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Jake_11
Jake_11
Trending Lyricist I
October 22, 2019
Answered

What are people using for USB C charger for Sonos Move?

I asked this question over in the sonos reddit forum and others are having same issues so thought I would bring over here.

What are people using for their usb charger for the Sonos move? I attempted to use my MacBook pros charger but it didn’t work. I have the 60watt brick but from what I read it should be able to still work.

So then I read it might be the cord as they have chips in them and knowing Apple they locked their cord down. So I bought an anker power line 3.1 usb c cable and tried it with the MacBook brick again and it still didn’t work.

So before I keep buying and returning curious if anyone has had success with certain chargers with the move. Thanks!

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    Airgetlam
    AirgetlamAnswer
    October 24, 2019

    OK, I was too lazy to include it in my last post, but then I went and found it in the introduction post, straight from Sonos,  here:

    https://en.community.sonos.com/announcements-228985/introducing-sonos-move-brilliant-sound-anywhere-6829500

    Specifically this:

    Power and battery:
    Move’s battery will last for up to 10 hours of uninterrupted playback. If left off the charging base and unused, Move will automatically go into suspend mode to reserve battery for up to 5 days. The battery is rechargeable with an included indoor charging base or with any USB-C charger with the following output levels: 12V/3A, 15V/3A, or 20V/2.25A. After about three years, or 900 charges, Move’s battery can easily be replaced so you can keep listening for years to come.

    Bruce
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    AjTrek1
    AjTrek1
    October 27, 2019

    I’ve finished my testing of the 3rd party products below that I found suitable for use with the Sonos Move. 

    Click each Numbered Item to view a picture and other pertinent information regarding each. Rather than refer to each item by name I’ll identify each by its respective number.

    Disclaimer: None of the items listed are supported nor recommended by Sonos. They are presented solely by me for informational purposes only.     

    1. POWERADD 57W USB C Wall Charger with One Power Delivery 45W Port and 12W Ports
    2. Cable Matters USB C to USB C Charging Cable (USB C Charge Cable, USB C Power Cable, USB-C Charger Cable) with 100W Power Delivery in White 6.6 Feet
    3. Electop USB 3.1 Male to Type-C Female Adapter,USB A to USB C 3.1 GEN 2
    4. POWERADD PD 45W 26800mAh Portable Charger with 8-pin/USB C Inputs

    Items 1 and 2 are used together to charge the Move when use of the charging Ring is not practical. They will charge the Move in the same manner as the Ring with no noticeable difference.  All Move functionality remains the same.

    Items 2 and 3 are used together in order to make the connection via USB to item 4 to facilitate portable charging of the Move when no electrical outlet is available.

    Using Items 2, 3 and 4 (and item 4 at 100% capacity) to charge the Moves internal battery to 100% from 22% remaining charge takes approximately 3.5 hours (per my testing).

    The Move while connected to Item 4 functioned in the same manner as when on the charging Ring. It remained connected to Wi-Fi, Alexa voice assistant was present, operated in stereo pair (as I have two), was visible in the Sonos App as charging and showed battery strength progression.

    Leaving one Move on item 4 and the other Move on it’s charging Ring showed no difference in behavior or appearance in the Sonos App.

    All functions and/or limitations of the Move when using Item 4 and not connected to Wi-Fi were the same.

    As of this moment I have no empirical data but I would guesstimate that one could expect at minimum  an additional hour of uninterrupted use of the Move if starting at 22% remaining battery charge. Longer extended use should be expected if charging is begun at 50% depletion of the Move’s internal battery.  

    I hope this proves useful. Just some more Heavy Lifting done for you. :relaxed:

    Cheers!

    Together Everyone Achieves More = T.E.A.M.
      AjTrek1
      AjTrek1
      October 28, 2019

      Posted here again by mistake. Sorry:hushed:  

      Together Everyone Achieves More = T.E.A.M.
      Ryan S
      Ryan S
      Retired Sonos Staff
      October 28, 2019

      Thanks for the details list@AjTrek1! 

      @Jake_11, do you know which MacBook charger you have? Are you sure it’s the 61W one? Also, are you using the standard cord that comes with it, or another cord? That issue I mentioned with the MacBook chargers was identified during the testing Move before it launched, and we’re currently still looking into the problem. For that particular issue, unplugging the cable on both ends for a few minutes should fix it until it gets into that state again. We don’t have an official USB-C PD charger at this time, and don’t have a specific list of recommended ones. We’ve seen a lot that will work, and really any that meet these requirements should work:
       

      The power adapter must be USB-C PD. For 45W operation the PD source must put out either 20V/2.25A (or higher current) or 15V/3A (or higher current). For 36W operation the PD source must put out 12V/3A or 15V/2.4A and charging speed is reduced if listening to audio at the same time. Anything less than 36W will not power or charge Move.

       

      Mark good posts by pressing the like button, and select the best answer on questions you've asked to help others find solutions.
        Jake_11
        Jake_11Author
        Trending Lyricist I
        October 29, 2019

        Hi @Ryan S  - here are the pictures of the charger. I used the original apple USB-C cable that came with it and I also tried an Anker one as well.  Neither would charge. I would be happy to work with your team on this if needed to try and diagnosis to fix. Feel free to have them reach out to me. I will attempt to charge it again tonight. But as you can see this charger has 15V/3A listed as an output so in theory it should be working. 

         

         

         

         

        AjTrek1
        AjTrek1
        October 29, 2019

        Hi @Jake_11 

        This is just a guess. The power adapter shows 61W output. I’m not positive but the Apple adapter may not be “Smart”. Meaning it’s pushing 61W and not downgrading itself to the 45W push required by the Move. Typically (I would suspect although I didn't design the Move) the Move should recognize that a higher wattage device is being used and only draw what it needs. This appears not to be the case with either the charger or the Move. 

        Not trying to push you into spending money….but my post details the results with the products I use with my Move. I’m just saying….:slight_smile:

        Cheers!

        Together Everyone Achieves More = T.E.A.M.
        Jake_11
        Jake_11Author
        Trending Lyricist I
        October 29, 2019

        @AjTrek1 - thanks - I totally get it - I will be purchasing what you posted but if the Mac adapter is supposed to work I would love to get it working so I do not have to carry around extra chargers since I always have that one with me.  We will see what happens with it. Thankfully I don’t have much of a need for the portable charger in the next couple months so I have sometime to try and get this Apple one working. 

        Ryan S
        Ryan S
        Retired Sonos Staff
        October 29, 2019

        Hey Jake, from what I can tell, that charger should work. Make sure that you’ve updated the software on your Move to the latest build. That issue I mentioned above should be resolved with the Sonos software version 10.5.

        Mark good posts by pressing the like button, and select the best answer on questions you've asked to help others find solutions.
          bblaauw
          Trending Lyricist I
          December 12, 2019

          I’ve finished my testing of the 3rd party products below that I found suitable for use with the Sonos Move. 

          Click each Numbered Item to view a picture and other pertinent information regarding each. Rather than refer to each item by name I’ll identify each by its respective number.

          Disclaimer: None of the items listed are supported nor recommended by Sonos. They are presented solely by me for informational purposes only.     

          1. POWERADD 57W USB C Wall Charger with One Power Delivery 45W Port and 12W Ports
          2. Cable Matters USB C to USB C Charging Cable (USB C Charge Cable, USB C Power Cable, USB-C Charger Cable) with 100W Power Delivery in White 6.6 Feet
          3. Electop USB 3.1 Male to Type-C Female Adapter,USB A to USB C 3.1 GEN 2
          4. POWERADD PD 45W 26800mAh Portable Charger with 8-pin/USB C Inputs

          Items 1 and 2 are used together to charge the Move when use of the charging Ring is not practical. They will charge the Move in the same manner as the Ring with no noticeable difference.  All Move functionality remains the same.

          Items 2 and 3 are used together in order to make the connection via USB to item 4 to facilitate portable charging of the Move when no electrical outlet is available.

          Using Items 2, 3 and 4 (and item 4 at 100% capacity) to charge the Moves internal battery to 100% from 22% remaining charge takes approximately 3.5 hours (per my testing).

          The Move while connected to Item 4 functioned in the same manner as when on the charging Ring. It remained connected to Wi-Fi, Alexa voice assistant was present, operated in stereo pair (as I have two), was visible in the Sonos App as charging and showed battery strength progression.

          Leaving one Move on item 4 and the other Move on it’s charging Ring showed no difference in behavior or appearance in the Sonos App.

          All functions and/or limitations of the Move when using Item 4 and not connected to Wi-Fi were the same.

          As of this moment I have no empirical data but I would guesstimate that one could expect at minimum  an additional hour of uninterrupted use of the Move if starting at 22% remaining battery charge. Longer extended use should be expected if charging is begun at 50% depletion of the Move’s internal battery.  

          I hope this proves useful. Just some more Heavy Lifting done for you. :relaxed:

          Cheers!

          Hi AjTrek1.  Item4 has a USB-C PD 45w Output.  I cant fathom from the info why Item 3 is needed to connect item 2 to Item 4.  I’m sorry if Im missing something really obvious.  As best I can work out Item 2 can plug directly into Item 4 and the other end of Item 2 goes into the Move.  Thanks for your advise even after all the heavy lifting so far.  Cheers Bob

          AjTrek1
          AjTrek1
          December 12, 2019

          @bblaauw 

          The USB-C port on item 4 is Output to supply DC power to the Move after it’s internal battery is drained and there is no electrical outlet. Items 2 and 3 are used to recharge item 4 using item 1 after item 4’s charge is depleted. Got it! :thinking::grinning:

          Cheers!

          Together Everyone Achieves More = T.E.A.M.
            bblaauw
            Trending Lyricist I
            December 12, 2019

            @AjTrek1 

            Perfectly clear.  I hadn't thought through that you might be indicating hardware for recharging Item 4.  Thanks for taking the time to clarify.  Much appreciated.  I just wanted to be sure I wasn't missing something wrt to supplying power to the Move. Cheers :zipper_mouth:

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