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Charging Surface Book 2 with Surface Book power supply and USB -C cable

Anonymous
2021-03-31T06:14:59+00:00

The connector end of my second Surface Book 2 power supply is about to give out.

I have seen many references to using using the USB -C port for charging, so I bought the good quality cable that Belkin recommended, and plugeed it directly into the Microsoft Surface power supply that came with my Surface Book.

I'm getting this error message-

"PC isn't charging. Use the recommended charger and cable, and make sure it' directly plugged in"

Same charger, high quality USB-C cable.

This can't be that difficult, I see people charging with crazy battery packs and cheap eBay cables.

Can someone help me out?

thanks

Surface | Surface Book | Power and battery

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  1. Anonymous
    2021-04-04T16:27:03+00:00

    It's actually not about the cable at all, it's about the power deliver capabilities of your charger. I routinely charge my Surface Book 2 using the USB-C port, the exact protocol used by the Surface device to negotiate power is not known, it's certainly not standard PD or even QC 2.0/3.0.

    A basic requirement if your charger is only 5 V (as many regular USB ports are) is that it must be able to deliver 3 amps (A), or 15 W or more. The USB port on the Surface Book charger is only 1 A capable.

    The small and portable mobile phone charger Microsoft supplied with their Lumia phones and Display Dock works fine, as the lightweight ultra-portable option (Model: AC-100E). Of course this one is only 15 W so it will take a long time to charge your device and won't be able to keep up keeping it powered if you're doing anything intensive on it (unless you have the base model).

    Another charger that I use is the Satechi ST-MC2TCAM.

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  2. Anonymous
    2021-04-01T06:02:21+00:00

    Thanks for this reply.

    I have already been through two power supplies, and found the strain relief to be inadequate- this is what failed on both of them.

    I may or may not be able to find a USB-C power supply for less than $124.95,

    but if the cable fails, at least I only have to replace the cord, not throw a perfectly good device away.

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  3. Anonymous
    2021-03-31T10:14:12+00:00

    Only the Surface connector on the power supply is for charging, the USB only provides a little power for accessories. You can use a USB-C power supply with the correct output if you want but a replacement Surface charger is probably less expensive. You could also buy a Surface Dock 2 instead of a charger.

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