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What has been the deal with RPi's decision to continue using micro-usb connectors? Is it just a huge price difference at the scale they're working at? Not a bi

What has been the deal with RPi's decision to continue using micro-usb connectors? Is it just a huge price difference at the scale they're working at? Not a big deal, but if everyone's going to complain about Apple not using USB-C, it's only fair to throw a bit of shade here at others creating micro USB products in 2023. That aside, this looks like a useful board! I have an RP2040-based keyboard I made, and in the latest iteration I ended up using a TRS connector to expose the SWD wires. I wanted to also create a dedicated RP2040 debug board with a corresponding TRS connector, very similar to what's made here. Maybe I'll just buy one of these instead...

schappim 4y ago
Micro-USB connectors are cheaper than USB-C connectors, and low cost is kind of Raspberry Pi's shtick. This is particularly important for their lower-end products, such as the Zero and Pico.
15155 4y ago
The cost of cables and receptacles is quite a bit lower for Micro USB Type-B connectors and these microcontroller products have tens-of-cents (or maybe even less) in price sensitivity. The RPI4 has far less sensitivity and USB OTG, so it uses USB Type-C.
Nullabillity 4y ago
Micro-USB is a widespread standard, Lightning is not.
- trollied 4y ago
  The parent comment did not mention Lightning. USB-C, the form factor, is widespread & is becoming more common by the day.
crote 4y ago
I completely agree with this. You can get a USB-C connector for $0.02, sticking to Micro-B in 2023 is starting to become a dealbreaker for me.
packetlost 4y ago
Official response from Pi Foundation is they don't think it's worth the additional BOM cost.
- bschwindHN 4y ago
  That's fair enough, do you have a link to their response? I'm curious what the actual cost increase is. I'd be more than happy to pay an extra 50 cents or whatever for USB C :)
  - packetlost 4y ago
    https://www.raspberrypi.com/news/raspberry-pi-debug-probe-a-plug-and-play-debug-kit-for-12/#comment-1590786 https://www.raspberrypi.com/news/raspberry-pi-debug-probe-a-... They didn't give a cost difference.
    - bschwindHN 4y ago
      Someone in the comments had a good point - they provide a USB cable with the debug probe. I wonder if it would be cheaper to use a USB-C connector, and _not_ provide a cable. It's not like the RP2040 is pushing any sort of high data transfer rates. Oh well, I'm sure the people at the RPi foundation already had this discussion quite a few times.
epakai 4y ago
It sucks, but I kind of like how it has opened some space for rp2040 boards with differentiating features. Most are 2-3x cost, but still competitive with say, a teensy or high-end arduino.

schappim 4y ago

Micro-USB connectors are cheaper than USB-C connectors, and low cost is kind of Raspberry Pi's shtick. This is particularly important for their lower-end products, such as the Zero and Pico.

15155 4y ago

The cost of cables and receptacles is quite a bit lower for Micro USB Type-B connectors and these microcontroller products have tens-of-cents (or maybe even less) in price sensitivity. The RPI4 has far less sensitivity and USB OTG, so it uses USB Type-C.

Nullabillity 4y ago

Micro-USB is a widespread standard, Lightning is not.

trollied 4y ago
The parent comment did not mention Lightning. USB-C, the form factor, is widespread & is becoming more common by the day.

crote 4y ago

I completely agree with this. You can get a USB-C connector for $0.02, sticking to Micro-B in 2023 is starting to become a dealbreaker for me.

packetlost 4y ago

Official response from Pi Foundation is they don't think it's worth the additional BOM cost.

bschwindHN 4y ago
That's fair enough, do you have a link to their response? I'm curious what the actual cost increase is. I'd be more than happy to pay an extra 50 cents or whatever for USB C :)
- packetlost 4y ago
  https://www.raspberrypi.com/news/raspberry-pi-debug-probe-a-plug-and-play-debug-kit-for-12/#comment-1590786 https://www.raspberrypi.com/news/raspberry-pi-debug-probe-a-... They didn't give a cost difference.
  - bschwindHN 4y ago
    Someone in the comments had a good point - they provide a USB cable with the debug probe. I wonder if it would be cheaper to use a USB-C connector, and _not_ provide a cable. It's not like the RP2040 is pushing any sort of high data transfer rates. Oh well, I'm sure the people at the RPi foundation already had this discussion quite a few times.

epakai 4y ago

It sucks, but I kind of like how it has opened some space for rp2040 boards with differentiating features. Most are 2-3x cost, but still competitive with say, a teensy or high-end arduino.