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

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S
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I am not able to charge with the Apple 85W MacBook Pro charger either.  I believe there is something particular about the Apple Charger SONOS Move.  It is really stupid though, because I can use the same Apple Charger to charger any USB-C PC laptop (Dell, Lenovo, HP), Android phones, OTHER portable speakers, portable batteries, iPads (ones with USB-C).   It’s hard to imagine nobody in SONOS testing team has access to an Apple charger (can’t they just walk a Move speaker over to marketing?). 

 

The following chargers have worked well for me, and I use all of these with my Move on a regular basis:

 

DELL 65W USB-C Charger (US AC Adapter). This came with a recent Dell Latitude laptop

Lenovo 65W USB-C Charger (US AC Adapter). This came with a 2019 Yogi 9i 14”

(Both of the above charger ship with a variety of models for DELL or Lenovo)

Lenovo 65W USB-C DC Travel Adapter (which buy the way is the best high-power automotive charger I have ever used). (Lenovo Part Number: 40AK0065WW).  If you have a variety of USB-C things and spend time in cars, get this.

Baseus 65W GaN3 USB C AC Charger with USB-C, USB-A and two AC outlets (Amazon ASIN: B09HBJ1Z96)  This charger works with my MacBook, Yoga, iPad and Android phone (not all the same time).  It will reliably charge and run the SONOS MOVE.

Y

Unable to charge with MacBook charger 61W. That is unacceptable.

Airgetlam

I’d agree, it does seem out of the realm of possibility. Have you tried to call Sonos Support directly to discuss it?

Bruce
Ken_Griffiths

Unable to charge with MacBook charger 61W. That is unacceptable.

I would check that the charger supports USB ‘Power Delivery’ (Power Direct) v2 or v3 and has the following 45w power-output at either 20v x 2.25A -or- 15v x 3A. There are some lesser 36w PD chargers that may work too at 12v x 3A, but will be slower (obviously).

1 Attachment
N

I purchased the Sonos c cable from Sonos directly, it works on my roam and no matter what USB adapter I use it will not power my Move. I have also tried other cables and USB outlets and the Move will not charge using C port. the move is brand new too. I am at my wits end trying to get it to do this basic thing and have read so many posts here that my head is spinning but still no luck.  Why can Sonos not just supply a suitable cable for this device and why is it different from their other portable units?

Airgetlam

It’s not a cable issue, it’s what the cable is plugged in to. Well, I suppose it’s possible to have a faulty cable, but what we’re all referring to in this thread is the power of the device plugged in to the wall that the USB C cable is plugged in to. 
 

If you think you may have a faulty USB C cable, feel free to try another one from somewhere else. While the chances are slim that the cable is faulty, they are by no means zero. 

Bruce
Ken_Griffiths

I purchased the Sonos c cable from Sonos directly, it works on my roam and no matter what USB adapter I use it will not power my Move. I have also tried other cables and USB outlets and the Move will not charge using C port. the move is brand new too. I am at my wits end trying to get it to do this basic thing and have read so many posts here that my head is spinning but still no luck.  Why can Sonos not just supply a suitable cable for this device and why is it different from their other portable units?

If it may perhaps help, I purchased this adapter and it ‘happily’ charges both the Move and Roam speakers…

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B08CVFMGL1

N

For anyone finding this thread years later (April '23), this 12V car charger from Amazon is working. I confirmed in Sonos app that the Move is charging. 

WOTOBEUS 120W USB C Car Charger Adapter

Model SC-002CCA/PD-209PT

https://www.amazon.com/Charger-WOTOBEUS-Charging-Cigarette-S21Ultra/dp/B09GJTF54Z

S
Badge

I have a Sonos Move (1st Generation) and I have perfect success charging it with the following adapters:

  • Dell 65 W Laptop USB-C Charger (ASIN: ‎B09GHV6G55)
  • Satechi 108W USB C PD Desktop Charger (ASIN: B082TL2J9D )
  • Satechi 165W USB C 4-Port PD GaN Charger (ASIN: B09PMDZWZ6)

If you have a PC laptop, try it’s USB-C power supply. Check that the power is 65W or more.  The Satechi or similar solutions are great for travel or coffee shop.

 

DELL USB-C Power Brick

 

Satechi USB-C 4-port Power Supply:

 

Jake_11
Userlevel 2
Badge +1

Great - thank you! Does it play music and charge at the same time with these? 

Airgetlam

I’m delighted you tried all of those devices. Did you confirm that those devices match the requirements, as suggested in Ken_Griffith’s post above?

How (and even why)  would Sonos block a charger from working, assuming it meets the electrical requirements? I’m not aware that there’s anything beyond voltage and amperage being carried here. Is there other data that I’m not aware of?

Bruce
Airgetlam

And, the other possibility is that your particular Move might be faulty. While unlikely, it seems very odd that all of those devices wouldn’t work. I’d love to know the various amperage and voltages for all of them, but I’d think at least one would match.

It might be worth collating that data and then calling Sonos Support directly to discuss it.

I suggest the phone folks, they have more tools available because they're on the phone with you, but they are only available Monday through Friday during business hours. Both the Twitter and Facebook support folks are available 24/7.

I’m in no way suggesting that you’re incorrect, or that you haven’t tried all of those various chargers. Just trying to figure out why one wouldn’t work. Ryan S from Sonos has indicated in other threads (and I’m too lazy to go look) that there’s nothing “special” about the Sonos charger itself.

 

Bruce
Airgetlam

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
Jake_11
Userlevel 2
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I’m sure I read somewhere that USB-C charger for the 'Move' needs to output at any of these three levels: 12V/3A, 15V/3A, or 20V/2.25A. 

Presumably the last two will charge a little quicker at 45w.

Thanks for sharing everyone! These specs are correct from Ken.

 

The power adapter must be USB 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.
 

As a data point regarding Macbook chargers, I just tested this out with my Move and a Macbook charging cable and it was charging just fine. We’ve also tested several chargers in the office that worked out well too. The app shows charging within a few seconds of being plugged in, and the LED lights up on the unit indicating the charge is connected (for a few seconds).

 

This is with the USA power block with 110 connected, but it should still work for 220 with other regions.

 

One thing that we’ve seen with power ports that have multiple plugs is that the manufacturer may sum up the total of each of the outputs, so you could have a USB-C that supplies 30W and the USB-A that supplies 19.5W, but the box may market it as 49W. In this case, the Move would only be getting 30W, which wouldn’t be enough to charge it.

Thanks for this - I will try my macbook pro charger again when I get home tonight but I assure you it did not work before even though it shows 15v/3A on the power brick. I assume it being 61w doesn’t matter correct? The move would only draw the 45w max right? This all being said I did return my first Move because the battery life on it was not even close to 10 hours.  (3.5 hours on 75% volume, I realize the 10 hours is at 50% volume so I expected at least 5 hours at 75%).  Anyways maybe my unit had other faults too and so will try with my new one later. 

Ryan S
Userlevel 7
Badge +26

Correct, no problem with the 61W on that connection. If you do run into any issues with a Macbook charger, you may have to unplug the whole charger from the wall and from the Move, then wait about a minute, and plug it back in on both sides. We’re looking into a specific issue here that has come up rarely in testing.

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
Userlevel 2
Badge +1

Correct, no problem with the 61W on that connection. If you do run into any issues with a Macbook charger, you may have to unplug the whole charger from the wall and from the Move, then wait about a minute, and plug it back in on both sides. We’re looking into a specific issue here that has come up rarely in testing.

Thanks Ryan - I will also report back. Y’all are welcome to my diagnostic stuff too, if needed, I can send if that would help if it does not work. 

Ryan S
Userlevel 7
Badge +26

You had some excellent recommendations AjTrek1 :) Don’t feel left out!

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
Userlevel 2
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Boo Hoo :disappointed_relieved: ...I feel so unappreciated. I posted the information regarding 3rd party charger requirements in this thread and over a month ago in the announcement post right here. That’s the last time I’ll do the heavy lifting if I’m just going to be ignored. Double Boo Hoo :disappointed_relieved::disappointed_relieved:   LOL 

Sorry! Thank you for posting that - I was going to buy the charger actually but now that they are saying the Macbook charger should work I am going to try that again! Appreciate your help but if I can not carry any extra chargers around I would prefer that haha! 

H
Userlevel 2

And, the other possibility is that your particular Move might be faulty. While unlikely, it seems very odd that all of those devices wouldn’t work. I’d love to know the various amperage and voltages for all of them, but I’d think at least one would match.

It might be worth collating that data and then calling Sonos Support directly to discuss it.

I suggest the phone folks, they have more tools available because they're on the phone with you, but they are only available Monday through Friday during business hours. Both the Twitter and Facebook support folks are available 24/7.

I’m in no way suggesting that you’re incorrect, or that you haven’t tried all of those various chargers. Just trying to figure out why one wouldn’t work. Ryan S from Sonos has indicated in other threads (and I’m too lazy to go look) that there’s nothing “special” about the Sonos charger itself.

 

Thanks guys. I will check out the specs but the majority of the wall chargers (forget the battery packs for now) are only giving out 30w on the USB-C - which I’d assume is NOT sufficient? I only had USB-C to USB-c on my travels (I only have either Macs or iPhones with me - so only need lightning/USB-C devices).

 

However the Mac 61w should work - so that’s odd.

I’ll re-check in the morning and see what comes out. Sadly the move went dead after a couple of days - so I couldn’t then use the app to see what else worked - as a dead Move won’t show in the bluetooth setup screen of course. The key point is though - none of them would re-charge it  :-(

Thanks for the replies and pointers.

 

Jake_11
Userlevel 2
Badge +1

Correct, no problem with the 61W on that connection. If you do run into any issues with a Macbook charger, you may have to unplug the whole charger from the wall and from the Move, then wait about a minute, and plug it back in on both sides. We’re looking into a specific issue here that has come up rarely in testing.

@Ryan S I tried my MacBook charger again and no luck. Also tried an anker cable with it that also didn’t work.   Are you saying that you saw this during testing and looking at it? Just trying to decide what to do. Thanks 

AjTrek1
Userlevel 7

Posted here again by mistake. Sorry:hushed:  

Together Everyone Achieves More = T.E.A.M.
Jake_11
Userlevel 2
Badge +1

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
Userlevel 7

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
Userlevel 2
Badge +1

@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. 

B
Badge +1

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

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