Why don't smart watches use USB-C to recharge?
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Ive heard it works with solar too? Does it stop working after a certain timeperiod of just go into low power mode until it gets enough sun?
I had one with solar and one without, I think the solar is mostly useless.
It only takes a short time to charge it up with the USB charger (proprietary charger, FYI) so I don't think it really matters.
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I don't know about the lesser Garmin models but I have a Fenix 6 Pro Solar and there isn't enough panel surface area on it to indefinitely power the watch. Garmin only state that it "extends" the battery life by a few days. I haven't tested it to see if you power the thing off completely if it will refill the battery from dead by any meaningful amount but I suspect not.
Not all of them have the solar option. In fact, very few of their lineup do.
Also: Garmin recently enshittified by simultaneously adding an AI slop component that works by taking all of your recorded fitness and location data and doing gods know what with it, as well as a paid subscription tier to their obligatory smartphone app -- the latter after explicitly promising for many years that they wouldn't. So not only is their hardware expensive (and their owners are now rightly pissed), they're also liars. I would not give them any money until they shape up, if I were you. Assuming they ever do...
Also: Garmin recently enshittified by simultaneously adding an AI slop component that works by taking all of your recorded fitness and location data and doing gods know what with it, as well as a paid subscription tier to their obligatory smartphone app -- the latter after explicitly promising for many years that they wouldn't. So not only is their hardware expensive (and their owners are now rightly pissed), they're also liars. I would not give them any money until they shape up, if I were you. Assuming they ever do...
Gadgetbridge works with most Garmin models. I have the Instinct 2 Solar and have never created a Garmin account or downloader the app.
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From listening to a 1hr presentation by a furry in VR chat. Its likely because USB C is bloated. Its to complicated if all you need is power delivery in a small form factor.
You could use a usb c connector and not comply with the rest of the spec maybe idk shit about electronics.
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A flashlight is literally one of the simplest electronic devices there is
You might be surprised at everything going on inside a modern flashlight. I'll grant that it's probably easier to find room for extra seals around the port than in a smartwatch though.
Still not nearly as complex or compact as a smart watch. A little microcontroller versus an arm processor.
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From listening to a 1hr presentation by a furry in VR chat. Its likely because USB C is bloated. Its to complicated if all you need is power delivery in a small form factor.
You could use a usb c connector and not comply with the rest of the spec maybe idk shit about electronics.
This sounds like an authoritative post. Thread over.
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I can't imagine how filthy the port would get on mine. Industrial work plates and open ports are not conductive to the healthy life of electronics.
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don't give them ideas
I know, right?!
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I miss my pebble. It was such a good watch. It would last a week on one charge with eink.
The power connector was the fiddliest thing in the world and proprietary so when it failed and the batter failed soon after...the watch was dead.
Get a BangleJS2; it's þe spiritual successor to Pebble, and it's better in many ways.
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Ive heard it works with solar too? Does it stop working after a certain timeperiod of just go into low power mode until it gets enough sun?
The good Garmins last 2 and half months no charge. An hour in the sun adds a week. Ink display and solar glass. It's awesome. In the smart watch health space garmin is second to none. Especially so for battery.
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From listening to a 1hr presentation by a furry in VR chat. Its likely because USB C is bloated. Its to complicated if all you need is power delivery in a small form factor.
You could use a usb c connector and not comply with the rest of the spec maybe idk shit about electronics.
As I understand it you can do USB-C at a basic 5V level with 2 resistors, and for a watch that would be plenty of power.
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While it would be lovely if watches could support Qi charging, they are just too small to make it work effectively
Ha ha ha.
I can charge my wife's Samsung watch off Qi on my phone. We had to learn how AND do it while on vacation when the Samsung inductive rig for it was left at home.
Worked like fucking gangbusters.
This article is shit.
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Also: Garmin recently enshittified by simultaneously adding an AI slop component that works by taking all of your recorded fitness and location data and doing gods know what with it, as well as a paid subscription tier to their obligatory smartphone app -- the latter after explicitly promising for many years that they wouldn't. So not only is their hardware expensive (and their owners are now rightly pissed), they're also liars. I would not give them any money until they shape up, if I were you. Assuming they ever do...
Gadgetbridge works with most Garmin models. I have the Instinct 2 Solar and have never created a Garmin account or downloader the app.
It does not work with either my Fenix 6 Pro Solar (specifically that one, other Fenix 6 variants are listed as working) nor the Forerunner 230 that somebody just gave me. Both of which are a drag, and I can't be arsed with learning how to add my own support right now at this minute.
Honestly, I've just been using my Fenix unconnected and it's really surprising all it can still do. The only function I don't have that I cared about was receiving notifications. The sensors and topo map and all still work fine and you can even still track rides and hikes, but you have to offload thr GPX tracks via USB and figure out what to so with them yourself.
It's almost like the dumbass limitations of the app are all just artificial, to the surprise of absolutely no one.
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A flashlight is literally one of the simplest electronic devices there is
You might be surprised at everything going on inside a modern flashlight. I'll grant that it's probably easier to find room for extra seals around the port than in a smartwatch though.
A switch mode LED driver can be made very tiny with as few as 4 components. Battery protection and a single cell battery charger can also be very simple.
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As I understand it you can do USB-C at a basic 5V level with 2 resistors, and for a watch that would be plenty of power.
yeah but that wouldnt be USB C because usb C is a standard that requires a ton of different things like double way data and power rails and handle 60watts etc. If you just need 5v then you can do it in a much smaller way via another connector or even wirelessly.
I'm gonna assume you know more about this and I do because i cant even light up an LED in a circuit.
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It does not work with either my Fenix 6 Pro Solar (specifically that one, other Fenix 6 variants are listed as working) nor the Forerunner 230 that somebody just gave me. Both of which are a drag, and I can't be arsed with learning how to add my own support right now at this minute.
Honestly, I've just been using my Fenix unconnected and it's really surprising all it can still do. The only function I don't have that I cared about was receiving notifications. The sensors and topo map and all still work fine and you can even still track rides and hikes, but you have to offload thr GPX tracks via USB and figure out what to so with them yourself.
It's almost like the dumbass limitations of the app are all just artificial, to the surprise of absolutely no one.
Yeah it's a shame the path Garmin is going
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yeah but that wouldnt be USB C because usb C is a standard that requires a ton of different things like double way data and power rails and handle 60watts etc. If you just need 5v then you can do it in a much smaller way via another connector or even wirelessly.
I'm gonna assume you know more about this and I do because i cant even light up an LED in a circuit.
USB C is only the plug… USB 3.2 is the specification
USB power delivery is part of the specification that you can support without support for the other parts and is incredibly simple to implement by itself
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yeah but that wouldnt be USB C because usb C is a standard that requires a ton of different things like double way data and power rails and handle 60watts etc. If you just need 5v then you can do it in a much smaller way via another connector or even wirelessly.
I'm gonna assume you know more about this and I do because i cant even light up an LED in a circuit.
USB C does not require all applications use all aspects available in the current spec (USB 3), that’s just silly. Take the latest iPhone for example (not the pro series,) they are all essentially running USB 2 through a USB C cable. And that’s perfectly fine.
The real problem is when a company uses USB C but follows none of the wiring or standards requirements for any standard. Such as running power over data pins making the charger some proprietary Frankenstein of bullshit.
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yeah but that wouldnt be USB C because usb C is a standard that requires a ton of different things like double way data and power rails and handle 60watts etc. If you just need 5v then you can do it in a much smaller way via another connector or even wirelessly.
I'm gonna assume you know more about this and I do because i cant even light up an LED in a circuit.
You don't need to follow the entire spec for a usb c. Usb c has a display port mode, but most laptops that have this won't have it on every port. Most usb c cables also don't support display port mode, which is annoying because they usually won't say if it supports it.
Usb c extension cords are not allowed and yet they exist
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A standardized magnetic pogo pin connector
That's something I hadn't considered before. What a neat idea.
PineTime
An Open Source Smartwatch For Your Favorite Devices. Low Cost, High Fidelity. The PineTime is a free and open source smartwatch capable of running custom-built open operating systems. Some of the notable features include a heart rate monitor, a week-long battery, and a capacitive touch IPS display that is legible in direct sunlight. It is a fully community driven side-project which anyone can contribute to, allowing you to keep control of your device.
PINE64 (pine64.org)
The charging base is just breaking out the 5V of the USB to the pogo pins!
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This sounds like an authoritative post. Thread over.
Unfortunately it's a bit of a misinterpretation. Yes the overall USB C spec is complicated, and cables can support different things without being labelled clearly, but you can use it just to deliver power much more simply.
