I assume the power adapter is what I need to charge the PC.
Do I need an expansion card (USB-C) to plug it?
Seems a waste of an expansion slot if so.
( I did search and was not sure if I understood it correctly)
thanks in advance
dan
Dan, an expansion card is not necessary as you can theoretically plug into the mainboard directly. HOWEVER: one of the primary benefits of the expansion card is in reducing wear on the USB-C connection to the motherboard. Plugging into an expansion card, rather than directly into the mobo, limits stress on the connector and motherboard, by transferring loads into either a) the expendable card itself, or b) the much more robust chassis of the laptop, thus potentially offering significant increases to the lifespan of each individual motherboard USB-C connection. Especially for a common operation like plugging in a power cord, this is extremely important. One of the most common causes of laptops dying over time is worn down or broken plugs due to drops, tripping, or other accidental damage.
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thanks,
I will go in that direction, but I still don’t see where/how it would plug directly into the mainboard. Is there a spot on the back or are you saying just not put the expansion card in and plug in that spot? That still ties up one of the 4 spots. Do you think we can swap out expansion cards as needed? i.e. If I had an external storage on one, and would plug it in when I needed to backup data but might use it as a USB generally
Since all the expansion cards are just through USB, you can swap them out as much as you want, even when the system is on.
The normal idea when you are at your regular work place or at home is that you might want to use a “PD” (Power Delivery) USB-C hub, which both feeds power into the laptop AND gives you a bunch of extra ports (USB-A, SD, Gig Ether, etc). See my writeup on PD:
The further idea is that when you are travelling, e.g., stopping at a cafe to check email, 4 ports is probably enough 
The cheap “QGeeM” PD Hub I wrote about there is still running fine.
And, as @Nich_Trimble pointed out, almost all USB peripherals are hot-swappable.
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Great idea,
thanks, Great solution
dan
Not the best idea for cards that may be in use for SD or memory etc. ideally such would be ejected or dismounted before removing.
Also best not to remove any that has charge applied.
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