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Adding a MagSafe USB connector to the Oculus GO

LZoltowski
Champion
Why did I not think of that! I saw these cables being reviewed a while back, its a pretty neat solution.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LFHu3HMTBck
Core i7-7700k @ 4.9 Ghz | 32 GB DDR4 Corsair Vengeance @ 3000Mhz | 2x 1TB Samsung Evo | 2x 4GB WD Black
ASUS MAXIMUS IX HERO | MSI AERO GTX 1080 OC @ 2000Mhz | Corsair Carbide Series 400C White (RGB FTW!) 

Be kind to one another 🙂
18 REPLIES 18

Anonymous
Not applicable
I've already ordered three of the the straight ones and a set of the adapters (they don't have the cords just the ends). I'm not so sure about using while charging and although there are a range of opinions, the Go user manual warns against it. 

RickyJack
Honored Guest


I've already ordered three of the the straight ones and a set of the adapters (they don't have the cords just the ends). I'm not so sure about using while charging and although there are a range of opinions, the Go user manual warns against it. 


Also, not sure about charging while using. Too many instances of devices catching fire because of battery charging issues. Wonder if this is why the manual says not to do it.

Osoroshii
Explorer
From what I've read charging on a battery backup is ok but do not plug it in the wall and play while charging.

Anonymous
Not applicable

Osoroshii said:

From what I've read charging on a battery backup is ok but do not plug it in the wall and play while charging.


As far as I know there isn't a functional difference between the two. In both cases you are sending a current of electrons into the Go at ~5 volts. In fact depending upon the choice of battery backup device and AC adapter the battery backup device may be able to provide more current than the AC adapter. The Go will draw as much current as its charging circuitry allows. However, the issue may be in the fact that when you are charging the Go at the same time as you are using it, the current draw may be greater than the charging circuitry was designed to handle. This is all speculative and all I know for sure is that the Go documentation advises against charging at the same time as using.

desiv
Expert Protege



Osoroshii said:

From what I've read charging on a battery backup is ok but do not plug it in the wall and play while charging.


As far as I know here isn't a functional difference between the two.


Mostly.  It's not the Volts, it's the Amps..  😉
Although don't use anything with more or less volts, that will be bad for the Go.  But Amps is basically "how much of those 5v can you pull over a period of time".
Most battery banks provide less amps for the Go (or other devices) to pull, so less heat.
A lower amperage wall plug would achieve the same thing.
(And it can get confusing if you look at the amp hours of the pack, which tells you how much capacity the pack holds, but not how fast or slow it can push that into the Go.)

Shadowmask72
Honored Visionary
I'll chime in my experiences here. I have used the GO quite often now whilst plugged in and charging which has allowed me to continue using (browsing internet, viewing videos such as Youtube) but also topping up the battery at the same time - unplugging once reaching 99%.  This is a low power usage scenario compared to playing a VR game and having it plugged in and powering/charging at the same time. I think there is no distinction being made between the various states of use hence why there is a blanket "not recommended to be plugged in whilst in use".


System Specs: MSI NVIDIA RTX 4090 , i5 13700K CPU, 32GB DDR 4 RAM, Win 11 64 Bit OS.

LZoltowski
Champion


I'll chime in my experiences here. I have used the GO quite often now whilst plugged in and charging which has allowed me to continue using (browsing internet, viewing videos such as Youtube) but also topping up the battery at the same time - unplugging once reaching 99%.  This is a low power usage scenario compared to playing a VR game and having it plugged in and powering/charging at the same time. I think there is no distinction being made between the various states of use hence why there is a blanket "not recommended to be plugged in whilst in use".

Yeah I used it on a plane to watch videos and play Pet Lab, using a power brick, did not get warm at all.
Core i7-7700k @ 4.9 Ghz | 32 GB DDR4 Corsair Vengeance @ 3000Mhz | 2x 1TB Samsung Evo | 2x 4GB WD Black
ASUS MAXIMUS IX HERO | MSI AERO GTX 1080 OC @ 2000Mhz | Corsair Carbide Series 400C White (RGB FTW!) 

Be kind to one another 🙂

Anonymous
Not applicable

desiv said:




Osoroshii said:

From what I've read charging on a battery backup is ok but do not plug it in the wall and play while charging.


As far as I know here isn't a functional difference between the two.


Mostly.  It's not the Volts, it's the Amps..  😉
Although don't use anything with more or less volts, that will be bad for the Go.  But Amps is basically "how much of those 5v can you pull over a period of time".
Most battery banks provide less amps for the Go (or other devices) to pull, so less heat.
A lower amperage wall plug would achieve the same thing.
(And it can get confusing if you look at the amp hours of the pack, which tells you how much capacity the pack holds, but not how fast or slow it can push that into the Go.)


All of the battery backups that I use have the current providing capacity of the individual ports defined as well as the overall capacity of the battery pack. Port out capacity is often defined in terms of watts ie rated voltage (V) x rated current (A) = watts (w). It is also the case that on multi-port battery packs not all of the ports have the same current providing capacity. For example an Anker battery pack that I have with an overall capacity of 20800 mAh with 3 output ports, has two ports that can provide 2.1 Amps at 5 volts (10.5 watts) and 1 Amp at 5 volts (5 watts) on the third. Generally speaking the "push" is determined by the voltage and a given port's ability to maintain that voltage at a given current providing capacity. When a port is called upon to deliver more current than it is designed to provide the voltage will drop. If this drop is large enough the device under power may crash or perform an orderly shut down depending upon its design.

However, the issue as I see it with the Go is that the charging circuitry attached to the USB port is designed to charge the battery to a certain voltage at a certain rate that will insure that the battery isn't over charged. It likely has a certain amount of intelligence to be able to perform this function over the life of the battery as the capacity declines through repeated charge discharge cycles. When the Go is in active use another variable comes into play. Not only is the charger circuitry providing charge to the battery at a specified voltage it may be providing a greater than designed charge to the other electronics components. This additional demand upon the charger circuitry may over time cause an accelerated failure rate as well as having an indeterminate effect on the battery because the charger may be being asked to operate outside of its design parameters. Again, this is all speculative and all I know for sure is that the Go documentation advises against charging at the same time as using.

desiv
Expert Protege

voxelmaniam said:  For example an Anker battery pack that I have with an overall capacity of 20800 mAh with 3 output ports, has two ports that can provide 2.1 Amps at 5 volts (10.5 watts) and 1 Amp at 5 volts (5 watts) on the third.


Trying to keep it simple, with that powerful a battery bank, you can provide as much power to the device with that bank as the included adapter.  2.1 amps on those 2 plugs.
So if the device can overheat (and there have been reports of people having their device shutdown because of heat) using the power adapter, you could theoretically have the same thing happen using that power bank if you are plugged into the 2.1A plugs.
Although if you plug into the 1A plug, the Go won't be able to pull as much and there should be much less heat in the unit.  It also won't necessarily provide enough power to run it and charge the battery much if at all at the same time, but that probably isn't an issue really.  Personally, in that situation, I'd generally use the 1A plug in that situation for my Go.
As the events when the device overheats and shuts down (which is a safety feature to protect the device, so there shouldn't be any "risk" to the device) seem to pretty rare, I would imagine that it is a combination of extended use with a high amperage source AND you are doing something fairly taxing on the device (it is running all out) and possibly it is also a hot climate, so heat dissipation is less effective.
In general, judging by the larger number of people who report using the device while plugged in without major issue, I would imagine the combination of things needed for the device to get "too hot" aren't common.  And in that event, the device shuts down.
I would be cautious of any charging with any device that provides under voltage tho.  A tiny bit under is fine, but lower or higher voltages can kill electronics.  Browns or spikes are not friends of electronics.
Lower amperage could be too low to get you a charge, and higher amperage is just extra power that you won't use.  Neither is a risk to the device.