9 ms·

Apple iPod Shuffle USB interface pinout

103 points by gibspaulding 3y ago

jonhohle 3y ago
I have an iPod shuffle first generation and the form factor is nearly perfect. It has a standard 3.5mm headphone jack on one end and a USB-A connector on the other end. Unfortunately, the battery is dead and not very user serviceable. For something like working out or tuning out, it’s about as minimalist as is functional and if storage wasn’t an issue, could double as removable storage.
- userbinator 3y ago
  Apple doesn't make them anymore but you can still find similar products on AliExpress and the like, which also work as microSD card readers.
  - willsmith72 3y ago
    i got this one for 30 usd a while back, still going strong. didn't need the bluetooth, but it's a bonus for occasionally using speakers. https://www.dhgate.com/product/m13-bluetooth-mp3-player-mini-sports-music/507943067.html https://www.dhgate.com/product/m13-bluetooth-mp3-player-mini...
    - pjerem 3y ago
      It doesn’t looks like you can use an SD card. I can easily see myself buying one of those, adding a 512Gb uSD card on it and ditch Spotify.
      - bingbingbing777 3y ago
        There are many dedicated music players like that, that use micro SD. I have a Surfans F20, but I think it only goes up to 256gb SD card.
      - serf 3y ago
        get one that has aftermarket firmware support, the ones i've played with have very specific conditions for folder/file naming and structure and format. The last one I tinkered with didn't support ogg vorbis out of the box, which is a somewhat niche format admittedly -- but support for it is fairly widespread elsewhere so I just sort of took it for granted that it'd deal with it fine.
      - novagameco 3y ago
        I use this one: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01LZVDMEL https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01LZVDMEL
  - sandreas 3y ago
    You could take a look at the Rockbox supported device list[1]. Depending on the size requirements and the budget you could go for a Sansa Clip+. I personally prefer the iPod Nano 7th gen, which is great in terms of usability, has bluetooth 4.0 and is also very small size. Repair is a nightmare though and finding an affordable but still working device is not that easy. If smallest size is not a requirement, you could go for the HiBy M300 - a pretty new Android 13 device supporting most Apps, 2TB of microSD Storage, having control buttons and also cable headphone remote support (OMTP, not CTIA), but still not that big. Maybe a modified Apple iPod Classic 2009 with an iFlash Quad and 2000mah battery also fits your needs. It's way bigger than a shuffle, but it's at least maintainable (battery and storage replacement). [1]: https://www.rockbox.org/ https://www.rockbox.org/
    - asystole 3y ago
      The 2nd gen iPod Mini is fairly easy to work on. I have one with a 64 GB SD card and a new battery.
      - sandreas 3y ago
        Absolutely. The iPod Mini is a usable device that can be modded. The only thing I'm missing on these "older" models (not that iPod Classic 2009 or iPod Nano 7g 2012 are young) is the earphone remote control (e.g. of the cable EarPods). Apple did a really great job on remote controlling the devices with "tap"-Codes (tap, double tap, triple tap). The iPod Classic 2009 for example does not support the codes for fast forward / rewind (tap+tap_hold=ff, tap,tap,tap_hold=r). That's something I regularly use for audiobooks, so I'm tied to the iPod Nano 7g (the 6g would also work, but I prefer the larger display for navigating chapters). There are android devices supporting these tap codes partially, but not as good / reliable as the iPod Nano 7g. Android also is using OMTP while Apple is using CTIA, so Apple headphones won't work on android and vice versa. CTIA=>OMTP Adapters (from amazon) just switch the pinout, which does not work, because Apple uses different Resistance on the Pinout. I also "modded" one of my iPod Nano 7g by partially milling out the aluminium backplate and soldering in an iPod Mini battery (600mah), so that I got nearly 3 times the battery life of a factory iPod Nano as well as an easy to replace battery without opening the device (which is way to hard). The bigger iPod Mini battery does not fit without a silicone bumper, but since I already used one, it was perfectly fine. Changing the battery still requires soldering, but at least not fiddling with the very fragile display removal procedure. However, currently I did not find a better device for my use case than the iPod Nano 7g. And everything is better with bluetooth... although I don't use it :-)
  - novagameco 3y ago
    I found a cheap MP3 player a couple years ago for like $30 on Amazon. It looks like a 2nd gen iPod nano and takes an SD card slot. I have literally never needed to charge it, the specs are so tiny.
- rollcat 3y ago
  It's a bit more bulky (classic iPod sized), but check out Tangara: <https://www.crowdsupply.com/cool-tech-zone/tangara https://www.crowdsupply.com/cool-tech-zone/tangara>. Stock, easily replaceable parts, USB-C+3.5mm+BT, SDXC slot with 2TB limit, standard lipo battery, OSS & hackable firmware that's difficult to brick, basically every bit of it is designed to last decades.
  - novagameco 3y ago
    The build quality looks really cheap. Since it's only a kickstarter, I assume the 3D printed case is only for prototyping, but it doesn't look like it would last very long. For $250 I would expect a much better case than that
  - Adjudicator52 3y ago
    Would love this, but built around [Rockbox](https://www.rockbox.org/ https://www.rockbox.org/).
    - deleted 3y ago
      [deleted]
    - rollcat 3y ago
      I think it could be a very good target for a Rockbox port, however they very specifically emphasize Lua and hackability among their goals (check out the UI code samples); they're also developing the hardware+software platforms in tandem, I'm not even sure if Rockbox supports Wifi or BT.
    - aos 3y ago
      Was also curious, so I did some digging. This is the inventor’s thoughts on this: https://chaos.social/@jacqueline/111869403759610817 https://chaos.social/@jacqueline/111869403759610817
- markb139 3y ago
  I recently replaced the battery on a gen 2 shuffle. It was reasonably easy though required good eyesight
- kotaKat 3y ago
  My favorite tool for the first gen Shuffle is the best 12kb app I've ever seen. https://ipod-shuffle-manager.en.lo4d.com/windows https://ipod-shuffle-manager.en.lo4d.com/windows Heikki Ylinen's iPod Shuffle Manager, for the unaware, is a portable 12k app that sits on the root of an iPod shuffle. When you launch it, it scans the entire stick for MP3 files, then builds a compatible iPod shuffle database and shoves it where it needs to go so the Shuffle just acts like a dumb MP3 player without iTunes.
- wlesieutre 3y ago
  Ah yes, the pack-of-gum sized model with the "do not eat iPod shuffle" warning. I had one of the USB-via-TRRS models that this post is about and really liked it for running. Had a built-in clip so you could attach it to your waistband.
NoPedantsThanks 3y ago
Is this for the POS one that had no controls at all?
- X-Cubed 3y ago
  No, this one had a central Play/Pause button surrounded by a D-Pad ring for prev/next track and volume. No display though.
  - NoPedantsThanks 3y ago
    This was really the best design. The metal one that was a big clip.
    - Erratic6576 3y ago
      I recently rediscovered one doing home archeology and it’s still working
- infotainment 3y ago
  You're probably thinking of the 3rd gen version, which, had exactly zero buttons (the only way to control it was to press the button on the included Apple earbuds): https://apple-history.com/ipod_shuffle_3g https://apple-history.com/ipod_shuffle_3g
  - userbinator 3y ago
    Even Apple probably thought that was a bad decision, since the subsequent generation returned to the usual controls. Fortunately someone RE'd the protocol and posted about it publicly: https://web.archive.org/web/20130114082119/http://david.carne.ca/shuffle_hax/shuffle_remote.html https://web.archive.org/web/20130114082119/http://david.carn... The same measurement of resistance between the innermost two contacts is now a standard for Android in-line headset controls, although Apple's implementation used 0, 4.7k, and 10k ohms instead of Android's much lower (<1k) values.
- NoPedantsThanks 3y ago
userbinator 3y ago
It's worth noting there were at least 3 other de-facto standards for USB to TRRS: https://qph.cf2.quoracdn.net/main-qimg-d6cc903458ff8fcfa304d945f9152a51-pjlq https://qph.cf2.quoracdn.net/main-qimg-d6cc903458ff8fcfa304d... One problem with using TRRS for USB is that Vbus can be short-circuited while plugging and unplugging; the clones of the 2nd generation Shuffle tended to use a regular mini-USB instead, which offers the advantage that it can be charged while listening: http://tarkus-notes.com/en/chinese-mp3-player-ipod-shuffle-clone/ http://tarkus-notes.com/en/chinese-mp3-player-ipod-shuffle-c...
- deleted 3y ago
  [deleted]
hiisukun 3y ago
One of these is still currently in use in my household -- we've got a kid that likes music but is not yet old enough for any "smart device". Super portable, clips to the very over-ear headphones that it's plugged into! I was never sure if I'd need to recreate make some cable for it, or if it's battery would fail first.
- jasomill 3y ago
  I've seriously considered replacing the cable on a pair of headphones[1] with a flush 3.5 mm TRS plug so I can directly attach a shuffle gen 4 — no clip required! — then putting a TRS plug on the original cable so I can still use the headphones with other devices. [1] https://www.sony.jp/headphone/products/MDR-CD900ST/ https://www.sony.jp/headphone/products/MDR-CD900ST/
em3rgent0rdr 3y ago
The first version of USB should have used TRRS connectors. Then wouldn't have people complaining about inserting the cable incorrectly or having to deal with the plethora of USB connectors.
- crote 3y ago
  The problem with TRRS is that the different pins get shorted together when plugging in or disconnecting it. This means devices now have to handle a dead short as part of regular operations, which seriously complicates the interface. The hobbyist ergonomic keyboard community has used TRRS for the link between the left and right half of the keyboard for a while now, and it routinely causes issue due to people accidentally unplugging it while powered - which fries their keyboard. I totally expect the 3.5mm Toslink plug to come back once we inevitable switch over to fiber, though!
  - actionfromafar 3y ago
    Then we need light to transfer power too, sounds slightly unsafe for eyes, maybe.
    - crote 3y ago
      Not necessarily. You could design the plug like "copper tip, plastic ring, copper sleeve". With the right dimensions the contacts aren't shorted together during insertion. Alternatively, use a ring which is segmented in 120 degree pieces, and place two contacts 180 degree apart in the socket: any two ring segments might be shorted, but never all three - and there will always be at least two segments with a connection. Use a bridge rectifier to get a fixed polarity out of it.
  - valianteffort 3y ago
    TOSLINK is seriously underrated
  - lmpdev 3y ago
    Can anyone explain why Toslink is on almost every consumer AV product circuit board? I love Toslink but I wouldn’t expect it on as many TVs, devices and systems as I see them Is it just the lack of the need for DAC chips, cost, or something I’m missing? Many TVs and devices exclude many digital and analogue sockets, but for some reason I always see Toslink
k8svet 3y ago
... did this get posted because of that meme on reddit? I couldn't figure out why such a cable would exist, or if it really did.
- sunnybeetroot 3y ago
  Which meme?
  - evan_ 3y ago
    a picture of a short cord with a USB A on one end and a 1/8" headphone jack on the other, both ends plugged into the same laptop computer (one end in the USB jack, one in the headphone jack). Supposed to be a "wtf" kind of thing.
    - sunnybeetroot 3y ago
      Ohh got it, love it, thanks. Reminds me of a meme of a powerboard cable going into itself claiming infinite energy.
- gibspaulding 3y ago
  OP here, you're getting down-voted, but you are actually correct. Seeing that meme reminded me I once owned a cable like that, and got me wondering how it worked. Weird what a small place the internet is.
dheera 3y ago
This 1/8" TRRS connector is about 5 billion times better than any of the Mini-B, Micro-B, USB-C stuff that came out later. I break a USB cable every week just because it gets wedged between 2 standing desks, stuck in office chair, gets slammed in car door, bent by thigh while in pocket connected to device, etc. The people who designed USB Micro-B and USB-C are probably people who sit in an office all day and never bike, ski, etc. They don't realize that "consumer grade" stuff needs to be 10X stronger than military grade. Consumers connect devices together, stuff everything in pocket with wires connected and go skiing. Military people just sit in an armchair behind bulletproof glass and fire. Never had a 1/8" headphone jack break that way, I've dropped bricks on those things, stomped over them, biked over them, had them sucked up by vacuum cleaners and vacuum robots, chewed by pets, they've been largely fine. A 1/4" headphone jack once got wedged between two standing desks and it was strong enough that the whole desk lifted off and the cable was intact, the jack barrel alone supporting the entire 100 kg of desk with everything on it. Cable still functions perfectly. REAL consumer grade stuff.
- wkipling 3y ago
  USB C les strong than a 3.5mm jack? Archimedes would like a word with you.
  - deleted 3y ago
    [deleted]
- lozenge 3y ago
  If you make the cables stronger, your devices are going to start breaking instead of the cables.
FrostKiwi 3y ago
Similar to this, among custom keyboard builders it's quite popular to have USB handled connected via TRRS headphone jacks between split keyboard halves [0] [1] and sometimes even the keyboard -> PC Connection being a custom TRRS -> USB cable or other exotic variations. [2] [0] https://keeb.io/products/trrs-cable https://keeb.io/products/trrs-cable [1] https://docs.splitkb.com/hc/en-us/articles/360010443660-Kyria-Build-Guide-TRRS-Jack https://docs.splitkb.com/hc/en-us/articles/360010443660-Kyri... [2] https://www.kingcables.org/products/custom-straight-usb-cable https://www.kingcables.org/products/custom-straight-usb-cabl...
- rollcat 3y ago
  USB is usually too complex for something like a simple split keyboard; the TRRS runs I2C with sth like a MCP23018-E/SP IO expander in the other half.
  - adolph 3y ago
    You can use a physical connector without using the standard protocol.
  - crote 3y ago
    Most split keyboards these days have a microcontroller in each half. IO expanders like the MCP23017/MCP23018 are fairly expensive, quite slow when used with microcontrollers like the ever-popular Pro Micro's ATmega32u4, and they really limit your hardware options on the secondary side. It usually makes more sense to just stick a Pro Micro on each side, and have them talk serial over TRRS. As a bonus, you can connect it to your PC from either half.
- serf 3y ago
  whats old is new again, I remember 'ergo' point-of-sale KBs from the early 80s that were joined via the same method. it's a good reliable plug if you can cram what you need through it, I can kind of understand why people gravitate towards it in design.
  - NikkiA 3y ago
LAC-Tech 3y ago
Are there any pure - no OS or screen - mp3 players around that accept bluetooth? I'm running my little sony walkman mp3 usb stick into the ground, but it only accepts wired in ear phones, and they tend to break a lot (and are now starting to confuse young salesman in electronics shops).
- dataflow360 3y ago
  https://bemighty.com/ https://bemighty.com/
  - kevincox 3y ago
    > It does not work with MP3s https://bemighty.com/products/mighty-audio-screenless-connection-free-spotify-music-player https://bemighty.com/products/mighty-audio-screenless-connec...
  - eddieroger 3y ago
    > Freedom from the phone! > Entertainment without a screen > > Setup step 1: Download our app. Sleep deprived cynicism, but hardly "without a screen". Just, use without a screen.
  - pcchristie 3y ago
    I am on my third Mighty due to faults. The first one was an early model which had an unpatchable firmware issue that bricked it. They sent me a replacement, for free. One the second one, the cable (and jack port) keeps corroding, meaning I can no longer charge it. I have emailed customer support 3 times with no reply, tried Twitter and literally cannot get a response from them at all. Really really disappointing as I love(d) the product and what the company was trying to create.
at_a_remove 3y ago
Despite a long history of avoidance, it appears I will finally have to learn about the Apple iPod/iTouch as part of what might well be computer archaeology at this point. But I suppose, looking back, much of my computing history is doing weird and unlikely stuff for a strange payoff, so at least I am consistent. My hope is that I can avoid iTunes, which, on Windows, has a reputation for trashing collections willy-nilly.

103 points by gibspaulding 3y ago

I have an iPod shuffle first generation and the form factor is nearly perfect. It has a standard 3.5mm headphone jack on one end and a USB-A connector on the other end. Unfortunately, the battery is dead and not very user serviceable. For something like working out or tuning out, it’s about as minimalist as is functional and if storage wasn’t an issue, could double as removable storage.

userbinator 3y ago
Apple doesn't make them anymore but you can still find similar products on AliExpress and the like, which also work as microSD card readers.
- willsmith72 3y ago
  i got this one for 30 usd a while back, still going strong. didn't need the bluetooth, but it's a bonus for occasionally using speakers. https://www.dhgate.com/product/m13-bluetooth-mp3-player-mini-sports-music/507943067.html https://www.dhgate.com/product/m13-bluetooth-mp3-player-mini...
  - pjerem 3y ago
    It doesn’t looks like you can use an SD card. I can easily see myself buying one of those, adding a 512Gb uSD card on it and ditch Spotify.
    - bingbingbing777 3y ago
      There are many dedicated music players like that, that use micro SD. I have a Surfans F20, but I think it only goes up to 256gb SD card.
    - serf 3y ago
      get one that has aftermarket firmware support, the ones i've played with have very specific conditions for folder/file naming and structure and format. The last one I tinkered with didn't support ogg vorbis out of the box, which is a somewhat niche format admittedly -- but support for it is fairly widespread elsewhere so I just sort of took it for granted that it'd deal with it fine.
    - novagameco 3y ago
      I use this one: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01LZVDMEL https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01LZVDMEL
- sandreas 3y ago
  You could take a look at the Rockbox supported device list[1]. Depending on the size requirements and the budget you could go for a Sansa Clip+. I personally prefer the iPod Nano 7th gen, which is great in terms of usability, has bluetooth 4.0 and is also very small size. Repair is a nightmare though and finding an affordable but still working device is not that easy. If smallest size is not a requirement, you could go for the HiBy M300 - a pretty new Android 13 device supporting most Apps, 2TB of microSD Storage, having control buttons and also cable headphone remote support (OMTP, not CTIA), but still not that big. Maybe a modified Apple iPod Classic 2009 with an iFlash Quad and 2000mah battery also fits your needs. It's way bigger than a shuffle, but it's at least maintainable (battery and storage replacement). [1]: https://www.rockbox.org/ https://www.rockbox.org/
  - asystole 3y ago
    The 2nd gen iPod Mini is fairly easy to work on. I have one with a 64 GB SD card and a new battery.
    - sandreas 3y ago
      Absolutely. The iPod Mini is a usable device that can be modded. The only thing I'm missing on these "older" models (not that iPod Classic 2009 or iPod Nano 7g 2012 are young) is the earphone remote control (e.g. of the cable EarPods). Apple did a really great job on remote controlling the devices with "tap"-Codes (tap, double tap, triple tap). The iPod Classic 2009 for example does not support the codes for fast forward / rewind (tap+tap_hold=ff, tap,tap,tap_hold=r). That's something I regularly use for audiobooks, so I'm tied to the iPod Nano 7g (the 6g would also work, but I prefer the larger display for navigating chapters). There are android devices supporting these tap codes partially, but not as good / reliable as the iPod Nano 7g. Android also is using OMTP while Apple is using CTIA, so Apple headphones won't work on android and vice versa. CTIA=>OMTP Adapters (from amazon) just switch the pinout, which does not work, because Apple uses different Resistance on the Pinout. I also "modded" one of my iPod Nano 7g by partially milling out the aluminium backplate and soldering in an iPod Mini battery (600mah), so that I got nearly 3 times the battery life of a factory iPod Nano as well as an easy to replace battery without opening the device (which is way to hard). The bigger iPod Mini battery does not fit without a silicone bumper, but since I already used one, it was perfectly fine. Changing the battery still requires soldering, but at least not fiddling with the very fragile display removal procedure. However, currently I did not find a better device for my use case than the iPod Nano 7g. And everything is better with bluetooth... although I don't use it :-)
- novagameco 3y ago
  I found a cheap MP3 player a couple years ago for like $30 on Amazon. It looks like a 2nd gen iPod nano and takes an SD card slot. I have literally never needed to charge it, the specs are so tiny.
rollcat 3y ago
It's a bit more bulky (classic iPod sized), but check out Tangara: <https://www.crowdsupply.com/cool-tech-zone/tangara https://www.crowdsupply.com/cool-tech-zone/tangara>. Stock, easily replaceable parts, USB-C+3.5mm+BT, SDXC slot with 2TB limit, standard lipo battery, OSS & hackable firmware that's difficult to brick, basically every bit of it is designed to last decades.
- novagameco 3y ago
  The build quality looks really cheap. Since it's only a kickstarter, I assume the 3D printed case is only for prototyping, but it doesn't look like it would last very long. For $250 I would expect a much better case than that
- Adjudicator52 3y ago
  Would love this, but built around [Rockbox](https://www.rockbox.org/ https://www.rockbox.org/).
  - deleted 3y ago
    [deleted]
  - rollcat 3y ago
    I think it could be a very good target for a Rockbox port, however they very specifically emphasize Lua and hackability among their goals (check out the UI code samples); they're also developing the hardware+software platforms in tandem, I'm not even sure if Rockbox supports Wifi or BT.
  - aos 3y ago
    Was also curious, so I did some digging. This is the inventor’s thoughts on this: https://chaos.social/@jacqueline/111869403759610817 https://chaos.social/@jacqueline/111869403759610817
markb139 3y ago
I recently replaced the battery on a gen 2 shuffle. It was reasonably easy though required good eyesight
kotaKat 3y ago
My favorite tool for the first gen Shuffle is the best 12kb app I've ever seen. https://ipod-shuffle-manager.en.lo4d.com/windows https://ipod-shuffle-manager.en.lo4d.com/windows Heikki Ylinen's iPod Shuffle Manager, for the unaware, is a portable 12k app that sits on the root of an iPod shuffle. When you launch it, it scans the entire stick for MP3 files, then builds a compatible iPod shuffle database and shoves it where it needs to go so the Shuffle just acts like a dumb MP3 player without iTunes.
wlesieutre 3y ago
Ah yes, the pack-of-gum sized model with the "do not eat iPod shuffle" warning. I had one of the USB-via-TRRS models that this post is about and really liked it for running. Had a built-in clip so you could attach it to your waistband.

NoPedantsThanks 3y ago

Is this for the POS one that had no controls at all?

X-Cubed 3y ago
No, this one had a central Play/Pause button surrounded by a D-Pad ring for prev/next track and volume. No display though.
- NoPedantsThanks 3y ago
  This was really the best design. The metal one that was a big clip.
  - Erratic6576 3y ago
    I recently rediscovered one doing home archeology and it’s still working
infotainment 3y ago
You're probably thinking of the 3rd gen version, which, had exactly zero buttons (the only way to control it was to press the button on the included Apple earbuds): https://apple-history.com/ipod_shuffle_3g https://apple-history.com/ipod_shuffle_3g
- userbinator 3y ago
  Even Apple probably thought that was a bad decision, since the subsequent generation returned to the usual controls. Fortunately someone RE'd the protocol and posted about it publicly: https://web.archive.org/web/20130114082119/http://david.carne.ca/shuffle_hax/shuffle_remote.html https://web.archive.org/web/20130114082119/http://david.carn... The same measurement of resistance between the innermost two contacts is now a standard for Android in-line headset controls, although Apple's implementation used 0, 4.7k, and 10k ohms instead of Android's much lower (<1k) values.
NoPedantsThanks 3y ago

userbinator 3y ago

It's worth noting there were at least 3 other de-facto standards for USB to TRRS: https://qph.cf2.quoracdn.net/main-qimg-d6cc903458ff8fcfa304d945f9152a51-pjlq https://qph.cf2.quoracdn.net/main-qimg-d6cc903458ff8fcfa304d... One problem with using TRRS for USB is that Vbus can be short-circuited while plugging and unplugging; the clones of the 2nd generation Shuffle tended to use a regular mini-USB instead, which offers the advantage that it can be charged while listening: http://tarkus-notes.com/en/chinese-mp3-player-ipod-shuffle-clone/ http://tarkus-notes.com/en/chinese-mp3-player-ipod-shuffle-c...

deleted 3y ago
[deleted]

hiisukun 3y ago

One of these is still currently in use in my household -- we've got a kid that likes music but is not yet old enough for any "smart device". Super portable, clips to the very over-ear headphones that it's plugged into! I was never sure if I'd need to recreate make some cable for it, or if it's battery would fail first.

jasomill 3y ago
I've seriously considered replacing the cable on a pair of headphones[1] with a flush 3.5 mm TRS plug so I can directly attach a shuffle gen 4 — no clip required! — then putting a TRS plug on the original cable so I can still use the headphones with other devices. [1] https://www.sony.jp/headphone/products/MDR-CD900ST/ https://www.sony.jp/headphone/products/MDR-CD900ST/

em3rgent0rdr 3y ago

The first version of USB should have used TRRS connectors. Then wouldn't have people complaining about inserting the cable incorrectly or having to deal with the plethora of USB connectors.

crote 3y ago
The problem with TRRS is that the different pins get shorted together when plugging in or disconnecting it. This means devices now have to handle a dead short as part of regular operations, which seriously complicates the interface. The hobbyist ergonomic keyboard community has used TRRS for the link between the left and right half of the keyboard for a while now, and it routinely causes issue due to people accidentally unplugging it while powered - which fries their keyboard. I totally expect the 3.5mm Toslink plug to come back once we inevitable switch over to fiber, though!
- actionfromafar 3y ago
  Then we need light to transfer power too, sounds slightly unsafe for eyes, maybe.
  - crote 3y ago
    Not necessarily. You could design the plug like "copper tip, plastic ring, copper sleeve". With the right dimensions the contacts aren't shorted together during insertion. Alternatively, use a ring which is segmented in 120 degree pieces, and place two contacts 180 degree apart in the socket: any two ring segments might be shorted, but never all three - and there will always be at least two segments with a connection. Use a bridge rectifier to get a fixed polarity out of it.
- valianteffort 3y ago
  TOSLINK is seriously underrated
- lmpdev 3y ago
  Can anyone explain why Toslink is on almost every consumer AV product circuit board? I love Toslink but I wouldn’t expect it on as many TVs, devices and systems as I see them Is it just the lack of the need for DAC chips, cost, or something I’m missing? Many TVs and devices exclude many digital and analogue sockets, but for some reason I always see Toslink

k8svet 3y ago

... did this get posted because of that meme on reddit? I couldn't figure out why such a cable would exist, or if it really did.

sunnybeetroot 3y ago
Which meme?
- evan_ 3y ago
  a picture of a short cord with a USB A on one end and a 1/8" headphone jack on the other, both ends plugged into the same laptop computer (one end in the USB jack, one in the headphone jack). Supposed to be a "wtf" kind of thing.
  - sunnybeetroot 3y ago
    Ohh got it, love it, thanks. Reminds me of a meme of a powerboard cable going into itself claiming infinite energy.
gibspaulding 3y ago
OP here, you're getting down-voted, but you are actually correct. Seeing that meme reminded me I once owned a cable like that, and got me wondering how it worked. Weird what a small place the internet is.

dheera 3y ago

This 1/8" TRRS connector is about 5 billion times better than any of the Mini-B, Micro-B, USB-C stuff that came out later. I break a USB cable every week just because it gets wedged between 2 standing desks, stuck in office chair, gets slammed in car door, bent by thigh while in pocket connected to device, etc. The people who designed USB Micro-B and USB-C are probably people who sit in an office all day and never bike, ski, etc. They don't realize that "consumer grade" stuff needs to be 10X stronger than military grade. Consumers connect devices together, stuff everything in pocket with wires connected and go skiing. Military people just sit in an armchair behind bulletproof glass and fire. Never had a 1/8" headphone jack break that way, I've dropped bricks on those things, stomped over them, biked over them, had them sucked up by vacuum cleaners and vacuum robots, chewed by pets, they've been largely fine. A 1/4" headphone jack once got wedged between two standing desks and it was strong enough that the whole desk lifted off and the cable was intact, the jack barrel alone supporting the entire 100 kg of desk with everything on it. Cable still functions perfectly. REAL consumer grade stuff.

wkipling 3y ago
USB C les strong than a 3.5mm jack? Archimedes would like a word with you.
- deleted 3y ago
  [deleted]
lozenge 3y ago
If you make the cables stronger, your devices are going to start breaking instead of the cables.

FrostKiwi 3y ago

Similar to this, among custom keyboard builders it's quite popular to have USB handled connected via TRRS headphone jacks between split keyboard halves [0] [1] and sometimes even the keyboard -> PC Connection being a custom TRRS -> USB cable or other exotic variations. [2] [0] https://keeb.io/products/trrs-cable https://keeb.io/products/trrs-cable [1] https://docs.splitkb.com/hc/en-us/articles/360010443660-Kyria-Build-Guide-TRRS-Jack https://docs.splitkb.com/hc/en-us/articles/360010443660-Kyri... [2] https://www.kingcables.org/products/custom-straight-usb-cable https://www.kingcables.org/products/custom-straight-usb-cabl...

rollcat 3y ago
USB is usually too complex for something like a simple split keyboard; the TRRS runs I2C with sth like a MCP23018-E/SP IO expander in the other half.
- adolph 3y ago
  You can use a physical connector without using the standard protocol.
- crote 3y ago
  Most split keyboards these days have a microcontroller in each half. IO expanders like the MCP23017/MCP23018 are fairly expensive, quite slow when used with microcontrollers like the ever-popular Pro Micro's ATmega32u4, and they really limit your hardware options on the secondary side. It usually makes more sense to just stick a Pro Micro on each side, and have them talk serial over TRRS. As a bonus, you can connect it to your PC from either half.
serf 3y ago
whats old is new again, I remember 'ergo' point-of-sale KBs from the early 80s that were joined via the same method. it's a good reliable plug if you can cram what you need through it, I can kind of understand why people gravitate towards it in design.
- NikkiA 3y ago

LAC-Tech 3y ago

Are there any pure - no OS or screen - mp3 players around that accept bluetooth? I'm running my little sony walkman mp3 usb stick into the ground, but it only accepts wired in ear phones, and they tend to break a lot (and are now starting to confuse young salesman in electronics shops).

dataflow360 3y ago
https://bemighty.com/ https://bemighty.com/
- kevincox 3y ago
  > It does not work with MP3s https://bemighty.com/products/mighty-audio-screenless-connection-free-spotify-music-player https://bemighty.com/products/mighty-audio-screenless-connec...
- eddieroger 3y ago
  > Freedom from the phone! > Entertainment without a screen > > Setup step 1: Download our app. Sleep deprived cynicism, but hardly "without a screen". Just, use without a screen.
- pcchristie 3y ago
  I am on my third Mighty due to faults. The first one was an early model which had an unpatchable firmware issue that bricked it. They sent me a replacement, for free. One the second one, the cable (and jack port) keeps corroding, meaning I can no longer charge it. I have emailed customer support 3 times with no reply, tried Twitter and literally cannot get a response from them at all. Really really disappointing as I love(d) the product and what the company was trying to create.

at_a_remove 3y ago

Despite a long history of avoidance, it appears I will finally have to learn about the Apple iPod/iTouch as part of what might well be computer archaeology at this point. But I suppose, looking back, much of my computing history is doing weird and unlikely stuff for a strange payoff, so at least I am consistent. My hope is that I can avoid iTunes, which, on Windows, has a reputation for trashing collections willy-nilly.