Is USB really USB or not (ie does it save a consumer money or not)?

If I switch to all-USB devices, does that save me money & save the world on
waste or not?

My philosophy is to have the SAME charger for all hand-held electronic
devices. That would, in my opinion, cut down on waste by (I guess) billions
of tons and costs in billions of dollars over a ten-year period (I'm
guessing on the amounts).

The way it cuts down on waste is that people can KEEP their old chargers
and reuse them on all their devices. After a while, equipment won't even
come with a charger because everyone will have so many they'll sell them on
Ebay. Old devices could still be used even if the original charger is lost
because any USB charger will work (in theory).

Likewise with saving on cost. Instead of buying a ridiculously expensive
charger for any new device, we could all use our existing chargers and
automotive and computer adapters to charge our devices. Since the chargers
are all the same (in theory), then they would be cheap due to competitive
pressurs (and they'd have more functionality like lights and meters and
other nice things). After a while, manufacturers wouldn't even supply a
charger with a device because everyone would have had enough.

Even safety would be involved as you'd never have a dead cell phone because
USB chargers would be standard in automobiles, for example.

Having said that I love USB for all these reasons, I find it disconcerting
that USB is not USB it seems.

Here are four devices and their respective chargers that I own today.

DEVICE = Blackberry 8700 SUPPLY = TCPRIM2ULSSN 5.0vdc 750mA
DEVICE = Motorola V195 SUPPLY = PSM5037B 5.9vdc 375mA
DEVICE = Motorola RAZR SUPPLY = DCH3-05US-0300 5.0vdc 550mA
DEVICE = Motorola Earbud SUPPLY = FMP5185B 5.2vdc 450mA

It it true that USB is NOT USB?

That is, can I "assume" if I hook the Motorola V195's USB power
supply (5.9vdc 375mA) to the Blackberry 8700 device, that the Blackberry
will be getting more voltage than it 'expected' and that the current
delivered will be much less than expected (even more so due to the higher
voltage than expected)?

Emily

---

› See More: Is USB really USB or not (ie does it save a consumer money or not)?

Emily <[email protected]> wrote:

> If I switch to all-USB devices, does that save me money

Maybe, maybe not. Depends on what yu have already.

> & save the world on waste or not?

Nope.

> My philosophy is to have the SAME charger
> for all hand-held electronic devices.

Taint gunna happen with the most power hungry devices like laptops any time soon.

> That would, in my opinion, cut down on waste by (I guess)
> billions of tons and costs in billions of dollars over a ten-year
> period (I'm guessing on the amounts).

Guess again.

> The way it cuts down on waste is that people can KEEP their
> old chargers and reuse them on all their devices. After a while,
> equipment won't even come with a charger because everyone
> will have so many they'll sell them on Ebay. Old devices could
> still be used even if the original charger is lost because any
> USB charger will work (in theory).

Pity about the chasm between your silly theory and reality.

> Likewise with saving on cost. Instead of buying a
> ridiculously expensive charger for any new device,

Most cost peanuts.

> we could all use our existing chargers and automotive
> and computer adapters to charge our devices.

Then there's the real world...

> Since the chargers are all the same (in theory),

Stupid 'theory'

> then they would be cheap due to competitive pressurs

They're already cheap for the lower power devices.

> (and they'd have more functionality like
> lights and meters and other nice things).

Plenty of much nicer things.

> After a while, manufacturers wouldn't even supply a charger
> with a device because everyone would have had enough.

Wont happen any time soon with laptops.

> Even safety would be involved as you'd never have a dead cell phone
> because USB chargers would be standard in automobiles, for example.

You wont be charging cars with USB chargers any decade soon.

> Having said that I love USB for all these reasons,
> I find it disconcerting that USB is not USB it seems.

> Here are four devices and their respective chargers that I own today.

> DEVICE = Blackberry 8700 SUPPLY = TCPRIM2ULSSN 5.0vdc 750mA
> DEVICE = Motorola V195 SUPPLY = PSM5037B 5.9vdc 375mA
> DEVICE = Motorola RAZR SUPPLY = DCH3-05US-0300 5.0vdc 550mA
> DEVICE = Motorola Earbud SUPPLY = FMP5185B 5.2vdc 450mA

> It it true that USB is NOT USB?

Nope, just another of your silly little pig ignorant fantasys.

> That is, can I "assume" if I hook the Motorola
> V195's USB power supply (5.9vdc 375mA)

It aint a USB power supply.

> to the Blackberry 8700 device, that the Blackberry will
> be getting more voltage than it 'expected' and that the
> current delivered will be much less than expected (even
> more so due to the higher voltage than expected)?

Fraid not. And USB wont deliver 750mA anyway.

"Emily" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> If I switch to all-USB devices, does that save me money & save the world on
> waste or not?
It's wasteful if you're replacing functioning equipment just for the sake
of getting that USB connection. A better strategy would be to migrate
to USB-compatible devices only when you have a real reason to upgrade
the equipment.

Who knows how long the ubiquitous USB connector will be around?
The only thing that is certain is that something else will replace it.

Don

"Emily" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> If I switch to all-USB devices, does that save me money & save the world
on
> waste or not?
>
> My philosophy is to have the SAME charger for all hand-held electronic
> devices. That would, in my opinion, cut down on waste by (I guess)
billions
> of tons and costs in billions of dollars over a ten-year period (I'm
> guessing on the amounts).
>
> The way it cuts down on waste is that people can KEEP their old chargers
> and reuse them on all their devices. After a while, equipment won't even
> come with a charger because everyone will have so many they'll sell them
on
> Ebay. Old devices could still be used even if the original charger is lost
> because any USB charger will work (in theory).
>
> Likewise with saving on cost. Instead of buying a ridiculously expensive
> charger for any new device, we could all use our existing chargers and
> automotive and computer adapters to charge our devices. Since the chargers
> are all the same (in theory), then they would be cheap due to competitive
> pressurs (and they'd have more functionality like lights and meters and
> other nice things). After a while, manufacturers wouldn't even supply a
> charger with a device because everyone would have had enough.
>
> Even safety would be involved as you'd never have a dead cell phone
because
> USB chargers would be standard in automobiles, for example.
>
> Having said that I love USB for all these reasons, I find it disconcerting
> that USB is not USB it seems.
>
> Here are four devices and their respective chargers that I own today.
>
> DEVICE = Blackberry 8700 SUPPLY = TCPRIM2ULSSN 5.0vdc 750mA
> DEVICE = Motorola V195 SUPPLY = PSM5037B 5.9vdc 375mA
> DEVICE = Motorola RAZR SUPPLY = DCH3-05US-0300 5.0vdc 550mA
> DEVICE = Motorola Earbud SUPPLY = FMP5185B 5.2vdc 450mA
>
> It it true that USB is NOT USB?
>
> That is, can I "assume" if I hook the Motorola V195's USB power
> supply (5.9vdc 375mA) to the Blackberry 8700 device, that the Blackberry
> will be getting more voltage than it 'expected' and that the current
> delivered will be much less than expected (even more so due to the higher
> voltage than expected)?
>
> Emily


Dear Emily,
The USB standard refers to the computer end. You can use a USB powered
device on USB ports from different computers. The actual wall charger made
for a particular device may or may not be designed to mimic the exact USB
standard. Since a manufacturer is designing a matched combination they may
use a little higher voltage to get the device to charge faster from the
wall. Since they designed the device and the charger they have figured all
this out. On the other hand another manufacturer may build a device that
will not tolerate a higher voltage. Both of these devices will work fine
connected to a computer USB port but may not work properly when connected to
different chargers. Hope this helps.

"Emily" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Here are four devices and their respective chargers that I own today.
>
> DEVICE = Blackberry 8700 SUPPLY = TCPRIM2ULSSN 5.0vdc 750mA
> DEVICE = Motorola V195 SUPPLY = PSM5037B 5.9vdc 375mA
> DEVICE = Motorola RAZR SUPPLY = DCH3-05US-0300 5.0vdc 550mA
> DEVICE = Motorola Earbud SUPPLY = FMP5185B 5.2vdc 450mA
>
> It it true that USB is NOT USB?
>
> That is, can I "assume" if I hook the Motorola V195's USB power
> supply (5.9vdc 375mA) to the Blackberry 8700 device, that the Blackberry
> will be getting more voltage than it 'expected' and that the current
> delivered will be much less than expected (even more so due to the higher
> voltage than expected)?

Normally I don't reply to cross-posters, but I feel your intent is well
meaning. I asked similar questions of an EE a month ago. His reply was a
'qualified yes, but'.

If the devices were designed properly, the lower powered devices should only
take what they need from a higher powered charger. Note the words 'properly'
and 'should'. On a trip, I jacked a 450mA GPS into a 850mA auto charger.
Once turned off, the Bluetooth of the GPS would not turn on until the
battery was removed, all contacts cleaned. This was the 2nd day of usage for
the new device. It resumed working until I charged it again. It died for
three weeks while the factory replied it was a dealer problem.

During the 3 weeks I tried to get a response from the eBay dealer, I 'cycle
charged' the GPS several times with the GPS charger. It started working
again. I won't be mixing chargers again.

If the value of a standard charger for everything is worth frying your
devices and chargers, start experimenting. If you are successful, you'll
reduce the number of parts the manufacturers will have to provide, but
probably not the price.

By the way, if you multiply the power used by all the transmissions of the
Internet providers, communications companies, cooling equipment for same,
modems, routers, and PCs, the total power consumed via nuclear, hydro,
fossil fuel, etc. >never to be replaced< just to answer your long posting
and multiple news sites, probably will never be off set by the savings in
the power of your chargers.

Emily

The chargers are not USB.. a USB device is USB by virtue of the way that it
connects to the host computer, not to the power supply unit..


"Emily" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> If I switch to all-USB devices, does that save me money & save the world
> on
> waste or not?
>
> My philosophy is to have the SAME charger for all hand-held electronic
> devices. That would, in my opinion, cut down on waste by (I guess)
> billions
> of tons and costs in billions of dollars over a ten-year period (I'm
> guessing on the amounts).
>
> The way it cuts down on waste is that people can KEEP their old chargers
> and reuse them on all their devices. After a while, equipment won't even
> come with a charger because everyone will have so many they'll sell them
> on
> Ebay. Old devices could still be used even if the original charger is lost
> because any USB charger will work (in theory).
>
> Likewise with saving on cost. Instead of buying a ridiculously expensive
> charger for any new device, we could all use our existing chargers and
> automotive and computer adapters to charge our devices. Since the chargers
> are all the same (in theory), then they would be cheap due to competitive
> pressurs (and they'd have more functionality like lights and meters and
> other nice things). After a while, manufacturers wouldn't even supply a
> charger with a device because everyone would have had enough.
>
> Even safety would be involved as you'd never have a dead cell phone
> because
> USB chargers would be standard in automobiles, for example.
>
> Having said that I love USB for all these reasons, I find it disconcerting
> that USB is not USB it seems.
>
> Here are four devices and their respective chargers that I own today.
>
> DEVICE = Blackberry 8700 SUPPLY = TCPRIM2ULSSN 5.0vdc 750mA
> DEVICE = Motorola V195 SUPPLY = PSM5037B 5.9vdc 375mA
> DEVICE = Motorola RAZR SUPPLY = DCH3-05US-0300 5.0vdc 550mA
> DEVICE = Motorola Earbud SUPPLY = FMP5185B 5.2vdc 450mA
>
> It it true that USB is NOT USB?
>
> That is, can I "assume" if I hook the Motorola V195's USB power
> supply (5.9vdc 375mA) to the Blackberry 8700 device, that the Blackberry
> will be getting more voltage than it 'expected' and that the current
> delivered will be much less than expected (even more so due to the higher
> voltage than expected)?
>
> Emily

USB is not only for charging!!! USB stands for Univeral Serial Bus and
is a method of allow a PC to communicate (aka talk) to devices. It
simplfies the method of connecting devices to your PC. Do not only
replace devices because of the charging method.


Emily wrote:
> If I switch to all-USB devices, does that save me money & save the world on
> waste or not?
>
> My philosophy is to have the SAME charger for all hand-held electronic
> devices. That would, in my opinion, cut down on waste by (I guess) billions
> of tons and costs in billions of dollars over a ten-year period (I'm
> guessing on the amounts).
>
> The way it cuts down on waste is that people can KEEP their old chargers
> and reuse them on all their devices. After a while, equipment won't even
> come with a charger because everyone will have so many they'll sell them on
> Ebay. Old devices could still be used even if the original charger is lost
> because any USB charger will work (in theory).
>
> Likewise with saving on cost. Instead of buying a ridiculously expensive
> charger for any new device, we could all use our existing chargers and
> automotive and computer adapters to charge our devices. Since the chargers
> are all the same (in theory), then they would be cheap due to competitive
> pressurs (and they'd have more functionality like lights and meters and
> other nice things). After a while, manufacturers wouldn't even supply a
> charger with a device because everyone would have had enough.
>
> Even safety would be involved as you'd never have a dead cell phone because
> USB chargers would be standard in automobiles, for example.
>
> Having said that I love USB for all these reasons, I find it disconcerting
> that USB is not USB it seems.
>
> Here are four devices and their respective chargers that I own today.
>
> DEVICE = Blackberry 8700 SUPPLY = TCPRIM2ULSSN 5.0vdc 750mA
> DEVICE = Motorola V195 SUPPLY = PSM5037B 5.9vdc 375mA
> DEVICE = Motorola RAZR SUPPLY = DCH3-05US-0300 5.0vdc 550mA
> DEVICE = Motorola Earbud SUPPLY = FMP5185B 5.2vdc 450mA
>
> It it true that USB is NOT USB?
>
> That is, can I "assume" if I hook the Motorola V195's USB power
> supply (5.9vdc 375mA) to the Blackberry 8700 device, that the Blackberry
> will be getting more voltage than it 'expected' and that the current
> delivered will be much less than expected (even more so due to the higher
> voltage than expected)?
>
> Emily

Don K <dk@dont_bother_me.com> wrote
> Emily <[email protected]> wrote

>> If I switch to all-USB devices, does that save me money & save the world on waste or not?

> It's wasteful if you're replacing functioning equipment just for the
> sake of getting that USB connection. A better strategy would be to migrate to USB-compatible
> devices only when you have a real reason to upgrade the equipment.

> Who knows how long the ubiquitous USB connector will be around?
> The only thing that is certain is that something else will replace it.

Doubt that is going to be any time soon.

If you work on that basis, you wouldnt buy anything, ever.

smlunatick <[email protected]> wrote:

> USB is not only for charging!!!

Wrong, plenty of the small stuff like mp3 players charge using that.

Just because its so common now.

> USB stands for Univeral Serial Bus and is a method
> of allow a PC to communicate (aka talk) to devices.
> It simplfies the method of connecting devices to your PC.

Its more than just that.

> Do not only replace devices because of the charging method.

Makes a lot of sense in some situations, most obviously if you
are moving around a lot and want to have just one charger etc.


> Emily wrote:
>> If I switch to all-USB devices, does that save me money & save the
>> world on waste or not?
>>
>> My philosophy is to have the SAME charger for all hand-held
>> electronic devices. That would, in my opinion, cut down on waste by
>> (I guess) billions of tons and costs in billions of dollars over a
>> ten-year period (I'm guessing on the amounts).
>>
>> The way it cuts down on waste is that people can KEEP their old
>> chargers and reuse them on all their devices. After a while,
>> equipment won't even come with a charger because everyone will have
>> so many they'll sell them on Ebay. Old devices could still be used
>> even if the original charger is lost because any USB charger will
>> work (in theory).
>>
>> Likewise with saving on cost. Instead of buying a ridiculously
>> expensive charger for any new device, we could all use our existing
>> chargers and automotive and computer adapters to charge our devices.
>> Since the chargers are all the same (in theory), then they would be
>> cheap due to competitive pressurs (and they'd have more
>> functionality like lights and meters and other nice things). After a
>> while, manufacturers wouldn't even supply a charger with a device
>> because everyone would have had enough.
>>
>> Even safety would be involved as you'd never have a dead cell phone
>> because USB chargers would be standard in automobiles, for example.
>>
>> Having said that I love USB for all these reasons, I find it
>> disconcerting that USB is not USB it seems.
>>
>> Here are four devices and their respective chargers that I own today.
>>
>> DEVICE = Blackberry 8700 SUPPLY = TCPRIM2ULSSN 5.0vdc 750mA
>> DEVICE = Motorola V195 SUPPLY = PSM5037B 5.9vdc 375mA
>> DEVICE = Motorola RAZR SUPPLY = DCH3-05US-0300 5.0vdc 550mA
>> DEVICE = Motorola Earbud SUPPLY = FMP5185B 5.2vdc 450mA
>>
>> It it true that USB is NOT USB?
>>
>> That is, can I "assume" if I hook the Motorola V195's USB power
>> supply (5.9vdc 375mA) to the Blackberry 8700 device, that the
>> Blackberry will be getting more voltage than it 'expected' and that
>> the current delivered will be much less than expected (even more so
>> due to the higher voltage than expected)?
>>
>> Emily

John B. Coarsey, PE <jcoarsey wrote:

>
> Dear Emily,
> The USB standard refers to the computer end. You can use a USB powered
> device on USB ports from different computers. The actual wall charger made
> for a particular device may or may not be designed to mimic the exact USB
> standard. Since a manufacturer is designing a matched combination they may
> use a little higher voltage to get the device to charge faster from the
> wall. Since they designed the device and the charger they have figured all
> this out. On the other hand another manufacturer may build a device that
> will not tolerate a higher voltage. Both of these devices will work fine
> connected to a computer USB port but may not work properly when connected to
> different chargers. Hope this helps.
>

I would be VERY interested to hear if somebody harmed a device by
plugging it in via USB to a charger from another brand, or even if it
failed to charge (unless it was an "unpowered" port). I doubt a device
capable of doing damage could be licensed as "USB" in the first place.
It's well known that not all USB ports can supply the same amount of
current, and all the chargers listed are within a volt of each other.
That's nothing to worry about in my book; any normal battery will vary
by more than that over its lifetime.

Personally I love USB; my GPS, camera, mp3 player, and PDA all connect
with the same cable and it really reduces clutter. I have never found
incompatibilities to be a problem and I wouldn't hesitate to charge any
USB device with anything that offers a powered USB port.

Rod Speed wrote:

> Emily <[email protected]> wrote:
>>Even safety would be involved as you'd never have a dead cell phone
>>because USB chargers would be standard in automobiles, for example.
>
>
> You wont be charging cars with USB chargers any decade soon.

Oh please. Tell me with a straight face you aren't intentionally
mis-interpreting what she said.

timeOday <[email protected]> wrote
> Rod Speed wrote
>> Emily <[email protected]> wrote

>>> Even safety would be involved as you'd never have a dead cell phone
>>> because USB chargers would be standard in automobiles, for example.

>> You wont be charging cars with USB chargers any decade soon.

> Oh please.

Oh **** off.

> Tell me with a straight face you aren't intentionally mis-interpreting what she said.

Says he after carefully deleting the context.

Wota terminal ****wit.

On Sat, 30 Dec 2006 09:28:38 +1100, "Rod Speed" <[email protected]>:

>timeOday <[email protected]> wrote
>> Rod Speed wrote
>>> Emily <[email protected]> wrote
>
>>>> Even safety would be involved as you'd never have a dead cell phone
>>>> because USB chargers would be standard in automobiles, for example.
>
>>> You wont be charging cars with USB chargers any decade soon.
>
>> Oh please.
>
>Oh **** off.
>
>> Tell me with a straight face you aren't intentionally mis-interpreting what she said.
>
>Says he after carefully deleting the context.
>
>Wota terminal ****wit.

So that's a definitive no? You ****ed up to keep with words you understand
and thought she meant to run a vehicle off a 500mA supply

Enjoy the new year and lighten up.

"Rod Speed" <[email protected]> wrote in news:4vldjhF1ajiqkU1
@mid.individual.net:

>
>> USB stands for Univeral Serial Bus and is a method
>> of allow a PC to communicate (aka talk) to devices.
>> It simplfies the method of connecting devices to your PC.
>
> Its more than just that.
>

No more, that's exactly what it is.

"DanS" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> "Rod Speed" <[email protected]> wrote in news:4vldjhF1ajiqkU1
> @mid.individual.net:
>
>>
>>> USB stands for Univeral Serial Bus and is a method
>>> of allow a PC to communicate (aka talk) to devices.
>>> It simplfies the method of connecting devices to your PC.
>>
>> Its more than just that.
>>
>
> No more, that's exactly what it is.

If the world really wants to know: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USB