7 ms·

I haven't had to delve into the world of trying to find an appropriate USB-C cable until fairly recently. I didn't actually understand the situation thinking a

I haven't had to delve into the world of trying to find an appropriate USB-C cable until fairly recently. I didn't actually understand the situation thinking a replacement USB-C cable should just work. Oh hell no and none of the packaging actually explains what features a cable supports, none of them actually explain what the cable is actually compatible with. The little android logo doesn't mean shit. Sure, you might be able to slowly charge your phone with a particular cable, but it doesn't mean it'll do anything else it's supposed to do.

neither_color 5y ago
And every time I buy a new device and think I'll be able to use my existing USB-C cables I'm met with a new standard. Bought a new external GPU enclosure? My macbook charging cable wont work I need a 40gbps thunderbolt THREE(not 2) cable. Bought a new Oculus Quest? Neither my egpu or macbook cables work I need an $80 LINK cable.
- grlass 5y ago
  I wonder if the the committee have looked at integrating colour or some other indicator into the standard so that cable/port capabilities are clear visually. Though ofc the design challenge is for users to feel comfortable that putting red into blue won't break anything, it just might not give the expected features.
  - dr_orpheus 5y ago
    This does seem like it would be helpful. They started coloring the USB-A ports blue for those that were compatible with USB 3 high speed data. I think the challenge may be to get people to understand it more than being afraid to plug blue in to black. I know quite a few people just assumed the color choice was a design choice and if the cable fits, plug it in.
  - ohazi 5y ago
    Indicator recommendations are routinely ignored. There are already color codes for type-A ports, and there's the "lightning bolt" indicator for Thunderbolt USB-C ports, but PC manufacturers ignore them when they want their laptops to have a certain look and feel (e.g. gaming laptops want red or green everything, Apple wants aluminum everything, etc.). Cable manufacturers are going to do whatever is cheapest.
    - grlass 5y ago
      Yeah, it's a bit of tragedy. Resistor style stripes on cables would be fun, a stripe for each feature such as bandwidth, power, etc; perhaps already suggested (and ignored). Though complement for ports would be trickier. Embossing symbols in the style of thunderbolt might be the way to go, even if the standard is not fully adopted.
      - spicybright 5y ago
        Ha, I love the color idea.
        omega3 5y ago
        This is terrible for colorblind people.
        salawat 5y ago
        For accessibility, assign specific texture patterns on the outside of the insulation for different capabilities. Then you can tell the capabilities by running the cable through your hands.
        watersb 5y ago
        I actually have started down this path for my own cables -- the nylon braided ones are lower power etc. My first attempt was different colors for each device, but was too tedious. Three categories - low power, high power slow USB2, and 100W Thunderbolt. - Low power: generic cables from wherever - High power slow: cables that came with reputable charger (the vendor's cable, like Apple or Samsung; my favorite 3rd party charger is https://www.ravpower.com/products/rp-pc112-gan-tech-61w-wall-charger https://www.ravpower.com/products/rp-pc112-gan-tech-61w-wall...) - Thuderbolt: I buy from https://eshop.macsales.com/shop/Thunderbolt https://eshop.macsales.com/shop/Thunderbolt
  - madsbuch 5y ago
    Or! We could go one step further, and change the connector to make sure that people use them correctly. Wouldn't that be clever!?
    - jquery 5y ago
      Didn’t Europe ban this?
      - mamurphy 5y ago
        jquery was downvoted but I recall articles like this (https://www.theverge.com/2020/1/17/21070848/eu-apple-european-commission-common-charger-lightning-cable-port https://www.theverge.com/2020/1/17/21070848/eu-apple-europea...) with the EU trying to ban any "non-standard" connector. Maybe non-standard connectors are actually a feature, not a bug, because everything having the same connector but not the same functionality will lead to confusion as described above.
        8note 5y ago
        I don't think it was ever true that the connectors on the two devices determine whether they're compatible. You can find all sorts of different connectors on a cable to connect two devices together, but you still only knew that devices are/are not compatible by trying to plug them in At least with the current setup, you are unlikely to burn out the devices by trying a cable.
    - Klinky 5y ago
      People already incorrectly buy USB A when they should have bought USB C or visa versa. Changing the physical form-factor doesn't solve this problem. "I thought I needed a USB cable"? Also it's a huge waste if say an HDMI 2.1 cable cannot be used on an HDMI 2.0/1.4 device. People would complain about that too.
      - wearywanderer 5y ago
        > People already incorrectly buy USB A when they should have bought USB C or visa versa. Changing the physical form-factor doesn't solve this problem. At least the nature of the problem is immediately apparent to such people the moment they attempt to plug the cable in. If the cable won't fit, they know there is nothing wrong with their computer; they didn't misconfigure anything or click the wrong button. The problem is unambiguous. Some USB-C cables not working with some USB-C sockets leaves users feeling gaslit.
  - bogidon 5y ago
    From the actual spec[1]: > All EPR cables shall be Electronically Marked and include EPR-specific information in the eMarker as defined by the USB PD specification. As defined in the USB PD specification, EPR cables are marked as 50 V and 5 A capable. All EPR cables shall be visibly identified with EPR cable identification icons as defined by the USB-IF. This is required so that end users will be able to confirm visually that the cable supports up to as high of PDP = 240W as defined in the USB PD specification." Both are important. I also wish devices had some UI to easily show the capabilities of a connected cable to the user. I could not find actual visual representations of the the "identification icons". [1]: (page 143) https://usb.org/document-library/usb-type-cr-cable-and-connector-specification-revision-21 https://usb.org/document-library/usb-type-cr-cable-and-conne...
    - ctoth 5y ago
      Can confirm, sucks if you're blind.
      - gord288 5y ago
        Some kind of Braille markings, or similar, really should be a standard part of the spec.
- Rebelgecko 5y ago
  My Oculus Quest works fine with a 3meter AmazonBasics USB cable that I got for like $15. I think the only advantage of the official link cable is that it gets you 5m without needing to add an extender to a 3m cable
  - ianlevesque 5y ago
    Yeah the Quest even added USB 2 support.
  - neither_color 5y ago
    It works but it if you run a high bandwidth game like Flight Simulator you might hit some performance limits, you can check your cable speed in the quest desktop app.
    - snailmailman 5y ago
      I’m not the same user but I haven’t had any problems with my cheap usb cable. Only that the cheaper cable I got is shorter. I haven’t done the speed test in a while but last I checked I think it was 3Gbps? Not quite the theoretical max for the port/cable but easily enough for the few hundred megabit video feed.
vmception 5y ago
Try finding any accessory that has USBC Its been over 5 years already If your phone is about to die because yiu checked out of a hotel in the morning and your flight is at night and you are just cruising around in a car, you will not be able to stop anywhere and get a USBC car charger. So anyway LPT: get USBC accessories on Amazon in advance and dont rely on them to have any particular feature of quality control.
- vel0city 5y ago
  I've seen USB-C cables for sale at most gas station convenience stores, both C to C and C to A. I've seen lots with car 12V to USB-C as well. They're not rare around me.
qubitcoder 5y ago
Welcome to the world of USB-C! My general approach, and recommendations to others, is to purchase only Thunderbolt 3 cables. Yes, they're more expensive. But they'll essentially handle everything you throw at them, and behave as expected (due to the large protocol support [0,1]). Of course, this won't always be the case. But it's generally a safe assumption for now. [0] https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/products/docs/io/thunderbolt/thunderbolt-technology-developer.html https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/products/docs/io/thu... [1] https://thunderbolttechnology.net/sites/default/files/Thunderbolt3_TechBrief_FINAL.pdf https://thunderbolttechnology.net/sites/default/files/Thunde...
- selectodude 5y ago
  Spending $65 on a 6 foot cable as a "fix" for that doesn't seem like much of a fix at all. https://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=24721 https://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=24721
- Reason077 5y ago
  > "My general approach, and recommendations to others, is to purchase only Thunderbolt 3 cables ... they'll essentially handle everything you throw at them" Is this really true? My Thunderbolt monitor (LG Ultrafine 4K) came with two cables: Thunderbolt 3 (for connecting to Thunderbolt laptops) and USB-C (for connecting to iPads etc which don't support Thunderbolt). Why would two different cables be needed if the Thunderbolt 3 one can do it all?
  - Dylan16807 5y ago
    Some active thunderbolt cables don't properly support USB. A good one can do it all, as far as I'm aware.
    - Reason077 5y ago
      The cables designed for Thunderbolt 3 + 100W charging don't seem to be capable of the fastest USB speeds in my experience. That includes Apple's expensive Thunderbolt cable. They fall back to slower speeds when used as a USB-C cable.

neither_color 5y ago

And every time I buy a new device and think I'll be able to use my existing USB-C cables I'm met with a new standard. Bought a new external GPU enclosure? My macbook charging cable wont work I need a 40gbps thunderbolt THREE(not 2) cable. Bought a new Oculus Quest? Neither my egpu or macbook cables work I need an $80 LINK cable.

grlass 5y ago
I wonder if the the committee have looked at integrating colour or some other indicator into the standard so that cable/port capabilities are clear visually. Though ofc the design challenge is for users to feel comfortable that putting red into blue won't break anything, it just might not give the expected features.
- dr_orpheus 5y ago
  This does seem like it would be helpful. They started coloring the USB-A ports blue for those that were compatible with USB 3 high speed data. I think the challenge may be to get people to understand it more than being afraid to plug blue in to black. I know quite a few people just assumed the color choice was a design choice and if the cable fits, plug it in.
- ohazi 5y ago
  Indicator recommendations are routinely ignored. There are already color codes for type-A ports, and there's the "lightning bolt" indicator for Thunderbolt USB-C ports, but PC manufacturers ignore them when they want their laptops to have a certain look and feel (e.g. gaming laptops want red or green everything, Apple wants aluminum everything, etc.). Cable manufacturers are going to do whatever is cheapest.
  - grlass 5y ago
    Yeah, it's a bit of tragedy. Resistor style stripes on cables would be fun, a stripe for each feature such as bandwidth, power, etc; perhaps already suggested (and ignored). Though complement for ports would be trickier. Embossing symbols in the style of thunderbolt might be the way to go, even if the standard is not fully adopted.
    - spicybright 5y ago
      Ha, I love the color idea.
      - omega3 5y ago
        This is terrible for colorblind people.
        salawat 5y ago
        For accessibility, assign specific texture patterns on the outside of the insulation for different capabilities. Then you can tell the capabilities by running the cable through your hands.
        watersb 5y ago
        I actually have started down this path for my own cables -- the nylon braided ones are lower power etc. My first attempt was different colors for each device, but was too tedious. Three categories - low power, high power slow USB2, and 100W Thunderbolt. - Low power: generic cables from wherever - High power slow: cables that came with reputable charger (the vendor's cable, like Apple or Samsung; my favorite 3rd party charger is https://www.ravpower.com/products/rp-pc112-gan-tech-61w-wall-charger https://www.ravpower.com/products/rp-pc112-gan-tech-61w-wall...) - Thuderbolt: I buy from https://eshop.macsales.com/shop/Thunderbolt https://eshop.macsales.com/shop/Thunderbolt
- madsbuch 5y ago
  Or! We could go one step further, and change the connector to make sure that people use them correctly. Wouldn't that be clever!?
  - jquery 5y ago
    Didn’t Europe ban this?
    - mamurphy 5y ago
      jquery was downvoted but I recall articles like this (https://www.theverge.com/2020/1/17/21070848/eu-apple-european-commission-common-charger-lightning-cable-port https://www.theverge.com/2020/1/17/21070848/eu-apple-europea...) with the EU trying to ban any "non-standard" connector. Maybe non-standard connectors are actually a feature, not a bug, because everything having the same connector but not the same functionality will lead to confusion as described above.
      - 8note 5y ago
        I don't think it was ever true that the connectors on the two devices determine whether they're compatible. You can find all sorts of different connectors on a cable to connect two devices together, but you still only knew that devices are/are not compatible by trying to plug them in At least with the current setup, you are unlikely to burn out the devices by trying a cable.
  - Klinky 5y ago
    People already incorrectly buy USB A when they should have bought USB C or visa versa. Changing the physical form-factor doesn't solve this problem. "I thought I needed a USB cable"? Also it's a huge waste if say an HDMI 2.1 cable cannot be used on an HDMI 2.0/1.4 device. People would complain about that too.
    - wearywanderer 5y ago
      > People already incorrectly buy USB A when they should have bought USB C or visa versa. Changing the physical form-factor doesn't solve this problem. At least the nature of the problem is immediately apparent to such people the moment they attempt to plug the cable in. If the cable won't fit, they know there is nothing wrong with their computer; they didn't misconfigure anything or click the wrong button. The problem is unambiguous. Some USB-C cables not working with some USB-C sockets leaves users feeling gaslit.
- bogidon 5y ago
  From the actual spec[1]: > All EPR cables shall be Electronically Marked and include EPR-specific information in the eMarker as defined by the USB PD specification. As defined in the USB PD specification, EPR cables are marked as 50 V and 5 A capable. All EPR cables shall be visibly identified with EPR cable identification icons as defined by the USB-IF. This is required so that end users will be able to confirm visually that the cable supports up to as high of PDP = 240W as defined in the USB PD specification." Both are important. I also wish devices had some UI to easily show the capabilities of a connected cable to the user. I could not find actual visual representations of the the "identification icons". [1]: (page 143) https://usb.org/document-library/usb-type-cr-cable-and-connector-specification-revision-21 https://usb.org/document-library/usb-type-cr-cable-and-conne...
  - ctoth 5y ago
    Can confirm, sucks if you're blind.
    - gord288 5y ago
      Some kind of Braille markings, or similar, really should be a standard part of the spec.
Rebelgecko 5y ago
My Oculus Quest works fine with a 3meter AmazonBasics USB cable that I got for like $15. I think the only advantage of the official link cable is that it gets you 5m without needing to add an extender to a 3m cable
- ianlevesque 5y ago
  Yeah the Quest even added USB 2 support.
- neither_color 5y ago
  It works but it if you run a high bandwidth game like Flight Simulator you might hit some performance limits, you can check your cable speed in the quest desktop app.
  - snailmailman 5y ago
    I’m not the same user but I haven’t had any problems with my cheap usb cable. Only that the cheaper cable I got is shorter. I haven’t done the speed test in a while but last I checked I think it was 3Gbps? Not quite the theoretical max for the port/cable but easily enough for the few hundred megabit video feed.

vmception 5y ago

Try finding any accessory that has USBC Its been over 5 years already If your phone is about to die because yiu checked out of a hotel in the morning and your flight is at night and you are just cruising around in a car, you will not be able to stop anywhere and get a USBC car charger. So anyway LPT: get USBC accessories on Amazon in advance and dont rely on them to have any particular feature of quality control.

vel0city 5y ago
I've seen USB-C cables for sale at most gas station convenience stores, both C to C and C to A. I've seen lots with car 12V to USB-C as well. They're not rare around me.

qubitcoder 5y ago

Welcome to the world of USB-C! My general approach, and recommendations to others, is to purchase only Thunderbolt 3 cables. Yes, they're more expensive. But they'll essentially handle everything you throw at them, and behave as expected (due to the large protocol support [0,1]). Of course, this won't always be the case. But it's generally a safe assumption for now. [0] https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/products/docs/io/thunderbolt/thunderbolt-technology-developer.html https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/products/docs/io/thu... [1] https://thunderbolttechnology.net/sites/default/files/Thunderbolt3_TechBrief_FINAL.pdf https://thunderbolttechnology.net/sites/default/files/Thunde...

selectodude 5y ago
Spending $65 on a 6 foot cable as a "fix" for that doesn't seem like much of a fix at all. https://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=24721 https://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=24721
Reason077 5y ago
> "My general approach, and recommendations to others, is to purchase only Thunderbolt 3 cables ... they'll essentially handle everything you throw at them" Is this really true? My Thunderbolt monitor (LG Ultrafine 4K) came with two cables: Thunderbolt 3 (for connecting to Thunderbolt laptops) and USB-C (for connecting to iPads etc which don't support Thunderbolt). Why would two different cables be needed if the Thunderbolt 3 one can do it all?
- Dylan16807 5y ago
  Some active thunderbolt cables don't properly support USB. A good one can do it all, as far as I'm aware.
  - Reason077 5y ago
    The cables designed for Thunderbolt 3 + 100W charging don't seem to be capable of the fastest USB speeds in my experience. That includes Apple's expensive Thunderbolt cable. They fall back to slower speeds when used as a USB-C cable.