Isn't that a contradiction? No issues with power bank ←→ use official charger cable. As far as I know Nintendo didn't provide anything official besides the normal AC adapter.I've done it and I haven't had any issues over the years myself, you should be fine as long as you're using the official charger cable
Actually it's just a coincidence. The Switch notoriously gets fried by even reputable USB wires and wall worts because, in a twist of irony, Nintendo un-learned their lessons from the days of proprietary chargers (3DS and before), where even less-reputable, third-party chargers were 100% safe because they followed typical standards.My unscientific feeling, going into juristic domain, tells me that Nintendo probably internally made sure to support USB/5.0V. Even when printing "Only use specified charger, loss of warranty…blablabla", they must have known that cheap USB adapters would pop up for their proprietary connector. If the DS systems weren't able to handle 5V, they would have gotten thousands of warranty claims. Shooting them all down is hard to impossible: How to prove people used third-party chargers? That would have gotten expensive and resulted in negative press (unreliable products)
You leave me speechless.Actually it's just a coincidence. The Switch notoriously gets fried by even reputable USB wires and wall worts because, in a twist of irony, Nintendo un-learned their lessons from the days of proprietary chargers (3DS and before), where even less-reputable, third-party chargers were 100% safe because they followed typical standards.
The Switch is actually really bad at handling power... quite scary. You'd think a 300$ device would have the basic power features devices literally 1/10th its price do, but...
Ah, I should have clarified, I used a power bank that had an outlet built in. So I could still use the official charger. Anyways your answer is far better than mine so...Isn't that a contradiction? No issues with power bank ←→ use official charger cable. As far as I know Nintendo didn't provide anything official besides the normal AC adapter.
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The question if charging the DS and 3DS family with USB can be considered to be "safe" comes up repeatedly.
My half-knowledge (at best) about this:
USB specifications from the depths of my wrecked brain: 5.00V +0.25V/-0.6V, max 500mA (900mA since USB 3.0, dedicated chargers and powerbanks or computer USB ports designed for charging MUCH more.)
The official charger provides 4.6V with max 900mA
As you can see here, USB devices must tolerate 5.25V per design. In practice I have yet to encounter any USB power outlet providing the nominal 5.0V when connecting a load. I did some very simple experiments in this regard a few years ago:
https://gbatemp.net/threads/o2ds-hardmods.549576/#post-8815636
It is very unlikely for a DS to fail because of using it on USB (either ports on a computer or a dedicated charger). The amperage of the outlet isn't important in my opinion. A DS will simply not draw 2A or whatever the charger provides. Some people think a strong charger with high amperage would cause problems. As if it was pumping electricity too fast into a device not able to handle this.
I don't think that is true. Responsible for the current is the charging controller of the device. A Li-Ion battery is charged in two phases:
A) Constant current until reaching an upper battery cutoff voltageB) Constant voltage until reaching a lower cutoff current: The current is gradually reduced – the charging IC charges slower and slower maintaining but not exceeding the maximum voltage reached in phase A)This shows us two things: The first one is that the last 20% of charging a Li-Ion (why am I typing "lion" all the time?) take over-proportionally long… and the second one is: powerful (amperage) USB charger can't force it's full power into the battery. The official one isn't able to force the full 900mA to the battery in phase B) either.
Electricity can be compared to water to some extent. Keep in mind this is oversimplification and only some kind of metaphor and not scientifically accurate:
Voltage is pressure. Amperage is the amount floating per time. You can open the water-tap (charging IC) slightly to have it dripping or more to have it floating – the amount the water pipe (charger) could deliver isn't important. Too much pressure on the other hand will make you pipe, hose, tap or whatever burst.
My unscientific feeling, going into juristic domain, tells me that Nintendo probably internally made sure to support USB/5.0V. Even when printing "Only use specified charger, loss of warranty…blablabla", they must have known that cheap USB adapters would pop up for their proprietary connector. If the DS systems weren't able to handle 5V, they would have gotten thousands of warranty claims. Shooting them all down is hard to impossible: How to prove people used third-party chargers? That would have gotten expensive and resulted in negative press (unreliable products)
Mild overvoltage didn't blow up a DSi:
https://gbatemp.net/blogs/ready-for-overvoltage-dsi-charging-1-1mb-pictures.17944/
After thinking about all this I wrote above and not expecting any problems, I still come to the conclusion that I stick to the official charger, especially with DS in good condition. I mean: Why not use the one designed for the consoles?
Good luck and have fun!
The Switch's power management chips fail at astonishingly fast rates. It's also not uncommon for the USB-C port to literally burn out, and for the battery to short or just up and die.You leave me speechless.
If that is true it is reason for a lawsuit in my opinion. I don't have newer devices, 3DS and Wii U are my last consoles, so I know virtually nothing about they new stuff. The Switch providing a USB-C connector is reason enough one can assume the usage of standard power supplies is intended. Hell, the new Game&Watch have USB-C power in and don't even come with a charger.
This is indeed a step backwards. Current devices should also accept some kind of abuse (faulty power supply for example, shortage due to bent pins or whatever).
I can only repeat myself: Many people report "no issues in years of USB charging" for DS or 3DS consoles and I couldn't find any problems myself.
What is more of a concern in DS consoles is wrong polarity on the battery connectors. Normally the battery can't be inserted wrong. When having the case open for repairs it is easy to push the battery in wrong orientation against the terminals.... which means *poof* since Nintendo didn't include an appropriate diode to protect the chips/board from this human mistake. We have had a few of these cases on the forum.
Screw the official charger cable, I just use a braided USB cable which is way nicer.I've done it and I haven't had any issues over the years myself, you should be fine as long as you're using the official charger cable
You just need to make sure your cable has the 56k ohm resistor in it, otherwise it may damage your console. That's all.Actually it's just a coincidence. The Switch notoriously gets fried by even reputable USB wires and wall worts because, in a twist of irony, Nintendo un-learned their lessons from the days of proprietary chargers (3DS and before), where even less-reputable, third-party chargers were 100% safe because they followed typical standards.
The Switch is actually really bad at handling power... quite scary. You'd think a 300$ device would have the basic power features devices literally 1/10th its price do, but...
You just need to make sure your cable has the 56k ohm resistor in it, otherwise it may damage your console. That's all.
All of the gaming stores sold GBA/DS (all models) chargers that were USB to the wall. So I'm sure it'll be just fine.
You can use a multimeter to check the cable without destroying itSaid resistor was never required for any device before or after the Switch.
Said resistor is also invisible unless you buy two of the cable and dismantle and destroy one of them for verification.
It's still indefensible.
This being said, USB is generally more than adept at whatever the GBA/DS/3DS would need. Ironically, those were far more compatible with third-party chargers than the Switch, even though they required custom wall worts too. I had three failed official 3DS chargers in under a year each. The third-party one with no brand? Five years strong. Lasted the rest of my 3DS's lifespan. RIP that neck, such an awful design (clamshell with heavy top).
So you can go buy a new device, to test a wire, because Nintendo were too lazy to put in proper power management that every other USB-C device from 30$ to 3,000$ has.You can use a multimeter to check the cable without destroying it
So you can go buy a new device, to test a wire, because Nintendo were too lazy to put in proper power management that every other USB-C device from 30$ to 3,000$ has.
What.
There was no type c when the 3DS first came out.
Are quotes disabled? There shouldn't be any confusion.Since this post was a question about charging the 3DS, I think all the commentary on the Switch’s power circuit is confusing people.
The 3DS should be fine to charge with a power bank. If there is an effect it would be the voltage regulator getting slightly warmer in handling the excess voltage.
Then you literally have nothing to worry about, charging from your powerbank will be no different than charging from an outlet because the powerbank is providing AC instead of DC, unlike DC, AC is more, to say, "flexible" in power demands, meaning that so long as the device you're plugging in doesn't exceed wattage/amperage your AC outlet can provide it doesn't matter which outlet you're using.Ah, I should have clarified, I used a power bank that had an outlet built in. So I could still use the official charger. Anyways your answer is far better than mine so...