@xterraguy maybe they wanted a break?

@xterraguy lol. I am thinking Meh has a problem with supply chain management and are unable to find new stuff to sell. Went to Trader Joes for a domestic spice blind(not even foreign stufff) they carry and they said it was a supply management issue.

@jaynedough @xterraguy what is a spice blind? I prefer to see

@RedOak yeah, wish we knew for sure. there were other cables in the past that it wasn’t clearly stated, and yet it was on the pack when I got it and they did work fine.

@pmarin it’s such a well known issue that it defies logic anybody selling cables that are MFi certified would not broadcast that fact.

I think if costs the manufacturer a buck or two per cable to certify.

@shawn_mitch We live in a world where people think 4 minutes to microwave a meal is too long, or that 2 steps to nuke a meal is one step too many. Anything that is simpler to use, even if less flexible, someone will buy.

@shawn_mitch I can see the appeal if it works as a pass through charger, which is kind of the point of it. Most power banks, even good ones, are not meant to be connected to the phone at the same time as they are charging, they can malfunction or damage the battery.
If you don’t always use and recharge your power bank, it may be dead when you actually need it. So if you can just leave this plugged in and use it as your charging cable, You’d always have a charged power bank.
Additionally, in a car, where the power outlet turns off when the key is off, you could keep charging your phone, or keep something like a dash cam going without getting into the car wiring.

I am wondering about everyone saying it’s obviously shoddy. While I don’t see it on the Iwalk site, the few amazon reviews are all February and later. It appears to have been listed on amazon in November, as well as it was on hsn in November. I’m not finding anything about it earlier.

@kevinrs @shawn_mitch I have owned previous iWalk products–build quality hasn’t been their priority (in my experience). It’s possible this is the exception, but that’s often not the case.

@kevinrs @shawn_mitch The idea of keeping my dash cam going when the even when the ignition is off (without hardwiring it to your battery) sounds like the killer app for this thing… I may just have to bite and see if it works, and for how long on a full charge…

@shawn_mitch Don’t think of it as a power bank, think of it as a tiny UPS. Put it where you normally charge the phone overnight & if the power goes out, you have a charged phone anyway. If the power doesn’t go out you also have a charged phone, and at no point do you ever need to remember to check on the power level of the power line battery. On the other hand if you want to wander around with it, well it is bulkier then a power bank with the same battery capacity. (would also work as a power source for a RPi, or other USB powered devices that don’t have their own battery) So it might not be great for what you want, but it absolutely has some places where it beats a power bank.

@Pamela It doesn’t plug into the wall using a 2-prong plug–it plugs into an adapter you already have plugged into the wall. It’s wallplug-by-proxy, I guess. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

@ Pamela I don’t see where it plugs in anywhere. It appears either a car or wall adapter is needed.

Thanks @dvermilion and @ThunderChicken when I read “so you plug one into the wall” I expect something that plus into one of the outlets built into my wall. I can’t fathom why anyone would say that about something that won’t plug into a wall outlet.

@dvermilion @Pamela @ThunderChicken because everyone has 50 phone chargers and knows what a USB A plug is. It’s just a battery in the cable

@j8048188 It also depends on power output while switching over to the battery. If you’re charging a phone, a 1 second drop out won’t matter but if powering a Raspberry Pi that will cause it to restart.

@RICHY531 Which side? Battery to power source or battery to device?

@RICHY531 I never saw two for ten.

@RiotDemon trying to attach the image that still shows in the Meh app… clearly shows $10 in between 2-pack at top & bottom

@RICHY531 unfortunately whatever meh apps that are out, are not official. Whoever made the app doesn’t have it configured properly for these types of pick your option deals.

@Woody1 Ditto!

@Woody1 51" long - sorry for the mystery!

@Woody1 I saw 1.2 m buried in the Amazon listing, so about 4 feet. That may not be end-to-end, just the length of the main cable minus the charger section.

@richferg How about an “I survived Meh thru the Pandemic” t-shirt? I’m thinking in black only and sizes to 3XL to accommodate the members who succumbed to the “quarantine 15” or so. Thank goodness I was able to stay active.

@mikey The magic is that it continues charging whether plugged into the wall or your car. Best for car use IMO so you can charge without hardwiring something to the constant circuit

@ciabelle Something like https://www.amazon.com/Adapter-Convert-Connector-Compatible-Controller/dp/B07TNHXTDP should work, if there’s enough length.
Plug the power bank cord into your usb port charger, and on the output, use this adapter to plug into the dashcam.

@kevinrs Nice idea, but bear in mind the dashcam’s power cord is probably about 5 meters long, and I spent a good while carefully tucking it in under all the trim from the headliner along the door frame and under the dash for a clean finish. I’m not going to replace it with a janky cable straight up from the 12V /USB ports to the cam where I could use such an adapter.

Perhaps the best solution would be to buy another long cable with mini USB on one end and USB-C (or micro USB) on the other and pull out the original cable to replace it with this one…

If I’m going to go through that much trouble, it might just be easier to find an always live 12V source under the dash and splice the original power cable to it. However the 12V plug itself most likely ramps the voltage down to 5V, so I’d have to solder leads from the plug… This is getting insanely complicated.

Note to car manufacturers: How about adding two USB ports to the rear view mirror? One always live, and one which is only powered when the engine is running? That way a dashcam can run all the time, while other electronics (GPS, radar detector, etc) only operates while the vehicle is in use.

@ciabelle yeah on power at the mirror, even on cars with onstar and other controls and lights at the mirror, they don’t give a power output.

@ciabelle Looks like what you need is an adapter to go from the micro usb or usb-c output from this cable to the USB-A connector on your existing cable. Not sure if it exists.