cross-posted from: https://lemmy.cringecollective.io/post/75583

why isn’t it ok? why???

Meme “the number of people who think this is an abomination” over a photo of a USB-A to USB-A cable, “but think this is perfectly acceptable” over a photo of a USB-C to USB-C cable, “makes me sick.”

  • Ekky@sopuli.xyz
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    4 months ago

    Huh, I’m not sure they are comparable.

    Didn’t USB A and USB B use a master-slave relationship in which the male would (generally) always be the slave, whereas USB C uses agreement and discussion to decide the master and slave roles regardless of connector gender.

    Please do correct me if I’m wrong. Also, do we say “agent” now instead of “slave”, or what is the new term?

    • DacoTaco@lemmy.world
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      4 months ago

      In the usb world its “host” and “device”, not “master” and “slave”.
      But yes you are right

    • NeatNit@discuss.tchncs.de
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      4 months ago

      I think the biggest problem I see with A to A is: who’s delivering power, and who’s receiving it? Maybe if you use it only with the device it came with then it’ll be fine, but if anyone tries to just hook up that cable to two random computers, it might actually cause a short circuit and fry something.

      Whereas Type-C was explicitly made to handle such situations.

      Or a shorter reason: Type-C cable is allowed by the spec while Type-A is not.

      • vext01@lemmy.sdf.org
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        4 months ago

        Hrm. I have a keyboard that requires an A to A cable and I think it works with the cable any way around…

        Might be wrong.

        • NeatNit@discuss.tchncs.de
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          4 months ago

          It makes sense, if I remember correctly the older USB cable (i.e. everything before Type-C) are passive, so as long as the pins are wired symmetrically it wouldn’t matter which side is which. But whoever made your keyboard really blundered, there is no reason in the world why anyone would do this. There’s so many options: the B connector, mini USB, micro USB. All would make sense to put in the keyboard. A just doesn’t.

          Let me guess: you got it from an ultra cheap online store? AliExpress/Wish/Temu?

  • hperrin@lemmy.world
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    4 months ago

    USB-A male to USB-A male is not in any USB standard (not entirely true, but compliant cables are very rare and don’t connect voltage), and if you plug it into a device it’s not meant for, the behavior is entirely unspecified. It will probably do nothing. But it might fry your USB controller that is not expecting to receive voltage.

    USB-C to USB-C is in the spec, and if you plug in two host devices, they won’t hurt each other. You can actually charge a host device over USB-C, unlike USB-A.

    That’s why it isn’t ok. It’s not the same thing, it’s not in the standard, and it can even be dangerous (to the device).

    • chiliedogg@lemmy.world
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      4 months ago

      I absolutely have some Type C cables that only work one way because there’s no enforced standards and the manufacturer will wire them however is cheap, throw on another company’s logo, and sell it to Amazom.

  • RoyaltyInTraining@lemmy.world
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    4 months ago

    The USB spec requires one master and one slave device, which is usually decided by which type of connector each side has. USB OTG can bypass that restriction, but I’ve only ever seen it done with micro USB or type C.

  • MinekPo1 [it/she]@lemmygrad.ml
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    4 months ago

    actually they would be correct :

    USB began as a protocol where one side (USB-A) takes the leading role and the other (USB-B) the following role . this was mandated by hardware with differently shaped plugs and ports . this made sense for the time as USB was ment to connect computers to peripherals .

    however some devices don’t fit this binary that well : one might want to connect their phone to their computer to pull data off it , but they also might want to connect a keyboard to it , with the small form factor not allowing for both a USB-A and USB-B port. the solution was USB On-The-Go : USB Mini-A/B/AB and USB Micro-A/B/AB connectors have an additional pin which allows both modes of operations

    with USB-C , aside from adding more pins and making the connector rotationally symmetric , a very similar yet differently named feature was included , since USB-C - USB-C connections were planed for

    so yeah USB-A to USB-A connections are explicitly not allowed , for a similar reason as you only see CEE 7 (fine , or the objectively worse NEMA) plugs on both ends of a cable only in joke made cables . USB-C has additional hardware to support both sides using USB-C which USB-A , neither in the original or 3.0 revision , has .

    • tetris11@lemmy.ml
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      4 months ago

      With USB-C isn’t there still a slave-master dynamic that is now negotiated via software rather than hardware?

      • sparkle@lemm.ee
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        4 months ago

        a slave-master dynamic

        please don’t use that term, every time i see it i immediately verge on orgasming. you’ve already made me ruin 2 undergarments today. i have a serious bdsm kink and this is not funny.

    • sparkle@lemm.ee
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      4 months ago

      Yea but it’s inefficient. USB-A has a significantly lower transfer rate than USB-C so it’ll bottleneck