USB inventor explains why the connector was not designed to be reversible (2019)
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Re: USB inventor explains why the connector was not designed to be reversible (2019)
#2They didn't have to double the wiring, just add wiring to the other side of the connector. That is barely 2 cm of wiring, at most. Also, manufacturers could have made the connectors in a way that would clearly show which side is the top and which is the bottom. So none of the issues had to happen but lazy manufacturers and gullible inventors caused all of this on their own.
Re: USB inventor explains why the connector was not designed to be reversible (2019)
#3They didn't have to double the wiring, just add wiring to the other side of the connector. That is barely 2 cm of wiring, at most. Also, manufacturers could have made the connectors in a way that would clearly show which side is the top and which is the bottom. So none of the issues had to happen but lazy manufacturers and gullible inventors caused all of this on their own.
If they made the connector reversible, you'd have to try to plug it in five times to get the right orientation instead of just three...
Re: USB inventor explains why the connector was not designed to be reversible (2019)
#4I've seen people try to connect ps/2 and vga cables upside down, and mash all the pins in the process. I'm fine with flipping a USB cable over a couple times until it goes in. /shrug
Re: USB inventor explains why the connector was not designed to be reversible (2019)
#5Hear me out. The original USB only had 4 pins. I always thought a round ringed TRS style plug like headphones use would have been great. No way to orient it incorrectly.
Re: USB inventor explains why the connector was not designed to be reversible (2019)
#6It didn't really need to go in either way. It just needed to not be rotationally symmetrical while only going in one way.
Firewire only went in one way but it was never an issue because it's shape conveyed a clear orientation.
Re: USB inventor explains why the connector was not designed to be reversible (2019)
#7They didn't have to double the wiring, just add wiring to the other side of the connector. That is barely 2 cm of wiring, at most. Also, manufacturers could have made the connectors in a way that would clearly show which side is the top and which is the bottom. So none of the issues had to happen but lazy manufacturers and gullible inventors caused all of this on their own.
If they made the connector reversible, you'd have to try to plug it in five times to get the right orientation instead of just three...
:D
Re: USB inventor explains why the connector was not designed to be reversible (2019)
#8They didn't have to double the wiring, just add wiring to the other side of the connector. That is barely 2 cm of wiring, at most. Also, manufacturers could have made the connectors in a way that would clearly show which side is the top and which is the bottom. So none of the issues had to happen but lazy manufacturers and gullible inventors caused all of this on their own.
If they made the connector reversible, you'd have to try to plug it in five times to get the right orientation instead of just three...
I, genuinely, have a USB-C cable which will only charge my phone in one orientation.
That's worse than Type-A, since I can't even look at the end to see which side has the plastic bar, I just have to try it and obviously it fits, but see if it charges. Which means it takes about 94 attempts because I only realise the other end's not plugged in, or it's turned off at the wall, on the 92nd.
Re: USB inventor explains why the connector was not designed to be reversible (2019)
#9It just had to be non-symmetrical on the Z-axis, that's all. Like an HDMI connector.
Re: USB inventor explains why the connector was not designed to be reversible (2019)
#10Hear me out. The original USB only had 4 pins. I always thought a round ringed TRS style plug like headphones use would have been great. No way to orient it incorrectly.
I think the problem these connectors have is that each ring has to slide over the other contacts to get to its correct location.
USB Type-A has longer contacts for pins 1 and 4, the power pins, so they contact first and remain contacted before the data pins make contact. You can see that in this picture https://www.electroschematics.com/usb-how-things-work/.