USB Type C cables will eventually become the most universal in the history of computing, even more than the classics. The reasons for this are clear, their size allows them to be used on any device and their bandwidth is enough to even be used as a video cable, not to mention their ability to power different devices. However, there is problems with USB-C and not quite small.
One of the biggest problems with anything USB-C is adapters that don’t follow the standard set by the USB Forum. By not following a series of guidelines and protocols, it can lead to problems that can cause not only the wiring itself to malfunction, but also the devices that use them. The big problem is that it’s such a cheap part to make that you can find USB-C adapters everywhere, be it hubs, charging cables, etc. And although there is a nomenclature to be able to tell them apart, in many cases the problem is not just that, but the way the cable is constructed.
The problems of USB-C for not following the standard
USB Type C cables are ambivalent, this means that regardless of the orientation of the head, they can be used without problems, since the organization and operation of the cables are standardized. However, it’s things like extenders or adapters to Type A inputs or outputs that can scare us.
A very famous case was that of SurjTech 3M, a USB-C cable that had to be removed from Amazon due to the fact that despite apparently being a USB-C cable, it had no not the same pin distribution. For example, the VBUS and GND were interchanged, and the TX and RX pins for high-speed transfers were not operational. It was a USB 2.0 cable in terms of transfer speed, but the problem came from changing the charging pin. The result? A lot of cell phones and laptops that used this cable ended up being turned into paperweights.
The other problem is the power extenders, it must be kept in mind that to reach certain load levels it is necessary that the amperage supplied by the cable is sufficiently high. The problem arises when we use a repeater with a lower capacity in this regard and connect the laptop. Let’s not forget that those who can deliver high power are usually shorter than usual.
They also don’t know how to negotiate well.
The USB-C cable standard has different consumption profiles, which high-power cables can adopt if necessary. The negotiation takes place via the USB 2.0 pins marked D+ and D- and serves to adapt the voltage and current to the needs of both ends. Otherwise, it would end up causing a lot of trouble. Of course in an ideal world everyone would make cables 100% to standard, unfortunately this is not the general standard and the market is full of poorly designed cables.
The likelihood of there being issues with a USB-C cable that can completely destroy your devices is very low. But you can find things like being sold a Type C shaped USB 2.0 cable and you look silly. In any case, one of the reasons why some standards like SATA and PCI Express separate the data and power pins is to avoid certain issues that have ports that are all in one, but can lead to issues. , especially if during the construction of the cable the internal cables are soldered where they should not be.
How to detect them?
If you have a store or business that sells USB-C cables, one thing you should do is test all USB-C cables that are in stock. More than anything to save you from the problems you and your customers may have in the future. In the same way, if you are a foot user you must also follow a series of preliminary checks.
- Take a look at the head of the USB-C cable and above all pay attention to the number of pins available, there should be a total of 24 pins, 12 at the top and 12 at the bottom. If any are missing, look at the missing ones. Just miss one to throw away said cable, because it won’t follow the standard.
- The maker of the troubled fake USB-C cable may have decided to fake all the pins. However, the high-speed data transfer pins are blocked. How can we know?
- Connect your mobile phone or external hard drive with USB-C port to the PC.
- Transfer a file to or from the device which is of considerable size, as you will need time to see the transfer speed.
- During the transfer process, click “More details” and from there you can know the speed. If the transfer is in the tens of MB/s, it will in fact be a USB 2.0 cable masquerading as a fake USB-C.
Problems charging your USB-C? So you can measure it
Regarding the possibility of checking if we can have problems with USB-C when charging our devices, we recommend the use of a tester that gives you information on the voltage and current capacities. amperage of the cable while it is powering one of your devices. The one we give you as an example is excellent for this and it will also help you catalog the most suitable cables for different devices.
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