FAQ

It is manufactured locally in Toronto, Canada with help from our partner LAVA Computer

All of the SMT and through-hole mounting is done in Canada. Additionally all IC chip programming, dongle test, packaging, support and engineering is done in Toronto, Canada. For our 100% sources and manufactured specialty units even the PCB is made locally in Markham, Canada (to fit with certain government and organization requirements).

Yes they are. This was an incredibly important factor for us, to manufacture in Canada and source as much as we can locally or within TAA compliant countries. We even have a version of our dongles whose components are 100% manufactured or sourced from North America (contact us about this specific subtype).

Li-thium IQ was founded in 2023, but has been in engineering and development since 2021

Lava was our manufacturing partner from the start (2021) but we merged with them in 2024 to better leverage both company’s resources.

LAVA Computer MFG. Inc. specializes in tablet based adapters which allow the tablet to be connected to various peripherals while simultaneously being charged (SimulCharge) but it has recently also expanded to include industrial internet of things (IIOT) devices.

Yes! We ship worldwide but currently are only setup to take payment in US dollars and Canadian dollars.

We take major credit cards (Visa, MasterCard and Amex). For larger orders we also take wire transfers. We are currently setting up PayPal to allow customers to pay with PayPal in the future.

If you are shipping to the United States or outside of Canada you will be responsible for any local, state or federal taxes and applicable import fees upon receipt of the unit. For our Canadian customers your taxes will be calculated and included on checkout.

No, we are solely based in Canada where we manufacture our dongles. All units bought through Lithium-IQ will ship from Toronto, Canada.

Yes, we are happy to ship your dongles using your courier/shipping account and not charge you shipping. Please contact us about purchasing dongles and using your shipping account and we will be more than happy to process the order.

Distributors or “the channel” often require companies to sell their products to them at steep discounts which can real bite into our operating margin and prevent growth – so currently we are only available direct, but as we grow this may change. We recommend that you sign up to our newsletter to keep up with channel or distribution based news.

We do offer select companies bulk discounts – please reach out to us to inquire about bulk order discounts

While we don’t require a specific brand of charger to work, the Li-IQ dongles do require a USB-C PD capable charger with 9V or greater power contracts

We are limited to 65W power contracts so the maximum that the Li-IQ dongles would pass through is a 65W power contract to the laptop. We don’t recommend higher wattages either as this faster charging puts more heat and stress into the battery, causing faster degradation.

Yes, as long as it is a USB-C to USB-C cable and we recommend that you don’t go over 6ft in length as longer cables incur bigger power losses, slowing down your charge rate.

Most USB-C based laptops allow you to charge the laptop through any USB-C based port, but to be sure consult your individual laptop’s user manual.

It hasn’t actually. At most, what we have seen is that some mobile devices will try to stop charging at 85% (like Samsung smartphones) or do slow charging overnight – but in all cases we haven’t seen comparable tech in laptops and even then none of the technologies available physically modulate or exercise the battery, which is what Lithium-Ion batteries need to stay healthy.

They don’t actually. What a charge controller does is makes sure that a battery is getting the correct voltage and current to it, as well as tries its best to stop charging when appropriate. However, if your laptop is on or in sleep mode the laptop is always using some amount of power, which makes it very difficult for the charge controller to really know if you’re at 100% battery or not. Due to this charge controllers often err slightly to overcharging than not, to ensure users always have a topped up battery. This consistent top up, over time, can start to cause degradation of your battery.

The Li-IQ Casual does not work with non USB-C laptops or chargers as we require a USB-C PD contract to be negotiated to work.

As long as the electronic device is capable of negotiating a USB-C PD power contract which is above 5V (usually 9V and above) then the Li-IQ Casual will protect its battery. Most high end smartphones (Samsung S series, iPhone etc.) support this form of charging and wattages. Please note that the dongle was calibrated to laptops which have a unique charging behaviour so you may see the cut-off percentage be lower or higher than 85%-90%.

We are limited to 65W power contracts so the maximum that the Li-IQ dongles would pass through is a 65W power contract to the laptop. This should be more than enough for the vast majority of available laptops. We also don’t recommend higher wattages as this faster charging puts more heat and stress into the battery, causing faster degradation.

We recommend using the USB-C charger that came with your laptop, but if you don’t have the original charger available, any standard 45W or 65W charger should be a good choice.

“Any colour as long as it’s black” Henry Ford.

Usually this means that you have either plugged the Casual in the wrong way or that the power supply you are using does not have the necessary specifications to work with the Casual.

Yes, we OS agnostic – as long as your laptop charges through USB-C and you have a USB-C PD capable charger then you are compatible.

No, this will stop our dongle from being able to detect the charger or laptop and more importantly we won’t be able to correctly detect the charging parameters of the laptop while also passing the other dongle’s data through to the laptop.

Our warranty is a standard 1 year manufacturer warranty covering any manufacturing defects that may occur or exist. The warranty however does not cover non compatibility issues or general returns.

We apologize for this issue, please contact us so that we can work with you to troubleshoot and/or initiate an RMA process.

At Li-thium IQ we are very mindful about e-waste and that as an electronics manufacturer we can be either part of the problem, or part of the solution. With this in mind we try to refurbish to 100% brand new condition each returned adapter, instead of just throwing it out like many other companies. Since this process is labour intensive, so any returns (unless covered by warranty and RMA processes) will be charged 25% of the unit cost.

For smaller orders we try to ship with Canada Post/USPS as this keeps your shipping costs down as much as possible. For larger or bulk orders we may switch to a courier in order to optimize for cost and speed of delivery (as Canada Post/USPS aren’t the best option for bulk shipping).

We try to ship dongles within 2 business days of receiving your order. Shipping via Canada Post/USPS usually takes between 7-10 business days.

Please contact us and we can quote you expedited shipping via one of the standard couriers (FedEx, DHL or UPS)

Production usually takes about 2-3 weeks to replenish our stock, as we like to build in bulk to save on time and manufacturing costs. If we were out of stock when you placed your order, you should expect your dongle to ship within the 2-3 week timeframe.

Yes, please contact us directly so that we can process the order and use your account. By using your account we will not charge you any shipping costs.