Do USB powered devices all use the same voltage/amperage? I would assume so because all USB ports are essentially the same, yes? So if I have a Samsung MP3 player and a Logitec USB-DC adapter that came with my new keyboard, I should be able to use that to also charge my Samsung, yes?
BTW, I think it's stupid that Logitec moved away from the cradle charge system and started using USB cable charging... [roll]
yes, they should all be 5v 500ma..
I actually like when they move to USB charging, I know theres USB ports and cables damn near every where you go so its easy to find a place to recharge.
All USB devices don't use the same amperage. A digital camera will use less current than a coffee warmer for example.
All USB ports have the same voltage, and similar available currents, but the actual current draw is dependent on the device.
I don't know if any devices change the voltage via their cable, seems likely that most if not all USB devices would use the same voltage.
You should be able to find the power spec for both devices in their manual or online. If they are both the same voltage, the adapter should work.
mitt
I've mixed and matched USB cables and never had issues with anything like a camera or a phone. For high-precision research equipment I have seen cable-specific performance.
Quote from: somegirl on April 20, 2009, 08:32:34 AM
I've mixed and matched USB cables and never had issues with anything like a camera or a phone. For high-precision research equipment I have seen cable-specific performance.
For the most part cables are cables and don't matter much but I'm looking at the actual adapter for the wall socket. I've got a lot of external harddrives and even though a couple of them have almost identical power cables, the are not interchangeable. But I figured that's a little different. I can't find much information on the S5 in the user's manual or on their website. I guess I could just try it and see what happens. :P
What does it do when the computers are designed for use on other power grids in other countries? Is USB so much the standard that the computer converts it from some off the wall European spec to the US equivalent?
I don't know the answer, but I can plug any locally purchased USB device into my US spec lappy and it works fine. But, there's not much difference between Japan and the US.
Quote from: slowpoke13 on April 21, 2009, 01:45:57 AM
What does it do when the computers are designed for use on other power grids in other countries? Is USB so much the standard that the computer converts it from some off the wall European spec to the US equivalent?
I don't know the answer, but I can plug any locally purchased USB device into my US spec lappy and it works fine. But, there's not much difference between Japan and the US.
All desktops and laptops motherboards, hard drives, dvd drives, etc run on DC, not AC. First thing their power supply does is convert the AC to DC, and they are usually "smart" supplies that can work at 50 or 60Hz and 100V to 240V AC.
mitt
Quote from: slowpoke13 on April 21, 2009, 01:45:57 AM
What does it do when the computers are designed for use on other power grids in other countries? Is USB so much the standard that the computer converts it from some off the wall European spec to the US equivalent?
I don't know the answer, but I can plug any locally purchased USB device into my US spec lappy and it works fine. But, there's not much difference between Japan and the US.
I've done installations of our equipment all over the world and never seen any USB-specific issues whether 220V or 110V. Most laptops have auto-switching power supplies, some desktop computers require you to flip a manual switch for the power supply.
Japan is one of the few countries besides the US at 110V (and with the same kind of plug).
This one is tough to answer because it's more questions involved than you think. The short answer is that no, not all USB powered devices don't use the same voltage/amperage, however they can generally use the same wall-plug chargers because the wall-warts generally have regulators in them that prevent them from providing more juice than the device is trying to draw.
Where you're most likely to run into problems is when trying to use a higher draw device with a laptop, especially older laptops. Originally the USB specification didn't require USB ports to be powered (I forget if the current spec does) and among those that were/are powered, not all are powered equally. You could have one that would recharge an iPod without any problem, but forget about trying to use a pocket external hard drive. That's why a lot of mini external drives have USB Y-cables...one of the ports on the Y-cable is both data and power, and the other is to plug into a second USB port for more power if the drive isn't able to pull enough juice from just one port. This is also why powered USB hubs got kind of popular for a while...the hub draws power straight from the wall, so there's no wondering whether or not the port on your computer can supply enough power for your devices.
I've yet to see a computer that doesn't complain when you "overload" its USB system with too big a draw.
And the worst you'll get is too big a voltage drop and things will stop working.
I tried it and it worked. [thumbsup] No zaps, no booms, no kaputs. All is good.