Griffin Breaksafe Magnetic USB -C

[darkloki]

https://griffintechnology.com/intl/breaksafe-magnetic-usb-c-power-cable

Does anyone have this and is it working well for them? I purchased mine the day I got my Macbook Pro 15 inch (TB version) and I returned mine today. I really want it to work but I was having inconsistent charging (Detected Not-Detected Detected) and then I touched it and OUCH it burned me, how did it get that hot?

So I returned mine, but I was wondering if it was maybe a defective one that I got and I should re-purchase it. but thought I'd ask around here before going on the Dare.

Thanks.

Oh and I used mine for about 20 days, but didn't start actively using my macbook until the last week or so.

 

[New_Mac_Smell]

They're only rated for 60w. If you've used that with the 87w charger then that is why it was getting too hot... Make sure you read the compatibility/specifications before purchase, just for safety as that could have caused some serious harm to yourself or the computer.

It clearly states the 13" 2016 model. But I do think a lot of people are blindly buying these for their 15", and as a consumer curtesy they should make it very clear that it isn't rated for it!

There is another breakaway solution if you're desperate for MagSafe, can't find the link. There will likely be more adapters available over the coming months, but you'll need one that's rated for the max that a USB-C cable can handle, so look out for 100w.

And again, never plug a higher wattage power source into a lower wattage device!

 

[darkloki]

They're only rated for 60w. If you've used that with the 87w charger then that is why it was getting too hot... Make sure you read the compatibility/specifications before purchase, just for safety as that could have caused some serious harm to yourself or the computer.

It clearly states the 13" 2016 model. But I do think a lot of people are blindly buying these for their 15", and as a consumer curtesy they should make it very clear that it isn't rated for it!

There is another breakaway solution if you're desperate for MagSafe, can't find the link. There will likely be more adapters available over the coming months, but you'll need one that's rated for the max that a USB-C cable can handle, so look out for 100w.

And again, never plug a higher wattage power source into a lower wattage device!

Thanks, I didn't realize that and it makes alot sense between the Microcenter Reps suggesting it and iJustine saying

I just assumed it worked, oops.. Thanks for the heads up

 

[New_Mac_Smell]

Thanks, I didn't realize that and it makes alot sense between the Microcenter Reps suggesting it and iJustine saying

I just assumed it worked, oops.. Thanks for the heads up

Honestly that's a really stupid review, she's just plugged it into a 15" and tested if the magnetic feature works... I'd of hoped she would at least use a device it's rated for or had a little more sense to not encourage people to do that.

You're not alone, USB-C has only just recently started to become more applicable for higher wattage devices, however the vast majority of previous devices were smaller phones/laptops, so 60w was fine. 60w cables are also cheap and easy to manufacture. You shouldn't really need to understand the rating of the cable and should feel confident to just purchase a USB-C charger and be done, unfortunately this is an issue for the industry to work out.

At the time of the 2016 release (May have changed) the cable that comes with your MBP is like the only one actually rated to handle the wattage. So just for the time being, only use that cable and be wary of 3rd parties, or any unofficial charging solutions.

 

[comptr]

Griffin did announce at CES 2017 that they are coming out with one that is compatible with the 15" model too. https://goo.gl/0m8yiy

 

[tbobmccoy]

Kickstarter has some interesting options. I'm hoping that the MagNeo (https://www.kickstarter.com/project...rst-true-usb-c-magnetic-adapter?ref=user_menu) or the Snapnator (https://www.kickstarter.com/project...ur-macbook-snap-feature-is-back?ref=user_menu) end up being real. Snapnator looks pretty sketchy right now.... but we'll see.

 

[darkloki]

Snapnator is VERY sketchy they have 30 of my dollars and they don't respond to emails, I wouldn't waste your money and just wait.

 

[tbobmccoy]

Snapnator is VERY sketchy they have 30 of my dollars and they don't respond to emails, I wouldn't waste your money and just wait.

MagNeo seems more legit. They have sent out samples to big online reviewers. [Edit: I think... don't take my word on that. In fact, maybe just buy products at retail.... much less sketchy.]

 

[darkloki]

Thanks Guys!!! I'm really glad that I posted, I was debating if it was worth it not but I'm definitely glad that I did. Not only did I learn something but I got options. What more could a guy want.

Thanks Again.

 

[mrex]

Yesterday i almost dropped my mbp because of the usbc attached powercord which pulled the laptop on the edge when i hit the cord by my legs (laying on the floor).

Unfortunately snapnator seems to be a broken dream and Griffin just looks awful.

 

[honeybadger1022]

Well, I have the cable and it works great for my 15in...Awkward.

 

[wittyphrase]

I like the way the MagNeo looks, but I'm not a fan of Kickstarter. I went ahead and backed that Hyperdrive, so that's about as much money as I'm willing to have tied up in imaginary products at any point in time.

 

[tbobmccoy]

Well, I have the cable and it works great for my 15in...Awkward.

The Base Griffin will overheat in time. You should get the upgraded one when it releases to prevent fire risks.

 

[bartvk]

They're only rated for 60w. If you've used that with the 87w charger then that is why it was getting too hot... (...) And again, never plug a higher wattage power source into a lower wattage device!

What you're saying, goes against the whole premise of USB-C. It contradicts my own findings as well. From what source do you draw your conclusions?

USB-C chargers and cables support the USB-PD (Power Delivery) standard. Meaning, all decent USB-C cables support up to 60W. If I hook up a USB-C phone to an Apple 87W charger, then it would just negotiate whatever it needs, and not more.

Now it could be that one bought non-compliant chargers and/or cables, and then all bets are off.

 

[Eduardboon]

I am considering getting this charger when I get my new mac. Seems very handy in situation where I would have to give a presentation seeing as I tripped over my own cable before. Happy to see that this is being developed! I would however like to see a product with a smaller footprint on the side of the mac so I can just leave it plugged in forever.

 

[New_Mac_Smell]

What you're saying, goes against the whole premise of USB-C. It contradicts my own findings as well. From what source do you draw your conclusions?

USB-C chargers and cables support the USB-PD (Power Delivery) standard. Meaning, all decent USB-C cables support up to 60W. If I hook up a USB-C phone to an Apple 87W charger, then it would just negotiate whatever it needs, and not more.

Now it could be that one bought non-compliant chargers and/or cables, and then all bets are off.

Not pretending to be an expert, just a general safety concern. You're right, there theoretically is no danger in plugging a phone into a 87w power supply, as it will negotiate down. I wasn't clear however with my phrasing, I meant cable and not device; apologies.

All USB-C cables should be rated 60w, with specially marked ones able to handle 100w. The issue comes when using a 100w charger/device with a 60w cable. As far as I am aware, the cable's are not smart enough the downgrade the power source, as the negotiation happens between the charger/device?

I did read a few things to try get a source however can't find anything other than concerns and notes.

http://electronicdesign.com/interconnects/introduction-usb-power-delivery
http://www.phonearena.com/news/All-...pe-C-connector-and-USB-Power-Delivery_id71868

There seems to be a lot of cheaper products on the market, which are a safety hazard. Amazon banned several from their store which is a good thing. There are steps to ensure they all conform to specification.

However, there is a danger of the average person plugging a cheap cable into a high wattage power source and causing a fire. For that reason I would want all cables to handle 100w, just to remove that risk.

Anyway, in terms of the griffin thing getting warm. It is a dumb connector that just breaks the connection magnetically, it isn't rated for 100w and so transferring that across it will cause it to get warm. In reality you should be safe, but it is a risk. I think the cables have a margin of error built in which is good.

TL;DR. Yes you can plug a 10w phone into a 100w supply, but plugging a 100w laptop into a 100w supply, with a 60w cable, is potentially a risk.

Please do provide sources though as I'd like to see more. At the moment all I can tell is manufacturers/retailers are trying to enforce standards, but difficult.

 

[bartvk]

As far as I am aware, the cable's are not smart enough the downgrade the power source, as the negotiation happens between the charger/device?

Above 60W, the cable must be e-marked (contain an IC that can be queried to see what it supports). So it shouldn't be a problem.

For that reason I would want all cables to handle 100w, just to remove that risk.

On one hand I agree. On the other hand, I have one of these 100W cables and it's really thick. Not all that useful during travel. Apple's cables don't have this problem but then again, they're only USB 2.0, not USB 3.0. So there's that.

Anyway, in terms of the griffin thing getting warm. It is a dumb connector that just breaks the connection magnetically, it isn't rated for 100w and so transferring that across it will cause it to get warm.

I don't think any decent charger would pass 100W over that Griffin cable since it's not e-marked. However, that Griffin cable is really special (not in a good way). If you see the pics, it has three contacts. Some Google engineers commented that this would leave some lines floating or shorted:
https://plus.google.com/+BensonLeung/posts/CoP8yj7m2Qr

TL;DR. Yes you can plug a 10w phone into a 100w supply, but plugging a 100w laptop into a 100w supply, with a 60w cable, is potentially a risk.

At first I wanted to reply rather like a know-it-all and say "not when you use decent cables and chargers". But I can see where you're going with this. There's a lot of crappy cables and charges out there, and for the average person impossible to determine quality.

 

[honeybadger1022]

Above 60W, the cable must be e-marked (contain an IC that can be queried to see what it supports). So it shouldn't be a problem.



On one hand I agree. On the other hand, I have one of these 100W cables and it's really thick. Not all that useful during travel. Apple's cables don't have this problem but then again, they're only USB 2.0, not USB 3.0. So there's that.



I don't think any decent charger would pass 100W over that Griffin cable since it's not e-marked. However, that Griffin cable is really special (not in a good way). If you see the pics, it has three contacts. Some Google engineers commented that this would leave some lines floating or shorted:
https://plus.google.com/+BensonLeung/posts/CoP8yj7m2Qr



At first I wanted to reply rather like a know-it-all and say "not when you use decent cables and chargers". But I can see where you're going with this. There's a lot of crappy cables and charges out there, and for the average person impossible to determine quality.

So, just out of curiosity. Would it be a crime to continue using the Griffin cable with my 15in?

 

[dyn]

Honestly that's a really stupid review, she's just plugged it into a 15" and tested if the magnetic feature works... I'd of hoped she would at least use a device it's rated for or had a little more sense to not encourage people to do that.

iJustine is a user, not a lab technician or system engineer and thus she tests it with ordinary user usage (showing that in fact it actually disconnects but also when it disconnects).

Also, the fact that this cable is specced for max 60W doesn't mean it is useless for the 15" MBP. The 60W does still charge the notebook albeit rather slow.

You shouldn't really need to understand the rating of the cable and should feel confident to just purchase a USB-C charger and be done, unfortunately this is an issue for the industry to work out.

Which has been no different than previously. The only difference is that the connector is the same for almost everything which means it is 1 less thing to worry about.

Talking about the connector...do understand that currently all of the USB-C magnetic disconnects are charge only. They cannot be used for data or anything that isn't charging. That just makes these solutions pretty much useless.

TL;DR. Yes you can plug a 10w phone into a 100w supply, but plugging a 100w laptop into a 100w supply, with a 60w cable, is potentially a risk.

This, in general, doesn't hold true for USB-C which uses USB PD to negotiate the amount of Amps and Volts between devices (i.e. notebook and charger). In case of the 60W cable you will not be able to charge more than 60W so if you want to charge the 15" MBP you need a cable that is certified for 85W or 100W.

Unfortunately there are some el cheapo USB-C cables that don't follow the standards correctly and do not have a very good quality; this leads to issues that can be very hazardous (think fire). There is a Google engineer who made a list of these dangerous cables/devices.

 

[New_Mac_Smell]

iJustine is a user, not a lab technician or system engineer and thus she tests it with ordinary user usage (showing that in fact it actually disconnects but also when it disconnects).

Also, the fact that this cable is specced for max 60W doesn't mean it is useless for the 15" MBP. The 60W does still charge the notebook albeit rather slow.


Which has been no different than previously. The only difference is that the connector is the same for almost everything which means it is 1 less thing to worry about.

Talking about the connector...do understand that currently all of the USB-C magnetic disconnects are charge only. They cannot be used for data or anything that isn't charging. That just makes these solutions pretty much useless.


This, in general, doesn't hold true for USB-C which uses USB PD to negotiate the amount of Amps and Volts between devices (i.e. notebook and charger). In case of the 60W cable you will not be able to charge more than 60W so if you want to charge the 15" MBP you need a cable that is certified for 85W or 100W.

Unfortunately there are some el cheapo USB-C cables that don't follow the standards correctly and do not have a very good quality; this leads to issues that can be very hazardous (think fire). There is a Google engineer who made a list of these dangerous cables/devices.

This is what I'm getting at. I'm trying to say you should be able to use any USB-C cable and everything should be fine. I'm just getting at the cheap market causing an issue that didn't exist before. I love USB-C, but back when there were proprietary cables and everything, there was little cause for concern. Now that you have the same connector but different cables, and factor in cheaper cables (Counterfeit too but they've always been about), it creates potential for issue.

That's all, I just think the majority of people will look at the connector, see USB-C, and plug it in. People haven't been trained to check the cable itself, just the connector. That's what I'm getting at, there just needs to be a marketing shift or some means of experientially training people to think of the cable and not the connector.

In reality this probably won't be as much of an issue, and I didn't mean for this to turn into a debate. It was only a mention to the OP who mentioned his connector was getting warm during use, and was merely a friendly warning and brief explanation of the potential danger.

Thanks for your response @bartvk, do you know if the cables themselves have a chip or anything that calls out its rating or anything? Curious to know if (At least if it should, regardless of cheap ones) you hooked a 60w cable between two 100w devices, the cable itself would downgrade the wattage to 60.

 

[bartvk]

So, just out of curiosity. Would it be a crime to continue using the Griffin cable with my 15in?

Yes! The USB-C police will be knocking on your door soon. Expect a merciless berating!

But seriously, this is what Benson Leung says about it:

Oh and that Griffin cable actually would expose bad Type-C phone implementations that depend on Dp and Dn. Some phones' charging logic is so built up on legacy ways (BC 1.2 DCP in particular) that from otherwise compliant Type-C sources that don't short together Dp and Dn, they don't charge at all.

Nathan K. (another engineer) replies to that:

Of course that assumes that Griffin left Dp and Dn floating... If they shorted them then you have something that could overcurrent some power supplies.

So in other words: if it works for your MacBook right now, I'd leave it like that. Personally, I wouldn't use it for anything else.

In any case, there are (standards-wise) better adapters coming:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/branchusb/magneo-first-true-usb-c-magnetic-adapter

 

[werpu]

Kickstarter has some interesting options. I'm hoping that the MagNeo (https://www.kickstarter.com/project...rst-true-usb-c-magnetic-adapter?ref=user_menu) or the Snapnator (https://www.kickstarter.com/project...ur-macbook-snap-feature-is-back?ref=user_menu) end up being real. Snapnator looks pretty sketchy right now.... but we'll see.

Beware of Snapnator, it is not quite clear yet if this is not a scam. So far lots of things indicate that it is (no production images, delays, no real contact with the company behind it, no address nothing except that they seem to be located in china, they do not make refunds etc...)
MagNeo however looks interesting, they at least have delivered already a working product.

 

[dyn]

I love USB-C, but back when there were proprietary cables and everything, there was little cause for concern. Now that you have the same connector but different cables, and factor in cheaper cables (Counterfeit too but they've always been about), it creates potential for issue.

That is no different than before. Lots of those el cheapo cables had connectors that easily broke off and you had to try and pry them out of the computer. Or they had some other kinds of issues (like being in a certain position for a proper image on the display).

That's all, I just think the majority of people will look at the connector, see USB-C, and plug it in. People haven't been trained to check the cable itself, just the connector. That's what I'm getting at, there just needs to be a marketing shift or some means of experientially training people to think of the cable and not the connector.

Then you didn't understand my point: the past has shown that having different connectors doesn't change anything about that; the issues we are seeing now with USB-C have been around for decades and aren't even computer related. Education might help but people still need to use their head and I think that's the problem here.

In other words: the only thing that has changed is the plug, every other issue is still around because humans are humans.