Device Compatibility and Power Supply Recommendations

• If you have not already done so we recommend to look at our main Compatibility and Get Started documentation for the PS-10CC to begin.
  
  
• The Plugable PS-10CC is compatible with attached devices that support charging via USB Power Delivery and legacy USB 5V charging. Like USB-C Laptops, Tablets, Phones, Battery Banks, Smartwatches etc.
  
  
• The PS-10CC is compatible with USB Power Delivery (PD) power supplies from many vendors, with most laptop computers including a power supply they are a good choice for powering the PS-10CC with a charger that you may already own.
  
  
• If you frequently travel with your laptop’s original power adapter, consider purchasing a dedicated USB-C PD charger for the PS-10CC.

Choosing the Right USB-C Power Supply

• Always use the highest wattage USB-C Power Delivery (PD) power supply available to ensure efficient charging.
  • For example, if charging a laptop along with multiple phones or tablets, use the USB-C power adapter from the laptop for optimal performance.
  • A higher-rated power supply allows for faster simultaneous charging of multiple low-wattage devices.
  • More powerful power supplies can support high-wattage devices, such as laptops, more effectively.
    
    
• If purchasing a dedicated PD power supply for the PS-10CC, a 100W or higher USB-C PD power supply is a great choice for broad compatibility, for example Plugable’s 140W USB-C PD Power Adapter can provide 100W to the PS-10CC for charging across multiple devices.
  • Note that the PS-10CC cannot utilize the extra 40W from the PS-EPR-140C1, but our extensive testing confirms that this combination works well.

Optimizing Charging Performance

• The PS-10CC is ideal for offline charging (e.g., overnight charging or charging when devices are not in use).
  • Shut down, suspend, or sleep devices before charging to minimize power draw.
    
    
• Actively running devices may consume power that could otherwise be used to charge additional devices.
  • Example: A laptop can draw up to 50% of the power supply’s capacity, even with its battery fully charged, reducing the available power for other devices.
    
    
• Please note: Windows notebooks may wake from sleep to install updates, often at night which can reset charging or prevent the Windows system from fully charging, fully shutting down the computer is recommended.
  
  
• Limit charging of non-PD (legacy 5V) devices, as they are less efficient and can slow down overall charging.
  • Examples: Older devices using USB Micro-B, Apple Lightning, or Apple 30-pin dock connectors.
  • Too many non-PD devices in high-priority ports can delay charging for PD devices in lower-priority ports.
    
    
• The PS-10CC priority charging USB-C ports support up to 100W* total shared across all 10 ports and supports USB Power Delivery 3.0 and legacy 5V USB charging.
  • *The PS-10CC will reserve some power for itself to operate, and the maximum output power from the PS-10CC is determined by the output wattage of the power input from the connected USB-C PD power supply.

Understanding PS-10CC LED Indicators & Charging Behavior

• The charger does not have access to the devices’ battery controller and cannot know the charge level of the connected device.
  • If a fully charged device is connected, it may still show “Pending” (Purple LED) even at 100%.
  • Devices that are nearly full may still display as “Charging” (blinking Blue LED), since the device has not significantly reduced its power draw.
    
    
• LED status updates can take several minutes to change while the PS-10CC prioritizes devices in order of charging needs and monitors charging current to the attached devices.
  
  
• Devices “pull” power from the charger rather than the charger "pushing" power to them. The PS-10CC cannot overcharge your devices as it is ultimately up to the attached device to decide if and how fast to charge.
  
  
• Devices left on the charger for multiple days may show fully charged, however the battery may be slowly discharging powering the device's internal components until another device has been connected/disconnected from the PS-10CC and thus triggering a new charging cycle to begin.

Important Considerations for Laptop Charging

• Some laptops, especially from Dell or Lenovo, may refuse to charge or halt the boot process if they detect a lower-wattage power supply.
  • This can result in an error requiring manual confirmation before continuing boot-up if powered on while connected to the charging station, or if the computer restarts to install updates while connected.
  • This behavior can sometimes be disabled in the UEFI/BIOS, allowing charging from lower-wattage power supplies without interruption.