USB Explained: Untangling the Rat’s Nest of USB-C Standards and Cables

[AdamG]

USB cables confusion? Read this. Great diagrams and pictographs to help understand End types, shapes and possible End to End combinations:
USB Cable Explained

 

[AdamG]

Let’s keep this thread just about USB please.

 

[rdenney]

The good thing about standards is that there are so many to choose from.

My own experience with USB C has been negative. My work laptop has one, and so far not one single thing I've plugged into has worked, no matter what adapter I tried. I gave up.

Rick "becoming a Luddite because of these idiots" Denney

 

[Zedly]

Obligatory:

 

[sarumbear]

The good thing about standards is that there are so many to choose from.

My own experience with USB C has been negative. My work laptop has one, and so far not one single thing I've plugged into has worked, no matter what adapter I tried. I gave up.

Rick "becoming a Luddite because of these idiots" Denney

Interesting. I have 2020 Dell XPS15 running Windows 10 as shipped. My experience is the opposite. I have USB-C to USB cables that works so does adapters to USB-2 and USB-3 devices and HDD. I use a USB-C to 8x USB-2/3 powered hub too.

 

[rdenney]

Interesting. I have 2020 Dell XPS15 running Windows 10 as shipped. My experience is the opposite. I have USB-C to USB cables that works so does adapters to USB-2 and USB-3 devices and HDD. I use a USB-C to 8x USB-2/3 powered hub too.

My work computer is a Dell Latitude 7480. I have no control over it, not even the ability to study the configuration. It may be that my employer removed the drivers for the USB-C or disabled it in hardware. It's not like there is anyone I could ask without filling out a range of forms and getting a range of approvals. I bought a fold-out second display that was something someone made in a Kickstarter project in the hopes of having a second monitor that would fit in my briefcase that I could use on the road. USB-C was the only option. Never got a hint of operation and I returned it. Had it use HDMI, I'd have been able to keep it. That's just one example.

Rick "who works were IT policy irrationality is only exceeded by its inflexibility" Denney

 

[AudiOhm]

I recently retired in October, I would travel between Canada and The USA renting cars in every city.
I was in North Carolina renting a car and decided to try a VW Passat, to my surprise the only USB connection was Type C, every car I have rented in the past had the standard USB A connection.
I like to use Android Auto on the vehicle display via my phone, I had to set every location ahead of time and use my phone screen. Lesson learned, always carry the quick adapters that come with your phone, you never know what connection you will need...

Ohms

 

[MCH]

Ha! now i understand why some combinations are so difficult to find (like micro from raspberry pi to usb B of many dacs). weird...
thanks for sharing, very informative

 

[ZolaIII]

I have a portable DAC/amp with separate USB A input line in which you plug your standard USB cable and connect it to the phone. It also can charge the phone (Android only) at the same time but in that case it's better to use power bank to charge both. As this is hardware dependent it only can work like that with software that supports it (HiBy Music).
To my better knowledge there only whose two products ever that could do it like that the (TempoTec Sonata iDSD and Sonata iDSD Plus [Hidizs HD1000]). It whose good and noble try to resolve problem with costume cable's and OTG adopters.

 

[ThatM1key]

I like USB 3.0 but man, trying to find a proper damn cable is hard and expensive. I have a external hard drive that uses the USB 3.0 micro-b cable, I lost the original cable but I have drawer full of new ones. Funny thing is that those cables run at USB 2.0 speeds, what a waste of data pins on those cables.

Here's a USB 3.X chart from Linus Tech Tips:

 

[AdamG]

You can now buy a 100W USB-C cable with a built-in power meter

They’re just $20 on Amazon, and they work!

www.theverge.com

https://www.theverge.com/2022/1/28/22907150/usb-c-pd-cable-power-meter-100-watt-power-delivery

 

[tomtoo]

If you used usb-c for a while. All the others are torture.

 

[tomtoo]

“Quantum physics governs the orientation of a USB plug. Typically the user tries to insert the plug, which won’t go in. The user then inverts the plug, which still won’t go in. He then inspects the plug to determine which way in it goes and then inserts it. It goes in. This is because the USB is in an indeterminate quantum state until directly observed. Prior to being observed, its state is between the two quantum states, known as wrong way up and wrong way down.”

 

[EdTice]

The good thing about standards is that there are so many to choose from.

The point of a standard isn't for there to be only one but rather, to know a priori that one can interoperate. Sure it may not be fun to look at the chart from the OP but, if one does, and then looks at the connections on say a PC and a DAC, you can tell what cable you will need and know that they will interoperate. Amplifiers have different input sensitivities. But they are specified in a standard way (volts) or gain (dB) and output (watts, although volts would work too). We don't need every amp to have the same gain/sensitivity, we need to know whether two devices will play nice together.

 

[Adaboy4z]

Does anyone own a device that uses 3.0 micro- B?

 

[EdTice]

Does anyone own a device that uses 3.0 micro- B?

Yes it was very common for external disk-drives prior to USB-C. It won't be present on any audio devices.

 

[ZolaIII]

USB Type-C finally shows up in power tools, thanks to DeWalt and Ryobi

DeWalt and Ryobi have both announced removable batteries for their tools powered by USB Type-C. Read on to find out more.

www.xda-developers.com

 

[JSmith]

“Quantum physics governs the orientation of a USB plug. Typically the user tries to insert the plug, which won’t go in. The user then inverts the plug, which still won’t go in. He then inspects the plug to determine which way in it goes and then inserts it. It goes in. This is because the USB is in an indeterminate quantum state until directly observed. Prior to being observed, its state is between the two quantum states, known as wrong way up and wrong way down.”

I wish I could like this twice, so spot on, thanks for the laugh. There must be quantum entanglement surrounding the insertion of USB's.


JSmith

 

[tomtoo]

I wish I could like this twice, so spot on, thanks for the laugh. There must be quantum entanglement surrounding the insertion of USB's.


JSmith

Its humor but that micro usb's can make you crazy. Usb-c is so much more comfortable. Plug how you like, works.
In Armstrongs words: A small step for technology, but a giant step for comfort of humankind.

 

[tomtoo]

Just imagine midi would go over micro usb.

Szene: Band comes on stage

Ultracool looking guitarist comes on stage, plugs easy his trs in the marshal, does a powerriff.
Nerdy looking Keyborder comes on stage, tryes to plug in the micro usb for his keyboard to the synth.
20 mins later, nerdy looking keyboarder has still no sound.