New USB-C logos make picking USB cables, chargers less confusing • Hacker News Board

Re: New USB-C logos make picking USB cables, chargers less confusing

#231

Post by yarcob » Mon, Oct 04, 2021, 3:08 PM UTC

dspillett wrote: post #228

SketchySeaBeast wrote: post #195

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not taking exception to any of your points - honestly, I think that while this new USB world is confusing, it is much better than it was in the day of the barrel plugs, especially not that everything is becoming USB-C. Just taking exception to this one point: > The port is either marked (everything but MacBooks) or doesn't matter (MacBooks, pretty sweet). Except that even when there shouldn't be a right choice, there…

Direct link to the SO post and answer that the extremetech page paraphrases, for those who don't consent to being tracked left/right/centre and would prefer not to click hundreds of times to say so: https://apple.stackexchange.com/questions/363337/how-to-find...

Summary for people who don't want to click a link:

Some MacBook Pros get very hot when you use the USB-C ports on the left side for charging.

Re: New USB-C logos make picking USB cables, chargers less confusing

#232

Post by matt_kantor » Mon, Oct 04, 2021, 3:12 PM UTC

lolsal wrote: post #159

What is stopping the cheap knockoffs from putting these logos on cables and devices that don't actually meet the specifications? A logo that says "certified" doesn't actually mean anything.

Trademark law: https://www.usb.org/logo-license

Re: New USB-C logos make picking USB cables, chargers less confusing

#233

Post by wtallis » Mon, Oct 04, 2021, 3:18 PM UTC

y4mi wrote: post #167

andybak wrote: post #151

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well they look the damn same.

USB 3.2 is thunderbolt, so they've been the same for over 6yrs now. tgaj probably just hasn't paid any attention to hardware in years but still feels like he should talk about it with confidence.

USB 3.2 is not Thunderbolt. USB 3.2 achieves 20Gbit/s with signalling that is entirely incompatible with Thunderbolt signalling. It is completely possible to have a 20Gbit/s USB 3.2 port that has no Thunderbolt capabilities.

The first USB standard to incorporate Thunderbolt functionality is USB 4.

Re: New USB-C logos make picking USB cables, chargers less confusing

#234

Post by cromka » Mon, Oct 04, 2021, 3:22 PM UTC

SketchySeaBeast wrote: post #195

thermin wrote: post #185

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There's a lot of doom and gloom here; let's see if it really got that bad. >You need a PD charger and not a QC charger... Impossible, all USB-C QC chargers are also USB PD chargers. >into the correct usb port to charge the laptop The port is either marked (everything but MacBooks) or doesn't matter (MacBooks, pretty sweet). >buy an original charger for your laptop Good! Now you have a USB PD charger that covers your…

Not taking exception to any of your points - honestly, I think that while this new USB world is confusing, it is much better than it was in the day of the barrel plugs, especially not that everything is becoming USB-C. Just taking exception to this one point: > The port is either marked (everything but MacBooks) or doesn't matter (MacBooks, pretty sweet). Except that even when there shouldn't be a right choice, there…

> Except that even when there shouldn't be a right choice, there still is:

Except this is an issue with a specific Apple product, not the USB spec as this thread implies.

Re: New USB-C logos make picking USB cables, chargers less confusing

#235

Post by cromka » Mon, Oct 04, 2021, 3:24 PM UTC

kps wrote: post #216

david422 wrote: post #209

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have some USB C chargers that only charge in 1 orientation. I don't know if it's my phone, or the cable, or what, but for me this isn't true.

Same is true of Apple's Lightning. It looks symmetrical, but electrically it isn't.

> Same is true of Apple's Lightning. It looks symmetrical, but electrically it isn't.

Have you every used an Apple product? Because if you did you'd know that it doesn't matter which direction you plug it in.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lightning_(connector)

"The male Lightning connector is symmetrical (same pins on either side), so it can be inserted into a female Lightning port in either orientation."

Re: New USB-C logos make picking USB cables, chargers less confusing

#236

Post by thermin » Mon, Oct 04, 2021, 3:24 PM UTC

function_seven wrote: post #227

thermin wrote: post #196

Earlier quoted context omitted.

True! I literally own two identical-looking (to the most minute details of the plug itself) barrel plug chargers (one for the vacuum, the other for the elliptical trainer). One is 18V, the other is 9V, both 500mA At least I'm not afraid that the 65W USB PD charger will fry my phone lol

I think I can one-up you :) Many years ago I had two Linksys devices. A router and an access point. They were both that blue and gray chassis style. (Like the original WRT54G, except these both predated that model). They had the same size barrel connector. I was fumbling around under my desk getting everything connected when I let the magic smoke out of one of them. Turns out I gave the 9V unit 18V from the other’s w…

TIL the phrase "magical smoke" :)

Never were much into electrical engineering, to my own chagrin.

Re: New USB-C logos make picking USB cables, chargers less confusing

#237

Post by y4mi » Mon, Oct 04, 2021, 3:24 PM UTC

wtallis wrote: post #233

y4mi wrote: post #167

Earlier quoted context omitted.

USB 3.2 is thunderbolt, so they've been the same for over 6yrs now. tgaj probably just hasn't paid any attention to hardware in years but still feels like he should talk about it with confidence.

USB 3.2 is not Thunderbolt. USB 3.2 achieves 20Gbit/s with signalling that is entirely incompatible with Thunderbolt signalling. It is completely possible to have a 20Gbit/s USB 3.2 port that has no Thunderbolt capabilities. The first USB standard to incorporate Thunderbolt functionality is USB 4.

i stand corrected. it is indeed usb4.

the point i made is just as true though, as the announcement that thunderbolt switched to the usb-c form-factor is 6yrs old now. (and was even linked to from someone else in this thread!)

the downvotes just show once again how hilariously dumb the average hn-reader is.

Re: New USB-C logos make picking USB cables, chargers less confusing

#238

Post by jaywalk » Mon, Oct 04, 2021, 3:26 PM UTC

kps wrote: post #216

david422 wrote: post #209

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have some USB C chargers that only charge in 1 orientation. I don't know if it's my phone, or the cable, or what, but for me this isn't true.

Same is true of Apple's Lightning. It looks symmetrical, but electrically it isn't.

I get the point you're trying to make, but the connector is electrically symmetrical: "made up of exactly similar parts facing each other or around an axis"

Re: New USB-C logos make picking USB cables, chargers less confusing

#239

Post by wtallis » Mon, Oct 04, 2021, 3:31 PM UTC

y4mi wrote: post #237

wtallis wrote: post #233

Earlier quoted context omitted.

USB 3.2 is not Thunderbolt. USB 3.2 achieves 20Gbit/s with signalling that is entirely incompatible with Thunderbolt signalling. It is completely possible to have a 20Gbit/s USB 3.2 port that has no Thunderbolt capabilities. The first USB standard to incorporate Thunderbolt functionality is USB 4.

i stand corrected. it is indeed usb4. the point i made is just as true though, as the announcement that thunderbolt switched to the usb-c form-factor is 6yrs old now. (and was even linked to from someone else in this thread!) the downvotes just show once again how hilariously dumb the average hn-reader is.

It doesn't matter whether the point you were trying to make is true or not, because Thunderbolt is irrelevant to the problem that was described. DP Alt mode is not the same thing as encapsulating a DisplayPort stream in Thunderbolt signalling, so knowing which of your laptop's Type-C ports is Thunderbolt-capable does not tell you anything about which of the ports is capable of DP Alt mode.

Stop calling people dumb until you can make a comment that is at least somewhat correct and on-topic.

Re: New USB-C logos make picking USB cables, chargers less confusing

#240

Post by jaywalk » Mon, Oct 04, 2021, 3:32 PM UTC

cromka wrote: post #235

kps wrote: post #216

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Same is true of Apple's Lightning. It looks symmetrical, but electrically it isn't.

> Same is true of Apple's Lightning. It looks symmetrical, but electrically it isn't. Have you every used an Apple product? Because if you did you'd know that it doesn't matter which direction you plug it in. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lightning_(connector) "The male Lightning connector is symmetrical (same pins on either side), so it can be inserted into a female Lightning port in either orientation."

From an end user's point of view, there is no difference in the orientation. But from the device's point of view, one orientation has pins 1-8 and the other has pins 8-1. It's up to the device to figure out which is being used. This is still considered symmetrical though.