Ada Worcester 🏳️‍⚧️
so i have a neat usb cable tester now. two questions:
1) should i get a label maker and start labelling some cables with their stats where non-obvious
2) should i make a hall of shame of cables i have that are frankly silly or overtly evil (e.g. usb A to A cables, data only cables, cables with bizarrely high value resistance?)
Apr 6 at 12:26amWeb
Show threadAda Worcester 🏳️‍⚧️22h ago
worst resistance i've seen so far is 6 ohms. and that is from a lightning cable from this obscure little company called, idk, "apple computers"? i think they're californian or something
Show threadThe Witch of Crow Briar22h ago
@pikhq They used to be but I think a Chinese reseller bought the shell of a brand like with Polaroid? Leastways, everything they sell these days is made in China.
Show thread✧✦Catherine✦✧22h ago
@pikhq pics of contacts on lightning end?
Show threadAda Worcester 🏳️‍⚧️22h ago
@whitequark huh, that’s silver and not golden. i don’t know if this is actual apple and cheap or just really fucking fake.
Show threadAda Worcester 🏳️‍⚧️22h ago
@whitequark the cable claims to be "designed by apple in california" so, at a minimum, it is no mere imitator
Show thread✧✦Catherine✦✧22h ago
@pikhq fake i think
Show threadAda Worcester 🏳️‍⚧️22h ago
@whitequark yeah, it sounds weird. i dunno how i would've _gotten_ this fake, but that is in fact... fucking weird.
Show threadAda Worcester 🏳️‍⚧️22h ago
@whitequark actually huh i have one still wrapped up in the paper packaging and i know exactly where it came from. it came with a pair of airpods. said airpods came directly from the apple store with no intermediaries.
it has the same fucking resistance. i think apple was cheap.
Show thread✧✦Catherine✦✧22h ago
@pikhq huhhhhhh.
Show threadJernej Simončič �12h ago
@pikhq IIRC, the manual says something about high resistance being normal for Lightning cables.
Show thread✧✦Catherine✦✧22h ago
@pikhq yes and yes!
Show threadAdam ♿22h ago

@pikhq the only thing I found that worked was aggressively culling cables that didn't meet a certain spec.

Your minimum spec may differ, I will basically only use https://plugable.com/products/usb4-240w-1m now.

Plugable USB4 240W EPR Cable (3.3ft/1m)

Show threadAda Worcester 🏳️‍⚧️22h ago
@voltagex yeah if i were made of money i'd agree. as-is, i'm fine even with usb 2 only 60w cables so long as they do, in fact, do that, and they don't _pretend_ to be anything more
i can handle "ah this cable isn't good enough" but not "ah this cable outright Should Not Be"
Show threadAdam ♿22h ago

@pikhq right yeah - more sensibly, anything that doesn't have data lines has wasted too much of my time, bin those IMO.

Anything that gets warm at 60w should also be binned!

Show threadAda Worcester 🏳️‍⚧️22h ago
@voltagex for sure, for sure. those aren't cables, they're lies
Show threadAndrew Zonenberg22h ago

@pikhq i have an entire drawer labeled "USB abominations".

There are so many weird perversions out there.

A-A is far from the worst.

What about a double ended C-C female coupler? Double A male to single A female? A male to 2.5/5.5mm barrel jack?

Show threadAndrew Zonenberg22h ago
@pikhq or A to 8p8c? Not ethernet. D+ D- Vbus and ground crimped directly to 4 pins of an rj45
Show threadAda Worcester 🏳️‍⚧️22h ago
@azonenberg oh no, the other ones i was nodding along and going "yeah that sounds typical" but what the fuck
Show threadAndrew Zonenberg22h ago

@pikhq that one was found at work i don't know what it was from. Guessing some piece of IT gear or an old customer project but who knows.

At home I have an ebay fpga board with a mini B connector that's pinned to a 3.3v uart, not usb protocol. I need to make a cursed adapter so i can talk to it

Show threadartemist22h ago
@azonenberg @pikhq I've dealt with micro-b pinned to 3.3v SWD
Show threadJernej Simončič �12h ago
@azonenberg @pikhq 8p8c or 10p10c? The second one is what many APC UPSes shipped with.
Show threadAndrew Zonenberg10h ago
@jernej__s @pikhq i didn't count the pins and assumed it was rj45 could have been 10 pin
Show threadartemist22h ago
@azonenberg @pikhq I have some terrible ones I've made, like "2.5/5.5 female to USB C male" and "Dual A male to Mini-B"
Show threadAndrew Zonenberg22h ago

@artemist @pikhq the worst I've personally been responsible for is a 4 port hub with male mini B ports on the downstream interfaces.

The idea was to mate backplane style to four devices with female mini-B ports and not need cables in between

Show threadmx alex tax1a - 2020 (6)21h ago
@pikhq is it the treedix
Show threadAda Worcester 🏳️‍⚧️21h ago
@atax1a that's the one! i'm pretty pleased with it so far
Show threadJernej Simončič �12h ago
@pikhq … data-only cables?