Help with a led light.

[Sea Chief]

That is a USB cable being plugged into a special outlet. The outlet appears to have two 240V sockets and a USB socket. The USB socket will be giving 5V for charging. You can see the cable in one of the other photos, it is USB at one end and micro USB at the other end.

Hi g1. Yes I could see the lead, see the different ends, see the bigger end goes into the special socket in the wall. I can see this set up is a charging situation.

Its the nature of the charger I am referring to. Does the special socket have 'special' usb charging facilities then-? As I thought prior to your post, I don't think this seems logical if very specific chargers are ubiquitously needed for each thing it is to be charged.

Or, am I right that the likelihood must be, that the charger, unlike all the other led light eg's on bigteee's google search page, my ipad, his gasoline light eg, my builders light eg.... unlike all of these/ seemingly every other light..... that the charger must therefore reside within the lamp itself. This is the only thing I can think why you're not supplied, with a charger. But no mention of this on all the tech info.


Chargers may have got so small now that they can actually be inside the thing to be charged.

SC

[pdf64]

On one hand, USB is a generic 5V standard, on the other some USB ports (ie providing a 5V charging source such as a wallwart or computer) can provide 2A, others less, eg 1A, 500mA.
And some devices being powered / charged from a USB port will try to draw up to 2A when charging, others less.
ipads and other beefier stuff typically try to draw 2A. I get the impression that some of the cleverer stuff will reduce its current draw if the source supplying seems to be struggling.
Phones and smaller stuff may only draw 1A or less.

The wallwart charger you’ve bought is a 1A type. I suggest to get a 2A type for the ipad. I prefer to buy stuff that has a known brand or at least comes from a reputable supplier, as there may be a better chance that it’s been properly made and there’s an easier comeback if there’s problems.
Generic stuff on Amazon seems too risky to me, eg for charging a super expensive ipad.

[Sea Chief]

On one hand, USB is a generic 5V standard, on the other some USB ports (ie providing a 5V charging source such as a wallwart or computer) can provide 2A, others less, eg 1A, 500mA.
And some devices being powered / charged from a USB port will try to draw up to 2A when charging, others less.
ipads and other beefier stuff typically try to draw 2A. I get the impression that some of the cleverer stuff will reduce its current draw if the source supplying seems to be struggling.
Phones and smaller stuff may only draw 1A or less.

The wallwart charger you’ve bought is a 1A type. I suggest to get a 2A type for the ipad. I prefer to buy stuff that has a known brand or at least comes from a reputable supplier, as there may be a better chance that it’s been properly made and there’s an easier comeback if there’s problems.
Generic stuff on Amazon seems too risky to me, eg for charging a super expensive ipad.

Hi pdf64. So you're saying the plug that I bought -is- a charger. This complicates things, it it now doesn't make any sense if so.

I thought I had it, that the charger CAN ONLY BE inside, inside, the lamp. This means it makes sense to sell it with only a lead ( to connect to power, the lead this dnd -doesn't- connect to a charger). If as you now say, my plug is the charger, then selling the lamp like this makes no logical sense.

I must conclude contrary to what you say with respect, that my plug is not a charger, it is simply a plug lowering the output voltage to 5v ( enabling then to connect to a charger). And the charger.. has to be in the light.

[Sea Chief]

I just received this from seller, in china. Very good comms, & follows what pdf64 says, but makes no sense.

"You can plug one end of the usb into the top of the light and connect the other end to the charger"

Again: I do not have a charger. This should surely read ".. other end to a power adaptor usb plug, or a wall usb socket" ( NOT " ..to the charger").

I must conclude this or Im going insane.

SC

[Brad1]

Sea Chief seems to be getting caught up a bit in trivialities and semantics? That "charger"/"power supply" converts AC wall voltage (120V, 240V, etc.) down to 5 volts DC. The device it's connected to may getting ONLY powered by it (if no battery), or it may be getting powered AND charged. To be getting charged, the device connected to the "charger" has to have a battery or some energy-storage of some type. Yes, there is circuitry in the device being to be charged that takes the 5V from the USB to charge the battery, so the device does contain "part" of the "charging circuitry", but that part will never work unless you plug the AC-to-DC converter into it to act as "a charger". It could just as easily be called a "power supply", as it can simply power a non-chargeable device. Since it's an integral part of "charging" a chargeable device (as the device would never work without it once it loses its charge), it's not wrong to also call it "a charger".
Just not worth obsessing over.

just make sure the "charger/power supply" is designed to provide the proper voltage, and the minimum or higher amperage. Using too-low amperage power supply can cause problems, but using a higher amperage will be fine, as the device will only use what it wants, provided there is the minimum or higher current available.

Kapt.Krunch

[Dave H]

Does the special socket have 'special' usb charging facilities then-?

Chargers may have got so small now that they can actually be inside the thing to be charged.SC

The special socket has a circuit to convert 240V ac to 5V dc for its two USB sockets. The light is designed to charge from 5V on its USB so there's no special 'charger' needed, it's built in as you guessed.

The mains plugs with a USB socket have a circuit to convert 240v ac to 5v dc like the special socket. If you don't have a special socket use the USB mains plug in a regular socket.

[Dave H]

I must conclude this or Im going insane.

We knew that already

[Sea Chief]

I just bought another thing too, without a charger, & just a usb lead. This is even more insanity, as there cannot possibly be room for a charger within it.

This is a better eg of what this total confusion results in. Its a battery power pack for my ipad. A lump of battery, exact same type if lead with this, no charger.

My plug ( same one I photo'd) could perhaps, be used. But I have no idea. The 5v figure tallies, between my plug & the spiel on the back of the battery " input 5v..."

But...

The current figure doesn't tally. Plug says 5v 1A. Battery power pack thing says 5v 2A.

Absoultely infuriating. Both items. How on earth this battery pack, can possibly be charged at all, is a total mystery with no room within ( afaict) for a charger.

[Sea Chief]

We knew that already

So, do you agree with my conclusion Dave?

I am totally, utterly, confused by this.

[big_teee]

https://www.amazon.co.uk/SOAIY-Adapt...112147&sr=8-11
Here is a usb 2amp adapter that puts out 5v at 2 amp
That should solve and do all your usb charging chores.
T

[Sea Chief]

big_teee ok thanks that is one possibility.

But my seller has shown me a pic ( no words of an answer, just a pic).. of the very light in question, plugged into a computer's usb port.

This implies that the computer somehow is charging it. This seems implausible.

OR ( & surely this seems 99% more likely) the computer isn't charging it at all, & therefore the only last possibility, is that the charger is actually residing within the light. Im still waiting on Dave, for eg, to agree with this conclusion, or not. He just says I'm insane presently.

Im still no clearer after your reply big_teee, but thanks for the effort. I don't think an iphone charging eg though, is actually of any help/ use in this instance.

SC

[big_teee]

I don't understand what you don't get?

The Light has a battery in the light, and circuitry requiring 5 volts to charge.
To charge the light, all you need is a 5 volt USB source.
Any 5v source plugged to the usb cable will charge the portable lamp internal battery.
There is no charger like you think of as a charger. The USB 5 volts is the charger.

The USB on the side of a laptop provides 5 volts, generated by the laptop power supply.
That 5v from the laptop will charge the portable lamp.
That is all there is to it.
If anyone else can make it simpler, please jump in.
GL,

[Sea Chief]

I don't understand what you don't get?

The Light has a battery in the light.
To charge the light, all you need is a 5 volt USB source.
Any 5v source plugged to the usb cable will charge the portable lamp internal battery.
There is no charger like you think of as a charger. The USB 5 volts is the charger.

The USB on the side of a laptop provides 5 volts, generated by the laptop power supply.
That 5v from the laptop will charge the portable lamp.
That is all there is to it.
If anyone else can make it simpler, please jump in.
GL,

I think I just might be like 10 years behind or something. It feels exactly like Ive been ill & missed a chunk of school classes. Very strange.

So my thinking of a charger... now is a redundant idea? This is news to me. When everything else still seems to have & rely on a charger.

Right. So can this plug thing whatever the fk it is I have... be used with it, in order for ( somehow, i'll seemingly never know how) it to get charged?

It says on it output: 5v...... 1A. Is 1A compatible? Do I need to match the led light's output figures with this 1A or something? At least I see the 5v figure tallies, jesusH thank fk for that.

[g1]

If it has a USB socket on it, it has 5V. That is a general rule, there may be exceptions but I can't think of any.
So that plug in post #29 is a charger.
A computer USB port will also have 5V on it, so it can also charge things. The 5V is always on the same pin of the USB so they are universal.
The only variation is how much current the particular USB port can deliver. For charging, that doesn't really matter, it will just take longer with lower current capacity.

[Sea Chief]

If it has a USB socket on it, it has 5V. That is a general rule, there may be exceptions but I can't think of any.
So that plug in post #29 is a charger.
A computer USB port will also have 5V on it, so it can also charge things. The 5V is always on the same pin of the USB so they are universal.
The only variation is how much current the particular USB port can deliver. For charging, that doesn't really matter, it will just take longer with lower current capacity.

Aha.. great. Now I get. So even if it has 1A on the plug.. this will still be ok. It obviously has 5v ok. Being on my own here, fire risk being a concern, so making sure of charging things that tend to be done overnight or when you're away from it.. I needed to be super sure you see.

You see if it had said 'charger' on the plug I'd have cracked on. But it only says it's a 'power adaptor'.

It seems charging is different now with these usb leads, than it used to be with dedicated chargers.

Thanks for your patience with me on this chaps. SC