Hardware 3rd Party Chargers

[peteruk]

Hey guys,

I have this Anker charger bought from Amazon UK https://www.amazon.co.uk/Anker-Char...016LPMFUA/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8

In one of the reviews of the item some guy is stating he uses it with his Nintendo Switch, although when I check the actual figures on the back of the charger plugged into my dock the numbers are different

Would any smart person be able to confirm if this Anker charger I bought will be safe and adequate to use (with a usb c) for my Switch in handheld mode etc..

Thanks in advance

 

[peteruk]

In the description of the Anker charger description it states 2.4 Amps per port, so each port can supply up to 2.4 Amps at 5 Volts. So 2 x 2.4A x 5V = 24Watts.

Just looking for confirmation that this would be suitable ?

I have read through all the reviews and I think 2 people said it works well, but someone reputable from here backing that up would make me feel better, thanks

 

[guily6669]

Why don't you just use the original AC charger?

I bet on portability the switch uses the 5v 1.5A and 15v 2.6A for the dock.

If the Switch could use fast charge at 2.4A it would charge faster, but as always that would reduce the battery cycles a bit.

I have a 2.1A 5V charger from my Nvidia Shield tablet, but I don't have a USB to USB-C cable to test, but I will keep using the original adapter instead...

 

[jefffisher]

anker is a good and reliable brand that charger probably wont kill your switch but it's not going to charge it nearly as fast as one with the correct specs, you just gotta try it and hope it can charge faster than the games suck battery.
the cheapest anker charger that would supply as much juice as the original nintendo charger is this one and i dont know what the uk equivalent charger would be
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06Y427WT7

 

[guily6669]

Anyway I'm on my 2nd charge of my brand new switch. I turned it OFF to charge and I can see that the Switch back is almost as hot as when I was playing Zelda, so I wouldn't ever try a fast charger in it and I don't even know if the switch even supports fast charge.

With my laser thermometer the back of the switch is slightly above 30C° while charging at around 20C° room temp, this is using original AC adapter not docked (I never even tried the dock).

 

[peteruk]

Thank you both for the replies

I was more worried about doing damage to my switch by providing the wrong current / amp / volt whatever than actual charge time

But neither of you both seem to think it is dangerous, so might give it a try

I didn't want to use the original one because everything is tightly cable tied behind a false wall etc... lol

 

[peteruk]

I also have one of these 65w usb c chargers https://www.amazon.co.uk/Mackertop-...075N327GR/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8

It actually states in the product description that it will charge a Switch but I'm a little uneasy about 65w ???

Would I be better off using my Anker one or the second Mackertop one ? I'm not overly bothered about fast charging, I just want it to be safe

 

[leonmagnus99]

hey mate, your switch will be fine !
just make sure to check the A/Voltage thingies on both the anker wall usb/charger adapter and your official switch charger , i assume if they are the same then your good.

plus, anker products are quite trustworthy and of good quality.

 

[The Real Jdbye]

Hey guys,

I have this Anker charger bought from Amazon UK https://www.amazon.co.uk/Anker-Char...016LPMFUA/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8

In one of the reviews of the item some guy is stating he uses it with his Nintendo Switch, although when I check the actual figures on the back of the charger plugged into my dock the numbers are different

Would any smart person be able to confirm if this Anker charger I bought will be safe and adequate to use (with a usb c) for my Switch in handheld mode etc..

Thanks in advance

It's safe, but it's not USB-PD so the Switch will only draw 5V@2A, which is probably not enough to even prevent it from discharging in docked mode. In handheld mode it will charge the Switch very slowly while in use. It's best used for charging while the Switch is off (but will still take longer than an USB-PD charger like the original)

 

[peteruk]

It's safe, but it's not USB-PD so the Switch will only draw 5V@2A, which is probably not enough to even prevent it from discharging in docked mode. In handheld mode it will charge the Switch very slowly while in use. It's best used for charging while the Switch is off (but will still take longer than an USB-PD charger like the original)

Thank you as ever mate, very helpful answer and exactly what I was looking to know

It will suit my needs based on your reply for handheld mode

Appreciate it

 

[jefffisher]

I also have one of these 65w usb c chargers https://www.amazon.co.uk/Mackertop-...075N327GR/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8

It actually states in the product description that it will charge a Switch but I'm a little uneasy about 65w ???

Would I be better off using my Anker one or the second Mackertop one ? I'm not overly bothered about fast charging, I just want it to be safe

that's just up to 65W
the official nintendo switch power cord is 39W but the switch only uses 18W max.
that thing has a 15volt mode which means if it uses it correctly and isn't defective it should work great.
it's better to test while the switch is still new, easier to trade for a working one if for some terrible reason it gets fried.

 

[peteruk]

that's just up to 65W
the official nintendo switch power cord is 39W but the switch only uses 18W max.
that thing has a 15volt mode which means if it uses it correctly and isn't defective it should work great.
it's better to test while the switch is still new, easier to trade for a working one if for some terrible reason it gets fried.

thanks for the great and informative response, much appreciated

in your personal opinion, would the Anker charger I also linked above 'safely do the job' ? I am really not too bothered about speed as it would only occasionally be used and if possible would prefer to use the Anker one rather than the other

thanks in advance for your opinion

 

[Minox]

I also have one of these 65w usb c chargers https://www.amazon.co.uk/Mackertop-...075N327GR/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8

It actually states in the product description that it will charge a Switch but I'm a little uneasy about 65w ???

Would I be better off using my Anker one or the second Mackertop one ? I'm not overly bothered about fast charging, I just want it to be safe

USB PD-capable chargers negotiate what kind of voltage it can supply to the device before actually sending anything higher than the default safe USB-voltage levels so that will not be an issue. As for amperage a device will only draw as much as it needs so even though a charger can technically send higher amperage over the lines it won't.

 

[jefffisher]

thanks for the great and informative response, much appreciated

in your personal opinion, would the Anker charger I also linked above 'safely do the job' ? I am really not too bothered about speed as it would only occasionally be used and if possible would prefer to use the Anker one rather than the other

thanks in advance for your opinion

the anker charger is only 5v the switch can use 5v but wants 15v too low voltage might cause the switch to suck in more amps than it's supposed to which will probably make it hot which could be bad for the battery in the long run.
i think the switch normally only uses 1amp a third the voltage would mean it'd need 3amps to get the same amount of power which means more current and heat.

you should use a charger that supports 15v if you care about your switch not getting hot which may or may not be bad for the battery over some amount of time.

 

[peteruk]

USB PD-capable chargers negotiate what kind of voltage it can supply to the device before actually sending anything higher than the default safe USB-voltage levels so that will not be an issue. As for amperage a device will only draw as much as it needs so even though a charger can technically send higher amperage over the lines it won't.

Thank you very much for the info

--------------------- MERGED ---------------------------

the anker charger is only 5v the switch can use 5v but wants 15v too low voltage might cause the switch to suck in more amps than it's supposed to which will probably make it hot which could be bad for the battery in the long run.
i think the switch normally only uses 1amp a third the voltage would mean it'd need 3amps to get the same amount of power which means more current and heat.

you should use a charger that supports 15v if you care about your switch not getting hot which may or may not be bad for the battery over some amount of time.

Great info thanks for that.... Looks like I am better off using the more powerful charger then

Very pleased I asked here first

 

[Minox]

One thing you should be vary of when buying a charger is that you don't buy no-name brands or brands with less than reliable reputations. Since a faulty charger can fry whatever it charges it can be worth it to pay extra for something you know to be a good charger rather than to risk it by buying something cheaper.

 

[peteruk]

One thing you should be vary of when buying a charger is that you don't buy no-name brands or brands with less than reliable reputations. Since a faulty charger can fry whatever it charges it can be worth it to pay extra for something you know to be a good charger rather than to risk it by buying something cheaper.

Thanks for the info.... I already own both chargers.

The main powerful one is used to charge my laptop whilst I use the Anker one for my phone and just about everything else

I did research both products before purchasing them and they both checked out well

I am a massive fan of Anker but sounds like the other one would be most suitable having read both yours and Jeffs comments

 

[The Real Jdbye]

the anker charger is only 5v the switch can use 5v but wants 15v too low voltage might cause the switch to suck in more amps than it's supposed to which will probably make it hot which could be bad for the battery in the long run.
i think the switch normally only uses 1amp a third the voltage would mean it'd need 3amps to get the same amount of power which means more current and heat.

you should use a charger that supports 15v if you care about your switch not getting hot which may or may not be bad for the battery over some amount of time.

In theory lower voltage is better, because that voltage has to be converted to 3.7V anyway to charge the battery, and a higher difference between input and output voltage means more heat is generated. Which is why AC adapters get warm. However the heat generated from that shouldn't be much. Also, the Switch will never draw more than 2A anyway.

 

[peteruk]

In theory lower voltage is better, because that voltage has to be converted to 3.7V anyway to charge the battery, and a higher difference between input and output voltage means more heat is generated. Which is why AC adapters get warm. However the heat generated from that shouldn't be much. Also, the Switch will never draw more than 2A anyway.

So in your opinion the Anker would be fine ?

 

[The Real Jdbye]

So in your opinion the Anker would be fine ?

If you don't mind it charging extremely slowly while playing, sure.