The USB Situation
25 points
2 days ago
| 5 comments
| randsinrepose.com
| HN
jonplackett
48 minutes ago
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It would help if computers / phones had an easy way to just identify a cable when you plug it in. Is this hard to do or just something normal people never care about?
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rlam2x51
3 minutes ago
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I guess you need control over both cable endings. You can buy dedicated cable testers like https://treedix.com/products/treedix-usb-cable-tester-usb-c-...
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dijit
12 minutes ago
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it violates every products person wish to be “simple”.

There’s a reason that Windows barely shows any errors until the system fully halts.

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userbinator
1 hour ago
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In an alternate world, Ethernet took on the role of the universal serial bus, and we have laptops that charge via PoE, but only possible on one of their ports (the others are usable for peripherals --- with protocols running over Ethernet too, of course.) But the same confusion regarding power and speed capabilities exists.
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dale_glass
46 minutes ago
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We'd have to invent a new connector first. It's too thick for modern laptops, not to speak of cell phones.

Also, RJ45 is terribly fragile if you keep plugging and unplugging it, eventually that latch will break. And copper can barely support 10G and is terribly power hungry when it does that. And the cables get thick and inflexible.

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isodev
1 hour ago
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And on top of that, Apple has that thing where only some devices can charge from their adapters. I have a special adapter just for non-Apple things because the white bricks (despite the usb-c) sometimes just refuse to give power to things. So frustrating.
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Filligree
51 minutes ago
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Mostly, that's non-compliant devices. Doesn't make it work any better, but I wouldn't assume Apple is doing it wrong here.

USB-C ports aren't allowed to provide power until after configuration, but a lot of USB-C chargers provide 5V regardless. This is wrong, but it does mean you can use a dumb C-to-micro cable which doesn't include the necessary electronics. (A pull-down resistor at least.)

And of course there's no way to tell by the looks of the cable.

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isodev
53 seconds ago
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> This is wrong

I understand the technical reasons behind it, but in this case - the actual expectation is to be able to use usb-c to charge other gadgets.

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josephg
12 minutes ago
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Yeah this is right. I bought a cheap wireless mouse, with a USB-C port for charging. None of the USB-C chargers in my house would charge it, so after awhile it inevitably went flat and I took it back to the shop - since it was faulty.

The guy in the shop plugged it in to a USB-A port via a cheap A-to-C cable, and the mouse immediately came to life. Of course. I felt like an idiot.

I didn't get a faulty unit. Whoever designed the mouse was treating the USB-C plug like a newer micro-usb port. The mouse just expected 5V over the port. They clearly didn't bother testing it with a proper USB-C charger.

I returned it anyway and got a mouse that wasn't broken.

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dijit
8 minutes ago
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Whaaaaaaaaat?!

Apple, somewhat famously, build their power adapters incredibly well.

If they’re not charging something my default assumption will be: that thing doesn’t support PD.

https://youtu.be/SUlNKYI07SY?is=sJ2ICaXwxCsBJiXA

https://youtu.be/rwEh4jsVew0?is=NeRD7hAk-6KABAyc

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isodev
19 seconds ago
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Your blind trust in Apple is misplaced :)
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sandworm101
2 hours ago
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Yup. I have a work laptop that is meant to charge via USB ... But only one of the two ports will charge ... They are right beside each other! An evil trick at the office is to move someone's USB cable from one port to the other.
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benj111
53 minutes ago
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Of course there's also the issue of whether your cable is suitable and your charger suitable too.

We appear to have taken a good idea and made it shit very quickly.

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i_am_a_peasant
56 minutes ago
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thinkpad?
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amelius
1 hour ago
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Just switch to a different brand then.
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josephg
11 minutes ago
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Are other brands any better?
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