Why Does USB Keep Changing? | Nostalgia Nerd

[Head to ​www.squarespace.com/nostalgia... to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain using code NOSTALGIANERD]... The History of USB; So many USB plugs, so little time. Take USB Mini-B, what happened to that? What happened to USB Mini-A, Why did we move on from USB Micro-B? Why did USB C supersede USB Micro-B? So many USB questions, so little time.
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[@BastiatC]

Problem: there are 27 competing standards Action: Create a single universal standard for all use cases Result: There are 28 competing standards

[@cybersteel8]

The XKCD authors are geniuses

[@Aighthandle]

@@cybersteel8 which is your favorite author, “X, K, C, or D”?

[@bunnyben5607]

I feel USB was more of a complete standards reset and unification, as in it just wiped away all the terrible wonky serial ports and unified all the "competing" standards under an overarching standard.

[@calebmauer1751]

@@Aighthandle Black Hat

[@Eric-vq7jr]

Fix a stupid problem with a stupid solution.

[@altid76]

The main guy behind USB recently died. At the funeral they lowered the coffin down brought it back up turned it over and lowered it again

[@ph0roggy]

😂😂👏

[@JustinLaNoue]

This should be pinned lol

[@rjonboy7608]

That was 🦧💩

[@clam4597]

Surprised that wasn't 3 times.

[@javiercingolani23]

Legend has it they used a collection of old USB cords to hold the coffin

[@pspicerwensley]

As one engineer quipped: Standards are wonderful things - there’s always so many to choose from. 😂

[@jlco]

Oof.

[@THTB_lol]

dispenser goin up

[@_____alyptic]

Im seeing this meme a lot 🤔 Was the engineer the person in this video?

[@HarryShaft]

It's great that we have so many choices 🤣🤣

[@jmoneyfilmzW]

@@THTB_lol engineer gaming

[@michaelgrella]

I hope we can keep Type-C, it’s perfect. I have a feeling that people in the future are laughing at this comment right now

[@mayonais]

"in the future" "laughing right now" *impossible*

[@michaelgrella]

@@mayonais you’re that lame ass that ruins all the jokes at parties, aren’t you?

[@ZechWithAnE]

Laughs in wireless charging

[@Jake-kv8ie]

@@michaelgrella your that dumb person who doesn’t understand that he was also joking

[@sodiumz7161]

@@Jake-kv8ie You’re that person who doesn’t know the difference between your and you’re.

[@yellowlemonPenguin]

I'm a bigger fan of C's design than any of the others, just because it's reversable.

[@herpnderpn2484]

In my experience, it is much stronger than the micro USB as well. Then, it also supports USB 3.0 as well, and can put out 1080 video(maybe higher?).

[@MikoBennett]

i like the usb-c design aswell, if it worked for what i needed it for, i would like it more then just 4 the design itself. U can find usb-c to hdmi cords..even tho i have a new asus i7-7gen / gtx 1080 $1,400 gaming laptop, the usb-c port on my pc isn't compatible for video....

[@blemisheddiscgaming6464]

C + C = USB ?

[@bluebull399]

I love USB C. Hated the other ones.

[@leaeughfish5944]

I'm not saying anything about Apple. ÆÜGH

[@evank3718]

I love how the first letter of Usb means “Universal”. They sure had a sense of humor

Universally different 😁

[@kaldo8907]

Funny but you needed literally a different connector for every single device back in the 90s, with the exception of mouse and keyboard, those were both PS/2 ports. But they were the only PS/2 devices.

[@-Muhammad_Ali-]

That is for selling the brand more. It's like the buzword "intellect" now

[@andrejrockshox]

@@kaldo8907 most of the nineties was DIN/5 for kb and RS-232 for mouse.

[@Tofupancho]

PS/2, DB9 serial, DB25 parallel, VGA, DVI A/D/I, SCSI, eSATA, FireWire 400/800, PCMCIA, Expresscard 54, and Expresscard 34 are just the ones I remember encountering off the top of my head growing up. Many different memory card formats too. Just for pretty standard geeky kid stuff. The second ~half of those couldn’t be hotplugged; you had to shut down, connect or disconnect, then fire it up again. Not sleep, and typically no auto save. So save everything manually, then power cycle, connect, etc. Oh and PCI express wasn’t one thing. If you were fortunate enough to have dedicated graphics and a motherboard that supported it, you’d use an AGP slot. Then for peripherals some combo of maybe 6 versions of PCI/PCI-X/PCI-X 2.0, all serving different speeds and power needs so they were all uniquely keyed, no backwards compatibility that I can recall. Through 10 miles of snow, uphill both ways, in black and white. Oh and games sounded different based on your sound card or in some cases just didn’t output sound at all.

[@ijustsawthat]

1990s : Companies gather together to create a single standard. 2000s : Companies try to avoid the standard at all costs.

[@marczhu7473]

otherwise they can't sell their extra goodies adaptor.

[@Yoda-177]

@@marczhu7473 Literally only Apple

[@daisuke910]

@@marczhu7473 such waste

[@spydermonkey2066]

The reason US will never advance. All companies care about is miking every cent not moving forward or innovation. Its sad really.

[@universenerdd]

@@spydermonkey2066 but innovation is good

[@levyata8964]

USB type C had to be done. Having both sides extends the longevity of the damned pins

[@magusperde365]

It just wont fucking stays in its fucking socket

[@0x375]

@@magusperde365 stays in mine fine

[@leonardo9259]

@@magusperde365 skill issue

[@sonetagu1337]

@@leonardo9259 wait, it is a skill that can be mas- Oh wait.... neeevermind....

[@9tr0n]

@@magusperde365 thats a problem with the port not the cable

[@generalcodsworth4417]

The introduction of USB: "there are too many plugs, we need one plug to do everything!" *twelve thousand USB plugs later* "there are too many plugs, we need one plug to do everything!"

[@JoelYoder]

There's a fantastic XKCD comic that goes pretty much the same way: "There are 6 competing standards! Let's make one replace all of them" *Soon:* "There are now 7 competing standards!"

[@arsvi123]

@@JoelYoder There really is an XKCD for every situation

[@davidabulafia7145]

One plug to rule them all

[@tjl2836]

@nazi I mean USB-C is getting really close to being the perfect port. With one USB-C port I can charge my phone, laptop, headphones, and power bank. But of course, companies like Apple and Microsoft choose to use their own ports

[@tjl2836]

@nazi ok I don't know what you do with ur USB-C cables but almost nobody has the issues you have. I've never had a USB-C cable break, even the one I got from the dollar store. On the other hand, most of my Lightning ports break on the cable.

[@zecekobold2140]

"If you can see the USB logo on the top of the plug, then you're plugging it in the right way." Tell that to half my peripheries that put their own branding on the visible side and USB logo on the bottom.

[@saelorasinanardiel8983]

@@YangDoesAThingIDK tell that to my PC, which has the usb ports sideways. Or my usb hub, which is reversable...

[@KipdoesStuff]

I have a phone where the receiver is upside down.

[@CommodoreGreg]

Tell that to any Samsung device. Every Samsung phone and tablet in my house has the connector upside down.

[@Leekodot15]

Your USB Hub will tell you "ain't no problem, kid." And then you have Samsung, but you can yell at them for their problems. What you SHOULD be talking to is my unpolarized phone charger.

[@KertaDrake]

Or the box of cables I have that have the logo on BOTH sides for some unfathomable reason.

[@TheIronArmenianakaGIHaigs]

17:05 I love this one, I know it was more of a end of evolution down the wrong path as C is better but even so. I just think it’s kinda neat. Being also backward compatible was nice too.

[@michaelvigil5321]

Yep, it was nice on my old Galaxy S5 to plug in with a typical cord but if i wanted my dead phone full in half an hour i whip out the speed charger.

[@iClone101]

USB-C is really turning out to be the connector that the USB-IF originally envisioned. Not only is it compatible with all USB specifications, but also with Thunderbolt, DisplayPort, and even ethernet, allowing it to carry virtually any signal a device can output. Give it a few more years, and I can see most devices using USB-C as the standard. Apple jumped the gun a bit too soon, but eventually it will likely turn out the way Apple is going.

[@Mikelaxo]

I had it on my galaxy S5, I never really like it aside from the fact that no one in my house would ask me to borrow my charger as it wasn't compatible

[@stephen_cs]

@@iClone101 yeah, love having usb c on my MacBook

[@insert_username_here]

@@michaelvigil5321 that’s what I do, except with normal charging and fast charging. How little the times have changed.

[@bigjoeysfriedeggs6909]

Dude the micro usb would always break or bend on me constantly making me get new ones, Usb-C makes me cream

[@Eclipse.7897]

Yea, I had to go through like 6 micro usb cables to charge my Playstation controller over the years, until I started using the one that came with my headphones, which doesn't seem to wear out

[@fl0atpvnk]

Mini and micro both were terrible. I like type c and lightning, they're both double sided and sturdy.

[@lovelydolltime8006]

At least micro USB cables work with every micro USB device because with the new type C, many people have reported compatibility issues between the plugs they've purchased and their devices. USB C is a hot mess and I'm sticking with USB 2.0 for as long as I possibly can.

[@illusorybucket5703]

I have a drawer of so many useless cords but ONE DAY I'm gonna need one so I need them all

[@Spartan11117777]

Illusory Bucket Good on you, me and my Family do that too haha you never know when an Alien Invasion or when Nazis on the Moon is gonna invade Earth and they happen to use USB shaped ports 😆

[@TaiFerret]

When I'm done scanning I store my scanner with its USB cable on top of it. It has a standard B connector.

[@GizmoFromPizmo]

I'm looking for a DVI cable that I KNOW I have here somewhere!

[@liaminwales]

im up to 3 boxes, the cables are now more noted than ever and i can never find the cable. thanks USB. and dang do DVI cables with there little bolts snag in the noted ball.

[@AlexHayes623]

Exactly what I tell my wife every time she's gets on one of her cleaning sprees.

[@maxon1672]

Everyone’s got their version of “the box” stashed away somewhere lol. 📦 🔌

[@PWingert1966]

I have mine in little plastic containers by type, length, color, braided, and unbraided. I have 64 little containers on my wall.

[@DJ_Dopamine]

I now have several of them all over the house, in different cupboards and draws... need to buy a really big 'the box' 🤣

[@purr_lude]

mine is "the drawer"

[@soaringparakeet]

It's a pain when I go to use my ps3 again and forget it has mini b on the controllers not micro. I had to use a 3 foot cord and play on the floor. Should've thrown more cords in the box.

[@PWingert1966]

@@soaringparakeet I try to have at least three cable lengths for each cable.

[@TesseraktGaming]

Imagine how many years it took us to get a damn USB plug which is actually invertable. Thank RNGesus for USB-C.

[@700gsteak]

it wasnt rng. they saw the lightning connector and pissed their pants.

[@helloworld4990]

@@700gsteak people can say what they want about Apple. But they sure did innovate!

[@Naeidea]

I like the fact they don't just concede a "This is the spec, deal with it" scenario, they constantly evaluate the market and go "Okay things are changing, we must go smaller". and yes it sucks having 5 different cables for 5 different devices but those 5 cables can do a job that 90% of other standards fail at. They work independently. If I find an old device I only need to find a cable that fits and I'm sorted. At work a few years ago I happened across a situation where I had been off a week and came back to an essentially butchered desk, I had a phone that was plugged into nothing and a perfectly suitable power connector right next to it, I thought "Oh cool I just need to plug it in"..... Nope... It smoked, it crackled and it popped.... The phone died that day...... It was a different connector than it needed and I kept it quiet and pretended nothing was wrong(£200 phone). Standards are very important.

[@holysol]

corp shill detected

[@tzisorey]

The best thing about standards, is that there's so many to choose from. 🙄

[@jasonhatt4295]

The 2099 Standardization of Standards. Or maybe in the future it will be the 2999 Standardization of Standards... it might take that long to standardize standards

[@tzisorey]

@@jasonhatt4295 to paraphrase XKCD The Problem: There are 7 standards to choose from. The Solution: Lets make a standard that covers the best of all 7 standards, as reverse-compatible as possible, and use that instead! The Problem: There are *_8_* standards to choose from....

[@anandsuralkar2947]

@@tzisorey lol

[@rubenayla]

@@tzisorey You gotta make a really good standard to beat those other 8 standards. I think the main problem is people and companies that just choose whatever is more practical in the short term, and then it's hard to change to a good standard. Like the raspberry pi 4. It's like a joke. It's a modern miniature pc, and it has 4 USBA ports. 2 with USB2 and 2 with USB3, 2 micro hdmi ports, an ethernet port, and THEN a USB-C, FINALLY! but for the power. So it's unusable. Really??!!! And AC Wiring color code. Specially 3 phase power. Each country chooses whatever random colorset is more practical. JUST CHOOSE BLACK FOR NEUTRAL, AND RGB COLORS FOR THE 3 PHASES! and the ground the same color as the ground, brown, but with a strip, to be similar to the existing ones. A green strip would make it seem the ground with grass. It's unforgettable. The EU standard of BLUE NEUTRAL is absolutely absurd.

[@tzisorey]

@@rubenayla I think it's more that different standards were made with different goals in mind - goals that may be at odds with each other. Yes, arbitrarily chosen standards are typically easier to supersede, but if you need a standard that does something uncommon, that may have been phased out of more recent standards - you may need to fall back to one of those older standards. That, and knowledge of the older standards needs to exist for as long as equipment made with the older standards, is still in use. If people don't learn the older standards, in your 3-phase suggestion, and come across an old device where the blue is the neutral..... Kaboom!!

[@ElmerCat]

A computer-illiterate friend of mine calls the USB logo "The Cactus". 🌵

[@xelhaku]

Or he is a masterhacker and is using code words

[@zer0r00t]

ok I cannot unsee it now

[@Kalvinjj]

He has now earned the status of computer master then. Respectfully so.

[@Oddman1980]

Well, that's what it is now.

[@UltimatePerfection]

To be fair, it kinda looks like one.

[@TheWesman45]

I call BS on micro being rated for more cycles than mini. I've had WAY more micro connectors go bad than mini.

[@dr.doppeldecker3832]

That's what I experienced too! These micro connectors where so prone to wear and tear.... If you had it plugged in your mobile phone you better not touched that mobile phone too much^^ they became loose very fast and lost connectivity....

[@UtilityCurve]

YMMV, but for me it was the opposite. Vive la difference. Apple, though; those guys remind me of ... Catbert, messing with people out of sheer perversity.

[@Frostbytedigital]

That may be your experience, but how often were you attempting to use a device connected to a mini USB cable? Smart phones completely changed how often we were using a mobile device while it was charging.

[@TheWesman45]

@@Frostbytedigital Well, given my teenage propensity to game until my eyes glazed over with the concentrated crust of misused youth and the positively laughable battery life of ps3 controllers, a lot. Not to mention nearly every other device I owned for half a decade. Which included a UMPC(an early to mid 00s equivalent to a modern tablet) used as a phone and laptop, my experience with mini usb vs micro isn't lacking. Is it still anecdotal? Yeah, but that doesn't change my experience.

[@RockinEnabled]

I agreed first - I've changed a bunch of faulty micros and hard to remember if I changed any minis. But then I thought: do I have that many devices with mini usb to use these cables as frequently as micros? Here's the solution! To make a durable connector you need... to make less devices with it! Hooray!

[@x54xHantamachine]

I have probably 15 micro usb cables lying about and 14 of them only work if held at a very specific angle or not at all lol. Those things break sooooo easily, mostly because of those hooks. The usb c revolution has been a godsend.

[@DoubleThinkTwice]

I mean, to be really fair here: Having 5 or so different types of USB connectors still beats every. single. device. having its own power cable and its own data link cable. I'm in pain anytime I try to "just plug in" old devices. And on the upside, a lot of devices you can buy don't even come with a dedicated charger and cable anymore. My parents bought an LED dog leash that shines bright in the dark, and it had a micro USB to recharge. The thing was dirt cheap and it's easy to recharge, thanks to just relying on this standard. Even if we get another 2 or 3 types of connectors the further USB develops, it absolutely beats the alternative.

[@yuehuang3419]

Agreed. One of major revolution with USB is the concept of power delivery (over the same cable as data). IMO, this was one of major reason why adoption rate was huge. Though not intended as power delivery, overtime it changed with USB type C.

[@Liggliluff]

Yes, it's so easy for people to go "this thing doesn't solve every single little thing, so let's stick to our old worse methods". It's a stupid argument, and we should still use what's better even if it doesn't solve everything.

[@andrew_koala2974]

Stip TRYING - There is no success in TRYING. Success is in doing. Think about then when you are constipated. Only then will you learn the difference between Trying and Doing. Stop using the word Trying. One either does something or not.

[@pajamas720]

@@andrew_koala2974 first off, what is this philosophical crap? and second, you cant do something unless you try it, evaluate what went wrong or right, make corrections, and try again until you get something that works. like fixing constipation. or, for a more relevant example, developing cable standards. but it starts with experimentation; trying things in order to do them.

[@lucasterable]

Too bad that if this trend keeps going, we'll end up in a situation where every device or at least every brand has its own distinct, de facto exclusive USB plug!

[@SquishySenpai]

Let's not forget that Dell used to often mount their front USB ports upside down. So the logo thing doesn't help there.

[@CommodoreFan64]

I use to have an ACER Aspire one netbook that had USB A ports on both sides, and on the right side the logo on the cable would be up, and on the left it would be down, unless it was non compliant USB device like a keychain photo frame my ex use to carry on her purse right before everyone had cellphones with screens that could do the same thing, and the cable that came with it had the logo printed backwards, and on the bottom of the connector, and don't get my started on the software for it lol!

[@ToobWurm]

Yeah, dell had this weird phase involving motherboards being put in "backwards" relative to all other brands. It also made installing graphics cards a pain. I had to use a PCI extension cable and just let my graphics card dangle out of the tower once.

[@TheGingerburger]

@@CommodoreFan64 😂yeah, I've had a couple laptops where the USBs on the left are the right way up and upside down on the left, annoying as fuck

[@Christopher-N]

I get that from Sony devices, also. I always assume the USB logo side up, but when I try to plug in an external drive, I find the plug is the wrong way up.

[@howtobebasic2122]

who has a dell opitplex?

[@robertw1871]

It’s amazing how you have a 50/50 chance yet fail nearly 100% to get it on the first try, it should be a game in Vegas plug the cable for a dollar, you’d be rich

[@robin_birdie_]

such an underrated comment ) cheers )

[@taylorwoolston8856]

It's unbelieveable that it's 2021, and MicroUSB is still hanging around in a few new devices. I get that these companies want to save every last possible penny, but come on!

[@edwardfletcher7790]

It's a good thing, because EVERY single home on the planet has spare cables and chargers to suit.

[@bunnyben5607]

Micro-B is still a good standard imo. Like you say, USB-C has that glaring problem of being expensive to implement. C is extremely useful for its versatility, being able to run as a display, charge and transfer data. Micro is useful for its lack of "bells and whistles" so to speak, its data transfer rates are slow, yes, but for somebody who just wants a charger and nothing else it's perfect.

[@insert_username_here]

@@calebmauer1751 you could get one of those magnetic cables like the Wsken X2 which essentially converts the connector to the magnetic one. They have adaptors for micro USB, USB-C and lightning. It’s actually quite nice since I’ve uniformed all my devices with that magnetic cable.

[@TylerMcVeigh1]

Shout out to Texas Instruments for still using USB Minis in the redesigned Ti-84 calculators.

[@harrylane4]

I saw MINI usb on something a few years ago. Why???

[@LARAUJO_0]

"Universal Serial Bus" _Has 10 different variations_

[@eugeneperstube]

It's not an Universal Serial Connector. It just means the bus supports hotplugging and can be used by a variety of devices.

[@lzh4950]

Time to join the Universal Serial _Train_ of different plugs/speeds/purposes/capabilities etc.

[@saturniunyttech679]

@@lzh4950 USB express choo choo am I right

[@Smakheed]

"Universal Serial Bus" is Universally different...

[@aaronseet2738]

Universal Variant Bus

[@CarthagoMike]

It is clear to see the USB format is just as universal as the naming scheme of the last few USB generations.

[@StefanoPapaleo-TS]

That naming scheme is pure evil ;)

[@QoraxAudio]

that's what I thought.

[@abadenoughdude300]

What, USB-A 3.2 Gen. 2 is clearly a way simpler name than LPT1. /s

[@Loewi_CW]

@@StefanoPapaleo-TS the naming scheme is pure misleading of customers. The USB-IF should pay damages to everyone who mistakenly bought 3.1 or 3.2 GEN1

[@kalijasin]

USB doesn't work better than ps/2 port, headphone jack, microphone jack, etc. USB is really only good for flash/thumb drives and printers.

[@MGlBlaze]

I actually had no idea the Mini-A, Mini-AB and Micro-A connectors existed. So, there's an interesting bit of trivia for some parts of the USB standard that didn't catch on commonly.

[@ninguynl]

I just learned what that funky micro USB port was on my laptop. It's a superspeed port! Wonderful how Asus never bothered to provide the proper cable and just supply a regular micro cable.. Standards are wonderful, aren't they?

[@CanONuke]

"If the USB logo is up, it is the right way" *Laughs in every single electronics currently owned*

[@MadScientist267]

Yeah got a good chuckle there too... Total bullshit lol

[@gleggett3817]

The cable may be the right way up; but the manufacturer put the socket in the wrong way up.

[@goaztek]

what about vertical slots?

[@TheDeathmail]

The funny thing is... it doesn't matter... you can try plugging it in, fail, turn it, fail, turn it and then succeed... meaning you needed to turn it twice... it's a cursed plug...

[@cyanized]

@@TheDeathmail Google USB superposition, lol.

[@antenna_prolly]

"[Micro USB has] durability past 10,000 cycles" press X to doubt

[@yeezet4592]

Idk I've never had issues

[@chistinelane]

That's because cable manufachtures cheap out

[@leifgiering]

Yeah mini-usb always lasted me longer; type-c is okay though.

[@taylorwoolston8856]

Mini-USB and USB-C are way better than Micro-USB.

[@gg-gn3re]

I have some that are like 10 years old. It amazes me how fast people destroy their cables.

[@jannoelandes2669]

In a single minute this man fixed the long agonizing pain of plugging a usb by the first attempt.

[@tonipwneroni9846]

USB Micro was always the bane of my existence. I still have and use the regularly the same original USB mini cables that came with my PS3 and have never had hardware damage. I've lost count over how many micro connectors I've broken or phone ports that have been distorted with the weak connector requiring the phone to sit in EXACTLY the right spot to charge.

[@revengenerd1]

I have a mixed experience of that, micro when its in right I had no problems, and when its not its a nightmare, mini on the other hand just never seems to be snug enough to hold strong but even if not its generally fine unless disturbed.

[@MainAvel]

>there are 14 standards Engineer: This is an outrage! We need one single universal standard! >there are now 64 standards edit: apparently you can't use an old joke on the internet, that some random webcomic has made popular.

[@OrangeC7]

xkcd

[@Gribbo9999]

Don't worry soon there will be 256 standards.

[@fiddley]

At least credit the original source dude instead of pretending you made it up: xkcd.com/927/

[@punishedflucker8342]

@@fiddley Something something everything under the sun. It seems like you're just chasing interweb clout by flexing your xkcd knowledge. Cringe.

[@fiddley]

@@punishedflucker8342 Well, seems like reading comprehension isn't your strong point.

[@vojtasTS29]

i have never seen a micro-A connector in my life and i was very much alive and around tech during it's time.

[@p8blr]

It’s actually still being used, the DJI Mavic controller uses micro-a.

[@JasonGolf]

Ron Tozier yes and they tend to break and people plug the wrong things in them.

[@yearsmonths-ow6eu]

You are dumb piece of shit if you never seen one

[@TadasG258]

@@yearsmonths-ow6eu wow

[@jayyyzeee6409]

@@yearsmonths-ow6eu Wow, that's harsh! I guess I'm a dumb piece of shit too, 'cause I've never seen one in the wild either.

[@cubeheadexists]

1:05 Introduction 3:14 USB 1.0 Standard Type B 4:52 USB 2.0 Mini B 6:27 USB 2.0 OTG 9:11 USB Micro

[@makelgrax]

Thanks!

[@chadbroski0146]

I fully expected him to say ' This video was sponsored by USB! More on that at the end of the video.'

[@Sercil00]

"We created another marvel of engineering. The new plug is smaller and can handle data transmissions up to..." Me: "Can you plug it in both ways?"

[@justauser]

Most important thing. I dont wanna go back to the USB flip flop days

[@TheCompleteMental]

"Yes" *_crowd cheers_*

[@jacobrzeszewski6527]

@@TheCompleteMental crowd becomes disappointed upon realizing nobody has any type c to type c cables.

[@ladmad9196]

@@jacobrzeszewski6527 i do

[@MarkusGlesnes]

@@jacobrzeszewski6527 i charge with c to c lol

[@danielkarlsson8850]

USB: The cable you have to flip 3 times to fit.

[@DeathBringer769]

At least USB-C finally fixed that.

[@gorlix]

@@DeathBringer769 and still somehow i only manage to use one side, like everytime

[@differentbutsimilar7893]

@@DeathBringer769 On one side, anyway...

[@AmericanIdiot7659]

cries in logitech USB

[@tre4tra807]

Me complaining to my children years from now: back in my day you put the cable in wrong flipped it and realized you had it the right way the first time Kids: nobody uses wired chargers anymore god dad youre so old🙄

[@finmueller7827]

Here's my 2 cents, big USB (like USB ports your mouse use) should stay for things like that, mice and keyboards, since most times you're reaching around back to plug it in and having a bigger port can make it easier to find where to plug it in, and USB C should be for things more accessible, laptops, phones, chargers, etc, stuff that you'll be able to see and plug things into easier

[@Barnardrab]

There's no reason keyboards and mice should use the bulkier cables over the small ones. All of it can be conveniently handled with USB-C.

[@Barnardrab]

@ghost mall I'd say that the larger ones on Desktop are redundant because it can just as easily support USBC. The older USBs should be phased out.

[@augustday9483]

USB-C has almost instantly become my favorite USB standard and I can't wait until everything is on it. In my experience it's far superior to the cables we were using before; charges faster, feels sturdier, and plugs in first time. Truly the pinnacle of technology.

[@harrylane4]

It’s actually a little bit LESS sturdy than previous USBs, due to the “tongue” (the thing with the pins, whatever you call it) being very thin and free-floating, not connected to the shell like in previous USB standards. We are SO CLOSE to the perfect standard. Well… “perfect” for what we need it for right now.

[@augustday9483]

@@shuttittuppitt9355 Check the rating on the cable. You might have a cheap cable with low amps.

[@zaharak6971]

Moral to the story: you can either have universal compatibility or you can just keep getting better.

[@chickenpower5732]

69 like pog

[@Walht]

Zaharak 88 like ! ☄️nazi number

[@shizustacean]

Shouldn't it be 99?

[@zaharak6971]

ugaiz.jpg ;)

[@hubertnnn]

*cough* USB-A *cough* But serously, why all the phones keep getting so small? Who needs a tiny phone?

[@DaNargh42]

"We need something more durable that mini USB. Enter the micro USB" Literally the least durable thing early on

[@harrison00xXx]

I used micro USB for many devices... finger pulse oxys, 2,5" external harddrives, an older android phone, multiple gamepads... Much connecting and disconnecting too, but no micro usb ever died. On 1 or 2 (sony ps4) gamepads the connector is already a bit loose and sometimes i have to move it a bit to charge it properly, but at all i never had issues with it. I had only bigger issues with regular USB Ports on a 11 year old MacBook Pro, they had annoying connection problems after they were used pretty much for 10 years, same problems already on a newer MacBook Pro i got used for cheap

[@inorite4553]

So much this

[@DaNargh42]

@@harrison00xXx The first time I dealt with micro USB was with a new generation of Sony Ericsson phone. For the first few weeks I was occasionally having issues of it not charging overnight and resorted to leaning it off a book to have it in the right "connection angle". Thought it was the phone but it turns out Sony were boxing extremely cheap cables from the get go

[@mjc0961]

And for some reason, manufacturers still give us that fragile piece of crap instead of using USB C.

[@l_shaun_bunds_l]

Kokainarienv0gel most careful man on the planet

[@Noisy_Snax]

I just spent just under 21 minutes learning about wires. Time well spent.

[@RockinEnabled]

Now you know the ropes!

[@Noisy_Snax]

@@RockinEnabled no, ropes is a whole different video

[@nickp1370]

For real though, great video as always! Your channel is probably the only one I've ever seen that can make a video about electronic cables interesting.... Now to do a complete series on the history of all electronic cables! It would probably be a 16 part series on BBC or PBS.... lol

[@bkebradley]

"Micro USB is more robust", yet Micro USB ports are the ones that always seem to break. They're in fact the only USB port I've ever broken, and it's happened probably half a dozen times.

[@Membrane556]

Only kind I ever had to replace on a phone.

[@MP-tz2yn]

That's why I detest micro USB. I can almost not go back to it at all after USBc

[@Hopkins132]

Because they're the only ones you plug and unplug 10000 times

[@750tiprogamer]

I think the quality can change a lot between different micro usb cables you can buy, and some last a while and some break in a month and don't work. I'd rather use usb-c though

[@Liggliluff]

Because there's a difference in the usage of the word "robust" between you and USB. USB's usage means it'll hold for a lot of plugging in and out, much more than previous ports. Your usage means that it won't break apart or bend or something, which is something else that USB didn't consider here.

[@-long-]

There are two types of people: - Those who successfully plug in type-A cable after 3 trials. - And those who only need 2

[@TheCompleteMental]

And gods

[@thatannoyingkid871]

@@TheCompleteMental I guess I am a God then

[@CoolGuyMcgeez]

@@TheCompleteMental I like your pfp I’m glad it hasn’t died yet

[@TheNiteNinja19]

Hell I'm the kind of person who will be blindly jamming a USB cable into an HDMI port by accident. After realizing it's the HDMI port, into the network jack it went...

[@Youtubeiscoolandgreat]

And the elite who do it first try

[@zephranarx2172]

We better get a circular USB to be the standard some day, just so we don't have to struggle to plug in in the dark in general.

[@redstonerti9918]

Smart

[@webflyer035]

12:08 I felt a sudden chill when I heard NOKIA and then that spooky bgm...🙁

[@JayceeR]

Micro USB: 10,000 cycles Me: lasted only 3 months.

[@Scooteroy]

And even less for USB C?

[@LR_Bushido]

@@Scooteroy usb-c is honestly the best plug-in I've ever used. I've never had a single issue of one falling out. Wiggly maybe from lint but never fell out

[@Persun_McPersonson]

@@Scooteroy USB-C actually has the highest amount of cycles depending on the cable.

[@Scooteroy]

@@LR_Bushido ​ @Persun McPersonson Ok well I've experienced differently so that's why I say it.

[@scarffoxandfriends9401]

@@LR_Bushido My Samsung USB-C port lost it's grip within a year. Meanwhile all my Micro USB devices still work. Handle all of them exactly the same and there's been time my Micro USB devices have hanged from the port. Pair that with the horrible burn in my phone has thanks to OLED, this is the shortest lasting phone I've ever had despite being the most expensive.

[@fedos]

WRT using the logo to determine if you're plugging it in the right way: some manufacturers dont use a logo, and some even put it on the wrong side.

[@bensemusx]

Use the seam on the metal connector of type-A. It goes on the bottom. If you can see a seam you need to flip it.

[@fedos]

@@bensemusx Thanks!

[@misssuperhiphop123]

fedos just wing it till it goes in

[@nowthatsjustducky]

I guess a QA person or small team of QA people are too expensive a luxury for manufacturing these days.

[@compzac]

also on USB 2 and three in the proper orientation of the USB A port on the computer the plastic colored bit is on top which means that on the cable the plastic colored bit will be on bottom, except for chargers which reverse the orientation as part of the USB charging standard, something ive also done with any cables i have that are incorrect or dont have the logo is to use a sharpie to denote correct orientation. though this seems kinda rare as i have a metric crap ton of cables and only like 4 are incorrect one is totally blank the other has the brand name and no USB symbol and the last two have it on the wrong side

[@JennieWrenStar]

I lived through this and still do, it’s so frustrating, but you have explained it so well, thank you.

[@kbye3323]

lightning cable: please change it apple !! USB cable: changes every god damn year !!

[@AmbachtAle]

I really like my lightning cables. They have been reversible from the beginning and work on both my iPhone and iPad. My wife uses android and each of her last several phones had a different USB connector.

[@rhamlet5290]

@@AmbachtAle But now we have USB C and there is no excuse for continuing it

[@zdanee]

Oh, but with USB-C not there are invisible differences between the cables you simply can't tell by looking at the connector. Does it support USB3 speed? Fast charging? Display output? Thunderbolt? Power delivery? Any combination of the above? You won't know until you've plugged it in and tried! Now you need to have _that one good cable_ that you take everywhere, because you tried and it does everything.

[@coalcreekdefense8106]

I don't have any USB-C devices yet. Is that seriously how it works? Not all USB-C cords have the same capabilities? What the hell is wrong with the people making these standards?

[@veryInteresting_]

@@coalcreekdefense8106 Nope. USB4 uses the same USB-C connector but different cables. So you see a USB-C connector, you can't be sure if it's USB2, USB3, USB3.1, USB3.2 or USB4. You just have to plug it and see if it works.

[@CrazyGamer1541]

it's awful!

[@bluray9272]

Your idea is completely understandable and I stand with you on common grounds. But looking at the bright side, in the present and near future all electronic devices be it laptop, phone, camera, tv, music systems etc will have just a usb c port which is not only small but will also allow data transfer speed of really large files in no time. The reason usb c is better than the usb 2 is that it is actually UNIVERSAL- All devices will have same port and WILL BE able to support data transfer of variable speeds unlike usb 2 which still has different input ports for phone charging(micro usb) and hard drives and both of them allow data speeds of DIFFERENT SPEEDS. Soon you will have ONLY one cable which will be compatible with ALL devices in the world, you will just have to buy ONE cable of any speed you like which you will be able to use in any device unlike usb 2 which has many cables differing in both shape and speed. I hope I was able to clear some of your doubts 😊

[@bluray9272]

@Leagle Eagle 😅😂

[@therealjammit]

I love standards. There are so many to chose from.

[@Liggliluff]

There are much that needs standardising in this world, and I wouldn't mind helping.

[@andrew_koala2974]

Except that is not the case with Political parties. One only has two sides of the same coin. The choice is either Nazi or Communist, usually with a fake brand to confuse the people as to the reality of what flavor they really are.

[@pedrofelck]

This looks like a phrase spoken in Civilization when you discover a new technology.

[@RannonSi]

​@@andrew_koala2974 One of the pros with living outside of the US, I guess ;). We have about 8 in our parliament. And if the silent half of the US start voting you might actually get more political parties into power (you have about 60 or so en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_political_parties_in_the_United_States), at least if anyone started to vote on anything outside of the big two.

[@kvozart8437]

USSR - if you hate choises: only 1 sort of any product type and mostly it's "absent"

[@redfogwhitefrost2583]

I have to say. Im a huge fan of usb-c. The little prongs that held the charger in place in the phone on micro USB bent so damn easily. The cable would just fall out of my phone if they weren't kept in perfect condition. Plus it charges our devices faster it seems. I've been using the same usb-c cable on my current phone for about a year now with no issues. I haven't gotten to usb-c in the video yet. But I hope to hear similar praises.

[@schwifty6855]

Omg. It's not a great idea to start watching these late at night. You may end up not sleeping and binge watching. Love ya vids

[@igorthelight]

"Do you want to be a host or a slave?" - Goa'uld

[@cheater00]

i mean... i know this video was uploaded JUST before the sh!t hit the fan, but seriously... "surrogate" is a much better word than "slave device".

[@5bars3g36]

"A Host Chooses, A Slave Obeys" --Andrew Ryan

[@dundonrl]

Ever worked on a car? Your brakes have a master cylinder and slave cylinders.

[@dundonrl]

@@cheater00 Till someone decides that surrogate sounds too much like slave and deems it racist.

[@cheater00]

@@dundonrl sure, Klan

[@firefox30570]

"it seems like the dream of a single cable suitable for all, even 20 years, still hasnt qute become reality" im looking at you apple

[@justauser]

And manufacturers who STILL make micro USB and mini USB and USB A things. The NEW xbox came with USB A plugs and no USB C ... why 😥

[@raymondramirez9177]

Apple is abandoning the Lightning interface because the cables are so expensive (unless you buy a cheap Chinese illegal clone). They are changing to USB C. Just go through their stores (online or at shopping centers) and look at their ports.

[@phyzix_phyzix]

@@raymondramirez9177 how can a cable be illegal? Sounds like Apple wants to monopolize their accessories.

[@thomasfrisch948]

@@phyzix_phyzix apple owns the lightning standard and thus cannot be manufactured without their approval

[@MoritzVieli]

@@phyzix_phyzix it‘s not only a cable. It includes business logic for security, which needs to be licenced and so on.

[@dixie_rekd9601]

Although youre right that USB type C may change I think its the smallest, sleakest and most durable design for the requirements, anything smaller would probably struggle to maintain a good grip whilst still having everything required to provide power and transfer data. Obviously this will eventually change but unless we start equipping devices with fibre optic transcievers (which would also require regular wires for power anyway) we're not going to get much faster data speeds without needing more pins, which need a larger connector to provide longevity.

[@guillaumejoop6437]

"a non profit organisation" See here's the problem, companies don't want any of that

[@turle8645]

"micro usb" "durable" good one

[@lexecomplexe4083]

Replacing the micro usb ports on older phones is always such a hassle lol

[@kamX-rz4uy]

If a device has a micro usb port I only buy it if there is no other option. I've had to replace too many of them and throw items out/recycle due to bad ports.

[@mx2000]

You haven't used miniUSB then, that was really not durable

[@viperlife914]

@Wuanslm yes yes this yes yes this yes this idk how much yes his comment is this yes

[@spvillano]

@@mx2000 I've yet to have my mini-UDB cables fail. Micro-USB incessantly fail through metal fatigue. I also had one micro-USB circuit board connector fail, but I blame the vendor's method of installation of the damnable thing.

[@radornkeldam]

And then there's this thunderbolt thing using USB-C connectors and adding to the confusion.

[@Core2lee91]

Let's not forget display port over USB-C too!

[@jessepatterson8897]

@@Core2lee91 don't thunderbolt 3 cables perform all these actions? there is a single cable.

[@Core2lee91]

@@jessepatterson8897 It does perform all those functions and more! The issue is... not all devices have Thunderbolt 3, and its certainly not as "universal" as USB outside of the world of Intel and Apple.

[@TheRailroad99]

USB 4 (already specified) will solve this, as it will unite thunderbolt and USB 3.2 Gen 2x2, the current USB standard. Hopefully it will clear the mess. However, even in the future not every cable will be a fully featured C cable (as they are thick and expensive). I hope there will be three cable types: - charging (PD) with USB 2.0 - USB 3.x (with added Superspeed conductors) - full 4.0 (USB 3 + PCIe("Thunderbolt") + Displayport)

[@radornkeldam]

@@TheRailroad99 chances are it won't, though.

[@jwillisbarrie]

Thanks for adding actual captions CC / subtitles

[@bevlander]

This video has lives in my recommended for nearly a month now. Better be bloody good mate

[@UrvineSpiegel]

What does USB stand for? "Univer.." I'm gonna stop you right there.

[@eugeneperstube]

It's not an Universal Serial Connector. It just means the bus supports hotplugging and can be used by a variety of devices.

[@sgillman16]

Universal Aerial Bus

[@OyebayoOyekole]

The opposite of USA

[@SSunnie_]

"Look for the USB logo on the top of the plug." Me: *Looks at my cables* No USB logo on both sides. Me: Well aight then so that was a lie.

[@ThadMiller1]

The holes on top.

[@wesleymays1931]

@@ThadMiller1 A few of my cables don't have any of the square holes on them.

[@ThadMiller1]

@@wesleymays1931 USB-A? 1of100

[@AmericanIdiot7659]

@@ThadMiller1 Cries in logitech USB

[@kaldo8907]

That means you bought a cheap cable that couldn't afford USB certification

[@TheLeapluv]

USB is one of the most overlooked invention ever , everyone seem to take it for granted

[@RealEthanAndrew]

Thank you so much for this video. I am pretty good with technology but this explains USB so much better than any other sorce i have looked at. Goo job mate

[@patcallahan1050]

The USB standard: Won't fit, flip and won't fit, flip and plug in.

[@Snagabott]

It's well known in quantum mechancis circles that USB's have spin 1/2.

[@wxx3]

And I thought it was just me!

[@CakePrincessCelestia]

Still true for C TBH...

[@KertaDrake]

@@CakePrincessCelestia Type C ports are amorphous life forms that change shape when unobserved. You will never successfully plug one in without looking at it.

[@bschena]

The joke in the industry is that the A style has *3* sides.

[@calebkeefer4943]

*Mom* : "Why are there so many micro usb cables?" *Me* : "In case of an emergency" *Mom* : "Then why all of these mini usb cables? *Me* : "IN CasE oF an EveN BiGGEr EmerGenCY"

[@calebkeefer4943]

@Stary KABAKOKSEK I got a odb2/obd1 car scanner, it's a top of the line model and is a quite new actron that uses mini USB, call me biased but I feel like mini USB is a stronger port in general compared to micro

[@qq84]

@@calebkeefer4943 That´s why USB-C is much stronger than micro. If you need even more strength, there is an (fully compatible) industrial version of USB-C.

[@slaternapier1640]

some of those old ones may not power/transfer data to current devices depending on the specs of a specific cable-to-specs of device...

[@CazRaX]

@@calebkeefer4943 I agree, I have broken MANY micro cables but none of my mini devices have broken and I am even still using OG cables on them. They just seem stronger to me and just like blowing on an NES cartridge to make them work I will insert my reality and just ignore the experts on this.

[@mattshark7665]

@@CazRaX micro usb is a nightmare in terms of reliability and quality of cable and connector.

[@dah72007]

Brilliant video! I love learning this stuff

[@Goatcha_M]

04:00 Doesn't help when the port is upside down or sideways, or when the cable lacks the logo.

[@nickwallette6201]

Plug orientation is simple. You have a 50/50 chance, which ensures you’ll get it right on the third try. The other great thing about USB is .. what does the port actually do? Could be good ol USB, could be a charger device, could be a charging device, could be Thunderbolt, could be DisplayPort, could be all of the above... There are a universe of possibilities!

[@mcrecordings]

I wish :D Sometimes I fumble for ages trying to get them in, same with HDMI or DP cables when you can't see the socket.

[@Christopher-N]

"The possibilities of Tiberium... are limitless!" -- Dr. Mobius, _Command & Conquer_

[@thewiirocks]

"You have a 50/50 chance, which ensures you’ll get it right on the third try. " - Truer words have never been spoken. Never have been able to figure out why it doesn't fit on the first try, even when I go out of my way to line up the plug. I first have to flip it over, realize that it is incorrectly oriented, then flip it once more to finally connect. USB-C is so much easier. I just have to scratch the aluminum by dragging the plug around until it falls into the slot.

[@MrEdrftgyuji]

I've seen multiple networking equipment manufacturers use USB ports for serial. Not a USB to serial converter, but a pure serial connection over a USB connector.

[@thewiirocks]

@@shade221 Historically I would have agreed with you. However, as a computer professional I just have too many devices these days. Numerous ones from work or dongles for the new USB-C devices. "Getting used to it" doesn't work anymore. So I've become more aware of the USB super-position problem. The actual source of the so-called "problem" is that you've usually got a bad angle on it. After flipping it around a few times you usually correct the angle. USB-C Dongles really don't help here because the USB-A ports can be at all angles and orientations depending on how the dongle was plugged in.

[@AgnostosGnostos]

I bought my first new desktop PC in 1997. It was an affordable one and the motherboard didn't have latest USB technology for compatibility reasons. The keyboard connector was a five pin DIN connector, not even a PS/2 connector. The mouse had a small RS-232 serial connector. The external modem for the internet had a larger DB-25 serial connector. The printer and scanner had DB-25 parallel connectors. The joystick had its own DA-15 connector for the game/midi port of the sound-card. The connection of the hard disk was the large flat IDE cable. All these connections were introduced from late 70's to mid 80's and were still present on a typical Pentium PC from mid 90's to late 90's. All these different connectors were making the life of beginners very difficult and it was easy for any cable to disconnect and make the PC unusable without restart. The USB was launched the previous year in 1996 and in 1997 was very rare with new computers. In 1998 I bought a USB card for the ISA slot of my PC. The USB ports had a 12 Mbit/s which was as fast as the parallel port. However USB made everything simpler. I changed the keyboard and mouse to USB ones, later the scanner to a USB one. With a powered USB hub everything was USB and still is.

[@crhu319]

In early 1998 I built several identical PCs for employees, about half a dozen. They had USB and PS/2 ports, and I think legacy serial and parallel on the motherboard (never used). One still works. It's power costs that made me retire them.

[@nesyboi9421]

Thats a cool story, glad it isn't like that anymore.

[@climbingtiger]

You haven't lived until you try to find a DB-23 connector for a Commodore Amiga - when the Amiga came out EVERYONE was wondering why they did that to us.

[@MeeCha]

“Mysterious tension music” 🤣

[@anthonytidey2005]

Thanks for the overview/history of the usb connector. I worked over the years in test/manufacturing the number of diffrent test, i/f plugs and sockets ect were endless. Technology usually overtook them from mainly parallel to serial, in time getting smaller an smaller. The problem with small connectors as you said they are not robust so the round milertry type I like the best as they are squaddy boot proof and they work well on the railways as it is harsher enviroment than the milatery. I feel usb is the best so far, simpler and depending how fast you want to through the data about. Thanks for the video.

[@MuchWhittering]

My old phone had micro-USB. It got to the point that the cable only worked in a VERY specific position, so I had to be very careful when plugging it in to charge. Data transfer didn't work at all, and charging was only with 1 specific cable that had warped along with it.

[@kimarna]

Know that pain so well!!!

[@goronslime1469]

This is the most relatable comment here

[@alanhaywood01]

Same as my Sony A6000 camera. Fortunately the cable was so crap it fell apart after 3 months

[@prasanttwo281]

I'm living this right now... except my phone only charges through my computer, taking up one valuable USB port that I have to keep pulling out to connect my mouse or something, *and* it takes more than 6 hours to fully charge Can I... can I solder up material on the connectors inside the port or something? Has anyone done this? How can I fix this please help (Can't go get it repaired because pandemic and lockdown and what not)

[@gripitripit6193]

Complete garbage i was in the same boat didn’t take long for me to switch to z iPhone

[@cyb3r_fox114]

Time traveler: What are you doing? Me: Trying to figure out which of these damn USB cables works Time traveler: Oh I know how you feel, have you tried USB Z yet? Me:No I haven’t tr... *Z!?!?*

[@pavelpanayotov1254]

Time traveler 2.0: cables ?

[@forkrolls]

usb Z is also directly compatible with human orifices

[@scaper8]

@@forkrolls But not with any of the six extraterrestrial species that also now inhabit the earth. Each of those have their own USB. They have adapters, but they're hit-or-miss. Don't worry though, they're working on a new standard: U-USB, Universal Universal Serial Bus. From here on out, it'll be one cable, mark my words….

[@rever4217]

@@scaper8 Ah the touted M-USB, multi-universal serial bus

[@Sir_Uncle_Ned]

Time traveler: They were having an off day with plasmagate on type H, but type Z is certainly the final one! One day later the time traveler returns They just released USB type Alpha, it fixes all the problems of USB type Z and trebles data throughput!

[@Pimpinprintz]

I immediately recognized DJ Slope's voice and had to check the description haha. Maybe we'll see a kick-scammer episode from him in the future of weird connectors people have tried to crowdfund

[@JDM12983]

One major reason: companies like Apple want you to have to buy a specific cable for THEIR products. :P

[@nutbastard]

Well, kind of. You can't argue that firewire wasn't better than USB at the time. The 30 pin had plenty of advantages as well. They beat C to the table for an ambidextrous connector with Lightning. Display port, meh, really no better than HDMI.

[@9redwoods]

"If you can see the USB logo on the top of the plug, then you're plugging it in the right way." Then I guess half of my USB ports were just implemented upside-down?

[@cashkromsupernerd1193]

No, that just means your device is upside down. Good luck keeping the paper in your printer!

[@sunnyscott4876]

LOL. That was my first thought! If I t doesn't fit, I just turn my device upside down!: 💖🧡❤ Works every time !

[@diakounknown1225]

@@cashkromsupernerd1193 Then my phone is upside down then when I cans see the screen??

[@Sir_Uncle_Ned]

One aspect of USB that I've always admired is how you don't have to worry about IRQ's, bit rates, null characters and all that other techy parallel and serial port stuff. The devices just work it out on their own. The fact they pulled that off with just 4 connectors is staggering.

[@raterus]

I'd be curious to know how much collective time has been wasted across all of humanity trying to plug a USB cable in the wrong way.

[@tonyh9970]

I'm going with a billion days at least. That's just for the US. I've probably lost a week of just my life. Add that to finding keys and I start getting really depressed.

[@worldcomicsreview354]

My first MP3 player had a "legacy" serial port that simply adapted a USB cable. Not knowing what I was doing, I just used ALL THE CONNECTORS and transferred MP3s though the printer port, very slowly (and that with the device only having 32mb of storage to begin with).

[@gutter_onion7855]

I've known about the "logo facing up" thing for a few years now, but I still go by my tried and true method (for normally orientated ports), of "the two empty square holes face up"

[@ElmerCat]

A computer-illiterate friend of mine calls the USB logo "The Cactus". 🌵

[@Camelotsmoon]

I don't have a method, I literally just try jamming it in, sometimes I'm lucky and sometimes not; I love usb c lol, can't wait till everyone usb cs it up.

[@KuraIthys]

lol. I actually have 2 or 3 'universal' USB cables. The type A connector is a non-standard design. (probably more fragile) The quirk is, it can be plugged in either way around. (and still it sometimes seems like a struggle to plug them in. XD)

[@wisteela]

And there's a line/gap on the bottom side

[@Gribbo9999]

I go for the tried and tested - Try it one way if it doesn't fit, try it the other way.

[@greggv8]

USB IF: "USB Trident Logo goes on top." Apple Computer: "We'll see about that!" iMac debuts with upside down USB ports. Many PC clones have upside down front mounted USB ports. Did they copy iMac or were the designers of the cases just clueless?

[@DapperHesher]

Apple lives to eff up any convention just to frustrate their users who have the audacity to try and leave their ecosystem.

[@bjarnenilsson80]

Wel the up/down method only works if the connector is mounted horizontal, what if, as in the case whirh recent imac models the usp potrs at mounted underthe device (aio mounted on stand (incuded)), is the logo supposed to face forward or bach dieas the usb if say anything about that?

[@darkmann12]

apple is fucking clueless and retarded so i kinda expected that

[@josselincol]

@@bjarnenilsson80 Left is the up of sides.

[@MrMattumbo]

I bet they put their logo on the bottom of the USB connector so by flipping the receptacle they make it so you have to face their logo up. Typical Apple, it's a company based on brand narcissism.

[@mauriciovallecillo8907]

Great piece. I feel a little bit nerdier already.😁👍🏼

[@ravenfn831]

Thanks for explaining all the weird ones between the old days and USB C. At least most of them had a clear purpose.

[@eeresponsible]

The expression is "change tack." It's a nautical term. When sailboats want to sail against the wind they sail diagonally so the wind is across either their port or starboard bow. Then they have to turn ninety degrees and do the same thing with the wind across the other side of the bow, so their course looks like a zigzag. This process is called "tacking." When someone figuratively "changes tack" it means they're approaching a problem from a different direction, like a sailboat sailing against the wind will turn ninety degrees to stay on course.

[@clayz1]

. That was at 13:00 fyi. Good point. Reminds me of ‘razed’ and raised. Opposite meanings, same sound.

[@CanuckGod]

This. Always bugs me when people try to use 'tact' as in tactics, as opposed to 'tack' i.e. direction...

[@clayz1]

steve gale Like block and tackle

[@seraphina985]

@steve gale That one makes me wonder I presume then that the yards in question would be yardarms as opposed to distance that actually makes sense thinking about it as seems the three yardarms per mast (They are the horizontal arms the sails are mounted on right? Not a sailor so could be remembering wrong lol) and three masts fore, aft and midships configuration was pretty common for larger ships big enough to accommodate that many masts anyway.

[@video99couk]

Now I remember I got bopped on the head by the boom when I was a teenager.

[@CarimboHanky]

feeling a bit old now when you realize you have lived through all this usb changes 😂

[@tonykriss1594]

Also kinda refreshing that we have such powerful ones compare to years ago like we can fully charge a phone under one hour now. "We used to leave our phone on charger all night AND pack a backup battery to survive the day you ungrateful kids"

[@hydraulicsystems332]

I'm getting flashbacks of PS and PS/2 keyboard ports.

[@bjarnenilsson80]

Hydraulic Shenanigans tot to mention rs232c and epp fun times never had to deal with scsi . Ethernet over coax at school,in the Kate 1990s, fun times when on link broke the hole c,assroom wgent of line a btc t junction at every network card

[@gunfuego]

LoL Remember firewire? 🤣

[@bjarnenilsson80]

@@gunfuego yes, not had any use fore it for a long time tho

[@akashmihir84]

I have a External Hard Disk which has that combined connector. Never thought about it until you put in your pin into one such socket @17:20

[@robmooremtb]

That was actually very useful and informative

[@emmettturner9452]

3:55 - "If you can see the USB logo on the top of the plug you're plugging it in the right way" It's actually supposed to line up with a logo next to the receiving port you're plugging the cable into. I saw this violated once by a USB-IF member, no less! Apple's official USB to Lightning adapter has it backwards on the microUSB-B side. I think they wanted to hide the USB logo in their preferred orientation. Also, sideways USB A ports are supposed to have the logo printed to one side. You line up the logo on the cable with the logo near the host/A port so you aren't always thrown for a loop when they are sideways. These days you are more likely to be screwed by horizontal ports on machines too thin and light to have a USB logo on the same side. Graciously, some will print the logo on the top edge of your device so you can still line up with that.

[@gutter_onion7855]

I've known about the "logo facing up" thing for a few years now, but I still go by my tried and true method (for normally orientated ports), of "the two empty square holes face up".

[@emmettturner9452]

@@gutter_onion7855 Yep, and that works great for those devices but lining up the logos works more universally... even for sideways ports. ;)

[@TheMixedupstuff]

Manufacturer's all have the same orientation for the USB receptacle (at least for A). The side of the receptacle on the PCB is always the USB logo side. You can easily see this with a desktop motherboard.

[@paulosullivan3472]

In theory yes but I have seen several devices which have violated that. I dont think the average person knows about that anyway making it sort of pointless as a user friendly indicator.

[@emmettturner9452]

@ Yes. Phones typically don't have the corresponding logo to line up with and their orientation is dictated by internal layout and parts-bin engineering. It's the A side where this advice is most useful, but when there is a logo next to a B port it is supposed to align with the logo on the cable... unlike the Apple Lightning microUSB adapter (shame on you, Apple!). :)

[@SiddheshBagade]

USB alliance exists* Apple lightning: I’ll pretend I didn’t see that

[@lzh4950]

Supposedly I heard that Lightning offers tighter data security? But on the flip side Lightining can't support any electrical charging current of more than 1A - hence no fast charging on iOS devices

[@neyoid]

@@lzh4950 Lightning is just a connector: it just puts the electricity into the phone. It has nothing to do with security

[@Krisztian08]

@@neyoid yeah it's a stupid point. It's not like people can just, you know, snoop on the data going through a cable.

[@mistamaog]

@@lzh4950 That's just Apple's excuse for every bad decision they make.

[@Chris-wv5br]

I still prefer a male cable i put inside a female port (lightning) than a female cable i insert into a male port(usb), because the little connecter pin for usb c is still the breakpoint. Hopefully UBS4 looks like an lightning adapter because this would also allow manufactures to build in smaller ports

[@Mr.GlitchInfinity]

“It can also be inserted upwards or downwards.” Lightning cable: “i already do that”

[@thatsstoguy]

It's also not a universal standard.

[@MayheM_72]

My 1st MP3 player (a cheapie Polaroid unit) had a "Mini-USB" Port on it, as well as a "Mini-SD" card to expand storage. At that time, I had a hard time finding the Mini-SD cards, so I had to use a micro-to-mini adapter. These "universal" ports keep advancing.

[@crusinscamp]

I had to laugh at the closing line. When we got our very first IBM compatible, a Packard Bell, we got the obligatory parallel cable for the printer (and as I remember, it wasn't cheap). That darn parallel cable outlasted many computer and printer upgrades. For years it seemed to be the only component that would make it from transition to transition.

[@quazar5017]

quality!

[@makelgrax]

Well, that isn't quite a good thing, I'm not sure of the specific parallel cable you had, but a cable can only last that long through sheer luck and cautious usage, or it being one of those models that put stress on the device (which is really bad and the last few standards solve)

[@jonc4403]

@@makelgrax Or a 25 pin D-sub connector is so sturdy that both the cable and the device are functional decades later. And that's actually what happened, those ports and cables are far more rugged than what would have been required for a design life of 15 years or so, and still work flawlessly 40+ years later.

[@GashimahironChl]

@@jonc4403 I guess back in the day, this economy of scale stuff and cost-cutting engineering wasn't fully developed yet, nowadays we have designs cut down to a cost that fail almost exactly when the manufacturer wants it to, which is usually shortly after warranty expires With all that, in one hand more people can buy more things since it's all cheaper, but on the other hand if you want to pay more for something that will last and can be repaired, chances are it's been phased out and now you have to just go and buy the cheap stuff repeatedly like everyone else.

[@TrueMechTech]

one of my monitors is connected by a VGA cable that was made before I was born.

[@robj7481]

As an electronics designer, I can tell you why USB keeps changing.. because as much as I try to design for future anticipated needs, somebody ALWAYS comes along and wants to use my design in an unanticipated way.

[@earthstar2493]

Like plugging it into something electronic?

[@matthewdrummond1340]

I like your sagway to your Square Space shout out. *Smooth*

[@Kajotex]

Oh boy! I didn't even know the Micro-B Super Speed was backwards compatible! I had a phone that had this and no one had cables for it. Everyone only had mirco usb... Also, I really love usb-c. I'm using a docking station and it connects via just one usb-c cable, transfering two video-, one audio-, network, two usb- and a power-connection. This is like techno-witchcraft to me.