Charging power with usb-c?

[toke lahti]

Hi,

#1
Is it really so, that there's no cable, that you could get 2,4A from Apple's own usb-a charger to iPad Air 4(2020), which has usb-c?

#2
No matter what cable you use, it will always cut the current to 1,4A, because Apple's usb-a chargers aren't PD compatible?

#3
Is there any PD comptatible usb-a chargers or does PD always require usb-c at the charger's end?

 

[usagora]

I'm not sure I follow everything you're asking, but why not just use the 20W USB-C charger (9V x 2.2A) and cable that comes with the iPad Air 4? That's going to be your best option out of the things you described. I believe the max wattage supported for charging an iPad is 30W, so you could also buy a 30W USB-C charger off Amazon, etc. to max out your charging speed.

USB-C cables support up to 100W, so that's not an issue.

 

[Johnny365]

3. You have to use USB-C to USB-C cables in order to get PD/faster charging speeds.

 

[TheIntruder]

For the iPads Pro (and also presumably the Air 4), USB PD supplanted Apple 2.4, so those models do not support it.

USB PD requires USB-C on both the source and the sink, so USB-A does not support PD.

It is possible for USB-C to deliver power without using PD, but it is limited to 15W at 5V, and the devices must still declare their roles as source, sink, or both. As a practical matter, a power adapter -- the means by which most users will recharge -- that provides USB-C output and doesn't implement PD isn't a common thing, if they exist at all.

An iPad with USB-C will still charge when connected to an old Apple 2.4 adapter, albeit slowly at 5W to 7W, probably conservatively by design. There's nothing wrong with doing that, if recharge time is not of the essence.

Again, as a practical matter, USB PD is the primary, and intended method of charging these models, so any legacy support is provided only to maintain a minimal fail safe and some backward compatibility

 

[toke lahti]

This is quite amazing.
I have maybe SIX chargers with 2.4A usb-a ports!
Few more which are integrated to powerstrips (expensive!).

All of them charge old iPads with Lightning connector with full 2.4A current.

An now they are obsolete in a way, that I can get only a small portion of that full current tu iPad with usb-c port?

So there are no magical PD cables, where I could use these existing chargers with full current?
Both the charger and the cable has to be "PD certified"? And there's no "PD certified" usba-usbc cables?

Btw, I tested air4 with ikea cable: with ikea charger it uses 0.9Amps and with apple's usba-charger, it uses 1.4A.
So there's probably no categories in these "how much you get from a old charger" use cases?

 

[toke lahti]

Are there any usb-a->usb-c bricks or dongles that could generate this PD signal to the charging cable?

 

[TheIntruder]

PD is a modern spec, with bi-directional, intelligent handshaking, and is still evolving (240W EPR). Despite the complexity and issues surrounding Type-C, PD was conceived from the start to be an adaptable, universal, and non-proprietary power standard, and perhaps most importantly, make up for past deficiencies by shedding those old USB charging schemes as much as practical.

In short, no.

 

[toke lahti]

I just have to wonder, what's wrong with 2.4 amps from any usb-A charger, so that usb-C-devices can't use that?
I've got charging ports from 10 different vendors, there's nothing proprietary in them, they just offer electricity. And suddenly they are all outdated.
How ecological!

 

[michial]

I use the Apple 20w with lightning and noticed the 13 pro max gets hot while charging. Is this normal?

 

[ipaqowner]

I use the Apple 20w with lightning and noticed the 13 pro max gets hot while charging. Is this normal?

Yes.

 

[ipaqowner]

I just have to wonder, what's wrong with 2.4 amps from any usb-A charger, so that usb-C-devices can't use that?
I've got charging ports from 10 different vendors, there's nothing proprietary in them, they just offer electricity. And suddenly they are all outdated.
How ecological!

They’re not outdated. They will still charge your products but will take a bit longer.

 

[toke lahti]

They’re not outdated. They will still charge your products but will take a bit longer.

It's still quite a bit of downgrade when iPad charger works with same current than old iPhone's charger.
Significant drop in value-in-use.