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USB On-The-Go

(computer.rip)
208 points jnord | 4 comments | | HN request time: 0s | source
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CableNinja ◴[] No.42623940[source]
This article, and all comments, have reminded me yet again of my anger at the not so universal USB formats.

I had been designing a device that heavily relied on USB, as its primary goal was to be basically a USB switching station, where you plug your systems and USB into the device and then can swap around which USB is connected to any of the connected systems.

I started during the early USB3x days, and by the time i had a completed design, had to rip out and redo large chunks because the damn USB spec changed with all their 3.x super premium plus ultra speed bullshit. And then... fucking USB c. yes, you dont have to figure out which way the cable goes now, but hardware designers are suffering because of the shenanigans that is USB. My entire project was effectively scrapped because i didnt want to deal with the power draw bullshittery. Before PD it was easy enough for me to manage the power, but now, i need a whole load of supporting circuitry and have to touch datalines which my original goal was to avoid.

In short, i hate USB and its gone the way of the SCSI cable; getting more and more weird every year

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1. TheAmazingRace ◴[] No.42624393[source]
Honestly, SCSI was more straightforward than the quagmire that is current USB standards, especially over Type-C. I can't trust the quality of cables or what they are capable of on the surface. I really need to do my homework to ensure I get the right transfer speeds and power delivery.

Once I was charging my SteamDeck using a cable I thought was quality, and the darn connector bit felt alarmingly hot to the touch. Turns out the cable wasn't certified for PD applications and was better for 5V @ 4.5W...

replies(2): >>42625489 #>>42630246 #
2. Tharre ◴[] No.42625489[source]
Just to avoid confusion, there is no such thing as a "PD certified" usb-c cable. All usb-c cables, by any version of the standard, have to safely support at least 3 amps at 20V. And for 5 amps they have to contain an active marker chip that's involved in the PD negotiation.

Any cable not fulfilling these requirements isn't allowed to called a usb-c cable, though I'm sure certain foreign manufacturers don't care.

replies(1): >>42631320 #
3. scarface_74 ◴[] No.42630246[source]
Anyone who likes SCSI didn’t have to deal with a 6 device SCSI chain.
4. TheAmazingRace ◴[] No.42631320[source]
Duly noted! Thank you kind stranger.