Are all lightning cables the same or is there a different wattage between the IPhone 5 and IPad mini cable

Yep, what he said.

The cable is identical. The wall adapters are not and do operate at different wattage.

With the av cables, Apple has a little chip in them to identify the cable. Perhaps the power cables have an id too.

Robert

Yes, the Lightning cable do have an authentication chip. However, based on my test, that chip might also tells stuff about the maximum cable rating, inquired by the device.

Ahh, yes you'll definitely need a robust (and cheaper) cable, along with those shockproof cases I guess. Good luck there!

I haven't measured it that closely, but it's around 60%. It's down to 1 amp at 75% and takes about an hour to get there.

So what's the deal here? does either the cable or charger itself detect the connected device's need?

Neither. The device determines its need. The "charger" is in the phone. The cable is a cable. The USB adapter is a power source. It has no intelligence.

Im sorry, but there is so much wrong and misinformation in your post that I'm not going to waste time commenting on it. Have a nice day.

Great stuff!

Your powerbank probably provides more than 1A. If you are really curious you can get a USB power meter for about $25 and measure it.