I Would Like to Replace the Black Cable w/ a White One

[malliekm]

I have a black and a white Echo Dot.  I thought surely the white Dot would come with a white wall charger and usb cable.  Nope!  I'm looking on Amazon at various white AC wall chargers and usb cables but not sure exactly what to buy.  Apparently Amazon doesn't even sell a white (Amazon) wall charger.  I'm looking at this wall charger
https://www.amazon.com/Anker-Charger-PowerPort-Foldable-Lightning/dp/B016LR45GU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1483264040&sr=8-1&keywords=white+anker+dual+wall+charger


I'm hoping it will work WELL with my Echo Dot as well as my Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 Edition Tablet.
If so can someone please tell me which usb cable specs to look for.  Thanks!

[iolinux333]

That charger will work fine it puts out over 2 amps and Anker is a respected company.

Get an Amazon Basics white microUSB cord and you'll be fine.

[mike27oct]

To OP,

What you are calling a "charger" for the Dot is actually a power supply, and there is a difference.  And, if you do not know enough about electricity to completely know what you are doing to substitute a different device to power your Dot, you are better off letting things stand as they are, no matter what someone else says about what you want to substitute.

The charger is a good one -- it will charge two iPads at once, but it also shuts off its output when something is charged, but you are not charging anything, (e.g. A battery) -- you are wanting to "power" the Dot 24/7.  You need to find a power supply with the right specs of output voltage and amperage the Dot requires, but you don't know what they are, either, and unfortunately I will not tell you so that you stay out of trouble with this idea.  Just get the white cable suggested, and paint the current power supply white with "model airplane" enamel paint made to go onto plastic!  (And, don't buy anymore Alexa devices; the power supplies and cables are ALL black!)

[mike27oct]

Parker, I pay your "pompous blathering no mind" and I request you do the same with mine. 

I was trying to keep the OP out of trouble of getting an inappropriate power supply.  Too many people have screwed up their gadgets by connecting the wrong P/S to them.

Just recently, someone I know of had no power from their Echo, and tried using a different power supply, and hooked a totally wrong power supply to their Echo.  The Echo lit up and the ring spun when they talked to it, but no sound.  Turned out, instead of a power supply like the Echo's 15v one, they hooked up a 5v one without enough power to do the job.  Fortunately, the Echo was not damaged and an exact replacement of the Echo P/S from Amazon got the Echo running again.

[malliekm]

That charger will work fine it puts out over 2 amps and Anker is a respected company.

Get an Amazon Basics white microUSB cord and you'll be fine.

Thanks, I ordered the "charger" and a 3 pk of RAVpower usb cables.  They got better reviews than the basic Amazon cables. 

[mike27oct]

Parker, you just won't lay off or shut up, so consider this reply a big flip off. 
I thought you might have been improving, but you're not.
Just yesterday I saw a new member call you on your snarky comment to him.  You are not PERFECT!  So, until you are, please keep your insulting comments about others to yourself.

OK, your turn for the "last word" because I know you can't resist.  As for me, I have said all I want to you for quite a while until you deserve another flip off.

[malliekm]

To OP,
And, if you do not know enough about electricity to completely know what you are doing to substitute a different device to power your Dot, you are better off letting things stand as they are,

Precisely why I am here asking about what to get.  Yes, I am calling the power supply a "charger" and I can see how that could be an issue.  My bad.  I'd ask you what I should get but as you already said, you wouldn't tell me.  There's one in every crowd 

[malliekm]

OP, pay mike's pompous blathering no mind.  Any power adapter that can supply at least 1.8 amps (or more...I'd go with at least 2.0 amps just to be on the safe side) and a cable with a micro-USB plug should work just fine.

The Anker charger you linked to comes with a "lightning" plug, which is an Apple standard, not USB.

Yes, I'm aware of the Apple Lightning cable.  I couldn't find the charger/adapter without it.  Here is a photo of the specs on the Amazon ps.  So you think I'm good with the Anker?  I do like the brand.  I've used several of their accessories in the past and find them to be a really good product.
Oook, so you can't upload photos from your computer?  I'll have to put this on photo bucket...

[malliekm]

I was trying to keep the OP out of trouble...

No, you weren't.  You were, as usual, exercising your pathological need to be unjustifiably condescending and thoroughly unhelpful.  He's looking to replace a standardized,  common-as-dirt piece of consumer electronics with another one in a different color...something quite safely and easily managed by millions of people who have no electronics knowledge beyond that of the average layman...not playing with his house wiring or taking his TV apart.

It's a "she" but who's counting 

[malliekm]

It's a "she" but who's counting 

LOL.  My bad.

Yep, 1.8 amps.  Lots of people have been running Dots off the cigarette lighter USB adapters in their cars for a year or so with no problems.  You'll be fine.

Ignore Mike.  He has....issues...and can be a bit of a drama queen.

Well bless his heart, he's not the only one with "issues".  We all have 'em...maybe some more than others    I've been on Internet forums for 20+ years getting and giving help/advice.   I've learned not to take it personal. 
Thanks DParker!

[mike27oct]

At Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/NIUBEE-Universal-Charger-Charging-Paperwhite/dp/B01LYEWZ35/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1483336623&sr=8-1&keywords=white+power+supply+for+Dot

[malliekm]

At Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/NIUBEE-Universal-Charger-Charging-Paperwhite/dp/B01LYEWZ35/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1483336623&sr=8-1&keywords=white+power+supply+for+Dot

Well thank you Mike   I don't know how I missed that.  I notice that the descriptive title calls the item a "wall charger" and an "AC Power Adapter"    The specs are basically the same compared to the one I purchased earlier today.  My order is already processing.  If my Dot blows up or melts, you can tell me "I told you so".  Thanks again for taking the time to find the item.
Monica (who wouldn't have to be going thru all this if someone in the Amazon design dept had any decor sense about them!)

[DParker]

I notice that the descriptive title calls the item a "wall charger" and an "AC Power Adapter" 

While there are often differences between adapters and chargers, when it comes to standard USB AC/DC adapters the two terms are commonly used interchangeably, because the distinction between conventional chargers and power adapters doesn't really apply to USB supplies.  What Mike claimed about the charger/adapter you initially linked to is simply not true, and it will not shut off power to whatever is plugged into it because it (the adapter) thinks the device's battery is fully charged.  It does have some built-in safety features to prevent power surges and the like, but with minor exceptions USB adapters don't know or care whether the current being drawn from them is being used to operate a device, charge the device's battery...or both.  That is managed by the device itself.  The device will draw from the adapter however much power it needs, up to the adapter's output limitations.  The charger can make assumptions about what's going on based on the amount of current being drawn by the device (which is why some of them have an LED that changes color to indicate that, as far as it knows, the device's battery is charged...but that really just means that the current being drawn has dropped below some threshold...like 150mA, or 0.00015 amps, in the case of the Anker charger), but it has no directly line to the state of the battery itself.

What matters is that the adapter's specs are compatible with the power supply needs of the device(s) you intend to use them with, and that the cable you use is capable of carrying the needed amount of current (some standard USB data cables will only carry as little as 0.5 amps of current safely, so pay attention to this).  Of course, if you go back in time just a bit and start dealing with adapters and devices that are based on older versions of the USB standards then things can get a little more complicated.  But in general, current equipment adheres to more current standards that make it much easier and safer to mix and match power supplies and devices...so long as the current specs are compatible.

[malliekm]

Thank you for that DParker   Here is the 3-pack of usb cables I bought. 
It includes:
2 x 3 ft/0.9 m Micro USB Cable (Hoping to be able to use the 3ft)
1 x 6 ft/1.8 m Micro USB Cable
Am I good to go?
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01I569L6Y/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[mike27oct]

Yes, the output is 5V, 2A, basically the same as the Echo P/S or an iPad charger.  The Anker charger you ordered will likely work fine, assuming the circuit that detects a full charge doesn't shut it down.  The Ankers with Q technology detect the amperage requirements of a plugged in device and set it accordingly up to 2A. so basically any 5V thing can be charged. including a phone with 5v requirement (but less than a 2A requirement) can be charged.  This is called a "smart" charger, whereas the ones described here (and likely the Dot P/S) are not "smart" in this way and have no shut off circuit.

So, yes this device is both a power supply and a charger that puts out a constant voltage with up to 2A.  Example, an old cell phone charger of 5v and only 500 milliamps is not an appropriate charger (or P/S) because it does not output enough amperage (i.e. current) to get the job done on a device that requires 5v, 2A.  In fact, an iPad will barf and tell the user not enough power from this charger to charge the iPad.