4 ms·
> The worst part about USB-C is that it can be implemented so wrong it bricks your device! The miswiring that bricked his device, swapping GND and VBUS, could
by cesarb 8y ago
> The worst part about USB-C is that it can be implemented so wrong it bricks your device!
The miswiring that bricked his device, swapping GND and VBUS, could also happen with older USB plugs. There's nothing specific to USB-C about it, USB plugs have a defined polarity for the power pins since the very first version of the standard.
- kevin_thibedeau 8y agoMitigating hardware damage is also the responsibility of the device manufacturers. Any external cable carrying power could experience a short circuit due to a fault. All USB hosts are required to limit current to deal with that. If they fail, it isn't the cable's fault.
- Retric 8y agoUSB-C can send significantly more power, which makes it harder to protect devices in these cases.
- nickysielicki 8y agoIt only happens after negotiation, so the higher potential wattage plays no role here. You'd need both a bad cable and an out-of-spec wall wart.
- inetknght 8y agoDo you think that combination of circumstances is rare enough that we shouldn't wonder about it?
- nickysielicki 8y agoMore or less. Either scenario, considered alone, is enough to ruin a downstream device. I don't think it's reasonable to worry about the combination of the two as different from either alone.
- BeeOnRope 8y agoThe failure can happen after negotiation, right?
- nickysielicki 8y agoYeah that's true, the cable could bend and cause a short after the negotiation, but how is a specification supposed to protect against this?
- j16sdiz 8y agoMany reference design have a USB power surge protection circuit.
- dcbadacd 8y agoThere's also the Nintendo Switch issue
- gumby 8y agoThat was due to non-compliance on Nintendo's part, hardly a USB Type C issue.
- jabl 8y agoIf the spec is so complex even a relatively big and stable corp like Nintendo can't get it right, well, maybe the spec is (partly) to blame?
- johncolanduoni 8y agoAre there any widely used hardware specs that a "big and stable" corp hasn't gotten wrong in some implementation? Back when Ethernet was a lot simpler than it is now there were plenty of big players who couldn't even manage to provide unique MAC addresses. Is IEEE754 being too complex to blame for Intel's FDIV bug?
- dcbadacd 8y agoI haven't seen IEEE754 burning down devices though.
- dcbadacd 8y agoWasn't it that the switch asked for a lower voltage but the charger didn't have that mode and it gave the switch a tad more juice?
- gumby 8y agoNope; here are the gory details: https://plus.google.com/102612254593917101378/posts/2CUPZ5yVTRT https://plus.google.com/102612254593917101378/posts/2CUPZ5yV...