Hardware Charge N3DS XL with usb-c *question*

[Jared96]

So with USB C coming in full effect now and my cables slowly going in that route as well, is there any known 3ds charging cables that have the 3ds charge connection on one end, and USB C on the other? I know I could buy a regular USB cable that has the full sized USB on one end and then use an adapter that then has USB C on the other end, but then I have to carry that one adapter and worry about losing that. Thanks in advance.

 

[how_do_i_do_that]

You would need a USB-A to USB-C adapter.

Right now is what is called a transition period where an older standard and a newer standard still exists at the same time.

I use this adapter set, which has a USB-A to USB-C adapter: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071P7GK84/
I also have a bunch of 3DS usb charging cables of various lengths.


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As long as your charging port is not one of those proprietary quick charging ports, you should be ok.

 

[Jared96]

You would need a USB-A to USB-C adapter.

Right now is what is called a transition period where an older standard and a newer standard still exists at the same time.

I use this adapter set, which has a USB-A to USB-C adapter: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071P7GK84/
I also have a bunch of 3DS usb charging cables of various lengths.


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As long as your charging port is not one of those proprietary quick charging ports, you should be ok.

That's pretty much what I figured what I'd have to do, I have a couple USB-A to USB-C adapters already, just wanted to make sure anyone hadn't seen any actual cables without having to use the adapters. Any recommendations on the USB-A to 3ds cable?

 

[how_do_i_do_that]

That's pretty much what I figured what I'd have to do, I have a couple USB-A to USB-C adapters already, just wanted to make sure anyone hadn't seen any actual cables without having to use the adapters. Any recommendations on the USB-A to 3ds cable?

The 3ds usb cables are fairly easy to find on amazon. Get a 2m/6ft or a 3m/10ft long cable if your planning to sit far from an outlet while charging or use in the car otherwise the standard charging usb cable is 1m/3ft long.

https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=sr_pg_2?rh=i:aps,k:3ds+usb+cable&page=2&keywords=3ds+usb+cable&ie=UTF8

 

[The Real Jdbye]

So with USB C coming in full effect now and my cables slowly going in that route as well, is there any known 3ds charging cables that have the 3ds charge connection on one end, and USB C on the other? I know I could buy a regular USB cable that has the full sized USB on one end and then use an adapter that then has USB C on the other end, but then I have to carry that one adapter and worry about losing that. Thanks in advance.

You could make one yourself. Get a 3DS charge cable and a USB-C cable, cut the plug off the 3DS charge cable, solder it on the USB-C cable and tidy it all up with heatshrink tubing. You'd have to be careful with the resistance though. USB-C cables with the wrong internal resistance are known to fry the device that's powering them, or at the very least fry the host's USB ports.

 

[how_do_i_do_that]

You could make one yourself. Get a 3DS charge cable and a USB-C cable, cut the plug off the 3DS charge cable, solder it on the USB-C cable and tidy it all up with heatshrink tubing. You'd have to be careful with the resistance though. USB-C cables with the wrong internal resistance are known to fry the device that's powering them, or at the very least fry the host's USB ports.

The google engineer that tested the usb-c cables basically helped weed out shitty usb-c cables found on amazon and got them delisted. Cannibalizing a functional AC adapter is mostly a waste.

 

[The Real Jdbye]

The google engineer that tested the usb-c cables basically helped weed out shitty usb-c cables found on amazon and got them delisted. Cannibalizing a functional AC adapter is mostly a waste.

I never mentioned an AC adapter. I meant one of those USB 3DS charge cables.
The thing is, I'm not sure if frankensteining two cables together would mess with the resistance enough to cause issues. Even if you use a known good USb-C cable it could still be a problem. That is why I suggested to cut only the plug off the 3DS charge cable though, to use as little of the cable from it as possible since it might affect the resistance.

 

[how_do_i_do_that]

A compliant usb-c cable uses a 56k resistor. Frankensteining your own cable is not recommended unless you got a background in electronics or engineering.

Like the lightning cables, the 5A@20V usb-c cables (fast charging compliant cables) have controller chips. That is why the use of an adapter with a usb cable is recommended, let the chip in the adaptor to manage your voltage and amp. You don't want to sit there and fry your 3DS with 5A@20V.


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The days of making your own cables are coming to a close when they require chips in a cable.

I don't recommend using any fast charging port, even a usb-c fast charging port. The mAh needed for the 3DS is low enough for any standard charging port.