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EU Consumer Protection Committee Votes To Expand Scope of Common Charger Rules (techcrunch.com) 132

Posted by msmash from the moving-forward dept.
European Union lawmakers have taken a step closer to agreeing rules to standardize how a range of mobile gadgetry is charged. From a report: Today MEPs in the European Parliament's internal market and consumer protection (IMCO) committee adopted their position on a Commission proposal announced last fall, ahead of a full vote by the parliament next month to confirm how it will negotiate with Member State governments on the detail of the legislation. The Council adopted its position on the common charger proposal back in January. The IMCO committee voted 43:2 in favor of a negotiation position that will push to standardize charger ports for a range of mobile devices on USB Type-C, including smartphones, tablets, handheld games consoles, e-readers, digital cameras, electronic toys and more -- with MEPs voting to expand the original proposal to cover laptops, among other additional products.
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EU Consumer Protection Committee Votes To Expand Scope of Common Charger Rules More

EU Consumer Protection Committee Votes To Expand Scope of Common Charger Rules

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  • Good (Score:5, Informative)

    by AmiMoJo ( 196126 ) on Wednesday April 20, 2022 @03:03PM (#62462980) Homepage Journal

    There is no excuse for not using USB C now. It's easy, it's cheap and it supports up to 240W.

    If you device needs more than that it should still at least charge off USB C.

    • Re:Good (Score:4, Insightful)

      by zuckie13 ( 1334005 ) on Wednesday April 20, 2022 @03:34PM (#62463114)

      Key word in your first sentence - "now". Will they update the required/allowed technologies when something else comes along? We've seen how long this discussion has gone on, so how long will it take to move to the next thing it should move to.

      I"m just imaging there is like some Star Trek level plasma charger technology, but in the EU you can only use USB C since this law is still there in 200 years.

      • Re:Good (Score:4, Informative)

        by test321 ( 8891681 ) on Wednesday April 20, 2022 @05:23PM (#62463522)

        According to the following link, the idea is to define by 2026 the interoperability strategy for any future updates of the charging solutions, such that the legislation will update on new interoperable solutions. https://www.iclarified.com/856... [iclarified.com] Also, wireless charging is explicitly excluded from the scope of this particular legislation, so plasma chargers can be included as soon as they become available. If and only if the designer chooses to add a wired charger solution, then it must be a USB-C.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by sjames ( 1099 )

        IIRC, some people (possibly you) argued that standardizing on micro-USB meant that the subject of TFA would never ever happen. But it did.

        • Indeed it did, because we didn't standardise. We came close, but unfortunately there's currently 3 competing standards with similar level of widespread use, micro-USB (still shipped on some devices today), Lightning, and USB-C.

          This is as much a jab at Apple as it is at those companies who persist to ship an outdated USB standard to save on what literally amounts to $1 in the BOM for the connector and appropriate charge controller. Actually $0.50 since micro-USB isn't magically free.

    • Re:Good (Score:4, Interesting)

      by ickleberry ( 864871 ) <web@pineapple.vg> on Wednesday April 20, 2022 @03:37PM (#62463130) Homepage
      USB C is a shit connector when used solely for charging. The pitch is too fine. Lets face it very few people use the USB on phones for data transfer.

      A much more rugged 2-pole connector could serve the same purpose an be much less prone to failure. I've had USB C ports fail on several phones now due to wear, dust/water ingress. Furthermore the USB C port is often attached to a flexi-PCB specific to one model of phone, making replacement by the average DIYer nigh on impossible

      • So you're proposing smartphones come with two connectors in the future? A "more rugged 2-pole connector" for charging and a (potentially proprietary) connector for data transmission?
        That certainly sounds like something a manager at Apple would consider as a "solution" for this EU rule.

      • Re:Good (Score:4, Informative)

        by thegarbz ( 1787294 ) on Wednesday April 20, 2022 @04:19PM (#62463282)

        USB C is a shit connector when used solely for charging. The pitch is too fine.

        With USB-C and PD delivering 240W it is currently the best in class charging connector of its size.

        I've had USB C ports fail on several phones now due to wear, dust/water ingress

        WTF are you doing, using your phone as a lasso? Of all the ways I, the disaster of a girlfriend and all my friends have mistreated and outright murdered several of our phones (not even joking my mother knocked both the phone and the kitchen knife off the counter and the knife ended up tip first skewering the phone, it was hilarious and I keep telling her when Skynet goes live she'll be the first to go after the guys at Boston Dynamics who kick robot dogs), I've never come across anyone who has damaged a USB-C socket.

        Cable yes, plenty, but not the socket.

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by Z00L00K ( 682162 )

          You haven't had Dell laptops with USB-C charging connectors.

          • I've had several, and regretted every one. However, that's because Dell laptops are crud, not because of USB C.

          • Typing on one now. Not just charging, but it's also the main dock connector and my work computer. It gets plugged and unplugged maybe 15-20 times a day as we move between meeting rooms.

            Now the dock itself, that lasts about a year before it fails ... the USB-C connector that is. The Dell socket is fine. ... Surprisingly it's about the only thing which does work on this piece of shit.

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by AmiMoJo ( 196126 )

          USB C is designed so that if it gets over-stressed the cable breaks, not the socket on the device.

          It's also designed to be much more resistant to breakage than Lightning. Lightning has a weak plastic tab that goes into the socket so all the force is placed on that. USB C has a metal housing that takes the force and aligns everything before the plastic parts mate.

          • USB C is designed so that if it gets over-stressed the cable breaks, not the socket on the device.

            Tell that to my last phone. The socket wore out, and it wouldn't charge any more, and it didn't have wireless charging. I'm using the exact same cable that wouldn't work with that phone with my new phone, so it wasn't the cable. It was the phone. The port wore out long before the phone did. Now they want to put USB-C on devices that are expected to last even longer than phones? This is a shitty fucking idea.

            • Re: (Score:2)

              by AmiMoJo ( 196126 )

              It's just because your phone has a crap USB C port, or maybe your cable is a bit out of spec.

              Anyway, if you are damaging a USB C port then pretty much any other practical connector is going to die too. What is thin enough for a phone and more robust than USB C?

              • It's just because your phone has a crap USB C port,

                It's a Moto, which generally has very reliable hardware. If I can't trust them to make a decent phone, I literally cannot trust anyone.

                or maybe your cable is a bit out of spec.

                A slightly out of spec cable can destroy the connector? Oh look, that design is shit. The cable inserts cleanly and positively, no cable which does that should be able to harm a connector, or the connector design is shit.

                The truth is that USB-C is just another garbage connector design. It had to accommodate too many committees'-worth of pins. You could maybe do a decent conn

                • Re: (Score:2)

                  by AmiMoJo ( 196126 )

                  I don't know what to tell you. USB C has proven robust for most people, and I don't see any better alternatives. Lightning is much less robust, big chunky barrel jacks won't fit in phones.

            • Re: Good (Score:4, Insightful)

              by BKX ( 5066 ) on Thursday April 21, 2022 @12:14PM (#62465548) Journal

              Almost certainly your usb port was fine, but just full of crap. Get a heavy duty staple (I use swingline hd 3/4 inch staples), bend one side straight and dig that shit out. Problem solved. I have done this on literally dozens of phones and it worked every time but one. The one time it didn't work was because the guy who owned it tried to clean it with a fork and broke the center stud off. Everyone else just thought their usb port was broken because their phone wouldn't charge from it anymore and asked if knew how to fix it. The staple won't break the stud because staples are far too bendy, which makes them perfect.

            • Tell that to my last phone. The socket wore out

              The fact that USB-C is well designed to move stress onto the cable has nothing to do with you buying either a cheap phone, or a phone where the manufacturer attempted to scrape the very bottom of the barrel cost optimising.
              In you scenario you'll never be happy. There's literally no connector design out there which doesn't fail if you put enough effort into finding the cheapest variant of it. The only reason you don't hear this happening about Lightning connectors is because there's only 1 part being manufac

      • I have a different experience. Kids tablet is tortured daily for years. Still charges through USB port. Although the connector is not fitting tight anymore.
        Smartphone of my wife, daughter and me are still happily charging. +3 years of daily charging.
        I am actually impressed by the rigidity of those connectors.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by Z00L00K ( 682162 )

      We have USB-C for charging our Dell laptops at work and it sucks big time. It's way too easy to damage the connector in the laptop and then you have a panic time to secure your data elsewhere before you can send it for repair. The fat round connector that Dell has had for ages have rarely been a problem.

      I have also recognized that the USB-C connector seems sensitive to wear. I also worry that if the voltage is increased and something goes wrong and a high voltage shorts with a data line you can toast your d

      • The easy solution for this is get a dock or USB-C hub. Let the external device receive all the wear and tear. When it wears out, it is much easier to replace than the built-in connector.

        I try to do this for all my high-use connectors. I use a USB extender on my desktop to plug in all my flash drives and external devices. I have one port on my UPS with a 12" extension cord that I plug short-term items into instead of the cramped outlets on the UPS. When these extenders wear out after a few hundred conne

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by Z00L00K ( 682162 )

          And the dock in turn is connected to the computer using USB-C and you'd have the same issue anyway when you dock in/out the computer.

          So nothing is gained.

          • True. If you connect and disconnect every day, for example to transport the laptop from home to office, then the dock would not help. The only thing I can think of would be a short, 2-inch USB-C extension that would remain connected to the side of the laptop. It would possibly receive the brunt of the wear and tear, but be another thing to get in the way when carrying the laptop.

            I agree with you that the earlier barrel connector was more robust. We almost never had the connector fail on hundreds of lapt

            • Re: (Score:2)

              by Z00L00K ( 682162 )

              And leaving a USB-C extension in the laptop won't help because it will then certainly damage the connector in the computer by breaking it off from the PCB, something that has happened on the Dell laptops I have encountered.

    • IMO, USB C is good for small devices, but I'd rather have 2.5/5.5 or 2.1/5.5 barrel connector for larger devices.

      Two reasons:
      1. Anything that requires more than 5V needs to have a chip. The power supply also needs to have a chip and be able to provide multiple voltages. Even devices that need only 5V need to have a chip or there would be compatibility problems. For example, Raspberry Pi4 does not run on one of my USB-C power supplies (even though that PSU can provide 5V and has enough current), but runs fro

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by u19925 ( 613350 )

      So my phone will come with USB-C charging port. It will also allow me to remove it. Once it is removed, it will become lightening. So all that Apple needs to do is attach lightning to USB-C to iPhone and provide "instructions" to remove it when they want to use lightening port. It is now compliant!

    • My colony and I still use old USB-A! Yes, they're slower but still work. Slowly, we will get rid of them when they break and die.

    • Be that as it may, should that be up to bureaucrats and politicians?

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by AmiMoJo ( 196126 )

        Yes. Politicians work for their constituents in the EU.

        Otherwise we would be at the mercy of corporations, like in the US.

  • Can't we just require manufactures to provide a charger free of charge? You don't have to require it in the main packaging - it can be an extra to avoid folks who don't want/need one from having waste, but sheesh, don't lock into a specific technology by law. That's just dumb.

    • it's not a lock: USB-C is an open standard, you know... (chargers don't be interchangeable is complete nonsense, that causes vendor lockin: it's a bad maket behavior...) #AppleSux

    • Can't we just require manufactures to provide a charger free of charge? You don't have to require it in the main packaging

      That's how you get absurdly expensive proprietary replacement chargers (for when the fragile wires of the "free" charger break).

      Standards usually reduce costs.

    • Those boxes of chargers, dongles, and wall warts in the garage all end up in the landfill eventually. It's just wasteful and dumb to have dozens of different plugs that deliver 5 volts.
    • I have 2 chargers that I use; 1 with 6 ports & all the necessary cables that can charge everything (at once if necessary) & can power devices too; & 1 small, single port one that's handy for travelling with.

      I don't want a new, different charger for every device I buy. It'll go into a drawer & never be used. Chargers should cost extra & be sold separately so that we don't have mountains of electrical waste sitting around in people's drawers until they're thrown out. It's a stupid, unnec

    • One of the main points is to limit e-waste and throwing in chargers people don't need is a good way to create e-waste.

    • Can't we just require manufactures to provide a charger free of charge?

      The whole purpose of the law is the reduction of e-waste. That is the exact opposite of what you propose.

  • When companies have invested in product lines that support third-party peripherals, requiring USB Type-C for power might not be the greatest idea. And yes, I am thinking of the iPhone. Switching to USB Type-C would have a big impact on the millions of Lightning peripherals currently in use.

    So such a law should be applied to new product lines only. And by new product lines I am referring to products that, if they were to switch to USB Type-C, would result in numerous peripherals becoming inoperable. W

  • electric cars need this and no non dealer repair lockout allowed.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by Teun ( 17872 )
      Indeed, that's why the vast majority of electric cars can use the provided common road side chargers.

  • ... charger ports for a range of mobile devices on USB Type-C ...

    Standardization is great, half the success of capitalism is from standardization. But forcing everyone to use the one plug has drawbacks too. We get 15 poorly defined standards all using the one plug and it takes several years for them to become compatible and consistent as the law demands. In the meantime, consumers are buying equipment that 'meets' the standard but doesn't work.

    This is why regulatory committees are needed: They have the option of defining new hardware as technology changes.

  • These days you can install wall sockets with a usb connector. Looks like it is becoming the standard for DC power. What took so long?

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by Teun ( 17872 )
      Because these things consume, albeit a little, power even when not in use.
      They should at least have a physical on.off switch on the input.
  • I mean Tesla is basically a smart phone on wheels right? Thats what so many people are saying... So Tesla should provide a usb-c charging ability?

  • Can we get this... (Score:4, Interesting)

    by EvilSS ( 557649 ) on Wednesday April 20, 2022 @05:16PM (#62463494)
    Can we get this for non-mobile devices that take 5v DC at or under 1A too? It's damn silly in this day and age for devices that can work on the absolute baseline USB power delivery to come with a wallwart and barrel jack. I bought a fist full of USB A to DC barrel jack cables on Amazon and replaced 5 individual power supplies with one USB multiport charger for stuff I use at my desk because they all used 5V and less than 1A, and retired a power strip in the process. Sure, include the power supply but at least make the DC input USB C so we have the option.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by crow ( 16139 )

      Absolutely! Anything with a wall wart producing DC power should be USB-C. I've noticed that many of my wall warts output AC power at different voltages. I'm not sure how many of those could use DC power instead and convert to USB-C (I would guess half with no analysis whatsoever).

    • Re:Can we get this... (Score:4, Insightful)

      by freax ( 80371 ) on Thursday April 21, 2022 @12:36AM (#62464318) Homepage

      EU citizen here. A lot of devices being sold here in the EU already are like this. Examples are chargeable lamps for in the garden, devices that spread fragrances into you living room, I've seen rechargeable remote controls for all sorts of appliances, rechargeable remote audio, keyboard, mouse, etc, watches, vacuum cleaners and some garden appliances. Although for gardening the DIW I think more standardization on chargers for the batteries should still be done.

      A lot of those electronics here already are USB-C port chargeable with a standard USB charger. And every year I see more and more electronics being sold in stores that are like this.

      What you also see more and more, although slowly (too slowly in my opinion), are wall sockets with a USB or even USB-C port for example in modern electrically wired houses/kitchens and also at restaurants.

      I personally find it fantastic that the EU tells companies what to do. So that they stop making consumers buy their silly charger or cable just so that they can charge extra money. And that way create more electronic waste and make consumers have to carry around 80 fucking thousand different solutions to the same problem. As if we are slaves to their 80 f. thousand solutions and as if we care at all about them and their moron-branding or religion about what goddamn charger or cable is so called the best.

      Just standardize already. And if you can't, won't or don't want to: get the fuck out of our EU market. Now. Go sell your crap elsewhere.

      • What you also see more and more, although slowly (too slowly in my opinion), are wall sockets with a USB or even USB-C port for example in modern electrically wired houses/kitchens and also at restaurants.

        I've installed several of those. The good ones are expensive as hell. The bad ones aren't worth installing. And really they don't make much sense anyway. The power connection will be around long after USB-C has been abandoned and hopefully replaced with something with a decent number of cycles. My last phone's USB-C wore out long before the rest of the phone and it was cheaper to just buy another phone than to have it serviced. My new phone has twice the battery life or more so hopefully the reduced number

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by AmiMoJo ( 196126 )

        I think I would prefer things like keyboards and mice to use AAA cells though. Built in batteries are consumable and rarely a standard size or easy to replace. It's nice being able to just throw some NIMH cells in there and recharge them when needed.

        But yeah, if it has to have a USB port for some reason then it should be USB C.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by EvilSS ( 557649 )
        Most rechargeable stuff over here is USB, either micro or C. But what I'm referring to is the non-rechargeable stuff. For example, on my desk I have a LED light strip, HDMI splitter, HDMI switch, small network switch, and an external capture card that all have DC barrel jacks and all are 5V and draw 1 amp or less for power. They all came with their own power brick. I replaced those bricks with a USB multiport charger and 5 USB A to barrel jack cables I picked up on Amazon. Those are the types of devices I'

  • A common currency, GDPR and this are those things that actually make me really like this EU thing that has been going on for a few decades now (EU citizen here). You can bicker all you want and the EU still has quite a bit of homework to do if it wants to become attractive to the dropouts in the provinces (unified foreign policy for instance) but this unified charger move is one of those good things. Well done I say.

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