USB - Ugh
Sep 26, 2022 08:37:11 #
I've complained here before about the designs of USB cables. Here's a lengthy explanation of all the different types. Yes, it is crazy.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PctX3kcTj5U
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PctX3kcTj5U
Sep 26, 2022 08:50:11 #
I agree with the first comment, "The USB world is a mess".
--Bob
--Bob
jerryc41 wrote:
I've complained here before about the designs of USB cables. Here's a lengthy explanation of all the different types. Yes, it is crazy.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PctX3kcTj5U
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PctX3kcTj5U
Sep 26, 2022 09:03:09 #
jerryc41 wrote:
I've complained here before about the designs of USB cables. Here's a lengthy explanation of all the different types. Yes, it is crazy.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PctX3kcTj5U
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PctX3kcTj5U
It is giving me a headache. I might even have some of those ones he could not find examples of.
Sep 26, 2022 09:04:19 #
lamiaceae wrote:
It is giving me a headache. I might even have some of those ones he could not find examples of.
I often put labels on them so they're easier to identify. I also have them in separate containers.
Sep 26, 2022 09:26:08 #
jerryc41 wrote:
I've complained here before about the designs of USB cables. Here's a lengthy explanation of all the different types. Yes, it is crazy.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PctX3kcTj5U
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PctX3kcTj5U
If I think back over my lifetime at all the varieties of connectors I've used, I get dizzy. USB is the craziest one.
Couple a need to improve performance with a desire to use proprietary connectors that change every few years, and consumers are forever buying a new hub, dock, dongle, or converter box, and a set of cables to go with it. Just when it looks like it's stable, Here comes a new standard!
We're lucky we can still plug in a 100-year-old lamp...
Sep 26, 2022 09:27:50 #
What happened to the "U" part -- universal? It got lost, since there is no "universal" with so many versions and so many standards -- that are not standard!
Sep 26, 2022 09:51:42 #
burkphoto wrote:
...and consumers are forever buying a new hub, dock, dongle, or converter box, and a set of cables to go with it.
We're lucky we can still plug in a 100-year-old lamp...
We're lucky we can still plug in a 100-year-old lamp...
You hit the nail on the head. $$
Speaking of light bulbs, what is one part found on every car that could be used equally well on a Model T?
Sep 26, 2022 10:54:54 #
SaratogaMan wrote:
What happened to the "U" part -- universal? It got lost, since there is no "universal" with so many versions and so many standards -- that are not standard!
Universal means it is an all-inclusive standard. You can connect audio, video, data sources, data destinations, Ethernet, whatever... You don't need special ports for everything, unless, of course, what you're connecting doesn't support USB. In that case, you need a dock, hub, or dongle.
My monitor has a USB-C Power Delivery Port that charges my laptop while connecting my backup drive and external keyboard and displaying my video. It also passes audio to the monitor speakers and headphone jack, although I use a better audio interface connected to the other USB-C port on the computer.
One thing the video did not mention is THUNDERBOLT.
Thunderbolt 3, Thunderbolt 4, and USB4 use the same connector. Macs use Thunderbolt 3 or 4 with USB-C connections to connect everything except headphones and (on some models) MagSafe power chargers and SD cards. Thunderbolt 3 and 4 currently support USB 3 and 4 protocols up to 40Gbps.
Sep 27, 2022 02:34:19 #
The USB A end of a cable is the worst design I've seen since Compaq Compact desktops. Hard to insert, harder to find which end is up/or down, etc. I will give Apple credit for the lightning cable-end design, and the USB consortium for USB C. But I am sick and tired of good old USB A.
Sep 27, 2022 07:05:43 #
rmalarz wrote:
I agree with the first comment, "The USB world is a mess".
--Bob
--Bob
I think this goes to show the variety of things we think about and their importance. I never and I mean never think about a USB cable.
Sep 27, 2022 09:40:41 #
traderjohn wrote:
I think this goes to show the variety of things we think about and their importance. I never and I mean never think about a USB cable.
Not until you have to replace one.
Sep 27, 2022 10:00:25 #
traderjohn wrote:
I think this goes to show the variety of things we think about and their importance. I never and I mean never think about a USB cable.
Most folks learn to think seriously about their cables when NOT thinking about them becomes a serious problem.
I was at a sales meeting once, when a speaker we had paid $10,000 to address our sales force showed up with the wrong video cable for his own laptop to connect to our video projector. He needed DVI to HDMI, sort of an oddball (and expensive) cable. As we used the same model Early 2008 MacBook Pro, I loaned him mine... He was kind enough to send me a $200 gift card a few days later.
Sometimes it pays to follow the Boy Scout motto, "Be Prepared."
A GREAT reason to think about your USB cable is that not all cables are created equal! A good quality Thunderbolt 4 cable (USB-C connectors) can do ANYTHING you need to do with Thunderbolt 3, Thunderbolt 4, or USB up through USB4, including move all of the standard signals at top speed. But if all you have is a USB-C charge cable, you might be screwed if you need to plug in a drive! (They look almost IDENTICAL.) See below:
Using a cheap USB-C cable with Samsung T7 drive
The same drive runs 16X faster with the correct (supplied) cable!
Sep 27, 2022 10:26:05 #
I have a handful of Garmin devices and have three varieties of USB cables necessary to power/charge them. Fortunately, all but one have the same USB-A on one end, but even that is slowly being changed to USB-C.
Sep 27, 2022 11:23:48 #
The phrase "You get what you pay for" is vary valid here. I stay away from cheap cables and always test them before use. Overall speed will be regulated by the weakest (slowest) link. My work in sports action generates lots of images and I need them to move them quickly to their final resting places. Thankfully, places like OWC supply quality cables with their products. I am also in the process of switching to 10GB ethernet in my home. Best of luck.
Sep 28, 2022 07:11:29 #
Stephan G wrote:
Not until you have to replace one.
Yes, bu it is not a conversation.
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