Steam Deck OLED charge speeds

[omicronpersei8]

I noticed with a new OLED steam deck the charge status LED is white with the Valve charger and orange/green with any other charger (Pixel 15W, Apple 20W, etc).

Upon further testing:
- Pixel 15W or Apple 20W USB C chargers have green/orange LED and extremely slow to charge. 10 hours from 50%. TEN HOURS?! Changes to green when fully charged.
- Included charger has a white LED and fast charges. Approx 1 hour from 50%. Changes to green when fully charged.

I also could not find anything in the FAQ about different LED colors but orange/green seems to indicate slow charging.

Why would the deck not fast charge on higher wattage USB-PD chargers?
Even a 15W charger with the deck in standby should 50% charge in way less than 10 hours.

I need a USB C power analyzer to figure out what is going on with the charge current but it appears to fall back to a very low wattage/PD profile with any other charger and is possibly not properly negotiating PD profiles?

Edit: Adding some analysis.
I did more testing with a power meter. All are USB C chargers. Non PD means the power meter says it is not charging via negotiated PD.
Pixel 18W - 14W non PD
Apple 20W - 14W non PD
Apple 30W - 27W PD
Apple 61W - 41W PD. White charge LED
Apple 87W - 11W non PD
Apple 96W - 41W PD. White charge LED
Apple 140W - 41W PD. White charge LED
Anker Nano II 45W - 41W PD. White charge LED

For reference the Valve charger is a 45W USB-C power supply with "Power Delivery 3.0". It shows a White charge LED.

[Prezidentas]

Publicado originalmente por Kage Goomba:

Publicado originalmente por Škoda 14Tr:

the whole point of USB-PD is that you can use a single charger for all of your devices...

Not all chargers are equal.
A frequent and very common mistake made by users.

So yes - you can use your charger - but you lose the right to complain if the 3rd party charger fails to charge to "your" standards - let alone "factory" standards in terms of full charge speeds.

This isn't rocket science.

This isn't a cell phone or a tablet we're talking about here.
It's closer or more akin to a Laptop.

a PD charger should charge a phone and a laptop equally, that's why it's so interoperable. I do agree that there are some crappy chargers that are manufactured ewaste.

[Kage Goomba]

Publicado originalmente por Škoda 14Tr:

Publicado originalmente por Kage Goomba:

Not all chargers are equal.
A frequent and very common mistake made by users.

So yes - you can use your charger - but you lose the right to complain if the 3rd party charger fails to charge to "your" standards - let alone "factory" standards in terms of full charge speeds.

This isn't rocket science.

This isn't a cell phone or a tablet we're talking about here.
It's closer or more akin to a Laptop.

a PD charger should charge a phone and a laptop equally, that's why it's so interoperable. I do agree that there are some crappy chargers that are manufactured ewaste.

Yet its not beyond reason that Valve would use a Proprietary tech (Apple anyone?) in terms of HOW the Steamdeck is charged.

Also the issue I see with chargers is shoddy workmanship and cheap parts. (So yeah Ewaste)
USB Powere'd Hub I bought recently said it would push 5 volts
More like 4.5v and it couldn't sustain the power if its life depended on it.

Anyway - Steamdeck Charger makes me think of the Nintendo Switch - just any ol USB C charger won't work - chip tech inside likely is gating it.

Could be safety measures - anything that's not Valve leashes/limits/restrains the current coming in to prevent an accident (don't want your Steamdeck catching fire now do we?)

Call it greed - but its just how it is.
Likely won't tell us what's under the hood - need an Electrical Engineer to tear it down and tell you.

Pretty sure no one wants to void their warranty :P

[Prezidentas]

Publicado originalmente por Kage Goomba:

Publicado originalmente por Škoda 14Tr:

a PD charger should charge a phone and a laptop equally, that's why it's so interoperable. I do agree that there are some crappy chargers that are manufactured ewaste.

Yet its not beyond reason that Valve would use a Proprietary tech (Apple anyone?) in terms of HOW the Steamdeck is charged.

Also the issue I see with chargers is shoddy workmanship and cheap parts. (So yeah Ewaste)
USB Powere'd Hub I bought recently said it would push 5 volts
More like 4.5v and it couldn't sustain the power if its life depended on it.

Anyway - Steamdeck Charger makes me think of the Nintendo Switch - just any ol USB C charger won't work - chip tech inside likely is gating it.

Could be safety measures - anything that's not Valve leashes/limits/restrains the current coming in to prevent an accident (don't want your Steamdeck catching fire now do we?)

Call it greed - but its just how it is.
Likely won't tell us what's under the hood - need an Electrical Engineer to tear it down and tell you.

Pretty sure no one wants to void their warranty :P

the chip inside the deck is a common and widely available part (with datasheets). The switch came out when USB-C was in its infancy and thus it can have a few quirks, though from what I've heard it's mostly crappy 3rd party docks that give the switch problems.
I actually bought some USB testing equipment, because indeed some devices are just crap. However the deck seems to be PD compliant, for me it charges with other PD chargers (i.e. HP laptop charger) just fine.

[Kage Goomba]

Publicado originalmente por Škoda 14Tr:

Publicado originalmente por Kage Goomba:

Yet its not beyond reason that Valve would use a Proprietary tech (Apple anyone?) in terms of HOW the Steamdeck is charged.

Also the issue I see with chargers is shoddy workmanship and cheap parts. (So yeah Ewaste)
USB Powere'd Hub I bought recently said it would push 5 volts
More like 4.5v and it couldn't sustain the power if its life depended on it.

Anyway - Steamdeck Charger makes me think of the Nintendo Switch - just any ol USB C charger won't work - chip tech inside likely is gating it.

Could be safety measures - anything that's not Valve leashes/limits/restrains the current coming in to prevent an accident (don't want your Steamdeck catching fire now do we?)

Call it greed - but its just how it is.
Likely won't tell us what's under the hood - need an Electrical Engineer to tear it down and tell you.

Pretty sure no one wants to void their warranty :P

the chip inside the deck is a common and widely available part (with datasheets). The switch came out when USB-C was in its infancy and thus it can have a few quirks, though from what I've heard it's mostly crappy 3rd party docks that give the switch problems.
I actually bought some USB testing equipment, because indeed some devices are just crap. However the deck seems to be PD compliant, for me it charges with other PD chargers (i.e. HP laptop charger) just fine.

Just going with what I know in terms of my Background in Datacenter Engineering. Granted not a lot of small electronics - but you pick up a few things due to the nature of how power is handled in that world.
That and my Dad was an electrical engineer who would not hesitate to "MacGuyver" anything that didn't work to his particular needs.

[Jenaverse]

I trust Anker and have never had issues with them, especially when they market a model for specific devices. Their officially licensed Nintendo powerbanks is one of my favorites for travel. With the Quest 3 battery issues and Zuck recalling his own Meta battery elite straps off the market, Anker powerbanks allowed me to enjoy my Q3 even more. Same goes for my old SD lcd and now my SD oled.

I have an electrician friend who also gave the products I use a thumbs up, and uses them himself.

[Jenaverse]

Publicado originalmente por Kage Goomba:

Yet its not beyond reason that Valve would use a Proprietary tech (Apple anyone?) in terms of HOW the Steamdeck is charged. :P

Can you post link to information that Steam Deck power supply is proprietary? I do not remember reading this anywhere, like ever. Because Valve even says no one has to use their SD docks and third party hubs can support it (data+charge).

I know right now with release of oleds and os update, the use of usb c acts up for some users.

[Kage Goomba]

Publicado originalmente por Jenaverse:

Publicado originalmente por Kage Goomba:

Yet its not beyond reason that Valve would use a Proprietary tech (Apple anyone?) in terms of HOW the Steamdeck is charged. :P

Can you post link to information that Steam Deck power supply is proprietary? I do not remember reading this anywhere, like ever. Because Valve even says no one has to use their SD docks and third party hubs can support it (data+charge).

I know right now with release of oleds and os update, the use of usb c acts up for some users.

Don't need to.
Its unique to it self - The Steam Deck charges very quickly.
Deduction does the rest.
Happy to be corrected - but its kind of obvious when everyone is going "Why does my Steam Deck charge so slowly with this 3rd Party adapter?"

I have an LG V60 with a unique adapter - same story - different product.
Every other adapter won't ever compare to the factory version and its speeds.
I'm sure I could find one..eventually - but its a normal thing to encounter in industry.

Also - USB C isn't exactly "equal" among all other USB C's.

Case and point - Thunderbolt.

[Jenaverse]

Kinda odd explanation but ok. I honestly was looking for Valve documentation from your statement vs just believing a random person online.

In the end, best to always go with a reputable third party brand.

[Kage Goomba]

Publicado originalmente por Jenaverse:

Kinda odd explanation but ok. I honestly was looking for Valve documentation from your statement vs just believing a random person online.

In the end, best to always go with a reputable third party brand.

I'm sure you could dig it up - likely someone's already done a tear down.

Problem is most companies keep that kind of thing close to the chest for obvious reasons.

Sadly my go too Electrical Engineer passed away recently....so I'm not really able to furnish an accurate answer.

Sorry.

But yes - you are correct - stick with known good products.
My point however is don't be surprised if they don't match performance of the factory brand.

[Prezidentas]

Publicado originalmente por Kage Goomba:

Don't need to.
Its unique to it self - The Steam Deck charges very quickly.
Deduction does the rest.

Deduction that steam deck can charge fast? Everything further is just a factless fabrication.

Publicado originalmente por Kage Goomba:

Happy to be corrected - but its kind of obvious when everyone is going "Why does my Steam Deck charge so slowly with this 3rd Party adapter?"

Everyone? You mean a few people in this thread, and then somewhere around 20 in other threads? Out of multiple millions of units sold?[www.theverge.com]

Publicado originalmente por Kage Goomba:

I have an LG V60 with a unique adapter - same story - different product.
Every other adapter won't ever compare to the factory version and its speeds.
I'm sure I could find one..eventually - but its a normal thing to encounter in industry.

V60 comes with QC 4.0 adapter. There is no magic or uniqueness. Even the steam deck charger should charge it quite quickly.

Publicado originalmente por Kage Goomba:

Also - USB C isn't exactly "equal" among all other USB C's.

Case and point - Thunderbolt.

Indeed, USB-C is just a connector, and there are countless ways to use it. It definitely can be confusing for a novice consumer.

[omicronpersei8]

Publicado originalmente por Kage Goomba:

Publicado originalmente por Jenaverse:

Can you post link to information that Steam Deck power supply is proprietary? I do not remember reading this anywhere, like ever. Because Valve even says no one has to use their SD docks and third party hubs can support it (data+charge).

I know right now with release of oleds and os update, the use of usb c acts up for some users.

Don't need to.
Its unique to it self - The Steam Deck charges very quickly.
Deduction does the rest.
Happy to be corrected - but its kind of obvious when everyone is going "Why does my Steam Deck charge so slowly with this 3rd Party adapter?"

I have an LG V60 with a unique adapter - same story - different product.
Every other adapter won't ever compare to the factory version and its speeds.
I'm sure I could find one..eventually - but its a normal thing to encounter in industry.

Also - USB C isn't exactly "equal" among all other USB C's.

Case and point - Thunderbolt.

Your arguments do not make sense. The steam deck is not using anything proprietary to charge and Valve has not shared any information stating such. That's the entire point about PD, that many chargers are inter-operable.
It charges at around 41W and will do so with any charger that meets the required PD spec as I since demonstrated.

Thunderbolt is a data standard that operates over a USB C cable. This is not related to charging or PD power transfer specs.

Answering an earlier question, the power meter I was using just notes PD or not PD on the screen, so it appears some of the chargers were not of a compatible PD version for the Deck.

[Kage Goomba]

Publicado originalmente por omicronpersei8:

Publicado originalmente por Kage Goomba:

Don't need to.
Its unique to it self - The Steam Deck charges very quickly.
Deduction does the rest.
Happy to be corrected - but its kind of obvious when everyone is going "Why does my Steam Deck charge so slowly with this 3rd Party adapter?"

I have an LG V60 with a unique adapter - same story - different product.
Every other adapter won't ever compare to the factory version and its speeds.
I'm sure I could find one..eventually - but its a normal thing to encounter in industry.

Also - USB C isn't exactly "equal" among all other USB C's.

Case and point - Thunderbolt.

Your arguments do not make sense. The steam deck is not using anything proprietary to charge. That's the entire point about PD, that many chargers are inter-operable.
It charges at around 41W and will do so with any charger that meets the required PD spec as I since demonstrated.

Thunderbolt is a data standard that uses a USB C cable. This is not related to charging or PD power transfer specs.

Answering an earlier question, the power meter I was using just notes PD or not PD on the screen, so it appears some of the chargers were not of a compatible PD version for the Deck.

You realize that you just defeated your own argument.
Compatibility means something is in the way.
That indicates something unique.
May want to think on that.

Not that its a big of a deal - but your words - not mine.

[Jenaverse]

My condolences.

But to stay on topic, I’d say throwing the words “proprietary power supply” around can cause yet another consumer panic with the oled, hence why documentation link is preferred at least by me.

Also not all oem can be trusted as evidence of my statement above with Meta’s Quest 3 elite battery strap.

[omicronpersei8]

Publicado originalmente por Kage Goomba:

You realize that you just defeated your own argument.
Compatibility means something is in the way.
That indicates something unique.
May want to think on that.

Not that its a big of a deal - but your words - not mine.

What? Your argument is that "Yet it's not beyond reason that Valve would use a Proprietary tech (Apple anyone?) in terms of HOW the Steamdeck is charged."

I said that is simply not the case. I even proved it with the further testing that showed several chargers charge it equally as the Valve charger.

The Valve charger is not proprietary. It's also only $25 for a replacement.
The charger product page even states "45W USB-C power supply with "Power Delivery 3.0" (PD3.0) specification and a 57 inch (144 cm) cord." I.e. industry standard and not proprietary.

[Kage Goomba]

Publicado originalmente por Jenaverse:

My condolences.

But to stay on topic, I’d say throwing the words “proprietary power supply” around can cause yet another consumer panic with the oled, hence why documentation link is preferred at least by me.

Also not all oem can be trusted as evidence of my statement above with Meta’s Quest 3 elite battery strap.

Apparently folks also have trouble not reading/overthinking - I give up. (Not aimed at you)