party cable!?

[robes]

It’s not about using a cheap cable. The reason is that I do not want to have to remember which of my USB devices needs which cable, & make sure I have the right one with me.

[RedRobin]

robes While the realities remain that you are obliged to use different cables for different devices, you can always colour code your cables. I attach narrow coloured cable ties snipped off - Blue for Olympus/OMDS, red for... etc.

[OM USer]

The power supply, cable, and sink (the thing being charged) are all smart, i.e. chipped. Alas the universality of USB-C, PD, and QC (the other delivery standard) is only to allow the negotiation how much power will be delivered and the weakest link in the chain will determine how much power is actually supplied and received. Any USB-C cable will "work" but if the negotiated power is lower than that required by the device being used/charged (the camera) it may have reduced functionality, typically only charging and taking longer to reach full charge. Hence the advice to use the supplied cable although any cable rated equivalently will do.

[robes]

Thanks. It’s the “frying the camera” that is my worry & what is being suggested, not slow charging. If it was just with cheap eBay cables, no prob, but we are being told that we should not not use an original Apple iPad cable & adapter because it “isn’t designed for” a digital camera.

[Ross the fiddler]

Isn't that because Apple is a 'world unto itself'?

[robes]

No. It seems that OMD are the odd one out, not allowing use of ANY other manufacturer’s certified pd usb c cable.