{"id":2140,"date":"2017-08-26T22:34:24","date_gmt":"2017-08-26T14:34:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/nargalzius.com\/blog\/?p=2140"},"modified":"2018-01-09T11:45:52","modified_gmt":"2018-01-09T03:45:52","slug":"mofily-marble-dcs1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/nargalzius.com\/blog\/archives\/2017\/08\/26\/mofily-marble-dcs1","title":{"rendered":"Mofily Marble DCS1"},"content":{"rendered":"<div align=\"center\">\n<a href=\"https:\/\/farm5.staticflickr.com\/4410\/36336295756_8ff40c378b_o.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"click for more\">\n<img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/farm5.staticflickr.com\/4410\/36336295756_dea743da97_m.jpg\" class=\"wb\">\n<\/a>\n<\/div>\n<p>In a previous post, mentioned the <a href=\"http:\/\/nargalzius.com\/blog\/archives\/2017\/08\/21\/card-tec-ca4-pro\">CardTec CA4 Pro<\/a> being one of two devices I go to whenever I need to be mobile with my laptop. The other device is the one I&#8217;ll be reviewing for this post: the <strong>Mofily Marble DCS1<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>While they both can charge my laptop (13&#8243; MacBook Pro) in place of the stock power block, they have subtle differences that make it difficult for me to consider one as better than the other.<!--more-->The main difference is that the DCS1 is also an interface hub apart from being a power block. The DCS1&#8217;s purpose was to free Apple users from the dongle-hell that usually accompanies purchasing their new laptops that use USB-C\/Thunderbolt3 ports exclusively. So instead of having separate dongles, they built USB 2 USB-C ports, 2 USB-A ports, a microSD reader, &#38; an HDMI port right into it.<\/p>\n<div align=\"center\">\n<a href=\"https:\/\/farm5.staticflickr.com\/4403\/36244345641_2048edd35f_o.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"click for more\">\n<img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/farm5.staticflickr.com\/4403\/36244345641_aabbb23326_m.jpg\" class=\"wb\">\n<\/a>\n<\/div>\n<p>It&#8217;s the sort of thing you wish apple had made their own power blocks capable of doing &#8211; instead of trying to milk its customers for every last cent with all this dongle shit. I mean seriously, it&#8217;s practically just as big as the stock Apple power block &#8211; so you know it could be done &#8211; especially coming from a company that specializes in cramming shit into really small spaces.<\/p>\n<div align=\"center\">\n<a href=\"https:\/\/farm5.staticflickr.com\/4378\/35545478804_de5bcd1e5d_o.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"click for more\">\n<img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/farm5.staticflickr.com\/4378\/35545478804_f9574b7a24_m.jpg\" class=\"wb\">\n<\/a>\n<\/div>\n<p>It takes in a standard IEC 60320 C7\/C8 (figure 8) power cord which it also comes with. Since it&#8217;s a common connector type, it allowed me to purchase a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/product\/B0153T1JG6\">15-foot cord<\/a> for it &#8211; eliminating the need to worry about reaching power outlets.<\/p>\n<div align=\"center\">\n<a href=\"https:\/\/farm5.staticflickr.com\/4411\/35983225674_ae237d0acf_o.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"click for more\">\n<img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/farm5.staticflickr.com\/4411\/35983225674_7fe8c23c15_m.jpg\" class=\"wb\">\n<\/a>\n<\/div>\n<h2>Marble DCS1 vs Card-Tec CA4 Pro<\/h2>\n<p>So you might be asking, how is it that the CA4 Pro is still in the running compared to something like this? The Marble can also charge two type-A devices so that&#8217;s only 1 less charging port than the CA4 Pro&#8230; and it can do data.<\/p>\n<p>It all boils down to the footprint, I guess. <\/p>\n<p>While it does merge a power block and USB dongle(s) into one contraption, you still need a cable to connect it to the laptop <em>apart<\/em> from the one that&#8217;ll connect it to the power outlet &#8211; and this is assuming you&#8217;ve got enough space to have a laptop <em>and<\/em> a block on the same surface. If you just wanted to slouch on a couch with your laptop on your lap, then you might just have to think about where to put that block. <span class=\"footnote_referrer\"><a role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\" onclick=\"footnote_moveToReference_2140_1('footnote_plugin_reference_2140_1_1');\" onkeypress=\"footnote_moveToReference_2140_1('footnote_plugin_reference_2140_1_1');\" ><sup id=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_2140_1_1\" class=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_text\">1 <\/sup><\/a><span id=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_2140_1_1\" class=\"footnote_tooltip\">Because it is a charger &#8211; and it DOES get hot<\/span><\/span><script type=\"text\/javascript\"> jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_2140_1_1').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_2140_1_1', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top right', relative: true, offset: [10, 10], });<\/script><\/p>\n<p>Also, in all honesty, you really don&#8217;t need to be that &#8220;robust&#8221; <em>every time<\/em> &#8211; sometimes you just know that all you need is your laptop and <em>some way<\/em> to charge it (if need be) &#8211; and nothing else. It&#8217;s in those kinds of situations where the CA4 Pro shines. I could just have that and a charging cable for a cleaner setup and <em>still<\/em> be able to charge 3 other devices. <span class=\"footnote_referrer\"><a role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\" onclick=\"footnote_moveToReference_2140_1('footnote_plugin_reference_2140_1_2');\" onkeypress=\"footnote_moveToReference_2140_1('footnote_plugin_reference_2140_1_2');\" ><sup id=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_2140_1_2\" class=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_text\">2 <\/sup><\/a><span id=\"footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_2140_1_2\" class=\"footnote_tooltip\">Not to mention still keeping the outlet free to be plugged into<\/span><\/span><script type=\"text\/javascript\"> jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_2140_1_2').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_2140_1_2', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top right', relative: true, offset: [10, 10], });<\/script> Also, I don&#8217;t have to worry about the type of outlet I&#8217;m plugging into because it&#8217;s a travel adaptor first and foremost.<\/p>\n<p>The Marble is a no brainer if I know I&#8217;ll need to be accessing data from other devices that cannot be done wirelessly <em>or<\/em> if I think I&#8217;ll be needing a really long cord to connect to an outlet. but in terms of quick setup, etc. then the CA4 Pro is the better choice.<\/p>\n<p>I guess another way to look at it is if say I entered a cafe and had to plug in. These conditions will be the deciding factors for me personally:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>If I&#8217;m going to work &#8211; or going to be doing something serious for a long while, then I&#8217;m most likely going to bust out the Marble.<\/li>\n<li>If I think the outlets are beyond 2 meters from where I&#8217;m positioned, I use the Marble<\/li>\n<li>If I&#8217;m just going to hang out, wait for someone, or kill some time <strong>and<\/strong> the power outlet is well within 2 meters then the CA4 Pro is my choice.<\/li>\n<li>If I&#8217;m in another country, CA4 Pro is likely to be more useful.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Worst case that I&#8217;m in a country with a weird socket <strong>and<\/strong> I need a more robust configuration? Then I&#8217;ll plug the Marble <em>into<\/em> the CA4 Pro \ud83d\ude09<\/p>\n<p>So there&#8217;s no clear winner if you&#8217;re particular about how streamlined your &#8220;mobile setup&#8221; is.<\/p>\n<h2>UPDATE: BUGS!!!<\/h2>\n<p>Another thing buyer&#8217;s should be wary of: While the Marble <em>does<\/em> work, it has its quirks. <\/p>\n<p>For one, using it with some USB devices can be unreliable when it&#8217;s (the Marble, that is) plugged in to the wall. The marble seems to behave differently when acting only as a hub, or when it&#8217;s acting as a powerblock <strong>and<\/strong> hub (i.e. plugged into the wall).<\/p>\n<p>In my case, plugging it in usually ejects some devices (in my case, my iOS devices). And plugging them in to an already plugged in Marble cannot get the latter to recognize them whether for charging or syncing. <\/p>\n<p>The workaround is to use it as a hub instead of a charger &#8211; then everything works as expected &#8211; well, technically not &#8220;as expected&#8221; since what we expect is for it to work regardless of it&#8217;s plugged state. But it&#8217;s better than a completely broken unit that doesn&#8217;t work at all. It&#8217;s like one of those appliances that only works when you do something special to it LOL.<\/p>\n<p>So your milage may vary depending on the type of user you are. As a product, it&#8217;s definitely a design flaw &#8211; but whether or not it&#8217;s worth dropping at least $100 on something on, you&#8217;ll just have to decide if the benefits of the portability and minimalism is worth the trouble of knowing that you have to remember to plug\/unplug it depending what you want to do at the moment.<\/p>\n<h2>Specifications<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>USB-C 3.1 w\/ PD<\/li>\n<li>USB-C 3.0<\/li>\n<li>USB-A 3.0 (x2)<\/li>\n<li>MicroSD Reader<\/li>\n<li>HDMI Type-A (1080p\/60Hz, 1920&#215;1200\/60Hz, 2560 x 1440\/60Hz\nor 3840&#215;2160(UHD)\/30Hz)<\/li>\n<li>65W built-in power adapter<\/li>\n<li>100-240V, 1.4A. 50\/60Hz<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>You can purchase a Marble at the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mofily.com\/products\/marbledcs1\">Mofily webstore<\/a><\/p><div class=\"speaker-mute footnotes_reference_container\"> <div class=\"footnote_container_prepare\"><p><span role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\" class=\"footnote_reference_container_label pointer\" onclick=\"footnote_expand_collapse_reference_container_2140_1();\">Notes<\/span><span role=\"button\" tabindex=\"0\" class=\"footnote_reference_container_collapse_button\" style=\"display: none;\" onclick=\"footnote_expand_collapse_reference_container_2140_1();\">[<a id=\"footnote_reference_container_collapse_button_2140_1\">+<\/a>]<\/span><\/p><\/div> <div id=\"footnote_references_container_2140_1\" style=\"\"><table class=\"footnotes_table footnote-reference-container\"><caption class=\"accessibility\">Notes<\/caption> <tbody> \r\n\r\n<tr class=\"footnotes_plugin_reference_row\"> <th scope=\"row\" class=\"footnote_plugin_index_combi pointer\"  onclick=\"footnote_moveToAnchor_2140_1('footnote_plugin_tooltip_2140_1_1');\"><a id=\"footnote_plugin_reference_2140_1_1\" class=\"footnote_backlink\"><span class=\"footnote_index_arrow\">&#8673;<\/span>1<\/a><\/th> <td class=\"footnote_plugin_text\">Because it is a charger &#8211; and it DOES get hot<\/td><\/tr>\r\n\r\n<tr class=\"footnotes_plugin_reference_row\"> <th scope=\"row\" class=\"footnote_plugin_index_combi pointer\"  onclick=\"footnote_moveToAnchor_2140_1('footnote_plugin_tooltip_2140_1_2');\"><a id=\"footnote_plugin_reference_2140_1_2\" class=\"footnote_backlink\"><span class=\"footnote_index_arrow\">&#8673;<\/span>2<\/a><\/th> <td class=\"footnote_plugin_text\">Not to mention still keeping the outlet free to be plugged into<\/td><\/tr>\r\n\r\n <\/tbody> <\/table> <\/div><\/div><script type=\"text\/javascript\"> function footnote_expand_reference_container_2140_1() { jQuery('#footnote_references_container_2140_1').show(); jQuery('#footnote_reference_container_collapse_button_2140_1').text('\u2212'); } function footnote_collapse_reference_container_2140_1() { jQuery('#footnote_references_container_2140_1').hide(); jQuery('#footnote_reference_container_collapse_button_2140_1').text('+'); } function footnote_expand_collapse_reference_container_2140_1() { if (jQuery('#footnote_references_container_2140_1').is(':hidden')) { footnote_expand_reference_container_2140_1(); 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