Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

An Engineer's Guide to USB Typе-С (2024)

ti.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

31–40 of 88 posts

Re: An Engineer's Guide to USB Typе-С (2024)

#31

Post by __mharrison__ »

mapt wrote: post #25
imtringued wrote: post #15

Guides like this explain why there are so many broken USB-C devices. The guide mentions that you do not need a PD chip for 5Vs, but then tells you that USB C is a cold connector meaning 0V is on VBUS when nothing is connected and jumps straight into the complexities of the PD protocol running over the CC pins instead of explaining how to get the 5V without the PD chip first. Then in the section where it tells you how…

My phone's USB-C port is worn out, and so now it's a brick if I don't have a wireless charging dock around. Is it physically impossible to get bandwidth and power out of something as durable as a Magsafe connector, even a larger-scale version?

I generally stick magnetic USB C connectors into things like keyboards, phones, and iPads.

The slight bulge is worth the reduction in insertions. Also is very convenient for snapping when I need to connect.

Re: An Engineer's Guide to USB Typе-С (2024)

#32

Post by graemep »

BLanen wrote: post #23
kubb wrote: post #22

My new iPhone with USB C charging is such an improvement! Thank goodness for the European Union. If it weren't for them, we'd all be stuck with these flimsy Apple charging cables forever.

There were non-apple lightning cables already. And I have to say, the lightning connector itself is better than the usb-c connect in my opinion. I get that having the pins on the male* plug is a theoretical advantage in durability but that has not been my experience with usb-c connector durability on either end. EDIT: usb-c has pins on the male plug. Which is what I meant. So female -> male.

I have not used lightning but I have found USB C to be much more fragile than USB A, although better than mini and micro. I would really rather have had evey thing be a few mm bigger and stick with A.

Re: An Engineer's Guide to USB Typе-С (2024)

#33

Post by Aefiam »

kotaKat wrote: post #27
BLanen wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There were non-apple lightning cables already. And I have to say, the lightning connector itself is better than the usb-c connect in my opinion. I get that having the pins on the male* plug is a theoretical advantage in durability but that has not been my experience with usb-c connector durability on either end. EDIT: usb-c has pins on the male plug. Which is what I meant. So female -> male.

I've also had basically zero issue with Lightning connectors, but had a constant battle with USB-C of every kind to figure out what's charging, what's data, what's PD, and so much more hassle. I don't get why Apple was forced to colonize by the EU when they had the market-leading connector in place for significantly longer than USB-C even existed. "It's only USB2!" Does it have to support the faster USB3 speeds? Not…

As far as I understand Apple could have still supported an additional lightning port if they really cared about it.

Per gemini for making ligthning accessories you also have to pay 4$ to apple per device that are passed onto the consumer.

I dont know in what way that has to do with colonization.

USB everywhere is nice because you can use the same charger for all kind of devices and dont have to carry multiple with you.

The different kind of specs for usb cables is unfortunate, but you can just buy the highest spec ones and only use them.

Re: An Engineer's Guide to USB Typе-С (2024)

#34

Post by freeone3000 »

dvh wrote: post #21
imtringued wrote: post #15

Guides like this explain why there are so many broken USB-C devices. The guide mentions that you do not need a PD chip for 5Vs, but then tells you that USB C is a cold connector meaning 0V is on VBUS when nothing is connected and jumps straight into the complexities of the PD protocol running over the CC pins instead of explaining how to get the 5V without the PD chip first. Then in the section where it tells you how…

Now I want to know, how to add larger than 10uF cap?

Why? 10uF is already pretty beastly, and the point is to dampen signal verses intermittent drops and drains, not power the backing device for any amount of time.

Re: An Engineer's Guide to USB Typе-С (2024)

#35

Post by Pet_Ant »

gwbas1c wrote: post #30
BLanen wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There were non-apple lightning cables already. And I have to say, the lightning connector itself is better than the usb-c connect in my opinion. I get that having the pins on the male* plug is a theoretical advantage in durability but that has not been my experience with usb-c connector durability on either end. EDIT: usb-c has pins on the male plug. Which is what I meant. So female -> male.

> the lightning connector itself is better than the usb-c connect in my opinion. I get that having the pins on the male* plug is a theoretical advantage in durability but that has not been my experience with usb-c connector durability on either end. I always end up picking a lot of dust out of my usb-c ports on my phones; or otherwise the port wears out and disconnects before charging completes. (Right after my wife…

> I'm real curious why lightning never became the standard.

Because it is bad. In any connection there are springs that keep the tension, which will eventually wear out. They can either be on the cheap replaceable cable, or in the receptacle that is hardwired into your expensive device.

This is why, in part, USB Mini was replaced by USB Micro. ( https://electronics.stackexchange.com/questions/18552/why-wa... )

> Why Micro types offer better durability? Accomplished by moving leaf-spring from the PCB receptacle to plug, the most-stressed part is now on the cable side of the connection. Inexpensive cable bears most wear instead of the µUSB device.

Definitely had an iPhone where the port was worn out and getting it to connect was difficult.

Re: An Engineer's Guide to USB Typе-С (2024)

#36

Post by wlesieutre »

kotaKat wrote: post #27
BLanen wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There were non-apple lightning cables already. And I have to say, the lightning connector itself is better than the usb-c connect in my opinion. I get that having the pins on the male* plug is a theoretical advantage in durability but that has not been my experience with usb-c connector durability on either end. EDIT: usb-c has pins on the male plug. Which is what I meant. So female -> male.

I've also had basically zero issue with Lightning connectors, but had a constant battle with USB-C of every kind to figure out what's charging, what's data, what's PD, and so much more hassle. I don't get why Apple was forced to colonize by the EU when they had the market-leading connector in place for significantly longer than USB-C even existed. "It's only USB2!" Does it have to support the faster USB3 speeds? Not…

It was only 2.5 years between Apple's first device with Lightning (iPhone 5 in September 2012) and their first device with USB-C (12" Macbook in April 2015). It's not like Lightning had a huge track record at that point they just made a decision that they had switched connectors once and didn't want to turn around and do it again. Kind of understandable, but I'm glad to not have Lightning anymore.

Failure to have clear cable capability marking from the start is too bad though, if I needed a high speed USB cable longer than 6" (probably included with a hard drive enclosure or similar) I'm not sure if I own one, and if I do I have no idea which cable it is.

Re: An Engineer's Guide to USB Typе-С (2024)

#37

Post by wredcoll »

kotaKat wrote: post #27
BLanen wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There were non-apple lightning cables already. And I have to say, the lightning connector itself is better than the usb-c connect in my opinion. I get that having the pins on the male* plug is a theoretical advantage in durability but that has not been my experience with usb-c connector durability on either end. EDIT: usb-c has pins on the male plug. Which is what I meant. So female -> male.

I've also had basically zero issue with Lightning connectors, but had a constant battle with USB-C of every kind to figure out what's charging, what's data, what's PD, and so much more hassle. I don't get why Apple was forced to colonize by the EU when they had the market-leading connector in place for significantly longer than USB-C even existed. "It's only USB2!" Does it have to support the faster USB3 speeds? Not…

If apple had made lightning an actual standard everyone was using then the eu might have chosen that instead.

But they didn't. Every single other company/device was using usb(c) and it probably wasn't because of some kind if irrational dislike of words starting with the letter L.

Re: An Engineer's Guide to USB Typе-С (2024)

#38

Post by wredcoll »

mapt wrote: post #25
imtringued wrote: post #15

Guides like this explain why there are so many broken USB-C devices. The guide mentions that you do not need a PD chip for 5Vs, but then tells you that USB C is a cold connector meaning 0V is on VBUS when nothing is connected and jumps straight into the complexities of the PD protocol running over the CC pins instead of explaining how to get the 5V without the PD chip first. Then in the section where it tells you how…

My phone's USB-C port is worn out, and so now it's a brick if I don't have a wireless charging dock around. Is it physically impossible to get bandwidth and power out of something as durable as a Magsafe connector, even a larger-scale version?

How do you "wear out" a usbc port? Is this phone like 15 years old? My imagination is boggled.

Re: An Engineer's Guide to USB Typе-С (2024)

#40

Post by hutattedonmyarm »

gwbas1c wrote: post #30
BLanen wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There were non-apple lightning cables already. And I have to say, the lightning connector itself is better than the usb-c connect in my opinion. I get that having the pins on the male* plug is a theoretical advantage in durability but that has not been my experience with usb-c connector durability on either end. EDIT: usb-c has pins on the male plug. Which is what I meant. So female -> male.

> the lightning connector itself is better than the usb-c connect in my opinion. I get that having the pins on the male* plug is a theoretical advantage in durability but that has not been my experience with usb-c connector durability on either end. I always end up picking a lot of dust out of my usb-c ports on my phones; or otherwise the port wears out and disconnects before charging completes. (Right after my wife…

> I always end up picking a lot of dust out of my usb-c ports on my phones

Lightning has the same issue sadly

Post reply on HN