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SD Card and USB C Cord Suggestions for Switch

sugarless

Member
Nice!!

I checked my New 3DS and I've been using a Kingston 64GB Micro SD card in that. So I took it out and copied the data over to an 8GB Micro SD card that I already had, put it back in the 3DS and everything still works fine.

So now I have a 64GB Micro SD that I can put into the Switch.

Will the Switch self-format the Micro SD Card?

You goddamn genius. I checked my 3DS and I'm using only just over half the 32GB micro SD card i got for it. With a little bit of work I can easily reduce it to enough to fit on 16GB, pick up a cheap (£6.99) 16GB card and double my Switch storage for not much cash at all.

(By the way, did you realise the New 3DS only recognises up to 32GB storage?)
 
Apple 29W Charger: 5.2V/2.4A 14.5V/2A
Apple 61W Charger: 5.2V/2.4A 9V/3A 20.3V/3A
Apple 87W Charger: 5.2V/2.4A 9V/3A 20.2V/4.3

Sorry fellow 2016 MacBook Pro owners, no 15V support for Switch. Be careful with the 29W charger as well, don't know how 14.5V interacts when it's expecting a full 15V. Still looking to get confirmation that the 29W charger is properly PD certified. The brick says it is but I'm not sure how the 0.5V difference works
 

styl3s

Member
well amazon is selling them for 89.95 themselves now. I too am glad i got it with the BIGTHANKS promo.
Is the one up now for that the one everyone is getting? Do we know how we can transfer card-card? Because i want the 200gb but i feel like i can probably make it through the year with just a 128gb which is half the price and by the time i need the 200gb or more those will be cheaper or snag one on a black friday or something.
 

TZchassis

Member
Apple 29W Charger: 5.2V/2.4A 14.5V/2A
Apple 61W Charger: 5.2V/2.4A 9V/3A 20.3V/3A
Apple 87W Charger: 5.2V/2.4A 9V/3A 20.2V/4.3

Sorry fellow 2016 MacBook Pro owners, no 15V support for Switch. Be careful with the 29W charger as well, don't know how 14.5V interacts when it's expecting a full 15V. Still looking to get confirmation that the 29W charger is properly PD certified. The brick says it is but I'm not sure how the 0.5V difference works

Can you explain why the 87W charger that I have wouldn't charge the switch? I already used it to charge my iPhone once and it worked fine and I read somewhere that it pulls the current that the device requires. So why not charge the switch with it?
 
Can you explain why the 87W charger that I have wouldn't charge the switch? I already used it to charge my iPhone once and it worked fine and I read somewhere that it pulls the current that the device requires. So why not charge the switch with it?

>keeping in mind that this is all speculation until this stuff is in hands and tested<

The 87W should totally be able to charge the Switch using 5V at at least 1.6A (8W) since that's one of the output modes from the Switch's official AC adapter. And as far as I know every modern USB device needs to support 5V anyway since that's been the standard rate of power for several years now.

However, the Switch can also take in 15V at 2.6A (39W) because it says so on the back and that's what the official AC adapter supplies. However, in order to get those 15V the power source has to supply it, and the Apple adapters have the ability to supply 5V (as is required), 9V, and 20V (and for the small guy, 14.5V) but no 15V. So it would default back down to the much lower charging rate of 8W versus the full 39W

Someone can correct me on all the stuff I've been saying in the thread if I'm wrong, by the way. I've been spending several hours reading up on USB-C/USB-PD but there's so much information and things are constantly changing
 
>keeping in mind that this is all speculation until this stuff is in hands and tested<

The 87W should totally be able to charge the Switch using 5V at at least 1.6A (8W) since that's one of the output modes from the Switch's official AC adapter. And as far as I know every modern USB device needs to support 5V anyway since that's been the standard rate of power for several years now.

However, the Switch can also take in 15V at 2.6A (39W) because it says so on the back and that's what the official AC adapter supplies. However, in order to get those 15V the power source has to supply it, and the Apple adapters have the ability to supply 5V (as is required), 9V, and 20V (and for the small guy, 14.5V) but no 15V. So it would default back down to the much lower charging rate of 8W versus the full 39W

If I'm understanding this right, the speculation is the end result difference is whether the system will be able to draw power to run the system or can it draw power to run the system and charge the battery at the same time?
 

jorgejjvr

Member
Guys I bought the rav power with USB type C input and output

Quick question does the USB type C port only outputs to a USB type C input?

I have a couple of adapters that turns USB type C to micro USB and it does not charge a device. Is that port strictly to charge the ravpower and to use a USB type C input and output cable? If so, I will be strictly for the switch (for now), but I was hoping I could get convert that to micro USB as well to charge other devices in the mean time
 

Minsc

Gold Member
Guys I bought the rav power with USB type C input and output

Quick question does the USB type C port only outputs to a USB type C input?

I have a couple of adapters that turns USB type C to micro USB and it does not charge a device. Is that port strictly to charge the ravpower and to use a USB type C input and output cable? If so, I will be strictly for the switch (for now), but I was hoping I could get convert that to micro USB as well to charge other devices in the mean time

If you bought the PD-Type C one, I think I read on the page you need to hold the power button down for a few seconds (or possibly just push it first then immediately connect your device) to initialize the USB-C port to be output, not input. It has two USB A ports, those are far more commonly used to charge micro USB with USB A > Micro USB cables, but an adapter should work... however there's always exceptions I guess. I'd think you'd want to use the USB A ports anyway, since then you could use the USB C port to charge the switch and also be able to charge the other things if you need at the same time, rather than tying up the USB C port for all the devices you want to charge.
 

jorgejjvr

Member
If you bought the PD-Type C one, I think I read on the page you need to hold the power button down for a few seconds (or possibly just push it first then immediately connect your device) to initialize the USB-C port to be output, not input. It has two USB A ports, those are far more commonly used to charge micro USB with USB A > Micro USB cables, but an adapter should work... however there's always exceptions I guess. I'd think you'd want to use the USB A ports anyway, since then you could use the USB C port to charge the switch and also be able to charge the other things if you need at the same time, rather than tying up the USB C port for all the devices you want to charge.
Strange... Still can't figure it out and don't have a USB type C device to test, just have my adopter and it won't work

Hoping it works fine with the switch

I have a USB type C to USB type C cable

This is the one I got:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B019IFIJW8/?tag=neogaf0e-20
 

Kureransu

Member
Is the one up now for that the one everyone is getting? Do we know how we can transfer card-card? Because i want the 200gb but i feel like i can probably make it through the year with just a 128gb which is half the price and by the time i need the 200gb or more those will be cheaper or snag one on a black friday or something.

sorry for the late reply, went to play my soccer match. yeah that's the card. with the promo last week, it ended up being $61.84 or something close, that's why i dove for it. Not sure how transfer will work, but i kinda wanted to be one and done for a while so 200 gb was the way to go for me. Honestly unless you're going seriously digital., you should be fine with 128 for a while.
 
If I'm understanding this right, the speculation is the end result difference is whether the system will be able to draw power to run the system or can it draw power to run the system and charge the battery at the same time?

It's not just if it will power the system or charge the battery, it's if it'll supply enough juice to cause the battery percentage to increase at all, or if it will just slow the drain. At 8W that seems unlikely, but 30W is distinctly possible

Keep in mind that without testing we don't know to what extent the Switch supports USB-PD, though I feel like it does with those specific voltages. And we don't know if it supports any voltages not listed on the back, since we know the official charger can do 5V and 15V, but the console itself says it can only do 15V, yet the official car charger only does 5V.

I'm pretty confident in my purchases given the research gone into them, but it will be interesting to see the results. I also think there's going to be a big boon of quality, USB-PD wall outlets and portable battery packs and car chargers in the near future, seeing as how the market is only getting bigger. Android phones, the new MacBooks, the Switch, etc.
 
It's not just if it will power the system or charge the battery, it's if it'll supply enough juice to cause the battery percentage to increase at all, or if it will just slow the drain. At 8W that seems unlikely, but 30W is distinctly possible

Keep in mind that without testing we don't know to what extent the Switch supports USB-PD, though I feel like it does with those specific voltages. And we don't know if it supports any voltages not listed on the back, since we know the official charger can do 5V and 15V, but the console itself says it can only do 15V, yet the official car charger only does 5V.

I'm pretty confident in my purchases given the research gone into them, but it will be interesting to see the results. I also think there's going to be a big boon of quality, USB-PD wall outlets and portable battery packs and car chargers in the near future, seeing as how the market is only getting bigger. Android phones, the new MacBooks, the Switch, etc.

I was basing it on the fact that the car charger is 5V and under the assumption it would be sufficient for usage without causing a slow drain on the battery. Guess I'm going to hold off on a portable charger until concrete info can be found.
 

tenchir

Member
It's not just if it will power the system or charge the battery, it's if it'll supply enough juice to cause the battery percentage to increase at all, or if it will just slow the drain. At 8W that seems unlikely, but 30W is distinctly possible

Keep in mind that without testing we don't know to what extent the Switch supports USB-PD, though I feel like it does with those specific voltages. And we don't know if it supports any voltages not listed on the back, since we know the official charger can do 5V and 15V, but the console itself says it can only do 15V, yet the official car charger only does 5V.

I'm pretty confident in my purchases given the research gone into them, but it will be interesting to see the results. I also think there's going to be a big boon of quality, USB-PD wall outlets and portable battery packs and car chargers in the near future, seeing as how the market is only getting bigger. Android phones, the new MacBooks, the Switch, etc.

I do have some knowledge of USB-PD specs, so based on what I have seen so far, here's my educated guess.

15V/2.6A or 39W is what is needed for the dock since it has to power/charge the Switch(+Joycons), power three USB ports, and whatever circuitry for HDMI. The 5V charging is likely only for the Switch console itself, so it's probably charging at 5V/3A or 15W.

Dock:
4.5W - 1x USB 3.0 port (5V/0.9A)
5W - 2x USB 2.0 ports ( 5V/0.5A)
15W - Switch Console (5V/3A). This is what most USB-C phones are charged at.

I can only account for 24.5W. I have no idea how much power the HDMI circuit draws, but I doubt its near the 14W unaccounted for. There's no fan in the dock right?

I don't think the Switch Console charges above 15W because it suppose to take like 3 hours to charge the Switch's 4310 mAH battery and the smaller batteries in the joycon(525mAH each). The Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge has a 3600mAH battery and it takes slightly under 2 hours to be charge with the adapter fast charger it came with (9V/1.67A or ~15W).
 
I do have some knowledge of USB-PD specs, so based on what I have seen so far, here's my educated guess.

15V/2.6A or 39W is what is needed for the dock since it has to power/charge the Switch, power three USB ports, and whatever circuitry for HDMI. The 5V charging is likely only for the Switch console itself, so it's probably charging at 5V/3A or 15W.


?W - HDMI active circuit
4.5W - 1x USB 3.0 port (5V/0.9A)
5W - 2x USB 2.0 ports ( 5V/0.5A)
15W - Switch Console (5V/3A). This is what most USB-C phones charged.

I can only account for 24.5W. I have no idea where the other 14W can be used for.

I don't think the Switch Console charges above 15W because it suppose to take like 3 hours to charge a 4310 mAH battery. The Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge has a 3600mAH battery and it takes like a couple of hours to be charge with the adapter fast charger it came with (9V/1.67A or ~15W).

Awesome, thanks for the math

Hey, question for you. The 29W Apple USB-C charger offers 14.5V/2A charging. Do you think that's within tolerances to be treated as 15W when charging other USB-PD devices or is it off-spec? The charger itself lists it as a PD output at that voltage but obviously it's not an official one, that would be 15V
 

Bog

Junior Ace
I'll just buy a damn third party car charger. You guys are literally nuts trying to work out voltages.
 

mrklaw

MrArseFace
Can you buy long USB A - C cables, or is there a limit? Would only be used for charging, from a 5v/2.4A charger (hopefully enough to trickle charge it while playing)
 

tenchir

Member
Awesome, thanks for the math

Hey, question for you. The 29W Apple USB-C charger offers 14.5V/2A charging. Do you think that's within tolerances to be treated as 15W when charging other USB-PD devices or is it off-spec? The charger itself lists it as a PD output at that voltage but obviously it's not an official one, that would be 15V

I doubt it will work if you are connecting it to the dock. If you were to connect it to the switch itself, then it should work in theory if Nintendo doesn't use a strict USB-PD implementation and will charge at 5V/2.4A. In USB-PD, negotiation occurs between the source (Charger) and sink (Device). If the source doesn't offer 15V/2.6A, then the dock won't get power. This is a safety issue so the charger or device don't get damage. Those 5V charger for Switch that are being sold works because it is only charging the switch itself. These are probably "dumb" 5V charger, so there's no USB-PD negotiation at all, since it's only offering 5V period.

Can you buy long USB A - C cables, or is there a limit? Would only be used for charging, from a 5v/2.4A charger (hopefully enough to trickle charge it while playing)

It really depends on how Nintendo implements USB-PD. Legacy cable or USB type-A to type-C cable have an upper limit of 1.5A based on BC 1.2 specs for chargers and devices. This doesn't mean that the cable can't go above 1.5A, but the USB-PD BC 1.2 specs forbid it. The Nexus and Pixel phone won't charge above 1.5A for example if you were to use USB A>C cable. Apple's USB-C equipped MacBook could charge at 2.4A, but those MacBooks are using a hodgepodge of USB-C spec and Apple's own proprietary spec.
 
I'll just buy a damn third party car charger. You guys are literally nuts trying to work out voltages.

Trying to learn about the electrical stuff you use every day isn't nuts. Especially when USB-C is such a dodgy landscape right now

Can you buy long USB A - C cables, or is there a limit? Would only be used for charging, from a 5v/2.4A charger (hopefully enough to trickle charge it while playing)

How long do you need?

I doubt it will work. In USB-PD, negotiation occurs between the source (Charger) and sink (Device0). If the source doesn't offer 15V/2.6A, then the device won't charge. This is a safety issue so the charger or device don't get damage.

So it would automatically downclock to 5.2V/2.4A that it offers? Well fuck, why did Apple do 14.5V and not the damn 15V?
 

tenchir

Member
Trying to learn about the electrical stuff you use every day isn't nuts. Especially when USB-C is such a dodgy landscape right now



How long do you need?



So it would automatically downclock to 5.2V/2.4A that it offers? Well fuck, why did Apple do 14.5V and not the damn 15V?

Because USB-PD 2.0 wasn't finalized yet when apple chose 5.2V/2.4A and 14.5V/2A. Once USB-PD was settled at 5V/3A, 9V/3A, 12V/3A, 15V/3A, 20V/3A, and 20V/5A, their charger was already out in the market. Keep in mind that 5.2V/2.4A and 14.5V/2A started on lightning cable first, not USB type-C. Those voltage was later implemented on USB-C starting with MacBook 12 inchs.
 
Because USB-PD 2.0 wasn't finalized yet when apple chose 5.2V/2.4A and 14.5V/2A. Once USB-PD was settled at 5V/3A, 9V/3A, 12V/3A, 15V/3A, 20V/3A, and 20V/5A, their charger was already out in the market. Keep in mind that 5.2V/2.4A and 14.5V/2A started on lightning cable first, not USB type-C. Those voltage was later implemented on USB-C starting with MacBook 12 inchs.

That's what I figured, still mildly annoying.

Do the PD-compliant 61W and 87W that run at 5.2V and 20.3V instead of 5V and 20V offer compatibility problems? I would imagine not but still...
 

tenchir

Member
That's what I figured, still mildly annoying.

Do the PD-compliant 61W and 87W that run at 5.2V and 20.3V instead of 5V and 20V offer compatibility problems? I would imagine not but still...

I think 5.2V, 20.3V,and maybe 14.5V was "grandfathered" in to USB PD 2.0 because Apple is part of the USB consortium. The USB consortium will let their current product slide, but going forward, Apple should be using 5/9/12/15/20V for all their future USB-PD product. The new MacBook Pros can be charged at 10W(5V/2.1A), 12W(5.2V/2.4A), 27W(9V/3A), 29W(14.5V/2A), 30W(15V/2A), 36W(12V/3A), 45W(15V/3A), 60W(20V/3A, Max for 13"), and 86W(20V/4.25A, Max for 15").
 

Sami+

Member
Yo real talk will I fry my Switch if I use the chargers that came with my Pixel XL or am I good just using those
 

Sami+

Member
Should be fine

Ok rad, that's what I figured but all the electrician talk in here spooked me

tbh my dad's an electrical engineer and he shoved a similarly shaped power cord into my Xbox a few months back that barely fit and scared the fuck out of me but it ended up working fine and is still not fried or any noticeably different so idk how to react
 
Ok rad, that's what I figured but all the electrician talk in here spooked me

tbh my dad's an electrical engineer and he shoved a similarly shaped power cord into my Xbox a few months back that barely fit and scared the fuck out of me but it ended up working fine and is still not fried or any noticeably different so idk how to react

tenchir and I are talking super specific stuff, not because we have to or it's required or anything. Just useful info

Any USB-C device that lists its output as 5V (which they all should) and is from a reputable source (like Google) should be completely fine. Google adheres to the standards pretty rigidly
 

tenchir

Member
So it would automatically downclock to 5.2V/2.4A that it offers? Well fuck, why did Apple do 14.5V and not the damn 15V?

Oh, I forgot to mention that it's unlikely the Switch console itself will ever charge at 15V, I think it's likely will always be charging at 5V. The 15V is for the dock itself and the dock will charge the switch at 5V.

It's already telling that it takes 3 hours to charge ~4310mAH(plus 525mAH joycon batteries) for switch at 15W(5V/3). Compared to slightly under two hours it takes to charge Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge 3600 mAH battery with a 15W(9V/1.67A) charger.
 
Oh, I forgot to mention that it's unlikely the Switch console itself will ever charge at 15V, I think it's likely will always be charging at 5V. The 15V is for the dock itself and the dock will charge the switch at 5V.

It's already telling that it takes 3 hours to charge ~4310mAH(plus 525mAH joycon batteries) for switch at 15W(5V/3). Compared to slightly under two hours it takes to charge Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge 3600 mAH battery with a 15W(9V/1.67A) charger.

Nah, you mentioned that earlier. Did the math and everything
 

Mairu

Member
I am incredibly confused but I've only read the last page and the first few posts...

It sounds like I'm out of luck if I want to use my 2016 13" MacBook Pro 61W charger + Apple USB-C cable to charge the switch, correct?
 
I am incredibly confused but I've only read the last page and the first few posts...

It sounds like I'm out of luck if I want to use my 2016 13" MacBook Pro 61W charger + Apple USB-C cable to charge the switch, correct?

Nope, it should totally work. The long detailed posts have been us talking about whether it'll charge the Switch to the full ability, which doesn't impact that yes it WILL charge.
 

tenchir

Member
I am incredibly confused but I've only read the last page and the first few posts...

It sounds like I'm out of luck if I want to use my 2016 13" MacBook Pro 61W charger + Apple USB-C cable to charge the switch, correct?

You can still use it to charge the Switch itself, it will work. You can't use it as a replacement charger for the dock since it doesn't have 15V. The thing is that since it's limited to 5V/2.4A or 12W, it wouldn't charge as fast as a 15W (5V/3A) charger.
 

Mairu

Member
Nope, it should totally work. The long detailed posts have been us talking about whether it'll charge the Switch to the full ability, which doesn't impact that yes it WILL charge.

You can still use it to charge the Switch itself, it will work. You can't use it as a replacement charger for the dock since it doesn't have 15V. The thing is that since it's limited to 5V/2.4A or 12W, it wouldn't charge as fast as a 15W (5V/3A) charger.

Gotcha, thanks!

I'm living up to the advertising and taking my Switch with me on an international flight this weekend, so trying to get prepared since the 3 hour battery life won't cut it for a 12 hour flight :)
 

tenchir

Member

It should work, but I wouldn't buy it. I think its probably breaking the USB-PD spec by going over 3A. As far as I know, the only time you are allowed to go over 3A is by using 20V and special USB-C cable emarked for 5A.

edit: A quick google search indicates that this uses quick charge specification, not USB-PD. http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/best-usb-c-chargers-whats-safe-whats-dangerous/
 
Just to reiterate from my post earlier I bought the iOrange-USB C Charger cable, will it charge the switch if I plug it into my PC or into an iPhone charging brick?
 
Just to reiterate from my post earlier I bought the iOrange-USB C Charger cable, will it charge the switch if I plug it into my PC or into an iPhone charging brick?

It will technically get power from both but not a lot. I think the most it will pull from the computer would be around 7.5W (will probably get corrected on this, hey tenchir) and the iPhone brick if it's the small one that comes with the phone will only give 5W

Current speculation is it uses 15W to charge
 

sadromeo

Member
The gist that I'm getting from this thread is to hold off on buying a usb-c wall plug for a couple of days.

I am kinda thinking the same thing.

As much as I want to buy a powerbank or charger now, I think I am going to wait and see what happens after everyone gets their Switches and starts trying out their different chargers.

I ultimately want more uptime with the Switch as opposed to playing and charging every 2 1/2 to 3 hours.

I have my USB-A to USB-C and USB-C to USB-C cables ready. I just need to know which chargers give the most hours to the Switch before having to recharge.

Excited to learn more in the next few days.
 

jorgejjvr

Member
Yeah, the Anker Powercore+ comes with one I believe so if you get that you won't need to buy another, but the Ravpower that was linked and which I got on the lightning deal the other day doesn't. I got this cable to go with it.
Did your Ravpower work with the USB C to USB C cable you purchased? Were you able to test it against a USB C device?

As I purchased the same ravpower and cable but currently have no device to test. I do however have an adapter that turns USB type C into micro USB, and it is not outputting power that way

Thank you
 
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