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It's worse than that. We now have a situation where different cables of same connection type can damage hardware (as we've seen with powered USB-C hubs and the

It's worse than that. We now have a situation where different cables of same connection type can damage hardware (as we've seen with powered USB-C hubs and the Nintendo Switch with some 3rd party chargers and docks, etc). It used to be the case that anything of the same connection type would - at worst - not work if it wasn't designed for that piece of equipment. But now you have a situation where things "kinda" work together so consumers are encouraged to mix and match yet some of the time it could literally break your hardware. So now we have a situation where some people are too scared to mix and match which breaks the entire point of a standard connection type - and on the flip-side you have other people who are left with bricked hardware because they were unlucky enough to plug the wrong charger with the wrong device (for example).

cremp 8y ago
I'll say it goes further than that. I have a few modular power supplies around from different vendors, and I made the mistake of using one cable in a different vendors supply. The supply side had the same connections; so I thought that I could just mix-and-match. Turns out, that even though the connections are standardized, I ended up putting ground on a 5v pin, 12v on the 5v, 3.3v on the 3.3v (magically) and 5v on the 12v pin on a standard SATA connector. As a result, I fried several hard drives, because the output of the supplies wasn't standardized for the connector type. I can't even imagine an end-user using a volt-meter to check which are compatible with which vendor. This was a problem before USB-C. TL;DL: Check your modular supply cables, and don't use other vendors cables.
- pantalaimon 8y ago
  There is no standard for modular power supply cables. USB-C on the other hand is a standard.
  - cremp 8y ago
    They have the same form-factor for the connectors; I'd say that's a standard; especially since they are polarized plugs (full square, trapezoid.)
- daveFNbuck 8y ago
  You're describing the problem that USB is supposed to solve.

cremp 8y ago

I'll say it goes further than that. I have a few modular power supplies around from different vendors, and I made the mistake of using one cable in a different vendors supply. The supply side had the same connections; so I thought that I could just mix-and-match. Turns out, that even though the connections are standardized, I ended up putting ground on a 5v pin, 12v on the 5v, 3.3v on the 3.3v (magically) and 5v on the 12v pin on a standard SATA connector. As a result, I fried several hard drives, because the output of the supplies wasn't standardized for the connector type. I can't even imagine an end-user using a volt-meter to check which are compatible with which vendor. This was a problem before USB-C. TL;DL: Check your modular supply cables, and don't use other vendors cables.

pantalaimon 8y ago
There is no standard for modular power supply cables. USB-C on the other hand is a standard.
- cremp 8y ago
  They have the same form-factor for the connectors; I'd say that's a standard; especially since they are polarized plugs (full square, trapezoid.)
daveFNbuck 8y ago
You're describing the problem that USB is supposed to solve.