When do you think USB-A will be discontinued and USB-C becomes the standard for all?

[Marc_LFD]

As great as USB-C is, I can't see USB-A going anywhere as it is used everywhere and even in 3, 5, and 8 years time it'll still be used, but in 10 years time? Maybe, I guess.

I don't have anything against USB-A as I use it daily as well as USB-C at home and on the road. What do I mean against? Some or a few people are really unhappy USB-A is the standard, that's why.

 

[Lostbhoy]

Why is this in the wii u section??

 

[Marc_LFD]

Why is this in the wii u section??

Smh. I pressed the General Discussion and somehow I ended up on the Wii U section.

Sorry.

 

[Lostbhoy]

Don't apologise, it's easily done! I didn't mean it harshly.

 

[Xdqwerty]

2 years

 

[JuanMena]

As great as USB-C is, I can't see USB-A going anywhere as it is used everywhere and even in 3, 5, and 8 years time it'll still be used, but in 10 years time? Maybe, I guess.

I don't have anything against USB-A as I use it daily as well as USB-C at home and on the road. What do I mean against? Some or a few people are really unhappy USB-A is the standard, that's why.

A is the standard?
Wasn't C the standard now?

Holy shit, USB C delivers 20V?

 

[Jayro]

USB C is the standard now, I'm even trying to phase out my USB Type-A cables as much as possible for Type-C with Type-A adapters. USB 4 spec is Type-C only, so it's already here.

 

[Marc_LFD]

A is the standard?
Wasn't C the standard now?

Holy shit, USB C delivers 20V?

USB-A is still the most used one, but USB-C is gaining territory.

 

[Fien]

I hope USB A connectors will still be the standard on PC's and laptops for a very long time. The bigger connectors are a lot more durable then the smaller USB C ones. And if they break, the chances are that they are easier to replace because most of them are still through-hole parts.

All of my PC's and laptops only have USB A. Except one or two of them they are all even still USB 2.0

The only things that have USB C are the smartphone and the Nintendo Switch + gamepad.

 

[Marc_LFD]

I hope USB A connectors will still be the standard on PC's and laptops for a very long time. The bigger connectors are a lot more durable then the smaller USB C ones. And if they break, the chances are that they are easier to replace because most of them are still through-hole parts.

All of my PC's and laptops only have USB A. Except one or two of them they are all even still USB 2.0

The only things that have USB C are the smartphone and the Nintendo Switch + gamepad.

My controllers all pretty much use USB-C except for the DualShock 3 that uses Mini USB, and for PS4 I just use a fake PS5 controller which has a USB-C port (it's recognized as a DualShock 4 if I'd ever need to access the Recovery Mode).

USB-A + USB-C are the best combination, imo. Micro USB isn't too bad, though USB-C is an excellent upgrade.

I was getting a bit confused with Micro USB and Mini USB so this picture helped clarify it.

 

[BigOnYa]

I'm the opposite of you guys, I prefer the USB-C cables. Nice not worrying about the direction it must plug in. And since most phones/ devices coming out with USB-C, it is easy to swap between them all with same cable.

 

[Marc_LFD]

I'm the opposite of you guys, I prefer the USB-C cables. Nice not worrying about the direction it must plug in. And since most phones/ devices coming out with USB-C, it is easy to swap between them all with same cable.

That's why I also prefer the fake PS5 controllers for PS4. It uses USB-C than Micro USB. And they're really good.

 

[JuanMena]

So, Apple had the lightning cable, which was special because it didn't mattered how you connected it.
USB C is literally the same.

And suddenly we forgot old DC Jacks that were either Center+ or Center- and basically universal too, just get the right Voltage and Polarity.

USBs sucks. Brittle little pieces of shit that gets broken too easily at the wrong bent of the cable.

I very much prefer the old type of connections in that sense. Still surprised though, USB C delivers 20V. That's a lot.

 

[Fien]

But the DC jacks are for power supply only. While the USB A ports on a PC transfers data too. And the USB C port on the smartphone and Nintendo Switch also does data.

I don't like microUSB because they break even more easily then USB C connectors.

 

[Jayro]

So, Apple had the lightning cable, which was special because it didn't mattered how you connected it.
USB C is literally the same.

And suddenly we forgot old DC Jacks that were either Center+ or Center- and basically universal too, just get the right Voltage and Polarity.

USBs sucks. Brittle little pieces of shit that gets broken too easily at the wrong bent of the cable.

I very much prefer the old type of connections in that sense. Still surprised though, USB C delivers 20V. That's a lot.

USB C PD spec starts out at 5 volts to be safe, and then negotiates how much voltage a device wants from the charger, and then the charger gets the okay to give the requested higher voltage. I've seen 5v, 9v, 12v, 15v, and 20v listed on varying PD power adapters, but they don't all support the same voltages. Like, say your phone requests 12v, but your PD charger only supports 5v, 9v, 15v, and 20v. It will give up to 9v, and not 15v as a safety measure.

 

[JuanMena]

But the DC jacks are for power supply only. While the USB A ports on a PC transfers data too. And the USB C port on the smartphone and Nintendo Switch also does data.

I don't like microUSB because they break even more easily then USB C connectors.

Really depends on who manufactured the USB.
There's USB "fOr dAta" and USB "fOr pOwEr oNly".
It's dumb. The standard of USB should be both Data and Power.

The way I see it is:
Bad USB manufacturer makes brittle USB connector, but wait, it doesn't transfers data. So you're obligated to get another cable. But wait, your power brick is so low quality it burns you cable. So you get another one. But wait, it breaks because of how flimsy and small USB C is. So you get another one.
See the issues?

USB should have been for data only. Power? Sure, go ahead.
But stop making them so low quality that it needs to get replaced often.

What was the point of making USB C the standard? Pollution? Don't people realize the smaller the connections the less serviceable they are? It's useless.

Post automatically merged: Jan 18, 2024

USB C PD spec starts out at 5 volts to be safe, and then negotiates how much voltage a device wants from the charger, and then the charger gets the okay to give the requested higher voltage. I've seen 5v, 9v, 12v, 15v, and 20v listed on varying PD power adapters, but they don't all support the same voltages. Like, say your phone requests 12v, but your PD charger only supports 5v, 9v, 15v, and 20v. It will give up to 9v, and not 15v as a safety measure.

Also depends if your power brick has the required safery components to support such voltages. Something DC Jacks never had issues with unless you connected the wrong polarity.

 

[Jayro]

There's USB "fOr dAta" and USB "fOr pOwEr oNly".
It's dumb. The standard of USB should be both Data and Power.

USB should have been for data only. Power? Sure, go ahead.
But stop making them so low quality that it needs to get replaced often.

I understand these, but there are instances where these special "power only" and "data only" cables come into play. They are not too common and are usually specific use cases.

For example, on unmodified Ender 3 Pro 3D printers, it's ideal to use "data only" cables when connecting the printer to a Raspberry Pi or computer, because the stepper motors can backfeed unregulated voltages into the USB power lines, and that's not good.

And an example of "power only" cables is when you want to use a public USB port to charge something, without the risk of compromising your data or opening up your device to software attacks. Like charging your phone on a thinclient computer at work, for example.

But yeah, I 100% agree with you on the stance of buying quality cables, it makes all the difference in the world. I have thrown away all my shitty/shady/slow-performing chinese cables, and have invested in quality cables by Anker that can handle up to 100watt PD charging. And for my few-and-between Micro USB needs, I use the official Nintendo-branded cables that came with my NES Mini and SNES Mini consoles. They are substantially high quality for Micro USB, and have nice fat heads on them for a secure connection. They click in firmly, as they always should.

Samsung, Nintendo, Anker, and UGREEN all make quality cables you can trust and depend on.

 

[JuanMena]

I understand these, but there are instances where these special "power only" and "data only" cables come into play. They are not too common and are usually specific use cases.

For example, on unmodified Ender 3 Pro 3D printers, it's ideal to use "data only" cables when connecting the printer to a Raspberry Pi or computer, because the stepper motors can backfeed unregulated voltages into the USB power lines, and that's not good.

And an example of "power only" cables is when you want to use a public USB port to charge something, without the risk of compromising your data or opening up your device to software attacks. Like charging your phone on a thinclient computer at work, for example.

But yeah, I 100% agree with you on the stance of buying quality cables, it makes all the difference in the world. I have thrown away all my shitty/shady/slow-performing chinese cables, and have invested in quality cables by Anker that can handle up to 100watt PD charging. And for my few-and-between Micro USB needs, I use the official Nintendo-branded cables that came with my NES Mini and SNES Mini consoles. They are substantially high quality for Micro USB, and have nice fat heads on them for a secure connection. They click in firmly, as they always should.

Samsung, Nintendo, Anker, and UGREEN all make quality cables you can trust and depend on.

Thank you. That's my point.
The world would truly change if people stops buying Chinese and cheap crap.
The whole "standardization" is bullshit until people realizes that it's not okay to replace your cables every half year because it broke.

 

[Fien]

The breaking/wearing connector at the cable side is not even the biggest problem of microUSB and USB C, but the side that's soldered to the device. These are SMD parts and not easy to replace for the average person with a basic soldering station.

On the Nintendo Switch I'm really careful with the USB C connector because I'm afraid it will break one day. I can't replace it myself because it's SMD. And the connector on my smartphone only does quick charge on one side.

 

[JuanMena]

The breaking/wearing connector at the cable side is not even the biggest problem of microUSB and USB C, but the side that's soldered to the device. These are SMD parts and not easy to replace for the average person with a basic soldering station.

On the Nintendo Switch I'm really careful with the USB C connector because I'm afraid it will break one day. I can't replace it myself because it's SMD. And the connector on my smartphone only does quick charge on one side.

I've seen a lot of Switch(s) with bent pins and broken connectors. It depends on Nintendo, if they used quality material. So, yes, no matter how much you take care of things, nowadays things are made not to last and get replaced. Unfortunately, so no matter what gets standarized, what type of connection you use, if it's old or new, it all depends on the building quality and material.

Again, and I can't say this enough times: I still have DC cables that have lasted decades.