2016 15" charging cable replacement

[SVTM]

Is anyone on the forum knowledgeable about power cables? I'm wanting to buy a spare cable to charge my 2016 15" MBP but I want to go with a black braided design and not apples white usb c. This is the cable I am looking at buying http://a.co/ebBnZcG . Any reason it shouldn't work? Also here is the cable apple sells and they don't list very many specs http://www.apple.com/shop/product/MLL82AM/A/usb-c-charge-cable-2-m?fnode=8b

 

[SVTM]

Bump

 

[cerberusss]

Bump

I'd suggest you don't get anything except a cable that's tested by Nathan K. and/or Benson Leung. They're two Google engineers who have been testing USB-C cables and chargers in their spare time, and they check whether the stuff complies with the USB-C specs.

Their results are here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1vnpEXfo2HCGADdd9G2x9dMDWqENiY2kgBJUu29f_TX8/pubhtml

Take anything with rating 1-3 that can carry 100W. I think you can also get the 60W cables as long as you don't charge multiple devices off the notebook.

Your particular taste (black braided) might not be among those rated good. In that case I simply would stick to the tested ones. The problem is that the USB-C specs are currently not well understood by manufacturers. And some manufacturers are trying to cut corners. This can damage your laptop. For instance one of the Google engineers mentioned above got his Chromebook Pixel fried.
[doublepost=1479416390][/doublepost]BTW found a braided 60W cable in that list:
http://www.nativeunion.com/belt-cable-usb-c-to-usb-c/

 

[SVTM]

I'd suggest you don't get anything except a cable that's tested by Nathan K. and/or Benson Leung. They're two Google engineers who have been testing USB-C cables and chargers in their spare time, and they check whether the stuff complies with the USB-C specs.

Their results are here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1vnpEXfo2HCGADdd9G2x9dMDWqENiY2kgBJUu29f_TX8/pubhtml

Take anything with rating 1-3 that can carry 100W. I think you can also get the 60W cables as long as you don't charge multiple devices off the notebook.

Your particular taste (black braided) might not be among those rated good. In that case I simply would stick to the tested ones. The problem is that the USB-C specs are currently not well understood by manufacturers. And some manufacturers are trying to cut corners. This can damage your laptop. For instance one of the Google engineers mentioned above got his Chromebook Pixel fried.
[doublepost=1479416390][/doublepost]BTW found a braided 60W cable in that list:
http://www.nativeunion.com/belt-cable-usb-c-to-usb-c/

Thank you! I will look into the doc

 

[Kevtech1]

It's not braided but I picked up this one and have not had any issues. Excellent reviews and its 10ft long!

http://a.co/j45NzTO

I prefer the braided as well. Let me know if find one.

 

[Brookzy]

It's not braided but I picked up this one and have not had any issues. Excellent reviews and its 10ft long!

http://a.co/j45NzTO

I prefer the braided as well. Let me know if find one.

I'm sure Nathan K would spit out his cornflakes if he saw that. Three metres and 10 bucks, I'm sure the IR drop is appalling. Also won't support 87W MacBook Pro charging.

OP - I know it's not the prettiest but the Apple cable is by far the best and safest cable out there.

 

[Kevtech1]

I'm sure Nathan K would spit out his cornflakes if he saw that. Three metres and 10 bucks, I'm sure the IR drop is appalling. Also won't support 87W MacBook Pro charging.

OP - I know it's not the prettiest but the Apple cable is by far the best and safest cable out there.

What test would you like for me to perform other than hooking it up, and its charging in the same amount of time??

 

[cmaier]

I've found that even high quality cables, like aukey, can't keep the machine charged when i peg the CPU (try running handbrake for a half hour and watch the battery life drain). You need a 5A cable, and pretty much any cable you get from a no-name provider (or even a quality provider) on Amazon will be 3A or less.

 

[Kevtech1]

I've found that even high quality cables, like aukey, can't keep the machine charged when i peg the CPU (try running handbrake for a half hour and watch the battery life drain). You need a 5A cable, and pretty much any cable you get from a no-name provider (or even a quality provider) on Amazon will be 3A or less.

So, let me get this straight. My cable is charging my device to 100% but its low quality power that will drain quickly? I am not following you? I get that it may charge slower but this is hardly an issue. If Apple would make a cable longer than 6ft I would use it.

 

[cerberusss]

So, let me get this straight. My cable is charging my device to 100% but its low quality power that will drain quickly?

That cable and/or its connectors act as a resistance. So the whole thing will simply get warm. The cable will not be according to the official specs, and these specs are there because USB-C carries high wattage. Personally, I wouldn't want to hook up a $2500 laptop to cheap stuff related to power.

Note that I don't really care for high quality on other fronts. For example, I recently bought a cheap Chinese USB-C-to-DisplayPort cable. I don't care about that, because it doesn't carry 60 to 100W of direct current.

I get that it may charge slower but this is hardly an issue. If Apple would make a cable longer than 6ft I would use it.

Well, in a way they do. You could combine the AC extension cord, plus the 2m cable. But I agree the AC extension cord is a bit of a hassle.

 

[cmaier]

So, let me get this straight. My cable is charging my device to 100% but its low quality power that will drain quickly? I am not following you? I get that it may charge slower but this is hardly an issue. If Apple would make a cable longer than 6ft I would use it.

My point is that off-brand cables can charge the machine, but not necessarily when you are using 100% CPU. That's what ive found in actual use. My cables seemed fine, but when running handbrake while plugged in my battery slowly drains. This is because the cable can only provide 60W but I am consuming >80W. That is why you want a 5A cable - it can provide 100W.

 

[Brookzy]

So, let me get this straight. My cable is charging my device to 100% but its low quality power that will drain quickly? I am not following you? I get that it may charge slower but this is hardly an issue. If Apple would make a cable longer than 6ft I would use it.

If it wasn't an issue to charge slower Apple wouldn't have bothered to make an 87W power adapter and accompanying high wattage USB-C cable. If you can get by charging at 60W then that's great (and so can I) but if you max out the system it consumes more than 60W.