475 USB-C Tutorial for Everybody (Connector, Cable, PD, Data Transfer, Devices)

[@AndreasSpiess]

Another (very versatile) USB cable tester appeared on amazon: amzn.to/492CDx3

[@andyvitz]

Yeah but you know what here's another thing about USB-C if you work in a greasy room environment like a pizza parlor or anything like that think about it Apple's firewire was safer in that type of environment because the grease can't get inside of the plug and short out the outlet causing an electrical fire

[@How_To_Drive_a_TARDIS]

What kind of gloves do you wear?

[@AndreasSpiess]

@@How_To_Drive_a_TARDIS ESD gloves

[@uwoptik]

​ Do you know the universal USB tester from Treedix (UK)

[@AndreasSpiess]

@@uwoptik Yes. The link is in the description.

[@JanZbedny-qp4ch]

TL;DR, it does not.

[@SheeplessNW6]

Lots of good and useful information here, but for me the major revelation was the existence of cheaply printable heat-shrink tubing. This could be life-changing for me!

[@AndreasSpiess]

I know that these are good kept secrets. This is why I mentioned them…

[@JimMcGinness]

I'll second that. I ordered some. I will have to work very hard, though, to come up to Swiss levels of organization. @@AndreasSpiess

[@otter-pro]

This tutorial is exactly what I needed. Until now I have a pile of usb-c cables and had no idea which cable could do what, so I wasted a lot of time trying different cable on usb-c devices until it worked properly. I will definitely get the usb-c tester. Also, avoid the cheap $1 usb-c cable found at the dollar store. I bought bunch of them, and it doesn't handle power well, and also data transfer is slow.

[@AndreasSpiess]

I started in the same situation as you describe. This was the reason for this video ;-)

[@BroonParker]

But also be wary outside the dollar store. Spending more does not necessarily guarantee better quality.

[@davidwitten2746]

Thanks for this video. This has become an insanely complex subject. Every time the USB-IF tries to make stuff simpler, our lives get exponentially more difficult. A standardized 'one cable to rule them all' seems a worthy goal, but that kind of thing never comes without consequences.

[@dougbas3980]

Yes, you lose the improvements by staying static. They are trying to hold backward compatibility as long as possible. With my vision, I sure appreciated the plug symmetry so we do not kill devices by inserting upside down. Apple had that right from the beginning.

[@AndreasSpiess]

I think that part of the confusion is home made (naming). It also shows that standardization means making decisions an say no to certain variants. Here, Thunderbolt made a much better job.

[@vylbird8014]

I think the USB-IF failed to consider the extent of cost-cutting in consumer electronics. They made a standard which has a lot of scope for leaving bits out and still having a product that mostly-worksish.

[@BeefIngot]

I feel you are throwing out the baby with the bath water. Many parts of Type-C are great. The problem is that they are fine throwing in half baked ideas with no thoughts to what the future will entail, which is why we have Battery Charging specification 1.2, USB Type-C Specification 1.1 and USB Power Delivery 3.0. 3 different systems all to address exactly the same thing because the previous thing they just didnt think of that. Soon enough I imagine they might make yet another standard for supporting direct off device charging, even though PD is so very close to being able to do it and honestly can with the right control.

[@lambertax]

Anyway, we have to deal cleverly with that standard the is by far the best since multipurpose cables are made. Everybody is fed up having a box of different type of cable. All pin connected should be mandatory. Every kind of half way connected cables have to be forbidden in the EU (the cost because of the quantity wouldn't be higher). Then everything will be ok and trashes in Africa could be decreased a little bit. After that I hope the generalization of right to repair EVERYTHING would give a better world😊

[@hquest]

6AM and the guy with a Swiss accent has schooled me on more things than I thought I knew. Dang great video!

[@AndreasSpiess]

Thank you for the kind words. And have a nice day!

[@clutch7366]

Wow, I am in the same position as you were. I’m watching at 6am too 😆

[@---usr]

5:50 am 😂

[@just_saw_dust]

I just bought a FNIRSI 48P and have begun delving into the darkness of all my cables and chargers. This has helped me to grasp some of the concepts. Thank you. Very timely video.

[@AndreasSpiess]

This is probably a necessary move for many of us...

[@dudlesstheking]

Oh man, it does not happen often I am given the opportunity to come across such well put together clips where author goes in such detail. Love all the devices you use and how you exemplify your findings. Sooo can't wait to digest the rest of your content! Thank you for your channel and for taking the time to make this video!!!

[@AndreasSpiess]

Glad you enjoyed it! And welcome aboard the channel!

[@zyghom]

I bought the USB cable tester and... as you said: almost all were slow. But now at least I know wich one is which and more high speed cables are in my lab. Very important if you want video over USB-C cable.

[@AndreasSpiess]

I never used video over USB-C. But video always needs a lot of data...

[@joehoandroid]

@@AndreasSpiess If you buy a new monitor with USB-C Hub, 90W PD, Ethernet feed through, ... you connect your Laptop with one TB4 cable to the monitor. I wouldn't try a cheap USB-C cable. Cry only once about the cable price.

[@ErickBuildsStuff]

Right video at the right time to watch. Now I understood why my project failed. I will revisit the issues and post video of my completed project.

[@AndreasSpiess]

So lets hope it is an easy fix!

[@KohrakGKOH]

I randomly stumbled across this video. Luckily and without really knowing the details I've been checking both power and data speeds on all USB cables I'm buying (after I found out my 100w cables were only USB 2.0). But I struggle sometimes to tell my cables apart so knowing that the testers devices exist and how to used them is a great lesson learned. Absolute brilliant content there

[@AndreasSpiess]

Glad I could help!

[@dermick]

I have at least one (expensive) device that needs to be charged by a "dumb" USB charger, because even though it has a USB-C connector, it does not implement what's needed for a USB-C charger to know it's there. I find the "dumb" Ikea USB-A 3-port chargers to be very solid. What's frustrating with this device is that a LED lights up when it's connected, but it doesn't charge. The more people learn about the complexities of USB-C, the better, so thanks @AndreasSpiess for this very clear video!

[@AndreasSpiess]

They probably just did not know they had to add the pull-down resistors...

[@SnakebitSTI]

Or they did know but wanted to save fractions of a cent on every device.

[@hubertnnn]

The main advantage of pre 3.0 USB was the fact that it was super simple and super solid. Its cheap, universal and well though, thats why USB 2.0 is used for almost 3 decades and only the EU law made another standard superseed it. I expect that if not for EU requiring USB-C in mobile devices, USB A 2.0 would still be used for at least another decade, possibly two.

[@absurdengineering]

"I have at least one (expensive) device that needs to be charged by a "dumb" USB charger, because even though it has a USB-C connector, it does not implement what's needed for a USB-C charger to know it's there." I guess the time to return this device to the vendor and/or demand a credit card refund has passed?

[@absurdengineering]

@@hubertnnnIf you think USB-C is not solid, you have not read and understood the spec, sorry. If you look closely, it's quite good engineering. And it has nothing whatsoever to do with EU, where did that silliness come from? USB-A is a dead end. How will you safely deliver 150W of power via USB-A connectors? No way to do it, the out-of-spec devices are so numerous that it'd be a disaster. We don't need a million custom power supplies for every laptop out there. Give me a USB-C PD 3 high-power charger any day, it's a breath of fresh air compared to the mess we had with USB-A. USB BC 1.2, Qualcomm Quickcharge 1.0, 2.0, 3.0, 4.0, 4+ (lol), Samsung's protocols (several), Huawei's (several), Apple's (sigh), several misbehaving cheap chargers that so many (millions) were made of that some devices just had to detect them and work around their bugs - gimme a break. Anyone who claims it was somehow better before USB-C PD has never had to deal with this mess on the device end. There is *nothing whatsoever* universal about power coming through USB-A. The baseline is 5V 100mA unenumerated, 500mA enumerated, and you get more than that without any extra hardware with USB-C. Anyone who claims that USB-A was "simpler" in terms of power delivery is woefully uninformed and should just not talk about it. You know what pre-USB-C "power delivery" gave us? Point-of-Sale 12V and 24V "addition to USB standards" that are closed, patent encumbered, require custom connectors (not interchangeable by design)... Good grief.

[@Tassie-Devil]

Love my USB-C! I have no need for ultra-fast speed... but to no longer have the frustration of ALWAYS trying to plug in a micro-usb cable the "wrong" way round... is priceless. I cannot describe HOW over I am of USB connectors with only ONE "acceptable" orientation!

[@AndreasSpiess]

I agree.

[@michalrzmichalrz6656]

That Austrian "Christmas lights" cable test board is incredibly cool and useful. Kudos for mentioning it Sir

[@AndreasSpiess]

It was very important for me during my learning…

[@davidwitten2746]

I got one and it seems incredibly useful. I want to use it on all of my existing cables. I just haven't thought up a quickly readable scheme for labeling them yet. I have printable seat shrink labels, but i'm not sure that they are big enough to go over existing connectors.

[@michalrzmichalrz6656]

Printable heat shrink labels sound cool. Another good idea, thanks man. @@davidwitten2746

[@brianwest2775]

Earlier I wanted to make one to test my cables to see which were still good. I got lazy and just uses a power bank and LED light, then bend and twist the cables to see it the light stays lit or not, but that obviously doesn't check the data lines. I try to set aside one new cable that's only used for data and kept separate ... well, until I need to run out the door and can't find another one.😂

[@cwlbroeders]

Excellent timing, just working on using usb-c and pd, but have not ordered anything to be made yet. Now going to watch and see how close i got and change what i got wrong :)

[@AndreasSpiess]

So I hope you get the right stuff!

[@marcbarilla5584]

Hi Andreas. I made similiar experience and have also that cool cable tester from austria since autumn 2022. I understand now why the one LED is dimmed. 😊 best video on the internet that explains this topic. Thanks

[@AndreasSpiess]

Glad you liked the video!

[@carty1231111]

Extremely useful, several mysteries solved for me via this video. Only 3 out of the myriad usb c cables I owned turned out to be dual lane. So many only had legacy data speeds.

[@AndreasSpiess]

Same here!

[@jeremyjedynak]

I came here to write what you included a moment later in your video: buy Thunderbolt cables to avoid power and data problems. This is probably the best advice regarding cables. Thank you for sharing the two cable testers too, as those are great for confirming cable purchases and debugging any potential problems later.

[@AndreasSpiess]

I added a link to a even more versatile cable tester...

[@ivans5204]

Lmfao, i have a whole bunch of shitty charge only thunderbolt over lightning from free garbage i picked up over the years. I have zero issues with usbc because i just throw away the broken data cables. I haven't touched my laptops charger in forever. And it transmits dats perfectly fine. perhaps not at maximum speed, but who needs it? If i have the expensive hardware that uses it, and care about the speeds, i just buy a ten pack of the best cables for like $30. Thunderbolt? Are you taklking about the for different versions over two different connectors in the past 14 years?

[@ivans5204]

Thunderbolt 2, released ten years ago was limited to ten watts. So yourself a favor and just throw out all thr bad cables both c and tb. The best ones for each are like 5 bucks each

[@2QRh6g1I]

USB is definitely not user-friendly on multiple levels. Many consumers who blame their USB device for transferring data at slow speeds may never suspect their cable is to blame. Thank you for this clear and informative video! *subbed*

[@AndreasSpiess]

Welcome aboard the channel!

[@absurdengineering]

I understand the need for clikbait-y thumbnails, the algorithm has conditioned us :) USB-C "sucks" until you sit down and think about what it would take to develop something similar, starting with what USB 2, USB 3, USB BC, and a few other specs left us with. If you think about it long enough, you'll come to the same conclusions as the engineers who work on the USB-C and related specifications. There aren't all that many ways one could do it without throwing away the very expensive IP that's already built up for past standards. By IP I mean HDL designs for FPGAs and silicon, software libraries, cable designs and tooling. Add to that HDMI IP, DP IP, Thunderbolt IP, and it's a whole lot the lowly spec has to deal with. How big of a lot? About 10k pages worth of USB-IF and other specs make up USB-C. IMHO, USB-C did very well with the relative mess it had to start with, and it is a standard that encompasses a wide range of performance and features. And you can still run the most basic USB 2 low-speed peripherals on it, without any new hardware other than the connector and cable assembly. Sort of like the lowly RJ-48 connector that can carry 10BASE-T, 100BASE-T, 1GBASE-T, 2.5GBASE-T, ..., PoE added into the mix, link layer out of band signaling, etc.

[@AndreasSpiess]

If you watched the video, you know which part of USB-C sucks in my view. The naming part could easily have been made much better if you ask me. The product alsways was intended for the consumer market.

[@stevesedio1656]

I was involved in the development of USB Type C. It was designed to provide everything from power without data, to Thunderbolt and DisplayPort, and everything in between. High speed Type C cables require 4 twinax (or 4 dual coax). Those Type C cables will always be pretty big. But as you found, big doesn't assure high speed. So some manufacturers take advantage of the consumer. USB2.0 is fast enough for a lot of people, so they sell a lot of crap cables cables. Good cables are expensive. They need good internal wiring (for 5GHz), good connectors require tight tolerance manufacturing, the eMarker chip, and the associated PCB. I would be interested to see if all your cables that show high speed connections, perform at high speed.

[@AndreasSpiess]

Thank you for the additional info. I do not think my cables would go to 20 or 40Gb. But if the go 2x10G that would already be something... I assume the manufacturers will be able to buy machines that create "good" cables and that the cost will come down. The market definitively is here now after all the laws.

[@stevesedio1656]

@@AndreasSpiess I worked on 10/100 & Gigabit Ethernet, and suggested USB shift from binary to a multi-level code. They finally did for 20Gb & 40Gb. The existing 10Gb high speed cables work. One of the problems with the connectors is A**le required a ground collar over the signal pins (we proved fingers on the shell worked better, but A**le's "influence" won out). It takes precise manufacturing to keep that collar from killing connector impedance.

[@RobertoColi]

Hello, I was impressed by the mess that a "simple" USB cable has become 😲. Cables are not any more cables (e.g. simple wires) but real "transfer devices" with chips and protocols. In few years I expect that also fuel pumps will have just a single gun, and the fuel will be negotiated by your car and the fuel device.😉

[@AndreasSpiess]

We already have different fuel „cables“ for diesel and gas…

[@monoamiga]

Yeah, and what he said, we're gonna have single cables negotiating which fuel to deliver ;)

[@brulsmurf]

Thats awesome. Then carmakers can demand a discount for cars of their brand, otherwise they will ban you as a fuel supplier.

[@AttilaAsztalos]

Nothing is new under the sun. Hey look, a "simple" RS232 cable - ah, but is it a DTE-DTE or a DTE-DCE one...? And does it have only Rx, Tx and GND wired, or also RTS/CTS...? And if so, does that also include DTR or RI...? Let's face it, we were fucked from day one.

[@Martinroadsguy]

​@@brulsmurfthey will absolutely do this if for no other reason to give your car a new feature you didn't want it need, but makes your car useless when it breaks until you take it to a dealership to get fixed.

[@superdau]

Wow! This cleared up a lot! I mean I knew that it was not as simple as "with a USB-C to UBS-C cable you get everything". But I didn't know that it was that involved. It really doesn't help that the standards have been renamed multiple times and that a standard and used connector type aren't fixed. Since I'm the "computer guy" for family and friends I know what problems to expect soon. (Nothing new though. That already started when manufacturers skimped on the data lines in micro-USB cables and sold "charge only" USB cables with the effect that I got "my phone doesn't appear when connected to my computer" or "I can't update the map data on my GPS").

[@AndreasSpiess]

This time it is not as easy to discover because all cables work somehow…

[@absurdengineering]

*It really doesn't help that the standards have been renamed multiple times* Um, what exactly are you talking about? What was renamed? *that a standard and used connector type aren't fixed* Umm, that's like the major raison d'être of USB-C... to have one connector instead of USB2 A, USB3 A, USB2 B, USB3 B, Mini-A, Mini-B, USB2 Micro-A, USB2 Micro-B, USB3 Micro-B (lol)... You must be joking about the connectors, right? You probably couldn't have named all of them, and you complain that now we have a *single one*?!

[@superdau]

@@absurdengineering Renaming like "USB 3.0" becoming "USB 3.1 Gen 1", then "USB 3.2 Gen 1" and now is supposed to be "USB 5Gbps"? If you read my comment AND understood it, you'd see that I didn't complain about having a single connector. The problem is that USB-C to USB-C cables determine what works (fastcharging/PD and datarate), with 95% of people not knowing why something WON'T work at some time, because for them it is a "USB-C cable".

[@cybergibbons]

Best video I have seen on USB-C so far, really really good! The KM003C has got really expensive in the UK - around £100 now! The Fnirsi FNB58 is also a good option.

[@AndreasSpiess]

Indeed, the KM003C is more expensive (not so much on Aliexpress). Does the FNB58 also show the dialog between the"partners"? That part was particularly important for me. But maybe not for everybody...

[@cybergibbons]

@@AndreasSpiess it shows it on the device, but not the client app. Hard to see the complete exchange. It's pretty quirky, in that respect.

[@imagiro1]

Amazing video, many thanks for that! Just checked the schematics for the ESP32/OpenDTU-board I made, and yes, I have both resistors there. I'm very happy that for the future I have a reliable and complete overview of USB, both for power and data. I rarely give a thumbs-up to videos, this time I did!

[@AndreasSpiess]

Thank you!

[@craiglarson2346]

Thank you for another excellent video. I'll have to watch it a dozen times to absorb the dense info within. I'm paralyzed with the advancements and am longing for 9-pin serial ports and cave-man ways. You say “USB-C is here to stay.” Good, because my little mind would explode if USB-D were ever developed! Proud Patreon supporter, Craig

[@AndreasSpiess]

I hope that, it two years from now, we will laugh about this video. Because everything will be so normal... And thank you for your continued Patrreon support!

[@DR_1_1]

Be careful, Thunderbolt is some kind of "USB-D"... I have issues with USB-C hubs connected to USB-C/Thunderbolt 4 connectors, mostly with hard-drives, they take 10 minutes to be listed on Windows, then disappear or don't function properly! And Thunderbolt hubs (they are called "docks" now) cost a small fortune.Think about it when you choose your next laptop, mine has only Thunderbolt USB-C connectors, I'd prefer to have both standard C and C/Thunderbolt. 1 x Thunderbolt is enough (I'll most likely never use these TB's specs anyway).

[@CynicalBeard]

I could listen to you say “episodes” and “ideas” all day long. Awesome content!!

[@AndreasSpiess]

Glad you like them!

[@BeefIngot]

It really is great that power delivery is separated from data transfer. It allows for all sorts of things like dual role ports on devices switching which is sink and source on demand without interrupting the data flow and allowing for a host of dumb to smart devices to deliver reasonable amounts of power. Even recently, without using PD, just using standard Type-C power for a project, it is great to as a hobbyist just be able to use USB 2.0 speeds for simplicity, and still have access to more current, though this was technically still sort of possible with Battery Charging Specification 1.2 trigger ICs that would first do the little handshake before enabling actual data connections over USB 2.0. Regardless, even though they really need to stop willy nilly throwing things at the wall and thinking about the future before they throw out the first idea they get (this way, they wouldn't already have 2 completely separate Type-C power delivery (used generically) standards), Type-C overall has been awesome. I'm, despite hating Apple's bs, quite unsure about mandating a specific organizations standard into law. It is afterall controlled by a few companies, so having anything like that forced by law is a bit insane to me.

[@AndreasSpiess]

1. I agree: QC standards all enabled high power charging, but even more standards existed… 2. Non-industry (not defined by the brig companies) were not very successful in the past. This is why it is done like that now.

[@RonCromberge]

Finally I understand why my usb-c speed is so slow. Thank you

[@spruce1000]

Such a great video, I had to learn all this the hard way. Although the standards are clear, there are too many parameters for marketing to mess with us engineers.

[@AndreasSpiess]

Absolutely. This was also the beginning of my journey.

[@hitmanhite8958]

Explains a lot on what I thought were slow speed across USC-C.

[@AndreasSpiess]

So you know now how you can solve the issue...

[@geoffgeoff143]

They still take three tries to get them in the correct way.

[@davidmc105]

Awesome! The whole world needs to see this video, finally an explanation we can all understand so we can understand why our USB-C cables aren't giving us what we expect.

[@AndreasSpiess]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@LeicaM11]

USB-C always sucks, because it plugs immediately, you do not have the joy of having to turn the plug twice, before it fits😂

[@AndreasSpiess]

Precisely :-))

[@alisoltani5636]

I modded my ds lite with a usb C plug. I wired it wrong and it only works one sided...

[@jack_irl]

@@alisoltani5636 get er fixed :)

[@Moonlight0551]

The most comprehensive guide I have seen on this subject and explained so well. Very good Sir.

[@AndreasSpiess]

Thank you!

[@SouravTechLabs]

Learnt a lot from this video on Unpredictable Serial Bus C!

[@AndreasSpiess]

Welcome aboard the channel!

[@danielhumphrey5231]

Every USB-C cable and device in our house has loosened up or failed. Every Apple Lightning cable and device has always remained tight. Yes, over many years the cable jacket will crack and maybe even the wires could break, but still so much better than anything else.

[@AndreasSpiess]

So far, I did not have these problems. But I hope that I can use my new iPhone for 6 years as with the ligtning connectors. Otherwise, I would be disappointed.

[@siberx4]

An important note (and part the reason the "low speed only" charging cables exist) is that it is _very_ difficult to manufacture a USB cable that can maintain 20/40/80Gbps signaling over long distances. If you want a 6/10/15ft USB C charging cable, it almost certainly won't be capable of supporting the fastest speeds (unless it's very thick and a very expensive active cable). Having thinner, more flexible cables for these uses is also an advantage, but it does mean you need to know the difference between your "charging" USB C cables and your "high speed data" USB C cables. I really wish they'd introduced standardized labeling and colour coding for this, but the USB-IF is well known for chronic issues with bad labeling and naming decisions, so no surprises there. I make a point of labeling all my high-speed capable C to C cables for this reason, so I know what to use when I want higher speeds or to use alternative modes like Displayport over USB C. If you need the highest speeds, your suggestion to buy USB4 or Thunderbolt 3 cables is a great one. You might pay somewhat of a premium, but these higher-end standards "cut through the cruft" and ensure the cable supports _all_ relevant standards rather than a hodge-podge of elements the way it's allowed for regular USB C cables. Great video though, and you covered all the important points extremely well! The point about the two pull-down resistors is super important, and invariably if a cheap "USB C" device won't charge/run from a certain cable or power adapter, it's because the manufacturer has screwed up this (very simple) point. Depending on the device, connector, and your soldering skills, it's sometimes possible to bodge in the missing resistor(s) or to replace the connector with a USB-C that has the correct break-outs to solder in the required resistors. Note that the problem with "simple" devices not connecting to power due to bad resistor arrangements can not only affect charging depending on cable orientation, but also E-marker cables will refuse to charge these devices. As such, it's helpful to keep at least a few "non-E-marker" 60W cables around if you don't want to have to rely on USB A ports to power these kinds of non-compliant devices.

[@AndreasSpiess]

Thank you for your addidional information!

[@ailivac]

Not unlike how in the old days you had to keep track of which micro B cables had data wires AT ALL and which ones were the cheap pieces of crap that just provided power, which meant even high-current charger detection doesn't even work right.

[@VertegrezNox]

Used to cost $5 or $15 for a charger, now thanks to people who simp for monopolies (like you) that'll be $80 for a charger that will break after 30 days. You damn simply have ruined everything, blame yourselves.

[@siberx4]

@@VertegrezNox Are you ok? I have no idea what you're going on about.

[@VertegrezNox]

@@siberx4 I'm saying these things exist because y'all keep giving them more money. Our taxes pay for ALL the research and development that goes into these products, meaning our taxes already paid for the production of these items. Y'all continue to support monopoly after monopoly (with your money) and though you may complain, nothing is resolved when your actions continue to feed these tax subsidized for-profit mega monopolies. This is why a damn USB cable costs $80 and is still inferior to USB-A (3.1), it's because y'all continue to support an abusive government that steals from you and regulates only to maintain monopolistic dominance, & y'all continue to pay for planned obsolescence products (that cost more & are produced poorly, all for more profits). The fact of the matter is you all simp over monopolies & feign ignorance that YOU ARE THE PROBLEM. You, you pay their bills, you allow your government to steal from your neighbors & then enable them to steal from people even more. Take a look in the mirror, stop supporting this shit if you want it to end!

[@geoff2k]

This was exactly the video I needed to help me make sense of the mess of USBC cables that have someone taken over my drawer!

[@AndreasSpiess]

You are not alone with this problem ;-)

[@tinker7722]

Thank you very much, Andreas, for this very useful summary. Your contributions are really very useful as a reference work! And I am very happy that this way I can avoid the most common mistakes.

[@AndreasSpiess]

Glad it was helpful!

[@dougbas3980]

Yes I support the channel and man did that pay off with this video. Almost everything was new info for me. Thank you.

[@AndreasSpiess]

Thank you for your support! The same was when I started to use USB-C and PD. I had to discover all these „secrets“, too

[@GeoffSeeley]

This was a great video and explains some of the weirdness I've had with USB-C cables and devices. Clearly manufactures need to read and understand the standards before implementing a product otherwise it's a hot mess.

[@AndreasSpiess]

And we have to understand which cables to buy ;-) I hope in the future we will get simple names that include a clear performance as well as a clear specs for manufacturers. Not as now wishy-washy "standards" with lots of possibilities...

[@GeoffSeeley]

@@AndreasSpiess unfortunately, without a certification process, manufacturers will always cut costs/corners and make inferior products.

[@bjornroesbeke]

I like USB-PD, because i can use a powerbank to power most of my electronics projects with it. When the charger of my labelprinter (9V/4A) died, i soldered a PD trigger board to a barrel connector and i suddenly have multiple suitable replacements for it.

[@AndreasSpiess]

I agree. I also use barrel jack cables with built-in trigger chips for my 12 and 15V devices.

[@dave_dennis]

Very relevant content. This answers many questions for me.

[@AndreasSpiess]

I am glad to read that. Also for me, I had to answer some questions…

[@bayareapianist]

​@@AndreasSpiessHahaha! A suisse joke!

[@RmFrZQ]

This video supports my idea, that if you want a good and reliable cable you have to make it yourself. There is simply no way to know the true specifications when you order one from AliExpress or local hardware stores. Making it all with right gauge wires, connectors, PCBs, middle-man ICs, passive components and activity LEDs. Could be a good idea for future video.

[@AndreasSpiess]

These cables carry high frequencies and therefore, geometry matters. So I have no intention to build one by myself because I would not have the needed skills nor the machines.

[@AkosLukacs42]

On android phones I recently used, you can disable fast charging in the settings. And limit the max to 85%. That way max charge is limited, and charges only slowly even with the 60w PD charger I usually carry.

[@AndreasSpiess]

Cool function!

[@tonyhawk123]

That sounds useful. I've seen a project which used a clamp meter which detects the drop in power while charging (which usually happens at 80% battery capacity) and automatically cuts the power using a relay. Would be nice if iPhone's had this feature! Would take more than this for me to go through the faff of migrating to a whole bunch of different apps, but very nice.

[@siberx4]

I believe this is still a phone manufacturer specific extension, rather than something included in the base Android OS. I own a Pixel 8 and I don't believe it has the ability to force slow-charging or to limit the maximum charge to a specific value, it only allows you to turn on some stupid "Adaptive charging" thing. This is supposed to learn your routine and only fully charge the phone right before you unplug it, which works about as badly as you'd imagine unless you have a very consistent routine (and still fully charges the phone at least briefly). This _absolutely should_ be a native Android feature though, and it's incredibly frustrating that this isn't available everywhere yet; even newer Apple phones now allow you to limit the charge percentage with a simple option from what I understand. A cynic would say manufacturers aren't motivated to include such a feature because they want you to keep wearing out your battery and buying new phones every year or two...

[@keithr0]

My Pixel 6a will fast charge if put on charge during the day, but, if put on charge in the late evening, it slow charges. The phone learns from your usage and charges at a rate to have it ready for first use in the morning, in my case it finishes charging at 5am.

[@siberx4]

@@keithr0 Good to know, but this still relies on having a predictable schedule and still charges the phone up to 100% (which on my Pixel 8, is an absurd 4.4V+) which is very hard on the battery regardless of whatever fancy chemistry tweaks they're using.

[@tonysheerness2427]

Back to the future with v24 breakout boxes to check cables. Very good video.

[@AndreasSpiess]

Times repeat themselves. Look at the clothes ;-)

[@opsahle2]

This is (as usual from you!) a very well-made, interesting and relevant video for those of us that have started using USB-C in our projects. One small comment on a point that could confuse some viewers: You started with a green cable USB-A to USB-C, then later (around 7:10 and later) you talk about the white vs the red cable. I assume the white cable is now the one with USB-A in the other end.

[@AndreasSpiess]

Sorry for the confusion. The white/red cables are both USB-C on both sides. Cables with USB-A connectors on the other side have no CC lines and will always deliver voltage... Really not simple, I know :-(

[@EDee20NINE]

Very thorough, that was the first video I've seen of yours, it won't be the last. Thank you.

[@AndreasSpiess]

Glad you enjoyed it! Welcome to the channel.

[@hoggif]

This was huge. I've never dug that deeply into usb-c but I have run into many mysterious problems, including a cable that works one way but not when connected 180 degrees turned. Now I can guess why. I ordered the led based tester to see what all my cables are about. I already have a different tester that reads e-marker values but not data pins.

[@AndreasSpiess]

I hope the video was able to "uncover" some of the mysterious problems...

[@hoggif]

@@AndreasSpiess It really was. Very clearly explained (like you usually do) and detailed enough. It was a real eye opener.

[@joehoandroid]

@AndreasSpiess Also if you use a USB-A to USB-C cable you don't use Power Delivery and you can use ports without 5.1k

[@roysigurdkarlsbakk3842]

This is the best description I've seen of USB-C so far - thank you!

[@AndreasSpiess]

You're welcome!

[@XavierGr]

Version naming aside USB is amazing! It could be used for almost all our day-to-day activities if people were more serious to incorporate it in more use cases (and drop legacy support). Also I am a bit disappointed that you didn't cover USB PD PPS mode. It's a killer feature for sure and you can build for example a tiny bench supply with just a phone charger. Unfortunately the ch224k/d chip that you mentioned doesn't support PPS and I am not aware of any cheap and easy to use ICs that support PPS mode.

[@AndreasSpiess]

So far I had no need for PPS. A mobile power supply could be one, I agree.

[@taipo101]

Absolutely bloody fantastic. Thank you for your effort. However I would like to see some reference to other Smartphones Huawei, Xiao mi, Samsung etc with their very high charge rates being tested. Overall I will keep this video again thank you from a very old Electronic engineer.

[@AndreasSpiess]

Thank you! Concerning charging of different devices: Maybe you have a look at this channel: www.youtube.com/@ChargerLAB . They do some of those tests.

[@remy44444]

Interesting! It reminds me that LTT did a similar video but on HDMI cables, surprisingly even good companies sells bad cables. The lesson I learned the hard way is that never cheap on cables.

[@AndreasSpiess]

I am not sure if the price always is a good indicator (unfortunately)... But let's hope for the best!

[@BeefIngot]

I think you learned the opposite lesson. The lesson is, you cant trust anyone.

[@anticat867]

Do you have a link to that video at hand?

[@parthingsdotcom]

Video was an eye opener. I could've sworn that I had a usbc to c cable that was high speed. Now I simply must purchase a usb tester. And a cable hanger.

[@AndreasSpiess]

The cable hanger is 3D-printed ;-)

[@yomboprime]

Thanks for this video! I think a simple cable tester can be made with two breakout boards and some LEDs. Will buy them.

[@AndreasSpiess]

I agree (and even mentioned it in the video. For me, the ready-made tester was good (also because I did not understand everything when I started my investigations).

[@SanchoPanza-m8m]

I had a much higher opinion of you before you revealed that you are an iPhone user. No wonder you didn't have a proper cable: Apple cheaped out and stopped supplying charging cables and wall warts.

[@AndreasSpiess]

I like my iPhone. It is just a product and I have one since the time Android did not exist ;-)

[@SwapPartLLC]

I just bought a Galaxy S24 Ultra, and it didn't come with a wall wart either. It isn't just an Apple thing. If you ask why, they'll claim they're being more environmentally friendly. Reality is that phone manufacturers just found a way to make more money and give out less.

[@leapnlarry]

Definitely more information than we needed to know, haha. But i stuck in until the end, i have an apple TB4 cable that i use for my 4TB drive connected to my new MacBook Pro, it is the only cable i have found that a will deliver super high speed so i can edit video on the external drive. That cable cost $80 Larry

[@AndreasSpiess]

I would call your approach "brute force" (on your wallet). But I am glad it worked and solved your problem.

[@reddcube]

Fast charging Li-ion devices does not degrade battery life as long as temperature is managed. One of the huge benefits of PD is that the phone and charger can communicate to each other. So when a battery is over 80% the phone can signal to the charger to uses slower charging.

[@AndreasSpiess]

I agree. When fast charging, my iPhone gets quite warm at the outside and probably more inside.

[@MikesTropicalTech]

Fantastic details on power and data protocols. I bought one of both of the testers, thanks!

[@AndreasSpiess]

Glad it was helpful!

[@tomstern1681]

The problem is that most consumers for usb cables are not technical people. If they get the cable with the device they bought there is a chance it is suitable for the application requirements, but what happens when someone needs to purchase a cable? There is a good chance that they end up with the wrong cable. Cable markings should be standard and easy to understand. Unfortunately, they are nothing but. Good content like always!

[@AndreasSpiess]

There still is hope that manufacturers will be fed up with customer complaints and change the labelling...

[@ehsnils]

One idea behind the standardization on USB-C for charging would be to decrease the amount of electronic waste. However for laptops the first things to break is the USB-C connector on the charger and in some cases the laptop, and that increases the amount of waste rather than decreases is. The large round barrel connector found on Dell and HP laptops is a lot more rugged. So I expect a lot more scrapped chargers with a bad USB-C connector in the future.

[@AndreasSpiess]

We will see how the quality of these connectors will develop. I now own an iPhone 15 and can compare it with the older models...

[@RechargeableLithium]

WAIT! There's a big white-gloved hand behind the little white-gloved hand! 😄 Great presentation - thank you for yet another well researched and well demonstrated tutorial! 73

[@AndreasSpiess]

It is the other way round. The big one was first ;-)

[@AttilaAsztalos]

Plot twist: just outside the frame, there is an even bigger white-gloved hand manipulating the middle-sized white-gloved hand holding the little white-gloved hand... :P

[@RGressick]

Thank you for the breakdown and showing some fun new tools. I do have different USB testers but they are only for power. But showing the C2C devices will help me unlock a number of my cables. I know most aren't higher speeds but this will help me determine more and label them appropriately.

[@AndreasSpiess]

Labelling is really helpful in this case...

[@RGressick]

@@AndreasSpiess I did buy your test. Worked great, loved it. The recommend Amazon one looks cool too with more options.

[@romanmoschenski9453]

Danke Andreas, wie immer gründlich und sachlich und ohne blabla.

[@AndreasSpiess]

Danke! Mein Amateurfunk Rufzeichen ist übrigens HB9BLA. Deshalb nicht noch mehr Blabla ;-)

[@norr2596]

So much useful detail! Thanks for that Andreas, even by your high standards that was a really thorough explanation.

[@AndreasSpiess]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@batica81]

Great video! One thing missing is the external drive speed test with that one cable that supports highspeed.

[@AndreasSpiess]

It was much faster. The cable was no more the limiting factor.

[@Joe-hu3cq]

Thank you very much Andreas for this excellent video. I learned a lot about USB-C and PD!

[@AndreasSpiess]

Glad it was helpful!

[@SKElectronics]

didn't know this much thanks for the video and hard work. I will pray for you and your family for good health 🙏.

[@AndreasSpiess]

Thank you!

[@AmirASD]

Thank you for the in-depth explanation and showing us the tools to use. This is all the information I've been wanting to know since the introduction of USB-C, all in one place.

[@AndreasSpiess]

You're very welcome!

[@lichtgestalt9540]

thanks andreas! this is one of the best videos on youtube about usb-c! my personal recommendation is strictly to buy thunderbolt 4 cables. by definition, the need to have the highspeed data lines. grüezi from another swiss guy 😉

[@lichtgestalt9540]

den km003c tester kannte ich noch nicht, aber habe den soeben bestellt 😊

[@AndreasSpiess]

Dieser Tester wird dir sicher helfen. Er sagt allerdings nichts über die Datenleitungen...

[@ManuOutdoor]

Danke für das super Video! Ich war auch schon frustriert mit einer externen USB C Harddisk. Mein USB Interface am PC (3 Jahre alt) hatte noch eine ältere USB Version. Auf Windows wird zusätzlich USB stark gedrosselt durch die „sicher ausstecken“ Funktion. Extrem viele Faktoren, du du auch beschrieben hast! 73 von HB9TIA

[@AndreasSpiess]

Das mit dem "sicher ausstecken" wusste ich nicht...

[@thesunexpress]

You've answered every confusion I had about the extended USB-C spec. Thank you!

[@AndreasSpiess]

You are welcome!

[@xpump876]

Thanks - Great info! - Stay safe on the bike - always upright and no sudden stops!

[@AndreasSpiess]

Thanks, will do!

[@MikeKranidis]

Excellent USB study. Thanks Mr. Spiess.

[@AndreasSpiess]

You are welcome!

[@canadianavenger]

Great explanation, definitely makes USB-C seem more approachable for many I think. One thing I noticed, the USB-C pinout chart you show throughout the video has an error. The connector is designed to be rotationally symmetrical. As such the +/- pairings are mirrored from side to side and top to bottom. The mapping you show does not properly do this with the RX/TX pairs. (your USB-C cable tester shows the correct ordering) Not that it changes anything in your explanation, but could come to bite you if you tried to implement something with that mapping. So just as a FYI, that chart should go in the bin with the bad connectors, and get a new one that is correct ;)

[@AndreasSpiess]

You mean this drawing: kzbin.info/www/bejne/p4eTZHmcmbV7hdksi=RpBtCKJogU3ohaQT&t=845 ? I am not sure if the drawing is wrong. D+ and D- are mirrored as they should. The tester has the same setup.

[@canadianavenger]

@@AndreasSpiess Yes that chart... D+ and D- are fine, the problem is RX2/TX2 the +/- is swapped from the correct positions. A10 should be RX2-, and B3 TX2- (A11 should be RX2+, B2 should be TX2+)

[@protheu5]

Great idea about usb-c connector boards and checking continuity. Excellent video.

[@AndreasSpiess]

Thank you!

[@anticat867]

A very good video just one warning. TB3 Hosts (Upstream) are usually backwards compatible to USB Devices. However vice versa does not work. So you can't Connect (Data) a USB Device e.g. an iPhone 15 to a TB3 Docking Station. It will charge but it will also repeatedly tell you that it is not happy about the situation.

[@AndreasSpiess]

Thanks for the clarification! I never owned a thunderbolt device…

[@fordprefect2735]

A very important point for any connector is that the grounds of the devices are connected first. In some bad cables the external metal shields at both ends are not even connected.

[@AndreasSpiess]

Thank you for the additional info!

[@johnnyvvlog]

Wow this video is incredible. Well thought out and very informative. And since it's about USB-C it'll be relevant decades into the future.

[@AndreasSpiess]

Thank you for your kind words!

[@atomic14]

Fantastic video. Makes me want to test all my cables.

[@AndreasSpiess]

You probably should do it😉

[@sfbptank]

Excellent video! It's interesting to me we have different approaches, For me cable is cable, and I don't have much data to transfer, so I buy everything that has PD or at least USB-C, get rid of barrel jacks, plug or solder adapts you show at 12:00 on. and since most devices I have are under 60W I can comfortably grab any USB-C cable to charge them. The only 3 cables I need to pay attention to are one 5A cable for the laptop, one TB3 cable for the external SSD, and one programmable USB-C to barrel just in case. PS: I prefer the WITRN USB meter more than POWER-Z, but they both got the job done.

[@AndreasSpiess]

Do the WITRN also display the handshake communication? I also have one from them ;-)

[@sfbptank]

​@@AndreasSpiess I belive it depend on the models, or just ask customer service since some info are hidden for copyright protection.

[@BlueyMcPhluey]

I don't have time to watch this right now but I'll definitely be returning. I just know you'll demystify USB-C standards in a way that will make sense to me

[@AndreasSpiess]

For sure it is valuable to understand a standard we will use for the next few years!

[@technoman9000]

You know what also worked no matter which orientation you plugged into it? A classic barrel plug. Too bad nobody could agree on a standard diameter.

[@AndreasSpiess]

I agree on this one. I also never know which barrel connector is the right one :-(

[@herrgerd1684]

D5.5/2.5 and D5.5/2.1 works for most of the devices...

[@waltsteinchen]

Another phantastic "Andreas" video! ... Complex stuff very good explained !!

[@AndreasSpiess]

Indeed, it was quite complex when I started. Now it is a bit easier…

[@JohnWilliams-gy5yc]

USB-IF: How bureaucratic do you want your USB-C to be? Manufacturers: YES.

[@AndreasSpiess]

:-))

[@AttilaAsztalos]

I mean... if by USB 2.0 it wasn't obvious from the brick-thick spec that this is never going to be a 50-page affair... I don't know what to say.

[@UNgineering]

Excellent video! I wish i had this information when adding USB-C connectors to my projects, it was a lot of trial and error before discovering half of this.

[@AndreasSpiess]

Indeed, without this knowledge you can make many mistakes!

[@lukeparker8559]

Hey Andreas lovely to meet you at MWC 2024… hope to see you again at EuMW in Paris or Electronica in Germany. All the best Luke at pSemi

[@AndreasSpiess]

Me too! We will see which events are on next year’s list…

[@a.augustin5054]

Thanks for this deep insight! It's even more complex than I expected... 😬

[@AndreasSpiess]

Me too was surprised ;-)

[@Alexandra-Rex]

Very interesting and useful video. I've been wanting to test my cables to see what's what.

[@AndreasSpiess]

Good idea!

[@AndruXa]

Super useful video as always. It would’ve saved me tons of frustration had I watched it earlier.

[@AndreasSpiess]

The video was created out of frustration…

[@Angular777]

Yeah, i miss fumbling around at night trying to plug my phone in, trying to force my plug into my charge port upside down, invariably messing up the change port on my phone. USBC is great! I don't praise Apple too much, but they really nailed it with the lightning port.

[@AndreasSpiess]

Indeed, I will see how long my new iPhone with USB-C will last. Lightning lasted 6 years...

[@gblargg]

I learned a lot from this. I expect a future video USB-C: Babel edition.

[@AndreasSpiess]

Thank you!

[@Alexander_Sannikov]

as a consumer i'd gladly use usb-c over micro usb even if it was twice slower, just because of how much better its physical design is. i absolutely hate how mechanically unreable micro usb connectors are, and a usb-c is an absolute godsend in comparison.

[@AndreasSpiess]

I agree!

[@drfrancintosh]

Really useful. The USB standard is challenging to understand. I'll be bookmarking this video. Thanks. I'm subscribed and ... Continued Success!

[@AndreasSpiess]

Thank you!

[@JeffGeerling]

I have a bag with about 30 USB-C cables. I'm pretty sure no two are alike in terms of what they support. I have a C to C tester, but a lot of times I plug C to A, and sometimes you wind up with USB 2.0 speeds, but I'm too lazy to fish around for a cable that gets 3.0 speeds. Sometimes I just get lucky and pick the right cable. Someday I'll label the cables, or get one of those A to C testers. Or maybe not!

[@AndreasSpiess]

Maybe the bad ones automatically will go away over time because the newer ones usually come with better specs...

[@ronaldglider]

Super Video! Very valuable information! The problem with standards is that there are so many to choose from.... *USB standard is a jungle.*

[@AndreasSpiess]

I agree.

[@catcatcatcatcatcatcatcatcatca]

The specification naming vs speed finally makes sense to me! It’s still horrible that everything is named USB3.2.

[@AndreasSpiess]

We all hope for the best. They have a chance with USB4.0 now ;-)

[@MadDogGiraffe]

Very helpful and very interesting. Many Thanks, just bought myself a lead tester and a ChargerLAB Power-Z KM003C. I do a lot ov video editing from a MACBOOK Pro M4 Ultra and I have a lot of money invested in "Fast " Drives. I found most of my leads were not delivering the data rates I can achieve with the hardware. I will go through all my leads and throw away any that are not up to scratch. This will literally save me hours of file transfer and editing off external M.2 drive time.

[@AndreasSpiess]

I hope you will succeed! Life is too short for bad cables ;-)

[@MadDogGiraffe]

@@AndreasSpiess I love my cable tester and I am obsessing by checking e very cable I come across at home and work lol.

[@hofertyp]

Hallo Andreas, danke für das informative Video. Ein paar Empfehlungen oder affiliate Links für passende Kabel am Ende wären super. Das ganze ist echt ein durcheinander. Unter 20€ scheint es keine sinnvollen USB-C Kabel zu geben die zumindest Thunderbolt 3/4 haben :)

[@AndreasSpiess]

Ich habe noch ein paar Kabel mehr angeführt. Bei allen kabeln habe ich nur getestet, ob alle Linien verbunden sind (keine Geschwindigkeitstests). Die sollten allerdings alle mindestens 10GBx2 machen.

[@hofertyp]

@@AndreasSpiess super danke!