Is connecting the charger cable through the usb c dongle harmful?

[ahmedouvix]

Hi, I have a MacBook pro 15" 2017 with touch bar.

i also have a usb c dongle that has a usb c port, 3 usb 3 ports, sd card, etc

I LOVE the ability to connect all my accessories with a single cable. i am also connecting the usb c charging cable to the usb c hub

any way to check if it's causing any damage?

the dongle is called promate and it indicates it has Integrated charging port but i'd like to test to make sure it's the one in the link https://www.promate.net/products/corehub-c

 

[ZapNZs]

Great thread!

I've wondered this as well, as, from what I can tell, it appears the USB-IF does not certify passthrough chargers, and it does not appear that Nathan K and Benson L are doing much with testing USB-C hubs with charging, as they are presumably quite busy testing cables. I do believe that hubs that physically attach to the side of the computer have the potential to, over long-term usage, affect the port fitment itself (whether this is significant beyond loose ports I cannot say.)

In the case of the Satechi USB-C hub I have, I can't say I am extremely comfortable with how hot it gets and I tend to only use it with charging when I am physically present. Again I can't say what the long-term implications are.

 

[mcpryon2]

You might want to inquire how much power the adapter will pass for charging. I use the Apple A/V adapter (USB-C, USB-A, and HDMI) and it won't charge at 87w, like straight to the outlet. The Apple one will charge at about 55w, so when I put my 2016 15" MBP under load it will use battery despite being plugged in.

 

[Sterkenburg]

In the case of the Satechi USB-C hub I have, I can't say I am extremely comfortable with how hot it gets and I tend to only use it with charging when I am physically present.

Oh, glad to see I'm not the only one who noticed this. I have the "full" version of that hub with all the ports (3x USB-A, HDMI, SD card, Ethernet), and it gets really hot, even when only using it to keep the Internet cable connected.

The other factor, as said in the comment above, is that many (most?) hubs are not rated to pass the full 87W of the 15" MBP charger. So all in all I prefer to connect the charger straight to the laptop, just in case.

 

[SteveJUAE]

Firstly your MBP does have protection circuitry for charging which is why you can plug 4 chargers in and only the highest rated one will be used

What we do not know with many of these 3rd party dongles is if the bypass the PD spec and can cause a surge that out smarts the protection circuitry. This is though a possibility especially if you daisy chain dongles and the negotiation protocols for power are duped

As others have pointed out very few 3rd party adapters can deliver the full 87w. Most dongles even Apples or Samsung can run surprisingly hot I would never leave them working overnight with thru power

FYI Part of the reason USB-C is capped at 100w is the smaller port has limited space for isolation of the power pins/cables a cheap vendor with poor standards could compromise this further I doubt you will have any case against Apple from 3rd party devices that caused an issue