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I'm a USB-C Maximalist

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Re: I'm a USB-C Maximalist

#241

Post by vel0city »

pineapplepizza6 wrote: post #150
notatoad wrote: post #123

Earlier quoted context omitted.

okay, i mean, that's exactly what my original comment said: this is only a problem if you buy cheap cables.

If some of your devices require a $30 cable and you use the same cables for everything, then you use a $30 cable for your mouse.

If you're buying a cable for a specific device in a specific circumstance than by all means get the cable that meets that. Then it's not a problem about "what is its functional support", it doesn't matter, that's your mouse cable that you use for your mouse on that desk. That's the monitor cable you use to plug things into that monitor. That's the dock cable you use to plug things into the dock.

For all the cables that are your flex carrying around places where you don't know how it'll be used tomorrow, get a good cable and you won't have any issues.

Re: I'm a USB-C Maximalist

#242

Post by spaqin »

skinfaxi wrote: post #234
firloop wrote: post #227

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Some cheaper devices I have (e.g. rechargeable LED light strip) _only_ charge via power-only cables. Was maddening when I realized I had thrown out all but one of the cables that can charge it.

Some manufacturers don't want to do the power negotiation aspect which is the cause of this, I believe.

Not even power negotiation but a simple resistor would be too costly for them to implement.

Re: I'm a USB-C Maximalist

#243

Post by _carbyau_ »

TFineA mentions a USB cable tester. I know very little about testing or all the standards involved in USB. And I would like a way to test cables.

Is there a good reason we can't hook one (or both?) end(s) of a cable to a computer and use a program to tell what it does?

Re: I'm a USB-C Maximalist

#244

Post by paytonjjones »

Telaneo wrote: post #174

It's been a joy to not need to bring 3 chargers along when I travel. I think the only thing we're missing to make the USB-C experience perfect is cable labelling. It's unreasonable to make every cable perform to the max spec, but if we could standardise on some labelling or colours for cables that are charging-only, 480 mbit (usb 2 speed), 5 Gbit (usb 3 speed), 10 GB (usb 3.1 speed), 20 GB (usb 3.2 speed), plus whate…

Someone shared this with me the other day. Haven't used it much yet but it seems like it will easily beat my previous strategy of plugging things in randomly and getting aggravated: https://www.whatcable.uk

Re: I'm a USB-C Maximalist

#245

Post by Dylan16807 »

qurren wrote: post #223
Dylan16807 wrote: post #199

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> There is no point to connector standardization if any cable can't do any function. I completely disagree. When the only difference between cables is max speed, that's still a huge improvement over a nest of different cable types, half of which are custom. And it's easy to get into a position where all your USB-C cables differ only by max speed.

Which is worse because they all look sort of the same, but they are not the same. It's even worse for non-techies, who don't understand what a gbps or a watt is, and who will leave a 1-star review, or worse, trash their cable, because their cable was "slow" but was meant for 240W PD but only supported USB 2.0. They purchased it initially because it had 5 stars. Ideally, there should only be "5 star" USB cables, and t…

Just about every data cable standard has different speed capabilities on a per-cable basis. Ethernet, HDMI, and displayport have the same issue and usually with even worse labeling.

> Ideally, there should only be "5 star" USB cables, and they should all work for all purposes that they can physically plug into.

That requires they never increase the speed again. Seems like a bad starting point.

And most people will accept the tradeoff of different cable speeds when it means long charging cables can be 10x cheaper. The problem is when manufacturers choose to use bad labels.

And if you push people off USB they're going to use 27 different kinds of cable and you won't be able to spot which generic black wire you need from across the room.

Also, if we pretend they set the max speed in stone in 2013, it's easy to get yourself a full set of 240W 10Gbps-per-lane do-everything cables in every length from 0 to 2.5 meters. $25 isn't an amazing price but sticking with passive cables keeps you out of the real nasty prices.

Re: I'm a USB-C Maximalist

#246

Post by vel0city »

TheBicPen wrote: post #116
notatoad wrote: post #95

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is really only a problem if you buy cheap cables. Pick the baseline spec you want your USB cables to meet, and throw out all the ones that don’t. Problem solved. It’s still a minor frustration if you have to borrow a cable, but that’s solved by packing a cable, and by encouraging as many other people as possible to also throw out their cheap cables.

> throw out all the ones that don’t > encouraging as many other people as possible to also throw out their cheap cables One of the main advantages of a single standardized plug is reducing e-waste. This just sounds irresponsible. Having a single tool that covers every possible use case is rarely a good solution.

> This just sounds irresponsible.

The irresponsibility lies with the companies making the non-compliant trash in the first place.

Re: I'm a USB-C Maximalist

#247

Post by vel0city »

guelo wrote: post #215
notatoad wrote: post #95

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is really only a problem if you buy cheap cables. Pick the baseline spec you want your USB cables to meet, and throw out all the ones that don’t. Problem solved. It’s still a minor frustration if you have to borrow a cable, but that’s solved by packing a cable, and by encouraging as many other people as possible to also throw out their cheap cables.

There's no way to know if it's a "cheap cable", not even by price.

Sure there is. Buy reputable brands from reputable marketplaces that clearly state the specs, and if you get products from them that don't comply stop buying from them.

Re: I'm a USB-C Maximalist

#248

Post by NoPicklez »

chaosharmonic wrote: post #15

I too am a USB-C maximalist, but with a handful of differences from OP: - You lose me at "toothbrush." I don't want personal care items that have internal batteries at all , because they'll eventually die on me while the device itself (brush heads notwithstanding) is otherwise perfectly functional. I'd much rather keep rechargeable AA(A)s on hand for that kind of stuff. (I still haven't found a good electric razor fo…

> - You lose me at "toothbrush." I don't want personal care items that have internal batteries at all, because they'll eventually die on me while the device itself (brush heads notwithstanding) is otherwise perfectly functional. I'd much rather keep rechargeable AA(A)s on hand for that kind of stuff. (I still haven't found a good electric razor for this purpose, though, and have actually just gone back to manual for the foreseeable future.)

I've had an Oral B electric brush for around 3 years now and it hasn't skipped a beat. I'd hate to have to change batteries when I can just pop it on a inductive charging dock every night.

Re: I'm a USB-C Maximalist

#250

Post by qurren »

wongarsu wrote: post #213
qurren wrote: post #97

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I break about 1 USB-C plug a week. They are simply not designed well for real people who do real things in the world, including physical work, exercise, hiking, woodworking, biking, and the like. They are designed by someone in a corporate office who just never gets out to see the real world. Here's how the last few broke: * Phone with typical inadequate battery + external portable battery pack plugged in, shoved in…

There are cables with 90° plugs (cable to the side). Those are pretty robust, get the cable out of the way more reliably, and provide a much smaller lever for physical forces on the connector. They aren't the solution for everything, but they solve a lot of issues For everything else there are magnetic USB-C connectors

> There are cables with 90° plugs (cable to the side)

This should be federal law and written into the constitution

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