USB-C charging

Framework Laptop 13
87

At least, on kernel 5.19+ (as of now, 5.19-rc6 is the latest.)

1 Like
88

@Kieran_Levin What if the laptop is connected to an external charger, say the original one? What protocols does each port support? Does any port support Power Delivery as a source device at 5v+?

89

Just basic 5V USB no matter what.

90

Well “basic 5V USB” can be pretty complicated nowadays… Because we have:

USB2.0 5V 500mA
USB3.1 5V 900mA
USB BC1.2 5V Up to 1.5A
USB Type-C Current@1.5A 5V 1.5A
USB Type-C Current@3.0A 5V 3A
USB Power Delivery 3.0 5V/9V/15V/20V Up to 5A

91

No change from normal battery power

92

each port will source 5V at 1.5A. One port (out of the 4) can also request up to 3A.

1 Like
93

@Kieran_Levin I have seen very interesting information in this thread (thanks!) but something I’m still missing is how feasible/easy it is to have a USB-C device that the laptop (e.g. acpi) really sees as a battery, not as a charger. For me, this has at least two main implications:

  • keep power saving active (and this has been mentioned before, and could be done manually, but it’s suboptimal)

  • do not try to charge the internal battery, just draw from the external battery the power to run the laptop (to avoid the inefficiency of the charge/discharge and maximize the time the laptop can run)

94

I believe that’s a weakness in USB-C power delivery. I hope I’m wrong but I don’t think USB PD devices need to identify if they’re a battery bank or an AC charger. So there might not be any way to do what you’d like automatically.

95

Read through half the thread, still my question is unanswered:
As far as I am aware, charging at lower speeds is generally more efficient, due to less conversion loss and less strain on the battery.
Since the laptop is said to take any charger, would it theoretically be sensible to put it on a slow phone charger when charging overnight? Or am I missing something here?

96

I tried a 15watt charger that works with Samsung phones. The Framework did charge overnight, but even that did not bring up a full charge. The unit was shutdown at the time.

I have no issues using any charger 30 watts and above.

For reference, my unit is a batch 1, 1185 I7

97

Was that a USB type C charger that supports USB-PD? Because 15 W should be able to fully charge the Framework’s 55 Wh battery in ~5 hours.

But if it’s not a PD charger, it would be falling back to the old USB charging spec of 5 W (or possibly 2.5 W). At 5 W, I would expect it to take ~12 hours to fully charge.

98

I believe it’s a PD charger, but I do not have it near me to check.
It may be an older standard for quick charging, as I believe the charger port is USB-A.

Plus my overnight is usually no more than 5-6 hours.
After the one test, I’ve always used a minimum 30 watt charger.

99

If a charger uses the USB type A port, it does not support PD. PD requires the extra conductors that are only present in the type C connector.

2 Likes