4 ms·
I scan the emarker on every USB C that comes into the house and add a p-touch label. I chuck out power-only and ultra baseline (60 W/USB 2 cables) with no mark
by gumby 3mo ago
I scan the emarker on every USB C that comes into the house and add a p-touch label. I chuck out power-only and ultra baseline (60 W/USB 2 cables) with no marker or resistors.
Power-only cables could be handy when traveling as they are essentially a condom, but they can only charge slowly and I always have a better cable with me. I wouldn’t mind a PD aware charge-only device but inquire require some MITM circuitry and I’m too lazy to make one.
- firloop 3mo agoSome cheaper devices I have (e.g. rechargeable LED light strip) _only_ charge via power-only cables. Was maddening when I realized I had thrown out all but one of the cables that can charge it.
- skinfaxi 3mo agoSome manufacturers don't want to do the power negotiation aspect which is the cause of this, I believe.
- spaqin 3mo agoNot even power negotiation but a simple resistor would be too costly for them to implement.
- deleted 3mo ago[deleted]
- gumby 3mo agoThankfully I’ve never encountered one. But I’ll check before discarding if I ever get a device that comes with one, thanks!
- rrrrrrrrrrrryan 3mo agoMore often than not these are usually cheap Chinese devices that are expecting a USB-C to USB-A (power-only) cable, because they're actually USB-A devices, with USB-A circuitry, modified slightly to appear as if they're USB-C. Basically they skipped out on building power negotiation smarts that are required to support real USB-C charging, and instead just swapped out the physical connector.
- Tharre 3mo agoThey skipped out on literally 2 resistors. That's it, that's all that is required for real USB-C charging.
- ACCount37 3mo agoYep. The two fucking resistors. All it takes 2 x 5.1K, and yet, somehow, people keep fucking it up. It's not expensive or complex. It's just that somehow, no one thought to look up "how to add type c to your device" online, or ask an LLM, or put literally any effort into making sure the device works as it should.
- philistine 3mo agoThose two resistors cost money. It's not incompetence. It's a deliberate choice.
- m463 3mo agoI've read countless stories of designs sent out getting backroom-cost-reduced by removing the most ridiculously cheap parts.
- Tharre 3mo agoYou're saving a fraction of a cent per device, while banking on customers not sending it back as defective because it didn't charge when they tried it with a random cable. If it is a deliberate choice, it's a really, really dumb one.
- MayeulC 3mo ago> I wouldn’t mind a PD aware charge-only device but inquire require some MITM circuitry and I’m too lazy to make one. Just get an USB data blocker. I bought one off the shelf at an airport for 10€. This is the "condom" you are talking about, just a small dongle. Then travel with a fully featured cable! I also use it to charge my phone at my workplace on the docking stations (which would be a big no-no otherwise). I think our IT provides them on request too, I've seen them advertise it.
- mschuster91 3mo ago> This is the "condom" you are talking about, just a small dongle. That only works when both sides speak proper USB-C PD and not "5V or some weird-ass proprietary stuff over D+/D-".