Charger?

[Pete G.]

Just a question for those who have already got their Gemini.  Is the charger universal voltage?  I mean, the plug is different for different regions, but I'd expect that otherwise it would accept both 110 and 240 volt supplies.  (One advantage of my US plug -- I already have a 13-amp adapter!)

[pakman]

Just a question for those who have already got their Gemini.  Is the charger universal voltage?  I mean, the plug is different for different regions, but I'd expect that otherwise it would accept both 110 and 240 volt supplies.  (One advantage of my US plug -- I already have a 13-amp adapter!)

The UK charger I got says:

Code: [Select]

Input: 100-240V - 50/60Hz 0.6A
Output: 5V 2A/7V 1.67A/9V 1.67A/12V 1.25ALooks pretty flexible.

[Pete G.]

Just a question for those who have already got their Gemini.  Is the charger universal voltage?  I mean, the plug is different for different regions, but I'd expect that otherwise it would accept both 110 and 240 volt supplies.  (One advantage of my US plug -- I already have a 13-amp adapter!)

The UK charger I got says:

Code: [Select]

Input: 100-240V - 50/60Hz 0.6A
Output: 5V 2A/7V 1.67A/9V 1.67A/12V 1.25ALooks pretty flexible.

Thanks -- that's what I hoped/expected.

From the photos it looks as if the 13-amp pins are integral.   My old Maplin catalogue (sigh) shows some adapters, but they're a bit clunky.
Might have been nice to have some kind of intermediate connector, but I suppose it would have increased the price.

[tuk0z]

First post here: hello to all the innovative, creative and talented Gemini makers, fellow backers and interested people!

According to backers Daniel and James on the FB support page,

From the comments I’m reading here, it seems that the Gemini does not support USB PD, so this should mean that it is only Pump Express 2.0+ compatible. So this should limit the compatible chargers to:

- Pump Express 2.0+ (and probably the 3.0 ones are backward compatible too)
- Qualcomm’s Quick Charge 2.0

I wonder if the Pump Express compatibility can be upgraded via software, I hope so.

---
I agree, it looks like they've used an old charging implementation that was never designed for USB C.

This means any standard USB C PD charger won't work currently. I also hope that this is fixable in software!

I've reached out to Planet through Twitter but they haven't responded except to say that they use "FastPump".

From what I understand it means our Gemini will be limited to above chargers for quick charging, yet still chargeable with any USB compliant standard charger --though at a slower rate? Could some person with knowledge in this matter please correct my conclusion above (speculative)?  

Note the FB requires no login -which I appreciate.

[JamesKerr]

From what I understand it means our Gemini will be limited to above chargers for quick charging, yet still chargeable with any USB compliant standard charger --though at a slower rate? Could some person with knowledge in this matter please correct my conclusion above (speculative)?  

Note the FB requires no login -which I appreciate.

That is almost correct. The Gemini will not charge from standard USB C chargers. The Gemini will charge from a standard USB A charger with a USB A-to-C cable connected to the left port of the Gemini. This charges at about 2.5w and will take an estimated 8-10 hours for a full charge.

PC have since confirmed that the Gemini uses PumpExpress, but not which version. I think based on the specs of the charger (the output voltages specifically) that it uses the 2014 version PumpExpress+.

So far we have not identified any chargers other than the supplied one that will charge the Gemini at a faster rate but it should be compatible with other PumpExpress+ chargers. Unfortunately, these seem hard to come by and limits options for car chargers, battery packs and charging USB C docks.

What's worse is that standard  USB C chargers (including those certified by the USB-IF) will not charge the Gemini. It is unclear if this can be fixed.