Why is USB-C cabling a mess?

y_p_w

y_p_w

Joined
May 6, 2005
Messages
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Location
San Francisco Bay Area
It really is, trying to make it so universal but so confusing at the same time. USB-A to USB-C. 3A. 5A. Power only. Specialty cables like Apple's MagSafe 3 to USB-C or a USB-C to micro-B drive. I've even got a USB-C to HDMI cable, although I suspect that chunky thing at the end is some sort of active converter. Plus adapters.

And the really sucky thing is how poorly they're labelled. I've bought a few basic cables that are labelled as 2.4A even though the requirement in the spec is 3A. And when I've looked at the assorted cables I have I've been a few that have the full 24 pins in the connectors. And a few with 14. Some that are unbalanced. I've got one that sometimes works but the pins look like they're differently laid out on each side.

I'm participating in an Apple forum where one participant is insistent that Apple devices shouldn't be trusted to USB-C cables that aren't certified by the USB Implementor Forum. Even though Apple OEM cables are not. There's a lot of major manufacturers/sellers of USB-C cables that don't bother, including big ones like Belkin and Monoprice. I think it's rather unrealistic to insist on anything like that.
 
andrew_j said:
I just buy name brand stuff like Anker, Belkin or Apple and don’t worry about it.

The cheap market for cheapskates ruins it….
Click to expand...
This right here, as with Micro USB and Lighting cables you don't buy the dollar store or gas station specials. Purchase a good brand charger & cable like Anker and you'll never have a problem.

The only time I use a cable is in the car. Wireless docks at work & home.
 
kschachn said:
Do you think it will cause damage?
Click to expand...

Probably not, everything apple does just leaves bad taste in my mouth.
My phone uses VOOC 80W no need to touch slow Apple charging. Voltage Open Loop Multi-step Constant-Current Charging
Trusted 3rd party (ugreen anker etc) or OE cables and everything will be fine.

Its not like it does not already exists bad lightning cables from china.
 
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Then there’s the issue of data speeds. I don’t believe I have a single standard cable capable of more than 480 mbit/sec data transfer. Almost everything out there is referred to as a charge cable first and a “sync” cable second. There are probably some out there, but they’re expensive. Not even the pricey ones that come packaged to use with computers. I do have a specialty USB-C TO micro-B drive cable and that HDMI converter cable, but that’s about it.
 
Google for usb-c testing benson leung
He became good at testing, enough that manufacturers started sending their stuff to him to analyze and review.
Around 2016 he was posting all his findings to a now-failed Google platform. All his work disappeared with the platform.
He focused on meeting specs for charging at the time.
 
Ive not had any major issues with usb c cables but my phone can only charge at 1.68 amps max.

A few cables that came with usb c flashlights are questionably jacketed, and i dont try and pass data over those, but they pass 1.68 amps.
My longer 10' cables drop half a volt along them and max charge rate becomes 1.18amps.
I have a 7 inch cable, and this does not allow the phone to suck more than 1.68 amps, but it does allow phone to suck that much amperage to a higher state of charge.

When I need fast charging possible, my shortest cable comes out, and I use the supply which can maintain the highest voltage.
But that is infrequent, and my equipmemt cant take advantage of full range of Usb C capability.
 
This pretty much encapsulates the confusion:

thenextweb.com

It’s 2022, so why is USB-C still so damn complicated?

While USB-C has made life easier by making one type of port available on devices, it's hard to pick a right cable for it.
thenextweb.com thenextweb.com

The complexity of USB-C​

USB-C is confusing, because for each capability — power, data, and video — there’s a specification you need to know. You can’t just pick up any USB cable and expect it to do all these things.​
​
So how the heck would you identify a cable or a device’s USB capabilities correctly? There are two parts to that story. First, you can look at your cable’s packaging or the cable itself to see if there are any USB-IF approved logos, that’s the way the overseeing body wants things to be.​
​
However, not everyone in the industry follows this convention, and just wants to include different specs for data, power, and display in the device’s spec sheet.​
​
Before we talk about the clash between these two ideologies, I want to talk about the mind****ery the is the array of data and charging standards within the USB-C standard itself, and why you’d probably need a degree just to identify cables correctly.​
 
[QUOTE="I yep, they should have went with lightning cable instead of usb-c
[/QUOTE]

Lightining needs to die, the rest of the world is using USB-C.
 
[QUOTE="I By they, I mean the world, not apple. Lightning > usb-c
[/QUOTE]

Like Apple would let anyone else use it...
 
[QUOTE="I By they, I mean the world, not apple. Lightning > usb-c
[/QUOTE]

Good luck charging your laptop with lightning.
Get the F outa here with your 12-20watts :LOL:
Edit: oohhh lighting has 60W PD now.
 
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