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Confused About USB Names? You Should Be!


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Here's a GREAT video that explains the insanity behind the names for USB protocols...or explains it as well as possible, given that it's insane. The video is under 5 minutes, accurate, and hilarious...well worth watching!

 

[video:youtube]

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I feel better about being confused now.

 

I don't feel better about the fact that I bought a half dozen flash drives that had the old USB port on one end, and the USB phone (whatever it was called) on the other, so I could transfer data from my computer to my Android phone.

 

Then I had to get a new phone and it has that USB-C (I think) port. The kind that you can flip over and insert either way. Now all my two-sided USB flash drives wont work on my phone. But my tablet still has the old phone input so I'll need two sets of these things. I guess I'll have to put redundant data on each type now.

 

What I think we need are universal socket adapters, like you find on the AC plugs for when you go to a country with a different looking AC receptacle.

 

Perhaps they make them already. So are they marked gen something?

 

I guess I didn't know what Universal meant either.

 

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What I think we need are universal socket adapters, like you find on the AC plugs for when you go to a country with a different looking AC receptacle.

 

Perhaps they make them already. So are they marked gen something?

 

I guess I didn't know what Universal meant either.

 

"Universal" as in Universal Serial Bus was chosen because it was one port that, given the right drivers for the operating system, could interface with many different kinds of devices. You didn't need one kind of cable for your printer, a different cable for your audio interface, a different cable for a hard drive, a floppy drive, an optical drive, a mouse, or a keyboard. I'm pretty sure that it was the result of so many "normal" people buying computers from stores that couldn't help them find the right cable to go between the new computer and printer that they just bought.

 

As far as adapters go, I have a handful, big ones, little ones, male, female, some all one lump, some with a short cable between the two ends. Like I said, don't worry about the speed (they're all backward compatible) unless it's really important, get a cable or adapter that fits the sockets.

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I feel better about being confused now.

 

I don't feel better about the fact that I bought a half dozen flash drives that had the old USB port on one end, and the USB phone (whatever it was called) on the other, so I could transfer data from my computer to my Android phone.

 

Then I had to get a new phone and it has that USB-C (I think) port. The kind that you can flip over and insert either way. Now all my two-sided USB flash drives wont work on my phone. But my tablet still has the old phone input so I'll need two sets of these things. I guess I'll have to put redundant data on each type now.

You can just use adapters or cables with dissimilar ends, there's no reason why your old USB drives won't work with a USB-C connector.

 

The only time cables make a real difference is with the high-speed protocols, like USB 3.2x2 or whatever it's called. They have extra wires in them the slower protocols don't need. Also, if you're going to be pushing power through them, you need cables that can handle it.

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I often have to look up USB connectors or equipment or whatever, just to make absolutely sure that what I am getting is the best or most appropriate ______ for that input. Kinda confusing if you don't purchase these items for computers every day.
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I often have to look up USB connectors or equipment or whatever, just to make absolutely sure that what I am getting is the best or most appropriate ______ for that input. Kinda confusing if you don't purchase these items for computers every day.

 

Which is also why you can't necessarily trust Amazon "verified buyer" reviews. I was buying a DVI connector and looking at reviews. A guy left a one-star review for a connector because he said it was a cheap piece of crap, that the connector didn't even fit. Well...that's what happens when you try to plug a DVI-D male connector into a DVI-I female :facepalm: Granted they look the same, but they're made so you can't plug in the wrong type by accident.

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Another new wrinkle when recently wiring a studio, was encountering ground loops caused by USB connections. With new keyboards now all having USB ports (pretty much all), I encountered ground loops where never before existed. Sure enough, you can now purchase something like this.

 

 

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Hmm...it says "no longer available."

 

Maybe he got the last one.

 

If you can figure out if the speed is going to give you full performance from your devices - no problem for MIDI, but could be a problem if you have a multi-channel interface that you want to run at 96 kHz or above - here's one for $50, which I think is fifty bucks too much to spend to "fix" a device that you already own. The speed isn't specified beyond "USB 3" whatever that means this week.

 

There are three flavors with various combinations of input and output connectors so you can get an adapter for free along with your isolator, if it's what you need.

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Speaking of confusing specs and bad cables, I've been having more and more problems getting my iPads and iPhone to charge. I've noticed that the cables, both lightning and USB-C, have to be plugged in a specific way. If you flip them over when plugging them in they will not charge. I thought the spec on these cables was that they are reversible.

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Great video and a fine companion for several chronic synthesizer woes. The main fix I've found, aside from the usual required laborious labeling & marking, is simply to list the cables I really need and then buy 4 or 5 of them. He who has backups.... besides, I'll take a bit of cable bafflement over trying to address anything via hexidecimal any day. Apple's semi-crass cable changes or port banishments can be annoying, but we have to leave a bigger carbon footprint where we can or we're not loyal consumers. I'm doing my part. :doh:

 

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Looks like the variance in USB-C/Thunderbolt specs has been causing problems for some Mac M1 owners. Some report that USB-C charging hubs immediately blew components when they were plugged in. Apple says the problem is caused by differences in specs across various USB-C versions.

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Looks like the variance in USB-C/Thunderbolt specs has been causing problems for some Mac M1 owners. Some report that USB-C charging hubs immediately blew components when they were plugged in. Apple says the problem is caused by differences in specs across various USB-C versions.

 

And there you have it. Overvoltage protection is not exactly an arcane art...maybe designers have forgotten how analog circuits work :)

 

There are specs for power distribution. BTW this was not just a problem with M1s, it happened with Intel Macs too. If you're into the Apple ecosystem, you kind of need to stick with Apple-only accessories.

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Well, my shiny new Macbook Pro fried two new hard drives last year. Sent it in, and guess what? A power distribution problem where Thunderbolt voltage was being applied to USB-C devices and frying them. The entire motherboard and everything internal was replaced.

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