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Powerbanks (at least those with USB-C) work with Nintendo Switch

M

Matbtz

Member
Hmm I got a USB type C /USB A that supports 5V 2A+, I tried to use my Anker Astro E5 (Output : 5V / 3A max /without a USB C port) but that didn't worked, my Switch told me : unable to charge :/

I will have to buy another one I guess ... Maybe later I'll get the Anker PowerCore+ 20100 or RAVPower 20100mAh
 
B

Booker.DeWitt

Member
good news about the charger I bought yesterday for only 35 bucks

5.0 out of 5 stars Can charge the Nintendo Switch!, March 7, 2017
By Brian
Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Type-C/USB-C Input & Output RAVPower 20100mAh Portable Charger QC 3.0 Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0 Power Bank External Battery Pack for Macbook, Nexus 6, iPhone and More (Electronics)
This works amazingly! I was able to use it to charge my Nintendo switch while playing it. It kept it at 100% and is able to give alot more extra time while playing Zelda. I am guessing another 6 hours, I know i played for 3-4 hours on it and it was only half way drained ( while keeping the switch at 100%) So woot woot!
 
S

Serick

Married Member
Booker.DeWitt said:
good news about the charger I bought yesterday for only 35 bucks

5.0 out of 5 stars Can charge the Nintendo Switch!, March 7, 2017
By Brian
Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Type-C/USB-C Input & Output RAVPower 20100mAh Portable Charger QC 3.0 Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0 Power Bank External Battery Pack for Macbook, Nexus 6, iPhone and More (Electronics)
This works amazingly! I was able to use it to charge my Nintendo switch while playing it. It kept it at 100% and is able to give alot more extra time while playing Zelda. I am guessing another 6 hours, I know i played for 3-4 hours on it and it was only half way drained ( while keeping the switch at 100%) So woot woot!
Click to expand...

Can confirm. The RAVPower bank works amazingly.
 
A

anchorman128

Member
So I've had a middle of the road kind of crappy 12000mah USBA power bank and with an a to c cable have been able to charge while playing zelda. It has 2.4a/5v on one port so should be plenty.

Just fyi usba can work.
 
S

ShadowElliot

Banned
After some research and posts on here, I have decided to purchase:

- RAVPower Type C to Type C 6.6ft Cable
- Type C Input/Output RAVPower 20100mAh Portable Charger
- Anker 2-Port 24W USB Power Charger

Wish it would get to me before PAX East begins, but on the bright side, got the charger with a discount! Better later than never!
 
NeOak

NeOak

Member
chronomac said:
I have two things in my Amazon cart at the moment and need some feedback before checking out:

Neither of these is high-priority, so I may just end up waiting. We really need a definitive list of power banks and wall chargers that definitely work with the Switch, to the point where you can play and charge simultaneously and not do any damage to the system.
Click to expand...

Slowly charge at a rate of 10% every 45 mins? 5V 2A+ ones. This includes most phone chargers and regular USB batteries. The Switch WILL NOT pull more than 2A at any voltage.

Charge the Switch at 15V? The RAVPower with USB-PD is the only battery that will do it. AC wall adapters are the Macbook charger that does USB-PD, and the official AC adapter.
 
NeOak

NeOak

Member
jrh2 said:
I'm not an expert on this stuff by any means, but I'm not sure how this is different than what I said. To get maximum power to the Switch, you need a power bank that is capable of delivering 15V. The ones they tested aren't. The RAVPower is.

Unless I'm missing something?
Click to expand...

He tried with other 5V wall chargers and batteries. The Switch doesn't pull more than 2A at all, even if you have a 3A capable charger.

Hence why you need USB-PD to negotiate 15V instead of 5V. MacBook AC adapter worked.

I guess I misread what you wrote then :(

Booker.DeWitt said:
good news about the charger I bought yesterday for only 35 bucks

5.0 out of 5 stars Can charge the Nintendo Switch!, March 7, 2017
By Brian
Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Type-C/USB-C Input & Output RAVPower 20100mAh Portable Charger QC 3.0 Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0 Power Bank External Battery Pack for Macbook, Nexus 6, iPhone and More (Electronics)
This works amazingly! I was able to use it to charge my Nintendo switch while playing it. It kept it at 100% and is able to give alot more extra time while playing Zelda. I am guessing another 6 hours, I know i played for 3-4 hours on it and it was only half way drained ( while keeping the switch at 100%) So woot woot!
Click to expand...

It keeps it charged because it is enough for the power it consumes while playing, but if you plug a discharged Switch and play, it will barely charge the battery. Some have reported 10% charge after 45 mins.
 
P

Piggus

Member
Booker.DeWitt said:
good news about the charger I bought yesterday for only 35 bucks

5.0 out of 5 stars Can charge the Nintendo Switch!, March 7, 2017
By Brian
Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Type-C/USB-C Input & Output RAVPower 20100mAh Portable Charger QC 3.0 Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0 Power Bank External Battery Pack for Macbook, Nexus 6, iPhone and More (Electronics)
This works amazingly! I was able to use it to charge my Nintendo switch while playing it. It kept it at 100% and is able to give alot more extra time while playing Zelda. I am guessing another 6 hours, I know i played for 3-4 hours on it and it was only half way drained ( while keeping the switch at 100%) So woot woot!
Click to expand...

Nice, that's the one I bought.

NeOak said:
It keeps it charged because it is enough for the power it consumes while playing, but if you plug a discharged Switch and play, it will barely charge the battery. Some have reported 10% charge after 45 mins.
Click to expand...

Based on the tests done by that Reddit user, the $85 version doesn't do a whole lot better. Either way, you're still going to get the same amount of play time with a full battery and full Switch regardless of when you decide to plug the Switch in.
 
B

Booker.DeWitt

Member
NeOak said:
He tried with other 5V wall chargers and batteries. The Switch doesn't pull more than 2A at all, even if you have a 3A capable charger.

Hence why you need USB-PD to negotiate 15V instead of 5V. MacBook AC adapter worked.

I guess I misread what you wrote then :(



It keeps it charged because it is enough for the power it consumes while playing, but if you plug a discharged Switch and play, it will barely charge the battery. Some have reported 10% charge after 45 mins.
Click to expand...


"Charging while playing Zelda (30 min): 84% --> 95% (+11%)

Assuming a constant rate of charging/discharging, this means it would take approximately 4 hours and 33 minutes to charge it from 0% to 100% while playing Zelda."

not much different, and the one tested is double of the price

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1hEgRYI3NztlKbXeVHRpNJ2DbvkOfeeGjIr95x5jADfQ/edit#gid=0
 
NeOak

NeOak

Member
Booker.DeWitt said:
"Charging while playing Zelda (30 min): 84% --> 95% (+11%)

Assuming a constant rate of charging/discharging, this means it would take approximately 4 hours and 33 minutes to charge it from 0% to 100% while playing Zelda."

not much different, and the one tested is double of the price

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1hEgRYI3NztlKbXeVHRpNJ2DbvkOfeeGjIr95x5jADfQ/edit#gid=0
Click to expand...

That's the one with PD support.

The one without PD (that most here have bought) says 8 hours charge time.

Piggus said:
Based on the tests done by that Reddit user, the $85 version doesn't do a whole lot better. Either way, you're still going to get the same amount of play time with a full battery and full Switch regardless of when you decide to plug the Switch in.
Click to expand...
The only practical difference is whether the Switch is discharged or not. If both are used with the Switch at 100%, then there is no difference.

Switch at low battery is different. Double charging time by the excel spreadsheet.
 
B

Booker.DeWitt

Member
NeOak said:
That's the one with PD support.

The one without PD (that most here have bought) say 8 hours charge time.
Click to expand...

I see your point. Well, I think that is enough for me, I won't use the powerbank to recharge a drained switch, but more to keep the battery alive while I play. For hte price I paid (35 bucks), it was worth it to me I guess . I will receive in 2 days and do some testing
 
NeOak

NeOak

Member
Booker.DeWitt said:
I see your point. Well, I think that is enough for me, I won't use the powerbank to recharge a drained switch, but more to keep the battery alive while I play. For hte price I paid (35 bucks), it was worth it to me I guess . I will receive in 2 days and do some testing
Click to expand...
Try to plug the USB battery and run that down first before the internal.
 
A

akileese

Member
Booker.DeWitt said:
"Charging while playing Zelda (30 min): 84% --> 95% (+11%)

Assuming a constant rate of charging/discharging, this means it would take approximately 4 hours and 33 minutes to charge it from 0% to 100% while playing Zelda."

not much different, and the one tested is double of the price

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1hEgRYI3NztlKbXeVHRpNJ2DbvkOfeeGjIr95x5jADfQ/edit#gid=0
Click to expand...

Just an FYI the PD USB one is also completely unavailable, most likely due to everyone with a Switch trying to buy them.
 
M

Marty Chinn

Member
I think all this research has shown me is that it's premature to buy a powerbank since so few support PD USB. Might as well wait until later when there are more options out. I think for now, I'm going to get a car adapter and wall wart to tide me over until more battery options are available.

akileese said:
Just an FYI the PD USB one is also completely unavailable, most likely due to everyone with a Switch trying to buy them.
Click to expand...

The 26000 higher capacity one is unavailable but the 21000 capacity is in stock. Both have PD USB.
 
P

Piggus

Member
Marty Chinn said:
I think all this research has shown me is that it's premature to buy a powerbank since so few support PD USB. Might as well wait until later when there are more options out. I think for now, I'm going to get a car adapter and wall wart to tide me over until more battery options are available.



The 26000 higher capacity one is unavailable but the 21000 capacity is in stock. Both have PD USB.
Click to expand...

It's also a lot more expensive.

In what real life situation is the one with USB-PD more practical or useful?
 
M

MadClacker

Member
Bookoo said:
How long did it take to charge the switch and how long does that powerbank take to charge?
Click to expand...

I cannot give you an accurate answer on that. I left the Power Bank charging for a good 4-5 hours or so, but it was already half charged out the box I think.

As far as how long it took to charge the Switch, I'd say a couple of hours or so. This was while it was on Sleep mode, sitting in my desk drawer at work. For an emergency backup, I think it'll work like a Champ.

It was recommended to me by a friend who claims to have been playing Zelda and it was charging quicker than it was depleting, which is good!
 
Darklor01

Darklor01

Might need to stop sniffing glue
S

Serick

Married Member
Darklor01 said:
This is the one I bought. I haven't used it just yet. Does it really take five hours to charge the Switch from empty to full charge, or is it less. I'd read something somewhere, forget the source, that it could take five hours.
Click to expand...

I'm not sure. The only way I use it is plugging it in while my Switch is at or above 90%. I just know from experience it will charge back to 100% while playing and keep it at 100% while playing.
 
H

HandsomeCharles

Member
Alright folks, got my powerbank today and it works fine. Here are the details:

Power Bank:RAVPower 26800mAh

USB Cable: Anker PowerLine USB-C to USB-C 2.0 Cable

Test details:

I played Zelda on my switch in portable mode and ran the battery down to about 50%. I then plugged it into the power bank using the specified cable, and the Switch began to charge whilst I continued to play Zelda.

Now, as for the negatives:

  • When I plugged the charger in, the Switch did not give me any indication that the unit was charging. This may have just been a quirk/glitch.
  • It charges relatively slowly. About 1% every 3-4 minutes whilst continuing to play Zelda.
  • The wall-charger that comes with the Powerbank has been listed by multiple sources are being a bit dodgy. To be explicit, the Power Bank is fine but the wall charger should not be used.
  • The Powerbank is FUCKING HEAVY. It's probably about the same weight as the switch itself. This is no issue if you have a bag with you, but if you were thinking of carrying it in your pocket that might not be feasible.
  • The Powerbank does not come with a USB C cable. I had to buy one separately. (It does however come with a C-Type adapter, but this obviously won't have the Power Delivery capibility)

That said, the capacity of this thing is huuuuuuge. 26800ma at even a 70% efficiency is still more than 4 times the capacity of the switch itself. If you're going on a long journey this thing is going to keep you going for a hell of a long time. I'm pretty content with it.

I haven't tested any of its USB 2.0 ports using my A-C cable because there hasn't been enough time. If anyone is interested I can do that tomorrow.

Anyway, hope this helps and if anyone has any questions feel free to shout and I'll do some more tests/try stuff out for you.
 
D

daffy

Banned
I bought the iMuto 20,000 powerbank with QC 3.0 and it seems to work just fine. The Switch doesn't recognize QuickCharge so I just use the normal port for Switch and use QC for my Galaxy S7.

E: also i got two full Switch charges from 15% with a fully charged bank. Fyi
 
Z

Zafir

Member
HandsomeCharles said:
Alright folks, got my powerbank today and it works fine. Here are the details:

Power Bank:RAVPower 26800mAh

USB Cable: Anker PowerLine USB-C to USB-C 2.0 Cable

Test details:

I played Zelda on my switch in portable mode and ran the battery down to about 50%. I then plugged it into the power bank using the specified cable, and the Switch began to charge whilst I continued to play Zelda.

Now, as for the negatives:

  • When I plugged the charger in, the Switch did not give me any indication that the unit was charging. This may have just been a quirk/glitch.
  • It charges relatively slowly. About 1% every 3-4 minutes whilst continuing to play Zelda.
  • The wall-charger that comes with the Powerbank has been listed by multiple sources are being a bit dodgy. To be explicit, the Power Bank is fine but the wall charger should not be used.
  • The Powerbank is FUCKING HEAVY. It's probably about the same weight as the switch itself. This is no issue if you have a bag with you, but if you were thinking of carrying it in your pocket that might not be feasible.
  • The Powerbank does not come with a USB C cable. I had to buy one separately. (It does however come with a C-Type adapter, but this obviously won't have the Power Delivery capibility)

That said, the capacity of this thing is huuuuuuge. 26800ma at even a 70% efficiency is still more than 4 times the capacity of the switch itself. If you're going on a long journey this thing is going to keep you going for a hell of a long time. I'm pretty content with it.

I haven't tested any of its USB 2.0 ports using my A-C cable because there hasn't been enough time. If anyone is interested I can do that tomorrow.

Anyway, hope this helps and if anyone has any questions feel free to shout and I'll do some more tests/try stuff out for you.
Click to expand...

Out of curiosity what is wrong with the power adapter?

I used it to charge the powerbank itself and it seemed alright, but it was already pretty full when it arrived at my house.

But yeah, the power bank itself seems pretty good. Was charging while playing Zelda decently. Not much difference in how long it takes to charge it in comparison to while it's docked playing Zelda.
 
J

japtor

Member
Matbtz said:
Hmm I got a USB type C /USB A that supports 5V 2A+, I tried to use my Anker Astro E5 (Output : 5V / 3A max /without a USB C port) but that didn't worked, my Switch told me : unable to charge :/

I will have to buy another one I guess ... Maybe later I'll get the Anker PowerCore+ 20100 or RAVPower 20100mAh
Click to expand...
The Amazon listing for yours mentions a 2A port and 1A port (and pictures don't seem to show a differentiating label), did you test both ports out? The 2A should work...in theory.
Zafir said:
Out of curiosity what is wrong with the power adapter?
Click to expand...
https://plus.google.com/102612254593917101378/posts/e91WpjRFizs

Short extremely simplified version is that it says it outputs more than it can, and when a high power device (and Switch could count in this case) takes the adapter up on that offer, shit will go very wrong.
 
Z

Zafir

Member
japtor said:
The Amazon listing for yours mentions a 2A port and 1A port (and pictures don't seem to show a differentiating label), did you test both ports out? The 2A should work...in theory.

https://plus.google.com/102612254593917101378/posts/e91WpjRFizs

Short extremely simplified version is that it says it outputs more than it can, and when a high power device (and Switch could count in this case) takes the adapter up on that offer, shit will go very wrong.
Click to expand...

Are we sure it's the same one though?

At least the one I got is the next model up (PC018). Which in theory could have fixed the issue.

Does leave me slightly worried though.

Edit: Nope, on digging it also suffers the same issue.

That's quite sad, was actually happy I had another power adapter. Was too good to be true. :(
 
H

HandsomeCharles

Member
Zafir said:
Out of curiosity what is wrong with the power adapter?

I used it to charge the powerbank itself and it seemed alright, but it was already pretty full when it arrived at my house.

But yeah, the power bank itself seems pretty good. Was charging while playing Zelda decently. Not much difference in how long it takes to charge it in comparison to while it's docked playing Zelda.
Click to expand...

Information about the wall-charger here.

Essentially it seems as though it will allow devices to take more power than it is actually capable of giving. This becomes an issue when dealing with high power consumption devices, but since I don't really know how much power the Switch draws, I think it's better to be safe than sorry. Also, since USB-C devices can all have fairly different power-draws, it just seems much more sensible not to use it with anything at all.
 
//ARCANUM

//ARCANUM

Member
daffy said:
I bought the iMuto 20,000 powerbank with QC 3.0 and it seems to work just fine. The Switch doesn't recognize QuickCharge so I just use the normal port for Switch and use QC for my Galaxy S7.

E: also i got two full Switch charges from 15% with a fully charged bank. Fyi
Click to expand...

I also got this one (was an Amazon lightning deal recently) and it's been working great!
 
Z

Zafir

Member
HandsomeCharles said:
Information about the wall-charger here.

Essentially it seems as though it will allow devices to take more power than it is actually capable of giving. This becomes an issue when dealing with high power consumption devices, but since I don't really know how much power the Switch draws, I think it's better to be safe than sorry. Also, since USB-C devices can all have fairly different power-draws, it just seems much more sensible not to use it with anything at all.
Click to expand...

Yeah someone else posted the information above, thanks.

I've just put it back in the box. I'll probably pick up from another make, or maybe even just buy another Switch charger.

It's annoying having only one plug between the console, the dock and the power bank. I'd rather just leave a plug in the dock, and then have one to carry with the device/power bank.
 
H

HandsomeCharles

Member
bytesized said:
Ah I see!

What about this one?

https://www.amazon.es/gp/product/B01IVQ0DLU/
Click to expand...

Yep, I think that one should be good. I think it's the same model as mine but slightly lower capacity. Get the version without the charger though, because the charger is the unsafe one we've been speaking about.

Also, you will need a USB C cable that supports PD (Power delivery), as there isn't one included with the powerbank.

Zafir said:
Yeah someone else posted the information above, thanks.

I've just put it back in the box. I'll probably pick up from another make, or maybe even just buy another Switch charger.

It's annoying having only one plug between the console, the dock and the power bank. I'd rather just leave a plug in the dock, and then have one to carry with the device/power bank.
Click to expand...

If it helps, I found that the console does charge using the A->C cable provided with the Pro Controller if you plug it into a suitable USB charger (I used an iPad charger)
 
Z

Zafir

Member
HandsomeCharles said:
If it helps, I found that the console does charge using the A->C cable provided with the Pro Controller if you plug it into a suitable USB charger (I used an iPad charger)
Click to expand...

I was just slightly worried with mixing and matching chargers.

I have three USB-A chargers. One for my Samsung S7 edge which has their quick charge technology. Then I have two ASUS chargers which are for my Windows Tablet.

I was a bit worried using the Samsung one if I'm honest, in the past I've been told to not use it with anything other than my phone because it could potentially cause damage to the battery.

The ASUS ones might be okay, as far as I'm aware they don't have any special fast charge technology that could cause problems.
 
H

HandsomeCharles

Member
Zafir said:
I was just slightly worried with mixing and matching chargers.

I have three USB-A chargers. One for my Samsung S7 edge which has their quick charge technology. Then I have two ASUS chargers which are for my Windows Tablet.

I was a bit worried using the Samsung one if I'm honest, in the past I've been told to not use it with anything other than my phone because it could potentially cause damage to the battery.

The ASUS ones might be okay, as far as I'm aware they don't have any special fast charge technology that could cause problems.
Click to expand...

Yea, don't use proprietary charging systems with devices that don't support it. Might be fine, but better to be safe than sorry. I'd imagine your ASUS ones are going to be fine.
 
M

mrklaw

MrArseFace
What specific benefit does USB-PD offer? If faster charging at 15V, how much faster vs 5v/2A?

I have a basic ravpower 21000 which is 5v/2.4A and it slowly charges while playing, and I guess charges faster if sleeping. Which should be good enough unless the PD version is crazy fast
 
Z

Zafir

Member
malikhaing_bayag said:
Are Ankers good? I am in Singapore and RAVpower is not available here. What's a good alternative for a power bank?
Click to expand...

Just don't touch their USB-PD power bank.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet...x9dMDWqENiY2kgBJUu29f_TX8/edit#gid=1288176877

Cites that they're dangerous. In fact I can't see it being sold on the US/UK Amazon sites so I guess they agreed. Might still be some around though, so just be careful.

mrklaw said:
What specific benefit does USB-PD offer? If faster charging at 15V, how much faster vs 5v/2A?
Click to expand...

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1hEgRYI3NztlKbXeVHRpNJ2DbvkOfeeGjIr95x5jADfQ/edit#gid=0

Lists some speed values between a few of the ravpower models, some of which don't support USB-PD.
 
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