Headworx

USB Type-C is a very complex connector. Attempting to be a jack of all trades and the master of all, it certainly has a potential to be the one. Apple manifested this potential by removing all other ports (but the 3.5mm phone jack) from MacBooks two years ago. But the potential is one thing and the reality of the transition and the learning curve is the other . I have been using the 2018 15" MacBook (with Windows 10 as the primary OS) for a couple of weeks now and the Type-C reality is still far from what it could / should be. I learned a while ago that the quality of cables mattered the most. The first surprise was that Type-C does not automatically mean USB 3 (or 3.1) in terms of speed. Majority of "ordinary" Type-C cables can only do USB 2 speeds (480Mbps), which is 10x slower than USB 3.0 (5Gbps) and 20x slower than USB 3.1. To get decent speed with a peripheral, buy only cables marked "SS" (SuperSpeed - 5Gbps) or SS10 (10Gbps). Everything else will c...

USB Type-C (usually referred to as USB-C) chargers support a fairly sophisticated protocol for selecting charging voltage and current. What is important, when nothing is connected to a USB-C port, no power is provided. The device that wants to be charged must tell the charger what it wants. Otherwise no charging takes place. This is designed so for may reasons, but the simplest explanation is: a connected device may not want to be charged at all: imagine using a USB-C cable to connect one charger to another charger. If there was any voltage present by default, the result could be catastrophic. The simplest way to tell the charger to offer the default 5V (as in USB-A legacy chargers) is to use the so-called Dead Battery mode. This is described in Section 4.8.5 of the Type-C specification. The device that wants to be charged (known as the Sink) must apply 5.1kΩ resistors to both CC1 and CC2 lines (pins). The term Dead Battery (from the Type-C specification perspective) describes a device...

USB Type-C is probably the most promising wired technology developed recently. Small, reversible connector, huge bandwidth (up to 10Gbps), huge power (up to 100 watts via USB-PD or Power Delivery standard) and even high definition video via built-in Display Port (upt o 8K@60Hz). But today it still shows all signs of immaturity. Not diving into the high data transfer rates and video over Type-C, the biggest hurdle are chargers and cables. Even official Google Nexus Chargers Could Be Dangerous . Not long ago I bought the Intel Core m3 - based Compute Stick with the idea to drive presentation projectors in conference rooms. It comes with Windows 10 preinstalled and has plenty of power to run it. It also comes with a very clever concept utilizing Type-C: it is powered via a Type-C cable, while the power supply acts as a USB hub exposing two SuperSpeed (blue) sockets. The problem with this very smart concept is the cable that weighs twice as much as the computer and is 3x bulkier...

Two nice additions since the original post on USB converters. The Type-C male to A-female will likely be more and more in use, as host ports migrate from A to C. There will be tons of accessories with male A plugs and this one makes them all compatible. The second one is the Type-C female to B-micro male: yes it converts a Type-C cable into and old micro-B variant. Anyway with this set a single C-C cable is capable of connecting anything to anything. Micro-B-female to mini-B male. There are still devices using mini-B female sockets... Male-A to female C. Makes an old laptop compatible with new Type-C devices. Male-C to female A. Does the opposite: new laptops (or phones) and an old accessory. Micro-B to lightning. Makes i-devices compatible with USB. Micro-B to Apple 30-pin. Makes old i-devices compatible with USB.  Apple pencil. This is the weirdest one, but yes it is useful when you want to use a cable to charge the pencil. Female Type-C to micro-B. Use a Type-C cable t...

I've been a great fan of the USB standard since the very beginning. Most of the readers have probably never experienced the era before - ruled by DB-9, DB-25 and Centronics connectors. Big, bulky plugs and sockets plus separate power cables. USB through the universal data transfer and integrated power supply has solved most of mouse / keyboard / printer connection issues. That was of course hugely helped by great support for USB in Windows ( promotion of USB actually started with the famous BSOD with Bill Gates on stage ). The next frontier is to eliminate all other connectors (except probably for the Ethernet's RJ-45). And Type-C is great in making that happen. It is small. Fits in every device type. It is reversible. So you can plug it either way and it works. It provides up to 100W of power (that one I just was not sure about from the reliability standpoint - I was expecting cables overheating and wearing out, but nothing like that happened over almost two years of...

There is this huge inconsequence at Apple: USB Type-C vs Lightning. Add the plans to get rid of the 3.5 mm audio jack and you end up with a total mess. Imagine I'm a pure Apple guy. The latest Macbook and the latest iPhone. Two different chargers, two different cables. Also after the 3.5mm audio jack is dropped, that means plus two sets of headphones: one Lighting (for the phone) and the other one USB Type-C (for the Macbook). The only way for Apple to make a sensible transition away from the 3.5mm audio port is to fully adopt USB Type-C by replacing the 3.5mm port with the Type-C port. Releasing a dual - port (USB Type-C + Lightning) iPhone and start phasing out the Lightning port. Lightning is the new FireWire would be a really smart move. Lightning is just another FireWire. No future for it - USB will win again. You can't change the wind direction by blowing at it. It is a tough decision but Apple was making such before: FireWire to USB and PowerPC to Intel. And by t...

All signs point to the mobile industry moving towards headphone apocalypse by dropping the 3.5 mm standard jack. I know it potentially means more money, but first and foremost it means confused and frustrated consumers. Envision this: the next phone you are about to buy will not have a standard analog headphone socket. You can now trash your high quality Bose, Monster, Beats or whatever you've been using recently. Or you can use a Type-C- to - 3.5mm dongle (yeah, yet another dongle). The problem not just the dongle itself, but the fact it will occupy the only port the phone has, so you won't be able to charge it while having headphones plugged in. The same applies to Apple devices, the only difference is they will have the Lightning port. On iPhones and iPads that is, because on MacBooks there is the Type-C USB (but Apple fans can afford having two sets of headsets, can't they?). Unless Apple drops Lightning and adopts Type-C across the product line (which it should)....

It is hard not to be a fan of USB. The standard keeps evolving at a great pace, maintaining compatibility with the early devices created some 20 years ago. It has also grown to become the standard for power delivery to all sorts of devices. It takes some juggling to be able to interconnect the ultra wide selection of things equipped with USB interfaces, although with careful approach the number of plug adapters can fit in a match box. Here is - what I believe - the USB-of-all-trades set for road warriors, enabling connecting anything to anything in (almost) any direction. It starts with a tiny Type-C to micro-B cable. This cable is extremely versatile, even allows using a (Type-C) phone to charge an accessory such as a smart watch (hey iPhone, can you do this?). The cable of course can be used to connect a Type-C host to any peripheral with a number of simple adapters Lacking a Type-C port on your laptop? Use this USB 3.1 A to Type-C converter. micro USB to 30-pin Apple adapte...

USB Type-C is the revolutionary connector that will dominate computers, phones and peripherals for the next 20 years (or more). There are the usual growing pains , as with any advanced new technology that comes around. But once all the wrinkles are sorted out, there is this clear benefit of having just one socket, one plug, one connector, one cable to do it all: power, data, any direction. That unification brings with it one significant change: power is not power anymore. It is power AND DATA. Also Video Out is not just video nor out anymore. It is video AND DATA. In other words, plugging your phone or a laptop to a power source you consent to have a data connection with that power supply. And by plugging the same phone or a laptop to a projector in a conference room or on a presentation podium you consent to have a data connection with that other device. This was not a problem before: power was just power and video out was just video out. There was nothing to worry except you co...

Not many here remember the world before USB. Bulky connectors for "serial" and "parallel" cables. External power supplies for just about everything. USB changed all that, bringing together high speed data AND power. While HDMI failed to recognize this opportunity (there is no power on HDMI sockets, which limits heavily the usability of HDMI accessories), USB-PD (Power Delivery) over the Type-C connector has taken the cable unification to a new level. I praised the potential of this new standard a number of times , at the same time highlighting the potential issues we have with it. The issues come down to the fact than not all USB-C ports nor cables are equal. Ironically, Apple, who is considered a company promoting its own closed ecosystem is the best implementer and promoter of the standard connectivity technologies. Take the AirPods, which use Bluetooth and work with any phone (not just iPhones). Same with USB-C. They moved there first in MacBooks and now fo...

Despite some early growing pains , USB Type-C is a winner. USB, as we know it mostly today, is 22 years old. Pretty mature. Even considering the accelerated pace of development of new technologies, I am sure Type-C will last until 2040 and will be in use by 2050. The thing illustrated here is a combo USB drive by Kingston. It is a classic USB on one side and Type-C on the other, making file transfer between systems dead fast and easy. This ultra-tiny piece of hardware has 128GB capacity and works with everything, including iPhone 8. This is probably the best news for all of us: Apple dropping Lightning and adopting USB Type-C . This tiny connector is reversible (like Lightning) but is much more versatile, capable of carrying signals like high definition video. It also carries almost unbelievable (for its size) amount of power: up to 100W (remember: the original USB could do 2.5W). So essentially it becomes the ONLY connector any portable device (laptop, tablet, phone) needs. It i...

It seems funny to admit I have been fascinated by cables and connectors . But it is much deeper than that. Back in the old days personal computers were plagued by the cable mess. Each box had a dozen or so different cables hanging out with as many as five separate ones (power, VGA, USB, audio in, audio out)  necessary at the same time to connect a monitor. Other accessories, like mice, often required separate communication (RS-232) and power cables. Because each cable had its own purpose. The power cable to deliver power, the vga cable to deliver video (but no audio), the usb cable to deliver data and the audio cables to deliver audio in one direction (hence two were often needed). Things started to converge with inventions like HDMI (audion and video in one, but no power) and USB, especially when the latter started enabling more than 2.5W (5V at 0.5A) of power. It was 15 years ago when I first called USB the Universal Supply Bus . USB had (what has been HDMI's biggest drawback) a ...

Wow it has been 16 years since I proposed the Universal Supply Bus (USB) to be the common charging standard and then of course to be upgraded by USB-C . This seems to be super obvious to everyone now. But not everyone remembers how it was "before" - basically every accessory unit had its own power brick. Seems unthinkable and stupid now. But you still have the recollection what it was in the form of Apple devices, stupidly pushing their own "lightning" agenda (but only for iPhones, as iPads and laptops have been USB-C for 5 years now). The EU USB-C mandate is official this week. By the end of 2024, all mobile phones, tablets and cameras sold in the EU will have to be equipped with a USB Type-C charging port. From spring 2026, the obligation will extend to laptops. The new law, adopted by plenary on Tuesday with 602 votes in favor, 13 against and 8 abstentions, is part of a broader EU effort to reduce e-waste and to empower consumers to make more sustainable choice...

Even though 4K screens have become a norm in offices and homes, and laptops offering increasingly higher resolutions, a second screen is often handy. I have been using the iPad (with the Duet app ) to serve me as a second screen on the road. But at home I've found it cumbersome to keep connecting the iPad. Also very often I run some multi-hour monitoring / diagnostic processes and keeping iPad hooked all the time is not the best idea. On top of that every now and then there is a need to check (or work with) and equipment that requires HDMI screen. Such as the Raspberry Pi. Searching for a solution I found this gorgeous UPERFECT 15-inch portable screen . It is touch enabled, and has a (mini) HDMI input and two universal Type-C ports. And it is super slick. On top of that it works exactly as advertised. In my setups the two configurations I use it most often with are: A secondary (or tertiary, if you count the laptop's display) monitor. All it requires is a proper USB-C connectio...

PC monitor vendors have been slow to recognize the opportunities provided by fairly established technologies, namely USB-C (considered here as a set of technologies) and the leading operating systems. I don't have hard numbers, but it is safe to say majority of users today have laptops, and desktop computers niche is supported by the ever shrinking audience of elite gamers.  So if the assumption of proliferation of laptops is correct, computer monitors are just add-ons for work or home working environments. One problem with using an external monitor in the past was the ugly reality of the number of cables and power supplies needed. Monitors used to have their own power bricks and then when setting up a desktop environment, you needed to connect a keyboard, a mouse, a set of speakers, a microphone, a web camera. And probably on the same desk you had a phone/watch/tablet charger. That resulted in adding a power strip and an external USB hub (with its own power supply). All this has c...

It has been almost 4 years that I've been a faithful user of the Garmin fēnix watch. The model I have now is the D2 Delta PX and I must say I really really like it. It has great aviation features and includes topographic maps for North America. It also has memory big enough to upload other topographic maps. Such as Tenerife , where I'm going to hike the volcano next month. Or any other map. Global offline topo maps are phenomenal, when you consider you can have them in a watch. One annoying detail about the Garmin watch is the charging cable. There is no Type-C version of it. No genuine and not even a Chinese one on AliExpress. My patience has ended this week and I decided to build my own. Which actually turned out to be a fairly easy wire-cutting and soldering exercise. To start with I took the Amazon Basics Type-C to micro-B USB cable (it has all the necessary circuits to ensure the micro-B side is getting proper 5V voltage) and an aftermarket Garmin - compatible char...

One thing that has always been beyond my imagination is why Apple does not have a simple way of transferring photos from one device to another. Yes I know there is iCloud and Google Photos. But they require a cloud connection. While now we are a group of friends sitting in a mountain shelter in Morocco's High Atlas with no Internet in sight.... Some use iPhones as their primary cameras. Some (like me) even decided to lug an iPad with them :) And then came the Eureka! moment. Use the Lightning-to-USB Camera Adapter to connect to iDevices together. Yay, with this adapter you can create a lightning-to-lightning cable and transfer photos! One iDevice (the one with the adapter) launches the import app and the other behaves like a camera! Digging further it seems the Lightning Camera Adapter is much more than a camera adapter. According to this article , other types of USB devices are supported: Audio/MIDI interfaces and devices Hubs Ethernet adapters SD card readers Bar ...

The cable bag has been shrinking and this is thanks to the progress in standardization of connectivity and power supply options. Namely: the single Type-C connector (including Thunderbolt, USB 2/3 and Power Delivery) to rule them all. USB has had a fascinating ride for the last 25 years and has probably been my favorite connectivity technology (alongside Bluetooth of course :). So here is my cable bag, the H2/2021 edition. May items may actually be considered quite old, but the bottom line is USB-C has been working for me extremely well. And the world is catching up. RAVPower PD Pioneer power supply. 2 ports / 90W / half the size of the genuine Apple brick. This one is quite old but you can find several similar ones today. Generic EU (and UK if you know how to use it) wall socket adapter. JCPAL 1.5m (6ft) USB-C power and data cable. This one stands out, as it is rated at 100W (5A) power AND does USB-C 3.1 Gen 2 data transfers, while still being sturdy and flexible. And also has a nice...

Faster is not always better. Or rather - it is very often not the raw numbers but the overall usability of a product (or completeness of a standard) that makes it a winner. From my own turf: what has made Bluetooth mesh the winning offering is the inclusion of the complete set of application layer models . This is what enabled the rapid adoption of Bluetooth mesh in buildings. But back to Thunderbolt 4. It is not faster than Thunderbolt 3. But it includes a number of enhancements that will make the products using it much better. The ones I like the most are: Longer cables. Version 3 has been limited to 60cm. Above that amplified optical cables must be used, and while they work just fine, they are expensive. $50 for a cable is a lot. Version 4 addresses that, enabling standard cables up to 2m. Mandatory power delivery an remote wake-up. This makes Thunderbolt 4 a very clean and interoperable interface for all sorts of laptop docking station. This will not only be the domain of high end ...

I've moved completely to USB-C and I really do like it. Small connectors, universal cables. All in all a huge reduction of bulk. I am down to 2 power bricks - the big Apple 87W and the small Anker 30W. And three cables: the long 2m Apple to power the Macbook, a shorter and lighter 1m (also Apple) to use with the small Anker charger and a short 50cm SuperSpeed (10GBps) do connect to backup drives or hook up an iPad as a second screen to the MacBook that runs Windows 10. At some point I was even looking to replace the big 87W Apple power supply with a different one that would have two USB-C outputs, but after weighing the options I decided to get the 30W Anker Atom-1. It is very small and very powerful an in many cases (like on a plane) the small brick is way more convenient to handle. With that, all new gear purchasing decisions have USB-C charging at the top of the checklist. Which - it turns out - is not enough. Recently I've pulled the trigger on the Skyroam's Sol...