USB-C is a bit of magic. The near-universal connection can deliver power, data, or both, and that capability makes it extremely flexible. You can plug in yet another flash drive, or, lord forbid, a regular USB-C cable into a spare port. But you're really not getting the most out of it. There are a bunch of gadgets you can keep near your desk that require little more than a USB-C port to function.

A functional, handheld drill for tinkering

Save your forearms the hassle

If you're a tinkerer — and chances are you are if you landed here on XDA — you're doing yourself a disservice by using a regular, ol' screwdriver for your projects. You need a cordless electric screwdriver, which fits somewhere between a regular screwdriver and a proper drill. There are a ton of these electric screwdrivers around, but most of them aren't any good. I have a small graveyard buried deep in my toolbox of electric screwdrivers whose motor gave out when met with even minor resistance.

That was until I found the HOTO kit linked below, which is excellent. Not only are you given a ton of options for how quickly the head spins, the kit also includes some useful bits for tech tinkering, such as the Torx bits. This electric screwdriver has a built-in battery, so you don't need to leave it plugged into your USB-C port at all times in order to use it. But, if you're like me and often push away your keyboard and mouse to handle projects on your desk, having quick access to a USB-C port on your PC is definitely a plus.

A light for your monitor

Pulls double duty for your eyes and desk

If you work in the dark, you owe it to yourself to pick up a lightbar for your monitor. There are expensive options from name brands like Ben Q, but a quick search on Amazon will turn up dozens of knock-offs that do the job just as well, all powered by USB-C. Although you might assume that a lightbar would be a nightmare for reflections, that's actually not the case. Due to the angle of the light, you don't actually see it reflecting on the screen. Even better, you can turn down the brightness on your monitor with a lightbar to reduce strain on your eyes.

That's the reason for using a lightbar, but there are a couple of other perks. For starters, you can find lightbars (such as the one linked below) that come with bias lighting on the other side, separating your monitor from the wall in a dark room. The light also illuminates your desk, which not only helps when typing, but also gives you a workspace that's fully lit whenever you need it.

A lighter that will never run out of fuel

No more matches

It might sound silly, but one USB-C accessory I've gotten a ton of use out of is a lighter. I always have a candle nearby to burn on my desk, and for years, there was a revolving door of lighters and matches sitting in random spots around my work area so I could light my candle. I finally got rid of them all and replaced them with a single electric lighter that takes a charge from USB-C.

I'm counting this as a gadget for your PC, mainly because it's something I constantly (and exclusively) use at my desk. Not only was I able to get rid of a mess of lighters, but I'm also able to light candles a lot easier. The lighter I picked up is a thin stick with two heads at the top to send a beam of electricity across when activated, allowing me to dig deep in a candle jar and light a wick without the fear of burning my hands.

A mouse jiggler

More than just tricking bossware

A few years ago, during the pandemic, you couldn't escape mouse jigglers. Everyone was working remotely, overreaching bosses enforced employee spyware, and in order to look active when you really weren't, you'd download a piece of software that would occasionally move your mouse around to make it look like you were doing work when you weren't. You can use a software solution, but those are easy to detect. If you have a spare USB-C port and about $10 to burn, you can pick up a hardware mouse jiggler that easily flies under the radar.

I don't need a mouse jiggler for work — thankfully, I haven't fallen victim to insane employer spying — but I do need one for other reasons. Most commonly, I need one when I want my PC to stay awake when downloading something large or compiling code, but I don't want to swap my normal sleep settings. You can also use it in video games like Destiny 2, where an inactive mouse can return you to orbit if you need to step away for a few minutes. I haven't had any issues, but keep in mind that games might register a device like this as an attempt at cheating, so proceed with caution.

A mini printer that doesn't need ink

Something that works when you need it

I hate printers, not because I don't need to print anything, but because it seems like, without fail, my printer will mess up something when I need to quickly print off a shipping label or black-and-white document. It works most of the time, and I'm good at staying on top of my ink to avoid clogged print heads. But if you need something that just works at your desk and won't take up a lot of space, you can pick up an inexpensive, inkless printer that connects to your PC via USB-C.

There are a bunch of these floating around on Amazon, but the one I have linked below is a thermal printer. It doesn't take any ink, but it requires specific thermal printing paper. You might not print everything off a device like this — thermal printers are restricted to black-and-white — but it's great to have around when you need to print something off quickly without much fuss.