USB-C has become the de facto or universally accepted connector for transferring power and data between devices (Macs, iPhones, Windows PCs, and Android). But most people only know about the USB-C cables that come with these devices. There are many more USB-C gadgets out there that you probably didn’t know about and you’ll definitely need after reading what I’m about to show you. Here are 5 useful USB-C gadgets you should consider to make your life easier.
5 Useful USB-C Gadgets You Didn’t Know You Needed
Endoscope Camera with Light
The term endoscope is associated with medicine. It is a flexible tube with a camera and lights at the front to look inside the body. But this gadget is technically not for that work. I mean, it is still a long, flexible tube with a camera and lights at the front, but its purpose is to find items you’ve dropped in tight-to-view spaces, such as behind or under car seats. Some of these endoscopes are IP67-rated, meaning you can use them to look for pipe leaks, inspect sewer lines, and check the interior parts of engines.
On the other end of the endoscope is a USB-C port, which plugs into a compatible phone or tablet to view the camera feed through an app.
This gadget is not something you’d use every day but can come in handy in tricky situations. Let’s say you’re a mechanic with a rookie on the team. When replacing a customer’s spark plugs or servicing the engine, this person drops a nut or bolt inside the engine. You’d have to dismantle it, which is a lot of work. But with this endoscope camera, you can locate this object inside the engine and grab it using a magnet or a hook, saving tons of man-hours.
Two-Ended USB-C Charging Cable
Since USB-C is standard across many devices, you can carry one charging brick and cable to handle all your devices. However, this convenience ends when you have to charge multiple devices at once. Picture having to wait for your laptop to fill up when working while your phone is dead.
A two-ended USB-C charging cable solves this issue by providing two USB-C charging ports from one USB-C source. So you can still travel light while having this advantage. However, this setup needs a powerful charging brick to maintain fast charging speeds, typically above 50 watts. For the best results, 100 watts or more is better but be careful not to exceed the cable’s capacity.
USB-C Smart Power Strip or Tower (With Wireless Charger)
If you’re not worried about traveling light, this smart power strip is the best solution. It plugs in directly into the wall outlet and provides multiple power and USB-C outlets, meaning there’s no need for a brick. Some even have wireless charging ports, leaving more USB-C slots for the devices that don’t support this feature. The smartness part of this gadget is in its surge, short-circuit, and overload protection. Typical application areas include homes, offices, and RVs.
USB-C Hub
One of the most significant trends in modern laptops is the removal of extra ports, such as USB-A, Ethernet, DisplayPort, and HDMI. If you want a new laptop with these ports, consider the USB-C hub. It links to the laptop using USB-C and provides these extra ports in the external hub.
The alternative to this gadget is a USB-C dock, but this is purposely built to extend your laptop into a desktop environment.
USB-C Battery Charger
Many portable devices like keyboards, RC cars (and their controllers), TV remote controls, mice, and other electric toys gobble up their batteries quickly. Although cheap, replacing these batteries every time isn’t good for the environment. Getting rechargeable double or triple-A batteries is the better option.
These batteries require chargers, and the convenient or standard way to supply this power is via USB-C. They can get this power from power bricks, power strips, or laptop USB-C ports.
How To Get These Gadgets
I’d like to present a B2B case here, so hear me out. Since these gadgets are quite useful and would interest almost everyone, it would make sense to have them made and labeled according to your design specifications cheaply, then sell them at a profit.
Custom and OEM wire harness manufacturers can make these USB-C low-voltage cable assemblies plus the gadgets via a manufacturing outsourcing service model at reasonable costs, then ship them to you for distribution or directly to customers.
But you need to pick this contract manufacturer carefully because the job needs experts who understand the technical specifications and industry standards required to make durable, reliable, and safe products. Companies like Wiringo and CloomTech have been in this industry for over a decade and have mastered the art of making durable, reliable, and safe wiring harness products built to either custom or OEM specifications for different projects. As such, manufacturing the five USB-C gadgets described above is like second nature.
Conclusion
Before you get into designing and manufacturing these USB-C gadgets for your business, it is important to have that business edge or advantage over the competition. Do some research and find out the features current brands don’t provide or possible improvements you can include to enhance convenience. Once you have everything ready, reach out to Wiringo or CloomTech to get free quotes for your project to get started on prototyping.
