6mo ago

It was always terrible

123 comments

my reaction when when

How to make the transition relatively painlessly:
Buy a bunch of these, and tie one to the end of every USB C cable, now you only need USB C cables around.

As you get more C-C cables, buy these for your existing USB A ports:
- just be mindful of latency, so maybe you want to try a few
  
  These are a passive component
  
  I do not think this word means what you think it does.
  
  These are just glorified wires, there's no possibility of latency. There's a possibility of a loose connection, but not of latency.
- Should the C to micro cables always work for charging?
  Think I bought a bunk one… I never cheap out on cables anymore, of course the one time in YEARS that I do…
  
  Usb C has a default of 5V, 2A. This matches/exceeds the micro USB standards. In order to get a higher voltage, it negotiates up. (Or it's supposed to! China can produce some NASTY exceptions!)
  
  I'd recommend making sure whichever ones you buy explicitly say in the description that they support charging/data transfer (depending on what you want out of them) I usually end up using Amazon since it's just harder to find these at any in-person retail stores, or other online retailers, so check their product images for those claims as well.
  Most of them are sold by dropshippers, that don't care much about the actual functionality of their tech, so when they explicitly put it in there, it's usually because the original manufacturer listed that feature too.
  If any of them don't match the specs (don't charge/transfer data) or don't match the images (have a logo when it showed no logo), contact Amazon support and they'll usually give them to you for free. In my experience (having bought 7 completely different adapters from various sellers) they usually work as advertised in the description, although I tend not to trust anything claiming it meets fast-charging standards. That's usually bogus. (good thing to tell Amazon support to get them for free though 😉)
  I coincidentally bought these ones recently. They didn't have a logo in the photo. They arrive, whaddaya know, they have a logo. Contacted support, they gave me a full refund.
  
  Yeah, I think so...
  I do have some micro usb devices that won't work with some newer Power Delivery Adapters, but it's the brick part, not the USB C cable since the same cable / adapter will work with a different brick.

You guys have Micro!?
I'm still running stuff with Mini...
- As a 51 year old guy with 51 year old eyes, I'd rather mini that micro. Mini isn't subtle.
- Mini is much better. Micro is fragile and shitty, won't hold in after a while.
  
  An the size difference doesn't even matter much...
- Anyone else still use type B?
  
  Lots of musical gear uses USB B. My understanding is that the connector is more physically robust for on stage applications.
  
  I got my wife a MIDI keyboard a couple years ago that used B. Ended up getting a B to C cable for it so it can plug into her laptop.
  
  Had to use it for a thermocouple DAQ the other day. Only ever see them on some printers otherwise.
  
  Yeah like every printer I have uses it
  
  I have a camera that has a type b input.
  
  Do printers still use them?
- Honestly mini was fine. But it wasn't thin enough for some phones.
- Me over here with my parallel ports
- I legit still use a couple things that take a mini.

Are you talking about the Micro-A plugs and receptacles, Micro-AB receptacles (which accept both Micro-A and Micro-B plugs), Double-Sided Micro USB, Micro-B plugs and receptacles, or 3.0 Micro-B SuperSpeed plugs and receptacles?
- Yes.
- Problem: There are 14 Competing micro-USB standards.
  
  Ridiculous! We should develop one stand that covers everyone use cases!

I was recently shopping for a Bluetooth speaker for the shower. At some point I realized that one of them used micro USB for power. Confused, I went back and looked at the others. More than half still used micro. Just... no.

And it still is terrible. I went in a recent road trip and at one point didn’t have a charger. It’s a newer iPhone and people don’t know what usb-c is, so I tried asking for an Android charger but got this crap instead
- The lack of this basic type of knowledge in a plug people use every single day both astounds and disappoints me. Right down to people asking me if I have a charger for one of the new iPhones.
  
  I know, right? You use these cables EVERY FUCKING DAY. There’s a ton of stuff people need to charge. And with the proliferation of USB-C, you’d think most people would at least know what that one is. But no. Most people have no clue that there’s even a difference between USB-C, -A, micro or a Lightning cable.
  And when you ask people what plug they need they’ll tell you ‘oh it’s a Samsung’ or any other brand, like that’s supposed to narrow it down. It gets REALLY fun when someone needs something specific like a USB-C to Lightning or an A to C.
  We really have regressed since the 90s. My generation grew up learning about these new cables and plugs, but everyone born since 1995 seems to have no fucking clue.

yea. great. now we have a plug that looks the same but has a million different kinds of standards. hooray
- Yeah like what do you mean I can’t use this cable to charge my VR headset? It’s usb c? Oh but that one is somehow more powerful and the other is weakling with no marking whatsoever? Fuck off
  I have one tiny white super powerful usb c cable and all the other are weaklings. Some refuse to transfer files
  If I take one of those unmarked losers on a trip just grabbing some random usb c cable I will have a bad time
  
  Yeet all the weak ones in the garbage
  
  There shall be one cable to rule them all. I am the lord of the cables.
- It didn't have to be this way
- I have one very nice USB C made from the softest silicon rubber. It feels premium, never kinks and it is tough like nylon rope. It has max specs for USB C for power delivery and data transfer and it cost me $30.
  All the others are freebies that came with various devices and are all disposable compared to my "one true cord" which is the only one to enjoy being apart of my personal arsenal of accoutrements
  
  nice. and nice username

I would gladly take microusb over those magnetic pogo pins that they put on smartwatches and tablet keyboards, though.
- I have an edc flashlight that I absolutely love, and it has a damned magnetic charger (way better type than the pogo pins) instead of a usb-c. Sure, it keeps it waterproof easier, but it sucks to have to use a proprietary plug that's useless for anything else and have to worry about losing it or not having it.
  I'd buy the same light again, though. Nothing else as good out there.
  
  I'd like to know the flashlight in question as a fellow enthusiast, even though the proprietary plug is a deal breaker for me.
- Magnetic pogo pins?
  
  Look at a Garmin watch’s charging setup.
  Really the only complaint I think is valid about them.
  
  Like the ones on your mom’s vibrator.

Microusb has one feature over USBC. You can pull power from the pins without needing to solder a tiny 5kohm resistor to cc1 to tell the cable you want 5 volts.
- You can buy connectors with a tiny PCB that already has it on.

This is my life rn. I beg for universal USB C.
- As an iPhone person, I thought I was late to the party. However now I’m usb-c for my phone and my watch and my tablet and my e-reader
  … but usb outlets only have one usb-c port, laptops only have one or two. Some Chargers might have multiple usb-c but they’re all dodvial purpose with different power rather than equal to charge all devices. Apparently at least some Android phones are micro usb. I was promised the rest of the world already moved on, but where are they?

USB-C MOD ALL THE THINGS!

thank god I don't. everything I buy I make sure its USBC now
- I have no reason to replace my current Kindle model, so I'm still using the one with a micro USB port
  
  well of course don't replace stuff you already have if its not broken
- My dab rig is microusb, makes me cry any time I get to a hotel and forget to bring the charger for it.

I have never upvoted something so hard.

I’m looking at you, RaspberryPi Pico2…
- That's not so bad. I have a few Arduinos with the square USB type B ports...

I went through probably 8 micro USB cables on my previous 2 phones over like a 6 year period. Since I got my current phone in 2016 I'm on my second USB c cable.
- I had the opposite problem. Had to get phones with wireless charging for years because the fucking ports kept dying
  
  Yea with the rate I was going through cables I was always really concerned about that. I have one micro USB device left and I'm really paranoid about not using it when it's plugged in. That one has lasted a long time because it's just a tablet I use as an ereader but that strategy would never work with my phone.

Fuck those things man

May I have the meme format? 😄
- Blank

USB-A dude. There’s still things that ambush me with a USB-A and I immediately return it. Micro-USB too but nothing as foul as USB-A.
- cries in music production gear
  Why in the fuck are they still selling audio interfaces with USB-A in 2024?!?
  Printers too!
  
  As a home recording absolute noob, I have a box full of proprietary cables and audio interfaces that I pretend doesn’t exist quietly mocking me in the corner.
  
  Maybe because they're more resilient? I always worry about the micro USB on my Keystep
- USB-A just feels like a more solid connection. I've never had a USB-A connector not work because of a miniscule amount of dust buildup in a port, nor have I accidently unplugged something.

At least you knew which way it went in.
- The wrong way. flip The wrong way. flip The right way.
  
  Nah you're thinking of USB A or B. The USB micros were so garbage but you could tell by touch or sight which way was correct.

i dunno, i kind of want to hunt down every mini usb in existence and send them to the hydraulic smasher guys

It's fucking hilarious to me that the USB consortium ever allowed Universal Serial Bus cables to be made without the serial part (data transfer)
USB-C anything requires a minimum of 2.0 which is how Micro should have always been.

You reminded me to fit some tape in my phone's MicroUSB port, so the cable actually sits in somewhat properly. edit: I fucked it up, but it's still better.

USB C is better, yes, but I've never had a Micro USB fail at the connector.
- I've had them get stuck or constantly disconnect
- ... How? I've had those prongs fail on almost every cord I own.
- You got lucky then. I have.
- really ??
- Aye ive had several fail. Ill admit im a bit rough on them but when I started to use USB-C devices the failures went down dramatically

The only time i was okay with micro USBs are on Oppo phones, which developed a Super VooC charging protocol on micro-usbs that was so crazy fast that plugging in the micro-usb correctly was worth it.
oppos currently at 90w charging speed, having moved onto usb-c
They've been ahead of the curve with charging for years now.
- USB-C supports 240W charging. You don't need proprietary charging standards anymore, USB-PD does everything you want
  
  which phones support 240w charging? the new iphones and pixels don't.
  are you talking strictly about hardware capability?
- fast tyeb irritatation
  What?
  
  haha thanks, fixed, I'm assuming i tried to swype micro-usb or something.

Hate with a passion

‘MRW’ <- What’s that stand for?
Edit: this has been handled appropriately in the thread…
- nbd:
  MFW idk MRW:
  
  TLA.

I've used more usb gadgets than most people, as I deal with electronics a lot, but I never had a single problem with micro usb. Not sure why people hate it so much.
- Microusb users: "I'm sorry, there was a slight breeze in my house and now my charger doesn't work."
- So you're a practiced expert and cannot understand how those who are not practiced experts can have trouble?
  
  Well I'm not sure it takes an expert to master a plug.
  But I'd understand the hate if it was universal (pun maybe intended), but everyone that hates micro-usb seems to adore usb-c, while I feel like it's potentially much more fragile. When handling usb-c I always use a lot more delicate care than I ever did with micro-usb. Mostly because even though I'm pretty good at soldering very tiny things, I'm not confident I could replace most usb-c receptacles without messing it up.

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