USB-C hardware

A really interesting video about the possible culprits of out-of-spec cables.

Let me know what you think, but this cable straight up melted and catched on fire after being put up to its nominal power.

Pretty much this:

I have an older USB C power bank from 2016 and it will only charge with a USB A to USB C cable. This is great information that needs to get to everyone, a lot of people don't know this.

This is a USB-C to tripple (USB-C, micro USB and Lightning) cable which has the CC pins properly connected. This means that there are power delivery (PD) neg...

geteilt von: https://lemmy.dbzer0.com/post/41324008

I have one of those shown and never knew that they can make my devices go boom...

Any other things that may cause a surprise bonfire in my cable drawer?

cross-posted from: https://sh.itjust.works/post/31482764

This picture shows the rough-in before I made it look nice. I soldered it in by soldering the old mounting holes directly to the casing of the connector. Seems sturdy enough. I might put a piece of foam in there to help hold it in place, take any excess pressure off the PCB.

I used this connector from Amazon, and soldered in my own 5.1k resistor to make it compatible with USB C PD chargers. I hate devices that leave that resistor out. Very annoying.

It's crazy, this thing was made in 2012. USB C wasn't even ratified until 2014. The first name brand Android didn't have it until ~~2016~~ 2015. And here I've drug it into the future. Cool stuff!

Screen off:

Screen on:

The video dissects a USB-C cable marked with a 10A rating even though there is no such rating in the standard.

It would be interesting what this is meant for, as I've never seen a device with such a rating?

There's nothing wrong with my old PC case, except I'd like some USB-Cs in the front panel.

The panel itself is unfortunately integrated, but it's possible to get additional front panels to 3.5" and 5.25" slots (the ones traditionally used for CDs etc). Here's one example from akasa with at least one USB-C: https://akasa.co.uk/search.php?seed=AK-ICR-36

It's perfectly fine if I have to just disconnect the integrated USB-A ports due to lack of motherboard connectors. They suck anyway.

So, please share recommendations for such devices. Let's not let those old cases go to waste!

Excellent resource for USB4 M.2 enclosures.

Be aware though, the word is these things run hot.[^chip]

[^chip]: Apparently it's not just the drives. The chips themselves heat up.

I'm in the process of replacing my entire cable line up to be entirely USB-C & I am interested in perhaps getting something like volta spark cables. Has anyone tried these before?

I learn more about cables in this channel every week. Just wanted to share

The USB-C cable tester in this video looks really good, but it seems to be unavailable for now: https://ble.caberqu.com

Are there any alternatives I can buy right now?

I've been relatively happy with this USB-C powered soap dispenser that I found on AliExpress for about $15. It doesn't have a brand name so it's best to recognize it by appearance:

The tank is 400 mL, and it's available in gel, spray, or foam. Gel makes the most sense because it works with generic hand soap.

I bought the first one around 10 months ago for my kitchen, and use it several times per week. Later got 2 more for my bathrooms. I'm impressed by the standby time, as the first charge lasted about 6 months, and it's yet to need a second charge. The motor sounds sluggish when it's about to die, but eventually it stops functioning and blinks the LEDs instead, so it seems to have working overdischarge protection.

It supports USB C-to-C charging at 5 volts. The biggest disadvantage is that there's no way to open it nondestructively for inspection or repair, so I don't know what kind of battery it uses. Recharging consumed 2641 mWh according to my USB-C power meter.

The first unit has developed a minor problem where it pumps a bit of air before soap comes out, so I had to compensate by raising the duration from 2 clicks to 3 clicks. The duration scale seems well-calibrated, as I've never needed to use 1 or 4.

There are several other USB-C soap dispensers available online, so leave a comment if you've tested one.