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As an anarchist I’m so glad we also made the word universal useless by making all kinds of different power and data transmit standards that ports and cables may or may not support. As a Satanist I also love that there is no system for labeling anything to know what cable will support what protocol.
That’s what USB-A to USB-C cables are for. Most of those outlets don’t provide any fast charging anyway.
Faster than nothing at all tho
So you plug an A to C cable into them (or hang an A to C dongle off the end of your usual cable) and charge from them.
Yeah. This is the problem with trying to enforce standards on industries that historically move at glacier speed, with standards used by tech moving at breakneck speeds.
The only happy part of USB-C in this context is that, at least right now, the USB-C connector doesn’t seem to be going anywhere anytime soon, so if things get updated to USB C, we should be okay for a while.
Personally, I carry a whole assortment of USB cables with me everywhere. C-to-C, A-to-C, even A-to-lightning, and A-to-microB. I don’t use an iPhone, nevermind one that needs a lightning cable. And I have moved away from most accessories that require micro.
I also have a power brick in my pack with the cables, it’s a GaN power brick from Anker, with over 100W of output, two USB-C outputs, and one USB-A. At least one of the type C ports supports enough power output to charge my laptop, the other USB C port for my phone, and the USB A port for anything else that might need it. I don’t recall the exact power capacity of it, but if memory serves, it will take 100-240V, 50-60hz AC input, so at most, I just need to get one of those cheap converters for the receptacle type used wherever I may find myself.
I work in tech, so being without power is a huge problem. My work laptop also takes USB C for charging, so I don’t need to have two power bricks with me. I usually have both, but I don’t need to have both.
As long as there’s power available and is sufficiently clean and stable, I’m good. I have a few accessories that are not USB C compliant, some have USB C ports but won’t trigger a proper USB C charger to deliver any power, which is why I have USB A to C cables, and there’s two devices I have that uses a proprietary cable (a Bluetooth headset and my smart watch), which I’ve obtained spares for which I keep one charging cable at home and one in my kit. My kit also includes a USB A/C power bank. It’s not powerful enough to charge my laptop, but it’s fine for everything else.
USB C has simplified the cables I carry. I still have a few odds and ends for edge cases, but for the most part, I’m okay with it.
My only big issue with USB C at this point is that it’s not just for power+usb data anymore. It’s thunderbolt, and display port, and… Ugh. So many things using the same connector that I don’t know what will work anymore when I get to a new device, because though it looks like USB C, it might be USB C QC, or PD, or thunderbolt, or display port, or… FML.
Plugging into a random usb port is bad security
Not really bad if you use a power-only cable. If the data pins aren’t even wired up, can’t move anything other than power.
Not sure if that works with USB-C at anything other than legacy 500mA power draw though, probably not since the device can’t communicate for what it supports.
Now if only usb cables were labeled like Ethernet cables.
It amazes me how given the complexity of the USB specifications, where everything looks the same but it is not the same, nothing is ever labeled.
Some things are but the labelling is stupid and tiny. Many laptop ports are labeled but people aren’t familiar with the icons (and the icons are often confusingly similar)
Happy Cakeday! 🍰🎂
Well–to bring it back to the security point, you can’t trust the icon on the port anyway. You need a well-labeled cable, and, good luck
If your device has good software, it will only allow power unless you authorize a data connection.
* Assuming there is no bug, zero-day, or other vulnerability on the current version of your fully updated device.
Having a power-only cable removes that as a possibility.
Still gotta worry about stuff that could send a ton of current to fry the ports too. USB condoms can help here too but your own power adapter is best.
Ton of voltage. You push voltage and pull current.
I only push imperial current electron flow style.
A power only USB-C cable is a violation of USB spec, has to be USB 2.0 at the least.
So’s leaving the house.
Stay in, bolt the doors, board up the windows, stay safe.
Except that isn’t even safe, just paranoid. Sometimes accidents happen because you’re trying to prevent accidents
Has this guy somehow not learned of type A to type C cables?
It’s not so much the connector; but the power delivery standard.
Type A maxes out at 5v 3a = 15w and is often limited closer to 5v 1a = 5w for public-use charging ports.
Type C and its power delivery standards can get as high as 50v 5a = 250w (though usually closer to 20v 5a = 100w)
Then again… The negotiation for what voltage/amperage to supply happens over the data lines which you don’t want connected on a public charging port…
I dont really see a good solution here.
Carry a power bank.
Yes, obviously that’s always been an option.
I dont see a good solution for the topic we were actually talking about: creating high-power public use charging ports.
The same could be said about power adapters
That’s why USB ports are always worse than a proper outlet. Just take your charging brick with you, what’s the problem?
I’m a PD evangelist. Imagine a safer power delivery system that can go directly to the device you want powered. Scale that with fact most of the world could be and should be DC with AC being good just for niche applications like microwaves and mid range transmissions.
travels internationally
You’ve got to start traveling with one of these bad boys:
When you’re advanced, you carry two: one powers your stuff, and the other is for your karaoke machine.
Just throw some backpack straps on that and off you go
I’ve got a brick for EU/UK/USA/AUS plugs with 3 type a and 1 type c and an international multiplug ac/ac pass through.
Chargers are almost always compatible with any a/c voltage and only need a physical adapter to plug into a wall socket in a different country. Or bring a power bank with you
USB ports on a wall outlet or power strip are usually much more space efficient than a charging brick.
They’re also much less capable though. Have fun finding a USB-C PD port anywhere when you need to charge your laptop - a power outlet is much more useful.
I basically end up using power bricks for laptop and phone, and ports built into a power strip for everything else. Most stuff doesn’t need full PD support (but most anker power strips actually support it, just not at very high wattage).
Does nobody have usb to usbc cables?
I don’t think you can do the PD standard from a USB a port. Edit: Reading the Wikipedia page, it sounds like usb-a supports PD 1.0 but not 2.0+ and the higher power requirements.
best i can do is a usb-b to usb-c adapter :D
Idk. Like all the usb ports were capped at like 5v 1a with shorted data lines. I always used my own charger just because it would take 6 hours to charge my phone using the built in usb plug.
This is why next to my couches are multi-port chargers.
The ones I’m using currently have 8 ports; 2 at 65W, 3 at 30W, and 3 at 20W. The 30 & 60 are USB-C, 20W is USB A. The 65W is plenty for laptops, tablets, and phones. 30W for tablets and phones if the 65W is in use or headphones, eBook reader, etc. 20W for all that miscellaneous simple device charging, anything micro USB, etc.
Way better strategy than built in IMO. Easy to replace, old one goes somewhere else (or given to family members), etc.
Takes forever to bring the charge up; but perfect for maintaining battery while you watch/scroll on trips.
Also great to squeak a little battery in if your phone was flat and you needed to make a call.
This.
Worth it though. USB-C is way better
Yeah, let’s please stay here for a while.
Everybody get ready for the dual release of USB-360 and USBONE. USB-360 is gonna be shaped like an octagon, but only two orientations work. USBONE is a nonagon but slightly larger so USB-360 just fits inside because fuck you.
Pure evil
Seems like a reasonable chance, kind of the first universal end, and it doubles as a two sided option. Micro was nearly there if it hasn’t been so horrid on the physical hardware side.
USB-A ports have been outdated since at least 2017, when it started seeing very widespread use. It’s everyone else that’s late
rented a car a couple weeks ago. it didn’t have usb-a OR a lighter outlet-- had to go buy usb-c to usb-c cables
incidentally, if you’re in the market for a new car, don’t buy a mazda cx30. and not even for the usb issue, it just all-around sucks
yea, the car I was given just had a cover plate over that,. no outlet
This is hilarious!
I thought usb-a to usb-c or whatever you have is standart everywhere what do they mean by useless?
Sike
Bone apple tea!
I actually looked it up before making this post, because any time someone uses either version of the word, this comes up in the comments. Apparently both “sike” and “psych” are considered correct, although it seems like “sike” is more commonly used, so I went with that one.
Psych makes more sense from an etymology perspective, but more people seem to use sike.
Totally agree
Not surprised that most people are of average intelligence or lower
Oh c’mon, we had a whole show, a very good one, that should have taught everyone how to spell PSYCH! correctly. I sentence you to go watch it, all of it, including the movies. 🍍🍍🍍🍍🍍
The show name is a pun…
The show is clever and so is its name, which is indeed a pun playing on psych(ic)/psych (out). The bravado of calling your fake psychic agency “fooled you!” is perfectly in character for Sean.
I hate it when the misspelling has such a large uptake.
It’s not reallya misspelling. It’s an alternate spelling for a different form of the word. A word that started colloquially. Either way, several words have multiple accepted spellings even outside of regional stuff like color/colour. Pallet and palette are two normal spellings of that word with different main meanings but nigh equivalent over-all meanings, for example. I know I’ve ran in to many more, but the brain’s still starting up…
Pallet and palette are homophones, but the different words have distinctly different meanings.
The problem is the pervasive proliferation of improper phrasing
Wrong. Look up the definitions. They literally reference each other as same.
Nope.
Dictionary Definitions from Oxford Languages · Learn more pal·let1 noun a straw mattress. a crude or makeshift bed. Tip Similar-sounding words pallet is sometimes confused with palette
Citing a reference is a nice palate cleanser.
I think the switch to usb-c from a is a huge e-waste disaster in progress, there are legit good uses for a c-c cable, but its not really worth fucking over a third world nation that has to take all the “outdated” fully-functional usb-a tech we throw away. Not to mention the overall cost to the user to replace it all over their lifetime. Personally I only have 1 type-c power brick for the singular device that can do 68w charging. (I only use it if I’m going out, other that that its 5w-9w type-a chargers.) (Not to mention the dongle hell people go through to support type-a on c only laptops!)
