MegaSack DRAW - This year's winner is user - rgwb
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It was supposed to be the universal serial bus to rule them all. More universal than the previous universal ones.
And it had great potential as you don't have to plug it in a certain way up, which was the biggest bugbear of the previous "universal" serial bus standards.
It's crappy, a tiny bit of dirt or fluff and you'll never get a good charge! There's no friction in the socket (as I'm told by my ex girlfriend).
I'd rather go back to micro USB or wireless charging.
Sorry, rant over.
Poor rant - 6/24.
Micro USB was the agreed standard. Well, until Apple decided it didn't like the agreement. Then a new standard was made. Which they didn't like either.
It's all Apples fault.
As much as I'm anti apple, I don't think usb c can be pinned on them.
Google used it before Apple… and it was mostly the work of Intel & Seagate… but carry on…
A simple flap to prevent dust getting in would work.
USB C is a flawed concept.
You can put a "simple flap" over any socket, and I'm not seeing as how USB-C is any more or less flawed than any other connector utilising small exposed pins.
The USB-C connector on my phone clicks into place just like micro USB did, no friction required. Maybe you've just got a naff cable?
Anyone that offers micro usb as the alternative has lost my vote.
my MacBook pro has 4 USB-C ports that handle everything
two still work.
It's shite.
Yet to have an issue with the USB C port on my Pixel 3. Works very well actually.
USB-C does seem particularly good at compressing fluff deep into the socket until you have charging issues. You have to be quite forceful with a paperclip to rake it out.
Micro usb is shite.
Full shite.
Anything is better than micro usb.
While I've not had issue with USB type c just yet (first device is only a few days old) the confusing option of specs it has opened up with the USB type A to USB type c cables is anything but standard!
Onza, try shopping for laptops and trying to work out which machines have what USB-C capabilities!
One port, several host technologies that may or may not be supported. Thunderbolt 1/2/3, Displayport, if the USB-C can provide charging power...arghhh!
I think the form factor is the least of USB-Cs problems. It handles data and power, which is nice. But there are quite varying data and power requirements and capabilities between cables, devices and chargers and you can't tell the difference by looking at them. So you can get data bottle necks because the cable is slower than the devices its connecting but you can also get quite a lot of watts from some devices and charges and a low capacity cable in the middle. Things can get very hot!
my MacBook pro has 4 USB-C ports that handle everything
All still work.
its great.
I reckon USB-C is great, never had issues with it myself. Currently typing on a laptop with a single USB-C cable as the only cable going into it, through which power, mouse, keyboard, Ethernet and 2 x 27" monitors are connected (via a dock) - it's like witchcraft...
Bring back SCSI. And laptops that are three inches thick and weigh 8 pounds with 45 minute battery life.
I just run the vacuum nozzle over the USB socket every couple of weeks when hoovering - never had a problem.
"single USB-C cable as the only cable going into it"
My work laptop has a USB-A port that does the same thing.
Doesn’t work on my iPad.
My work laptop has a USB-A port that does the same thing
Fair point - I hadn't realised most of it was just thanks to USB 3.1 rather than the port type - although can you still drive 2 x displayport monitors over a single USB-A? All my previous laptops needed a dock/port replicator with proprietary connector
Why is USB-C better at gathering fluff that Micro USB?
Galaxy s8 with usb c. It needs cleaned every few weeks, i do use the phone a lot for work so its on and out of pockets which doesn't help.
A flap might just be annoying as i sometimes have to charge during the day.
Bigger hole?
On my second phone with usb C pets and not had any issues so far.
Maybe you need to get the crap out of your pockets?
Shit the bed! When this is all you have to moan about you know life is ok!!
Shit the bed! When this is all you have to moan about you know life is ok!!
Quite right.
No more discussion about anything that isn’t literally the worst thing in the world please.
Couldn't disagree with OP more. Micro-USB are too fragile and the two little spring bits wear eventually and the leads just fall out (yes, you can try to bodge a fix by bending the springs back out but it never lasts). I've got a few USB-C devices and find it superior in ever way. The sooner everything is type C the better. Just my 2p
Shit the bed! When this is all you have to moan about you know life is ok!!
This 😂
OP listen to spooky. Get the paper clip, pin or used insulin needle out and clean out the port. Be surprised at how much fluff was in there. Rejoice as the cable clicks firmly home. Be mildly annoyed with yourself that you didn't do it 6 months earlier and instead bought a new cable as temporary relief (or started a post on STW about it)
Don't use a paperclip, use a bristle from a stiff brush, a toothpick, unfolded staple or maybe a pin. Paperclips too fat and metallic IMO you risk damaging the pins in the connector.
tbh i think its great.
why the hell can you still buy stuff with micro usb?
What the hell are people doing to things that made micro USB an issue?
Matty and Kelvin - it was a joke, jeez.
Micro usb is dreadful
But we have a lot of laptops with usb-c in work and they do break)get clogged up
We also go through a lot of usb-c - network/usb port adaptors
We don't use paperclips, we use toothpicks.
Seems simple enough.
The trick is to not "ram home" the USB into the slot.
Had 2 phones with USB-C absolutely no issues with fluff.
Laptop has one with extra monitor, ethernet, and keyboard plugged into it via dongle. No issues either.
The reason USB-C is rubbish is because it supports loads of confusing protocols which each require specific hardware and cables.
E.g. When my laptop is connected to the monitor it uses USB-C as a connector for a DisplayPort protocol. Some monitors will use Thunderbolt but that's completely different, OK? Thunderbolt allows daisy chaining multiple monitors, but not data connections. On mine, I can use Displayport Alt mode which allows a parallel data connection, but only USB-2.0. Not USB-3.0. When I say USB-3.0 I mean the data transfer protocol, not the connector (obviously). Oh yeah, and my MacBook Pro charges from the cable that came with it, but if I use that cable to connect to my monitor, it doesn't work since the cable is only for power - despite looking identical to the cable that came with the monitor, which does power, data and AV. It's a stupid amalgamation of too many standards.
That being said, when I connect the one cable and BOOM! my laptop turns into a desktop, it's great.
The thing is, we already have and still have a load of different protocols - just that now they are all the same cable.
What the hell are people doing to things that made micro USB an issue?
Having the weight of a cable dangling down from a charging port; moving devices around whilst charging and putting strain on the cable; and occasionally knocking or dropping a device whilst charging. All risks to tiny fragile micro-USBs. I've barely had a micro-USB device that didn't get loose at some point, and I'm incredibly careful. My kids' tablets don't stand a chance and I've really tried to instill care in them. The tablets are still pristine, but the ports are still wobbly. Half the time it's the cables themselves. Micro USB is awful.
USB C is a nice idea. But the port on my phone has become very unreliable. Not charging, or charging very slowly, unless I wiggle the cable about. I have tried cleaning out fluff, and using different cables etc.
Or maybe it is just a dodgy phone (Nokia), only about a year old. My brother also had problems with a Pixel 2. Previous phones with Micro USB lasted a lot longer.
If I put my MacBook into my rucksack the wrong way round , it picks up tiny metal filings ( god knows where they come from - I’ve cleaned the bag out several times ).
This then prevents the MagSafe connector from fully engaging , and thus no power.
Then I’ve got to find some fine tweezers to remove said fragments, which inevitably have been moved from where I last left them . Grrr
Micro usb is shite.
Full shite.
Anything is better than micro usb.
100% this.
One of my main criteria in looking for a new phone this year was the it had USB-C instead of micro. My last phone went through 4 sockets in 3 years and many more cables on top of that.
Shit the bed!
You are Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and I claim my £5.
I never realised that connectors & fluff were such a big deal!
How much fluff are you people generating? And what type of clothes are you wearing to generate this much fluff?! 🙂
I have never once cleaned out a charging port, and have never had a charging port fail across a load of devices. The only one that is a bit glitchy is the Exposure Tracer rear light charging port but that's because the inherent design of the light in that area isn't great, not as a weakness of the connection itself.
I find USB C to be the best yet..
No issues with lack of friction here 😉
Using countless C devices with no problems (yet), my Macbook charges from it while also displaying on 3 screens via a DELL docking station thing and a conferance speaker, all from a single cable..
I was p1ssed when Apple removed the Magsafe. but now after using USB C and the possibilities it offers through a single interface, i'm not bothered anymore.
Nice to see the usual STW 'I don't have a problem therefore it doesn't exist' responses!
One thing that twists my melon is my Nintendo Swtich USB-C charger won't charge my laptop. My laptop USB-C charger won't charge the Switch. Now I need to take both with me (so I can game on business trips obvs) this stuff is supposed to be getting simpler not more complicated!
Yeah the pocket fluff thing is a pretty common problem with all small USB ports. I had it on my previous phone and I'm pretty careful with it.
I've got a little silicone stopper for my S10, I couldn't afford to replace that if it goes wrong.
Magsafe was superb, wish that was still available. I've tried the USB magnet cables and they're pretty good, but I've never found one that reliably did data and power.
fooman
Member
Nice to see the usual STW ‘I don’t have a problem therefore it doesn’t exist’ responses!
I don't think anyone has said that. People have said they haven't experienced a problem; it's not the same thing as the problem not existing.
I agree that the port design on USB3 is better than the micro, dirt's gonna dirt
however the differing standard for wattage etc is annoying - I have a Samsung work phone and my nokia personal phone doesn't charge through the nokia charger, but the other way round is ok !! not great for reducing the impact on the environment
I have a Samsung work phone and my nokia personal phone doesn’t charge through the nokia charger, but the other way round is ok !! not great for reducing the impact on the environment
You are always going to get a new charging cable with a new phone, whatever cable it uses, so not sure where the environmental impact is ?
And for convenience, just use the Samsung charger for both.
Maybe the environmental impact would be less if you didn’t have a separate phone for work/personal ?
Micro USB does seem to have some fundamental flaws. Particularly with connections on older devices, which is a bit worrying since it's routinely used to charge everything these days.
I've tried all the fluff-removal, googling other solutions, etc, but my phone will now only charge on a limited number of good quality cables, and often stops randomly. Bike light might be ready for the bin soon, as that's down to one cable and only when balanced in a specific way.
Not personally had any issues with USB-C yet, but only been using it a couple of years.
One thing that twists my melon is my Nintendo Swtich USB-C charger won’t charge my laptop. My laptop USB-C charger won’t charge the Switch.
Although obviously this has nothing to do with USB-C and everything to do with the actual charging [power] requirements of your laptop and the Switch.
Although obviously this has nothing to do with USB-C and everything to do with the actual charging [power] requirements of your laptop and the Switch.
But it was somehow better and more convenient before USB C when they would still have had two different chargers. 🤔
sharkbait
Although obviously this has nothing to do with USB-C and everything to do with the actual charging [power] requirements of your laptop and the Switch.
Seems unlikely a laptop would need less power than a Switch to charge.
The laptop charger probably supplies more amps than the switch can/will handle... So the switch doesn't charge.
Similarly the switch charger probably doesn't have thought per to charge the laptop.... It out does just quite slowly.
I can slowly charge my Pixelbook with my OnePlus dash charger but the Pixelbook charger does not charge my phone at full speed.
Back in the day laptop chargers would have had a different (dedicated) port but now many of them use usb-c and people think that just because the port is the same then the cheers are interchangeable when they're not.
sharkbait
Member
The laptop charger probably supplies more amps than the switch can/will handle… So the switch doesn’t charge.
The power is negotiated by the devices on either end, it will never deliver more than the device connected can handle. Assuming the both ends implement the same parts of the spec, anyway. E.g. not all devices understand the new USBPD spec.
The Switch doesn't implement usb power delivery standards, so isn't really usb despite using the connector.
Micro USB was the agreed standard. Well, until Apple decided it didn’t like the agreement. Then a new standard was made. Which they didn’t like either.
It’s all Apples fault.
Apple had nothing to do with Micro USB standards, but was involved with the development of USB-C; however, USB-C is an open protocol which manufacturers are able to implement in whichever way suits them, hence the lack of compatibility between cables and devices.
Part of the problem with USB-C is that the plugs are hollow, so vulnerable to lint and fluff being packed inside the plug.
Apple’s own Lightning plug, being a flat spade with contacts on either external side is similarly vulnerable, but only in the socket, which is relatively easy to clean out with a toothpick.
Certainly Lightning is pretty robust, my iP6+ only suffered from connecting issues a couple of times over five years, and my iPad Pro none at all in the two years I’ve had it.
USB C ports on phones are dirt traps.
Mines working OK now after digging out some compressed muck, but it's not immediately visible, it's only when you get brutal with a safety pin that you can gouge it out. An then you obviously risk damage to the contacts.
A magnetic contact without socket /plug would be better! But I guess apple will sue the crap out of anyone that tired that.
sharkbait
Member
The laptop charger probably supplies more amps than the switch can/will handle… So the switch doesn’t charge.
That's not how it works, a good way to think of it is that a power source basically pushes/dictates the voltage, but the device pulls/dictates the current. So stick a 12V charger into a 6V device and it's trouble, stick a 6V charger into a 12V device and it likely won't charge... But the only thing a power supply can do, is fail to provide the demanded amps, it can't send too many.
Welllll. There is one exception... Badly designed circuits might have the capacity to draw more current than they can handle, but "protect" against this by making sure the power supply tops out first. But that's pretty unlikely in small electronics
My USBC is a real dirt trap. Charging is a 50/50 affair at best. To be faircI do worknin a dusty environment and oftern get sawdust in my pockets!
Anyway, this thread has encouraged me to buy a silicone dust plug
I've had 2 phones with USB-C now. The first one did sometimes get pocket fluff compressed to stop charging sometimes, but this happened with micro USB sometimes, too.
If the plug isn't staying in the socket, it is probably because of fluff. I've used a sharp needle to get it out, not sure a paperclip would work too well.
My current phone is waterproof, the grommet keeps fluff as well as water out. Job jobbed.
A magnetic contact without socket /plug would be better! But I guess apple will sue the crap out of anyone that tired that.
Dunno about that - MS have magnetic power/dock connectors on their Surface Pro, although quite different to the Apple one.
a silicone dust plug
Damn you, autocorrect.
Are USB-C holes harder to clean than Apple lightning devices? I just pulled enough fluff to make a duvet from my iPhone and it was very satisfying.