USB cable with magnetic connector. Why magnetic cables for smartphones are dangerous and useful. Magnetic cable in action

Hi all.

The parcel was sent with a full track, so all the information about its movement from China to Belarus can be viewed.

The first thing that surprised me after I opened the parcel was that there were two bags inside. At first I thought that I was lucky and that instead of one cable I would get two at once, but that was not the case. As it turned out, the cable comes in a separate original bag, which is the original packaging, and the connector that connects to the device being charged is in a separate one.


The seller has in stock the 3 most popular types of connectors: for Apple devices, microUSB and USB type C. If desired, the cable can be purchased together with the required connector, or you can also purchase connectors separately from the cable (just as you can buy a cable separately from the connectors).

The contents of the bags are as follows:


The cable length is 1 meter - like most standard cables. The braid is made of woven fabric (threads), which makes it soft and flexible. It curls any way you want without any problems. Like on a full-fledged USB connector, and on the “base” of the microUSB connector there is an inscription with the name of the manufacturer.


The font is a little crooked, but overall there are no complaints about the quality of the cable. There are also no complaints about the quality of the connector. The magnet is installed in the part of the connector located on the cable, so this section constantly wants to stick to a wide variety of metal things. If you carry it in your bag with keys or something similar, you will have to tear it off constantly.

Nothing interesting in appearance there is no place to connect the connector to the cable - a copper core framed by a magnet:


The connector itself looks exactly the same:


In principle, there is nothing more interesting in the appearance of the cable, which means you can move on to the most interesting thing - checking its functionality.

To be honest, I thought for a long time what the word “LED” in the name of the lot meant. So, after connecting the cable to charging, I understood. It turns out he can glow. And it does it in bright blue.


The connector lights up constantly, regardless of whether the connector with the charging device is connected to it. In my opinion, it would be better to make this glow an indicator. I connected the device - it lights up, unplugged it - the light goes out.

The connector itself does not stand out much against the background of the connected device. Even in the case of mobile phone It doesn't look very critical. Using the example of Xiaomi Remi 4X, it looks something like this:


Due to the fact that the magnet in the cable is quite powerful, there is no need to aim the cable at the connector. The cable itself clings perfectly to the connector; you just need to bring it to it at a distance of 0.5-1 centimeter. Once the cable and connector are magnetized to each other, the charging process begins. What interested me most was what characteristics this cable had in terms of current transmission. What is it capable of and is it very different from conventional cables? In order to check this, I used an adjustable load and a charger.

To be honest, the results obtained during the inspection surprised me:


As can be seen in the photo, the current transmitted through the cable was 2.73A. The maximum possible load would be 3A. Moreover, the difference is due not to the cable, but to the charger - its maximum current is limited to 2.75A. So the cable is not even bad. Not every ordinary specimen is able to show such characteristics.


The biggest disadvantage of this product is the inability to use it for data transfer. Cables of this design can only be used for charging and nothing more, which is logical, because by and large there are only 2 wires (plus and minus). Although personally, I don’t remember when I connected the phone to a PC to exchange data... But if you buy a couple of connectors, you can get by with one cable. This is especially true if you have to charge several devices with different connectors - you no longer have to look for the right cable. In addition, by inserting the connector into the same phone, you can leave it there forever, which will entail a significant increase in its resource. After all, most often the connectors mobile devices fail precisely because of them frequent use.

To sum up everything that was written here, I can say that I liked the cable and I don’t regret buying it. It copes with its functions perfectly. I ordered a couple more connectors in order to connect them to the phone of my wife and daughter, so that I could get rid of standard wires.

That's probably all. Thank you for your attention and your time.

Surely, each of our site visitors regularly encounters a situation where the charger cable does not insert into a smartphone or tablet the first time. What can I say, sometimes you have to turn the plug over a couple of times! Solves this problem, made in a symmetrical form. But for now, only top-end devices are equipped with it. What to do if you do not intend to change your phone in the near future? There is a solution: this is a magnetic cable!

Operating principle

This accessory looks like a regular wire that connects to a computer or charger. But it actually consists of two parts. The micro-USB plug is detached from the cord itself. According to the creators of such cables, it will be inserted into the smartphone on a permanent basis. This should not interfere in any way, because the plug protrudes only 1-2 mm beyond the device body. The rear platform of the connector is equipped with a magnet, which also has a cable end. As a result, connecting the wire to the gadget occurs instantly. The cord seems to be attracted to the smartphone!

Most of these accessories are equipped with magnets with a fairly strong effect. For example, when using Elough E04, you can safely pull the device by the connected wire - it will definitely not come unfastened. Moreover, this metal braided cable can easily support the weight of a phablet! However, in general, it all depends on the weight of the device. Of course, the magnetic connector may not withstand a 12-inch tablet.

Types of cables

When choosing a magnetic cord, pay attention to which devices it supports. iPhone requires a Lightning cable. And in the case of Android devices, not everything is clear. For example, Samsung smartphones usually use a slightly shorter micro-USB plug. In this case, you should select a magnetic charger for your phone, which includes products from a South Korean manufacturer among the supported devices. This must be indicated in technical specifications each cord.

A magnetic USB cable can also be supplied with several plugs of different lengths. In this case, the cord can be called universal - it will fit all smartphones. This will also allow you to connect the charger to different gadgets in turn.

Please note that you can buy another type of magnetic cable. It will not have a removable connector. Such a cord will have two ends magnetized - both connectors. This will allow you to attach them to each other, simplifying transportation - for example, the cable will definitely not get tangled in a backpack. The Baseus cord has this design.

Every customer is delighted with the magnetic cable. Using such a cord is good way stop envying owners of the latest gadgets with USB Type-C. Now you too will connect the charger to your smartphone in a fraction of a second!

The desire to get rid of wires led to the creation of wireless power transmission systems. The most popular AirFuel and Qi/PMA standards are already quite widely used in chargers for smartphones, laptops, etc. They allow you to create sealed solutions that do not require a specialized connector. However, they also have disadvantages, for example, significant power losses, increased cost and increased radiation levels. MagC wireless magnetic connectors from Magconn can become a budget-friendly and reliable analogue of wireless charging systems.

Rice. 1. MagC magnetic connectors from Magconn

AirFuel and Qi/PMA wireless power transfer systems are truly wireless, meaning your phone doesn't need to be mechanically connected to a charger to charge it. This eliminates the need for a power connector and greatly simplifies the task of sealing the case. No doubt similar wireless systems are very useful and promising. However, along with their advantages, they also have disadvantages: losses during energy transfer, increased RF noise, and increased complexity of circuitry.

On currently Although wireless power transfer systems are contactless, for charging, for example, cell phone it will have to be brought close to the charger. For this reason, Magconn engineers offer an alternative solution - MagC magnetic contact connectors.

The MagC connection consists of a pair of connectors: an RX receiver connector with ring contacts and a TX send connector with spring-loaded point contacts (Figure 2). RX connectors are flat and are usually installed on a mobile device (smartphone, laptop, etc.) as they do not have protruding parts and leave the surface of the case flat. Outwardly, they resemble ordinary 1-wire tablets (iButton, touch memory), but have a larger number of contacts. The TX connector is usually installed on the charger.

The RX and TX connectors are magnetic and attract each other. At the same time, thanks to the ring contacts, automatic positioning occurs, which allows you to connect the device quickly and almost blindly.

Rice. 2. MagC magnetic connectors have whole line benefits

Thus, the MagC connection has the following advantages:

• Wireless connection of a mobile device and charging station;
• Minimal losses during energy transfer, since the connection remains contact;
• No RF interference;
• Possibility of simple sealing of a mobile device with protection from dust and moisture;
• Easy to connect due to magnets and automatic positioning.

The number of pins depends on the MagC connector model. Some of them have only a couple of power contacts, others have contacts for data transfer, in particular for creating a USB channel.

SeriesM10 - the most compact and low-current connectors in the family. Their diameter is 13.6 mm. Models M10P (RX connector) have only power contacts, and the load current is 1.5 A (Fig. 3). M10D models have a pair of additional contacts for data transfer, and the load current is limited to 1 A. This is quite enough to create a standard USB channel.

Rice. 3. M10 magnetic connectors with load capacity up to 1.5 A

SeriesM21 differs from the M10 series in increased current load and increased diameter of 18.9 mm (Fig. 4). M21P models allow currents to pass up to 3 A and are used for power supply only. The M21D and M21O models have additional data pins and are limited to 2.1A.

Rice. 4. Magnetic connectors M21 with load up to 3 A

SeriesM100 used to power the most powerful consumers with a current of up to 10 A (for example, laptops). The series includes only M100P models without information contacts (Fig. 5).

Rice. 5. Magnetic connectors M100 with load up to 10 A

As mentioned above, RX type connectors are usually installed on mobile devices, and TX connectors are usually installed on charging stations. It is often convenient to have the TX connector located on the cable. In such cases, you can use ready-made solutions from Magconn (Fig. 6).

Rice. 6. Cables with magnetic connectors

The following three figures show examples of the use of MagC magnetic connectors in real devices. In Fig. 7 MagC connectors are used for charging and data exchange with a smartphone. In Fig. 8 similar task solved using a cable with a TX connector.

Rice. 7. Example of using MagC in stationary chargers

Rice. 8. Example of using MagC using a cable

As mentioned above, thanks to the ring contacts and magnets built into the MagC connectors, the mobile device can be connected to the charging station almost blindly. In addition, it can be freely rotated on the platform without interrupting charging or communication (Fig. 9).

Rice. 9. MagC connectors make connecting to a charger as easy as possible

According to developers from Magconn, using MagC connectors is half the cost of implementing wireless charging. At the same time, it is possible to increase reliability, minimize power losses and significantly simplify the circuit. Don't forget that MagC connectors allow you to get rid of cables and significantly simplify the task of sealing the case.

Although Magconn is focusing on using MagC for wireless charging of mobile devices, the company nevertheless points to the significant potential of connectors for IoT devices. bank cards, security systems, etc.

About a year ago, the Chinese, inspired by the magnetic power cable for a Mac laptop, created and launched USB charging and data exchange cables for devices with microUSB adapters (Android and various gadgets) and iPhone phones.

There are now almost a dozen types of cables that are incompatible with each other.
The advantages of such cables are obvious: ease of use.
There are also disadvantages: the gadget connector breaks, incompatibility between different cables.

I offer you reviews of some of the most interesting types of cables. Initially they are all good. In the process, after the test assessment, I gave them away to my friends. Reviews will be based on the number of cables.

So what are we going to evaluate?
1. Price including delivery.
2. Materials and workmanship.
3. Adapter type, dimensions, number of pins.
4. Let's estimate the strength of the magnet
5. Let’s estimate the maximum current that the cable can carry.
6. And finally, let's give a rating on a 5-point scale.

Go.

So, the first one in our review is the cheapest cable. I bought it for $.

But the Chinese raised the price

And now the cable with delivery costs $4.55.
I found the same one.

But let's move on to the cable itself.

It is made entirely of plastic, with the exception of wires and contacts, of course. To be honest, when ordering I did not expect very high-quality production.
However, despite the price, the cable is made very well.

The wires in the connectors are perfectly sealed. The materials are durable. When you squeeze the body of the connectors with your fingers, they do not bend. Maybe it’s not worth throwing it under a tank, but tanks don’t drive across my table.
The cable wire is tactilely very soft. But, nevertheless, using reasonable efforts in a knot, it will not be possible to tie it.

The connectors are neat, or almost neat.

In the adapter, when taking macro photography, the sealing of the internal lamella contacts is not very high-quality.

The adapter has 10 pins.

The mating part on the cable has 5 contacts located asymmetrically relative to the longitudinal axis.

No matter how you magnetize it, no matter how you twist it, it ensures normal charging. But the data transfer was a bummer. In one position the book was attached to the computer, but in the other - not at all. However, there is a drawback.

Here's another drawback: lack of connection indication

Magnet. What can I say about the magnet?
Magnet, bitch, strong.

Withstands weight e-book Kobo Glo in a case weighing 257 grams.

I have not yet assembled a stand for measuring current, I plan to do this for the next review and adjust the rating of the current
The white doctor shows the charge current that Kobo consumes as 0.7 A.

So what do we have?

Quality of materials - 5
Connector quality - 3
Connection symmetry during data transfer - 0
Connection symmetry during charging - 5
Magnet strength - 5
Charge current - 5 (preliminary)

Final score: 3.8

The next one will be a cable with metal connector housings in the middle price category. Let's see if it's worth paying more?

That's all for now, if I missed anything, write me and I'll add it to the review.