4 ms·

At this point I think I'd rather have a DC jack than mini-B I think I might even own more USB-A/C to DC cables than I own mini-B cables.

dylan604 3y ago
I'm perplexed by the desire to move away from DC jacks as well. Power needs 2 pins. Using a multipin connector knowingly to only use 2 pins is rather confusing.
- kalleboo 3y ago
  Personally I would prefer USB-C for everything. I have plugged in the wrong DC adapter (wrong polarity or voltage but the same physical form factor) far too many times and killed too many things. Not to mention all the device-specific DC adapters that have been lost through the ages. But for a hobbyist device, the currently available USB-C jacks have pins that are too small to solder by hand so I'll settle there. It would be nice if hand-solderable breakout boards were cheaper and more commonly available (the DC trigger boards out there are a great start but typically have to be ordered direct from China) But for factory-manufactured goods, DC jacks need to die and be replaced with USB-C. Meanwhile there is no room anywhere for mini-B, micro-B, etc anymore, even on hobbyist devices. I'm not even sure I could even find a mini-B cable in a physical store nearby anymore.
  - JKCalhoun 3y ago
    Yeah, that's basically it. I have a drawer of barrel-jack wall warts but they all vary in diameter, polarity, voltage, current... USB is a nice standard 5V source.
    - kalleboo 3y ago
      Even the confusion about USB-C devices and adapters is nothing compared to the insanity that is DC jacks. At least USB-C will just not work instead of destroy things. My parents had a D-link DSL modem and Router where both the devices looked pretty much the same (they were stackable), had the same DC jacks, the power adapters looked the same, but were different voltages, which you could tell in white-on-gray 12pt text.
- numpad0 3y ago
  DC barrel plugs aren't best in terms of contact stability, they can rotate and slide and create noises. Something with locking and indexing would be better, which USB-C don't quite qualify but I guess is close enough.
- bmicraft 3y ago
  The "problem" with dc jacks is you have to know what voltage something needs, maybe years after your or someone else built it. With usb-c you might have to remember that it needs a power supply with 15V support, but it won't let out the magic smoke if you chose the wrong one.
- Pet_Ant 3y ago
  I've fried a couple things over the years plugging in the wrong power supply (always during a move/reno when multiple things were being replugged) so the ability to have the device negotiate it's own voltage from a standard source that can be reused is a blessing. I still have a collection of random wall worts from the past just in case, but never seem to have the one I need when something dies.

dylan604 3y ago

I'm perplexed by the desire to move away from DC jacks as well. Power needs 2 pins. Using a multipin connector knowingly to only use 2 pins is rather confusing.

kalleboo 3y ago
Personally I would prefer USB-C for everything. I have plugged in the wrong DC adapter (wrong polarity or voltage but the same physical form factor) far too many times and killed too many things. Not to mention all the device-specific DC adapters that have been lost through the ages. But for a hobbyist device, the currently available USB-C jacks have pins that are too small to solder by hand so I'll settle there. It would be nice if hand-solderable breakout boards were cheaper and more commonly available (the DC trigger boards out there are a great start but typically have to be ordered direct from China) But for factory-manufactured goods, DC jacks need to die and be replaced with USB-C. Meanwhile there is no room anywhere for mini-B, micro-B, etc anymore, even on hobbyist devices. I'm not even sure I could even find a mini-B cable in a physical store nearby anymore.
- JKCalhoun 3y ago
  Yeah, that's basically it. I have a drawer of barrel-jack wall warts but they all vary in diameter, polarity, voltage, current... USB is a nice standard 5V source.
  - kalleboo 3y ago
    Even the confusion about USB-C devices and adapters is nothing compared to the insanity that is DC jacks. At least USB-C will just not work instead of destroy things. My parents had a D-link DSL modem and Router where both the devices looked pretty much the same (they were stackable), had the same DC jacks, the power adapters looked the same, but were different voltages, which you could tell in white-on-gray 12pt text.
numpad0 3y ago
DC barrel plugs aren't best in terms of contact stability, they can rotate and slide and create noises. Something with locking and indexing would be better, which USB-C don't quite qualify but I guess is close enough.
bmicraft 3y ago
The "problem" with dc jacks is you have to know what voltage something needs, maybe years after your or someone else built it. With usb-c you might have to remember that it needs a power supply with 15V support, but it won't let out the magic smoke if you chose the wrong one.
Pet_Ant 3y ago
I've fried a couple things over the years plugging in the wrong power supply (always during a move/reno when multiple things were being replugged) so the ability to have the device negotiate it's own voltage from a standard source that can be reused is a blessing. I still have a collection of random wall worts from the past just in case, but never seem to have the one I need when something dies.