Is it true that a long USB cable can affect charging speed? The short answer is yes, although there are several factors to consider.We will analyze these factors and in this way, we can choose a long USB cable and use it normally.
Every day we charge, even if it is a device and for this we generally use a USB cable. Although one of the great doubts that is always generated at some point is whether the length of a USB cable affects charging Is it slower? We will answer this question below.
Does the length of a USB cable affect charging?
The length of a USB cable can affect the amount of power delivered from one end to the other, but there are a few things to consider. Apart from this, we cannot simply say that using a long USB cable will give us a slower charging speed or that the charging will be faster due to using a short one. Before this, we need to consider why cable length is important.
When electric current passes through a wire, it does not do so in a “free” way. In reality, the current meets resistance in the wire, causing a loss of power. This causes the voltage to drop when the current reaches its destination.
The resistance between two points depends on different factors, so not only the length of the cable will influence it, but also the cross-sectional area, temperature and material that the cable is made of.
The longer the wire, the more resistance the electrical current will experience. This means that a one meter cable will have less resistance than one twice as long. The resistance of a wire increases with increasing temperature. Therefore, if we are charging a device and the temperature is too high, the resistance is also going to be high, much more than when the temperature is low.
However, the resistance is inversely proportional to the cross-sectional area. This means that the thicker the wire, the less resistance the current will have. Although if the wire is thinner, the resistance is going to be higher. For example, in the United States, the thickness of cables is measured in gauge, the lower the gauge, the thicker the cable and vice versa. This means that lower gauge wires will have a lower resistance, while higher gauge wires have a high resistance.
The electrical resistance also depends on the material from which the cable is made. In the case of silver, it has less resistance, followed by copper, gold and aluminum. USB cables generally use copper, because it is cheaper than the rest, although copper alloys are also used to increase physical resistance.
So yes, the length of the USB cable is important when it comes to charging speed. Although is the voltage drop really that significant for manufacturers to take into account?
Does a longer USB cable take longer to charge?
We already know that the longer the cable, the more we will suffer a drop in voltage. However, there are several factors that can affect it. Caliber is one of these factors. Actually, the temperature and material are not really important.
Bearing in mind that voltage drop is a reality, USB cable manufacturers take this into consideration and use low gauge cables for lengths to reduce electrical resistance. Although if the manufacturer doesn’t do this, we’ll see a significant drop in voltage on longer cables, which will end up with slower charging. Alternative brands generally try to save money and make use of heavier gauge wire on longer cables.
