At the start of the month we wrote about Benson Leung, a tenacious Google engineer who had made it his life mission to test various USB Type-C cables and adapters, to check whether they actually conform to USB Type-C specifications. Unsurprisingly, he found that most cheap Type-C cables and adapters do not conform, and could thus could potentially cause damage to your devices while charging.

A week later, the same Google engineer announced an altogether more shocking finding: the USB Type-C cables and adapters sold by smartphone maker OnePlus aren't up to snuff. Here was an official, first-party hardware company selling USB cables and adapters that might damage your devices. As you might expect, the Android community was equal parts apoplectic and perplexed by this development.

The issue with the OnePlus USB Type-C cable and adapter was similar to some of the dodgy parts that Leung had previously tested: where OnePlus should've used a 56kΩ resistor, it instead used a 10kΩ resistor. As a result, a connected device may attempt to draw 3A, when the power source (the USB port on your computer, a third-party wall charger) is only rated to supply 2A, potentially frying your power source.

For example, Google's new Chromebook Pixel, Nexus 5X, and Nexus 6P will all attempt to draw 3A when possible, to speed up charging. This is why Leung was testing all of these Type-C cables and adapters in the first place.

Yesterday, co-founder Carl Pei took to the OnePlus forums to explain the situation, though he stopped short of actually apologising. In summary, Pei said that the company's cables and adapters are safe to use with the OnePlus 2—their only device with a Type-C connector—but that you should be careful when using them with other devices and power sources. He also provided the following table, which is quite useful:

If you bought a Type-C cable or adapter from OnePlus, Pei said that you are eligible for a refund until the end of 2015. If you bought the OnePlus 2, however, the Type-C cable and adapter that came in the box are not eligible for refund "since they are safe to use with the OnePlus 2."

Pei also said they're working on "improved Type-C cables and adapters with 56kΩ resistors," though he didn't provide a timeline for their release.

In the meantime, if you're using a OnePlus USB Type-C cable or adapter—or indeed any of the other non-compliant Type-C parts identified by Leung—make sure you only use it with a solid, first-party power source. Or, indeed, just go out and buy a fully specs-compliant Type-C cable.