When I was buying a new charging/data cable, they were selling both C
and Galaxy. Is there a difference? What is the difference?

On 6/8/22 8:32 AM, micky wrote:
>When I was buying a new charging/data cable, they were selling both C
>and Galaxy. Is there a difference? What is the difference?

Don't see any response so I'll take a GUESS. One is a noname USB-C cable and
the other is a Galaxy branded USB-C cable? If so either should work IF your
phone has a USB-C port...

In article <t7rnm5$dsg$1@dont-email.me>, noemail@none.com says...
>
> On 6/8/22 8:32 AM, micky wrote:
> >When I was buying a new charging/data cable, they were selling both C
> >and Galaxy. Is there a difference? What is the difference?
>
> Don't see any response so I'll take a GUESS. One is a noname USB-C cable and
> the other is a Galaxy branded USB-C cable? If so either should work IF your
> phone has a USB-C port...

I have two Galaxy phones. One is a C abd the older one is B fitting.
C type is more recent and is reversable and oval in shape so it fits
either eay round.
B is flat on one side and only fits one way.
Which you need should be obvious by the shape of the hole thay go into.

--
Jim S

"Jim S" <jim@jimXscott.co.uk> wrote in message
news:MPG.3d0bda88641f4b1298968a@reader.eternal-september.org...
> In article <t7rnm5$dsg$1@dont-email.me>, noemail@none.com says...
>>
>> On 6/8/22 8:32 AM, micky wrote:
>> >When I was buying a new charging/data cable, they were selling both C
>> >and Galaxy. Is there a difference? What is the difference?
>>
>> Don't see any response so I'll take a GUESS. One is a noname USB-C cable
>> and
>> the other is a Galaxy branded USB-C cable? If so either should work IF
>> your
>> phone has a USB-C port...
>
> I have two Galaxy phones. One is a C abd the older one is B fitting.
> C type is more recent and is reversable and oval in shape so it fits
> either eay round.
> B is flat on one side and only fits one way.
> Which you need should be obvious by the shape of the hole thay go into.

Little matter of nomenclature: AFAIK, USB-B is the name given to the square
connector about 5 mm x 5 mm, found on most printers. What you are describing
is either Mini-USB or Micro-USB: both are D-shaped (ie a parallelogram) but
Micro is slightly smaller in width. Mini tends to be used on some older USB
hard drives; Micro is used on most modern USB HDDs and phones apart from the
newer ones which are USB-C, the oval reversible plug.

What I didn't know until recently is that you can buy leads that have
reversible USB-A (the big flat plug) and/or reversible Micro-USB.
Right-angled Micro is very useful where you might want the lead exiting
either to the left or right of the phone, depending on which side the
charger and/or PC is that you want to connect it to. And reversible USB-A is
a great help when plugging a lead into a PC which has its sockets recessed
into a 5 1/4" drive bay on the front, and the PC is sitting on the floor: it
saves having to get down on the floor to see which way round the socket is,
or to do it by feel and fumbling. It's a shame that once the technology
became available to make reversible USB-A/Micro-USB plugs, manufacturers
didn't switch over to make that the standard for all future leads of that
size. Maybe the reversible ones are a bit less rugged and can't withstand as
many insertions and removals.

micky <NONONOmisc07@fmguy.com> wrote:
> When I was buying a new charging/data cable, they

Who is "they"?

> were selling both C
> and Galaxy. Is there a difference? What is the difference?

One is a six letter word and the other is a single letter. The longer one
will be better value.

In comp.mobile.android, on Thu, 9 Jun 2022 11:47:47 -0000 (UTC), Chris
<ithinkiam@gmail.com> wrote:

>micky <NONONOmisc07@fmguy.com> wrote:
>> When I was buying a new charging/data cable, they
>
>Who is "they"?

The people at the gas station.
>
>> were selling both C
>> and Galaxy. Is there a difference? What is the difference?
>
>One is a six letter word and the other is a single letter. The longer one
>will be better value.

I think I bought the wrong one. But I can go back.

On 6/9/2022 4:01 AM, NY wrote:

> It's a shame that once the technology became available to make
> reversible USB-A/Micro-USB plugs, manufacturers didn't switch over to
> make that the standard for all future leads of that size. Maybe the
> reversible ones are a bit less rugged and can't withstand as many
> insertions and removals.

Standards are nice in some ways. I enjoy the fact that the iPhone and
Galaxy phone that both live in my house can use the same standard
wireless charger. And likewise I find it a PITA that they need different
wires for charging.

On the other hand if we were locked in to a "standard" plug used in the
past I might not be enjoying the ease of using my more recently
developed USB-C gear today.

But are government forced standards good? It appears that those of you
in the EU will be soon finding out...

On 09/06/2022 16:22, AJL wrote:
> But are government forced standards good? It appears that those of you
> in the EU will be soon finding out...

All my new stuff comes with USB-C, and I have plenty of micro-USB to USB for
existing kit if needed. Even my iPad has USB-C.

With chargers you may need to be sure that you don't use a charger cable of the
9V or 12V output with a device which doesn't honour the USB-C negotiation, and
gets rather upset then a higher voltage is applied. I may have been the victim
of this recent, but the device was repaired or replaced under guarantee.

--
Cheers,
David
Web: http://www.satsignal.eu

On 6/9/2022 8:34 AM, David Taylor wrote:
> On 09/06/2022 16:22, AJL wrote:

>> But are government forced standards good? It appears that those of
>> you in the EU will be soon finding out...

> All my new stuff comes with USB-C, and I have plenty of micro-USB to
> USB for existing kit if needed.

Me too. Tons of chargers and cables in the drawer from years past. If
USB-C becomes the universal standard and chargers are no longer supplied
with new gear, the old-charger drawer can be retired. IMO a good thing.
And perhaps one thing the new EU reg will help facilitate.

> Even my iPad has USB-C.

The wife's iPad the same. Unfortunately her iPhone not so much.

My new Chromebook came with two C AND two A ports. Makes everyone happy...

> With chargers you may need to be sure that you don't use a charger
> cable of the 9V or 12V output with a device which doesn't honour the
> USB-C negotiation, and gets rather upset then a higher voltage is
> applied.

I use: 1A chargers on all my tablets, the chargers that came with my
laptops, and a wireless charger (with a reduced wattage supply) for my
phone. Playing it safe.

> I may have been the victim of this recent, but the device was
> repaired or replaced under guarantee.

I once caught a laptop on fire by putting a screw in the wrong place. No
guarantee coverage on that laptop for some reason, though I came close
to having to use my house's fire insurance...

On 6/9/2022 10:11 AM, AJL wrote:

<snip>

> Me too. Tons of chargers and cables in the drawer from years past.

I sent this New Yorker cartoon to my son:
<https://imgc.artprintimages.com/img/print/one-day-son-all-of-these-perfectly-good-a-c-adapters-which-have-long-new-yorker-cartoon_u-l-pgpoo50.jpg>

AJL <noemail@none.com> wrote:
[...]

> But are government forced standards good? It appears that those of you
> in the EU will be soon finding out...

In the news, the new EU ruling is often misrepresented, probably by
the 'journalists' not understanding the matter (i.e. what is
standardized, what is not standardized and what is already standardized
without the EU having anything to do with it).

That lead to the following comic in the newspaper ('translation' by
me):

Caption: One charger for all devices in Europe.

Joe Average: "In Brussels they now have gone *really* mad! And where is
that one thing!? In Brussels most likely!!"

On 6/9/2022 8:34 AM, David Taylor wrote:
> On 09/06/2022 16:22, AJL wrote:
>> But are government forced standards good? It appears that those of you
>> in the EU will be soon finding out...
>
> All my new stuff comes with USB-C, and I have plenty of micro-USB to USB
> for existing kit if needed.  Even my iPad has USB-C.
>
> With chargers you may need to be sure that you don't use a charger cable
> of the 9V or 12V output with a device which doesn't honour the USB-C
> negotiation, and gets rather upset then a higher voltage is applied.  I
> may have been the victim of this recent, but the device was repaired or
> replaced under guarantee.

What device was that? The USB-C PD charger should never output greater
than 5V if the target device is incapable of negotiating a higher voltage.

The only cables that negotiate a higher voltage are not USB-C PD to
USB-C PD, they're USB-C PD to some proprietary connector, and have the
USB-trigger/emulator circuit built in. I have one such cable for my
laptop <https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0831GN1Z9> (19V) and one such cable
for my electric razor (15V).

On 6/9/2022 11:22 AM, AJL wrote:
> But are government forced standards good? It appears that those of you
> in the EU will be soon finding out...

Given the choice of a single government-enforced standard and every
manufacturer in the world having their own "standard", I know which way I'd
prefer.

I have a large box in my "closet of shame" downstairs which contains power
supplies and chargers that probably cover 15 different "standards" and
another few boxes with a mass of cables which cover many years of computer
equipment and this after a least two mass culls of each. Give me a world
with as few power and connector standards as possible please.

--
Noli sinere pessimi nequissimique te tristificare!

On 6/10/2022 6:55 AM, Frank Slootweg wrote:
> AJL <noemail@none.com> wrote:
> [...]
>
>> But are government forced standards good? It appears that those of you
>> in the EU will be soon finding out...
>
> In the news, the new EU ruling is often misrepresented, probably by
> the 'journalists' not understanding the matter (i.e. what is
> standardized, what is not standardized and what is already standardized
> without the EU having anything to do with it).
>
> That lead to the following comic in the newspaper ('translation' by
> me):
>
> Caption: One charger for all devices in Europe.
>
> Joe Average: "In Brussels they now have gone *really* mad! And where is
> that one thing!? In Brussels most likely!!"

Since the UK is not part of the EU they can have one charger for all
devices in the UK and they have already released their proposal for the
iPhone 15 instead of USB-C and it's very innovative, completely
eliminating the need for a cable for wired charging see
<https://i.imgur.com/L6rHCLx.png>.

On 6/10/2022 7:16 AM, John McGaw wrote:
> On 6/9/2022 11:22 AM, AJL wrote:

>> But are government forced standards good? It appears that those of
>> you in the EU will be soon finding out...

> Given the choice of a single government-enforced standard and every
> manufacturer in the world having their own "standard", I know which
> way I'd prefer.
>
> I have a large box in my "closet of shame" downstairs which contains
> power supplies and chargers that probably cover 15 different
> "standards" and another few boxes with a mass of cables which cover
> many years of computer equipment and this after a least two mass
> culls of each. Give me a world with as few power and connector
> standards as possible please.

I think most folks would like a standard. The problem is which one.

Connectors seem to keep improving over the years and so if one were
declared a standard by a government would the improvements stop?

Most of my collection are chargers that were included in the box.
Perhaps if the charger were sold separately? I know some manufacturers
are doing it now so perhaps that will help...

On 6/10/2022 6:55 AM, sms wrote:
> On 6/9/2022 10:11 AM, AJL wrote:

>> I have tons of chargers and cables in the drawer from years past.

> I sent this New Yorker cartoon to my son:
> <https://imgc.artprintimages.com/img/print/one-day-son-all-of-these-perfectly-good-a-c-adapters-which-have-long-new-yorker-cartoon_u-l-pgpoo50.jpg>

That cartoon is not that far fetched even though it is exaggerated for
humor. I threw away (also bad) most of my non or no longer standard
laptop and tablet chargers years ago but if I had saved them and added
them to my current collection perhaps I'd have a closet too.

One of my more recent toys (Acer Laptop SP513-54N) has a barrel plug
charger. Oddly the laptop also has a USB-C port that can be used for
charging. Since I already have USB-C chargers around for my other toys I
generally just use them. So what to do with another unused barrel
charger? Banished to the closet?? 8-O

In article <t7vrl9$jb5$1@dont-email.me>, AJL <noemail@none.com> wrote:

> Connectors seem to keep improving over the years and so if one were
> declared a standard by a government would the improvements stop?

a new connector would be illegal, thereby prohibiting any improvements,
at least until they reconvene and decide to update the law, which can
take years. keep in mind that usb-c is nearly 10 years old.

On 6/10/2022 10:28 AM, nospam wrote:
> AJL <noemail@none.com> wrote:

>> Connectors seem to keep improving over the years and so if one were
>> declared a standard by a government would the improvements stop?

> a new connector would be illegal, thereby prohibiting any
> improvements, at least until they reconvene and decide to update the
> law, which can take years. keep in mind that usb-c is nearly 10
> years old.

How about no connectors? I could certainly live with such a phone. I
haven't used any on mine (USB-C or earphone) in over a year now. Well, I
did recently test to see if audio came through both ports (and it did)
for a Usenet post but I won't count that...

On 10/06/2022 15:03, sms wrote:
> What device was that? The USB-C PD charger should never output greater
> than 5V if the target device is incapable of negotiating a higher voltage.
>
> The only cables that negotiate a higher voltage are not USB-C PD to
> USB-C PD, they're USB-C PD to some proprietary connector, and have the
> USB-trigger/emulator circuit built in. I have one such cable for my
> laptop<https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0831GN1Z9> (19V) and one such cable
> for my electric razor (15V).

As I said, I can't be sure that this happened, but the charger was a Google
Pixel 5 device, and the target a radio VNA. Its USB-C port is marked "5V", and
the charger has two voltages: 5V/3A and 9V/2.3A. The cable is a standard
Amazon USB-C to USB-C. I know it /shouldn't/ happen.

--
Cheers,
David
Web: http://www.satsignal.eu

In article <t801nd$1sto$1@gioia.aioe.org>, AJL <noemail@none.org> wrote:

>
> How about no connectors? I could certainly live with such a phone.

<https://www.theverge.com/circuitbreaker/2019/1/23/18194178/meizu-zero-p
hone-trends-hole-ports-buttons>
According to Meizu, the Zero has ³no buttons, no speakers holes,
no SIM card slot, [and] no charging port.² Most of the exterior of
the device is a seamless slab of ceramic (an effect that¹s only
slightly ruined by a protruding camera bump on the back and
what appear to be microphone holes on the bottom).

> I haven't used any on mine (USB-C or earphone) in over a year now.

there's still the occasional need for a cable, especially if something
goes very wrong and the device needs a full reset/reinstall.

> Well, I
> did recently test to see if audio came through both ports (and it did)
> for a Usenet post but I won't count that...

i will. :)

On 6/10/2022 11:32 AM, nospam wrote:
> AJL <noemail@none.org> wrote:

>> How about no connectors? I could certainly live with such a phone.

> there's still the occasional need for a cable, especially if
> something goes very wrong and the device needs a full
> reset/reinstall.

I have never needed to do any reset that required using a port and I
doubt most folks have.

Perhaps with a portless phone your full reset/reinstall would then
become a trip to a phone doctor (for most folks) where it would be done
internally. Kinda like a battery replacement these days requires a trip
to the same phone doctor (for most folks) to be replaced internally.

Another WIRELESS charging complaint was that one couldn't charge and
talk at the same time and thus a wire charger was needed. However I see
that Apple has now solved that problem with its MagSafe...

In article <t80cot$or$1@dont-email.me>, AJL <noemail@none.com> wrote:

> >> How about no connectors? I could certainly live with such a phone.
>
> > there's still the occasional need for a cable, especially if
> > something goes very wrong and the device needs a full
> > reset/reinstall.
>
> I have never needed to do any reset that required using a port and I
> doubt most folks have.

however, it's not zero.

> Perhaps with a portless phone your full reset/reinstall would then
> become a trip to a phone doctor (for most folks) where it would be done
> internally. Kinda like a battery replacement these days requires a trip
> to the same phone doctor (for most folks) to be replaced internally.

unlike opening up a phone to swap a battery, resetting and reinstalling
is much easier and almost impossible to break anything.

those who are not tech-savvy could be walked through it via a phone
call with tech support.

> Another WIRELESS charging complaint was that one couldn't charge and
> talk at the same time and thus a wire charger was needed. However I see
> that Apple has now solved that problem with its MagSafe...

apple also solved it for android users too:

<https://www.androidauthority.com/best-magsafe-adapters-3086733/>
Here are some of the best Android MagSafe adapters you can buy.

a better way to solve that is use bluetooth headphones while the phone
sits on a charger (either wired or wireless).

wired headphones could also be used, although that's more limiting.

with battery life that lasts a day or two on a charge, it's rarely an
issue.

On 6/10/2022 3:08 PM, nospam wrote:
> AJL <noemail@none.com> wrote:

>> A WIRELESS charging complaint was that one couldn't charge and
>> talk at the same time and thus a wire charger was needed. However I
>> see that Apple has now solved that problem with its MagSafe...

> apple also solved it for android users too:

> <https://www.androidauthority.com/best-magsafe-adapters-3086733/>
> Here are some of the best Android MagSafe adapters you can buy.

I hadn't seen these. A solution then for the above wireless charging
complaint for the soon to be ubiquitous portless Android phones... ;)

> a better way to solve that is use bluetooth headphones while the
> phone sits on a charger (either wired or wireless).

A PITA.

> wired headphones could also be used, although that's more limiting.

A bigger PITA.

> with battery life that lasts a day or two on a charge, it's rarely an
> issue.

Yup. IF my phone was on the wireless charger and it rang, I'd just pick
it up and talk. The loss in charge time would hardly matter.

But since I charge overnight while sleeping, there are no calls and thus
no problem...

On 6/10/2022 6:36 PM, AJL wrote:

<snip>

> I hadn't seen these. A solution then for the above wireless charging
> complaint for the soon to be ubiquitous portless Android phones...  ;)

Yeah, it's odd that someone would use a wireless charging pad with a
wire from the power adapter to the charging pad rather than connecting
the wire directly to the phone, but if portless phones become a thing
then it would make sense.

"AJL" <noemail@none.com> wrote in message news:t7vrl9$jb5$1@dont-email.me...
> I think most folks would like a standard. The problem is which one.
>
> Connectors seem to keep improving over the years and so if one were
> declared a standard by a government would the improvements stop?
>
> Most of my collection are chargers that were included in the box.
> Perhaps if the charger were sold separately? I know some manufacturers
> are doing it now so perhaps that will help...

I don't know how robust and rugged USB-C is in relation to Micro-USB. I find
that that Micro-USB cables last about 6 months before the contacts start to
be intermittent. Sometimes it is the plug itself which fails, other times it
is the cable right next to the plug.

A switch to right-angled plugs (of any type) would help for cables to phones
and tablets, where there is the tendency to use the device, with the cable
coming out of the bottom of the device, closest to your body when you are
using the device, and this can strain the cable and plug.

If USB-C is more robust, then there is a case for saying "will it ever
improve significantly?".

Selling adaptors separately is good: it means that correctly localised
versions can be sold for each country, rather than providing an adaptor
which has standard pins into which one of several country-specific mains
plugs is slotted (eg UK versus "standard European" versus US which all have
to be supplied).

I suppose every manufacturer is scared of a cheap not-standards-compliant
adaptor causing their device to malfunction and therefore giving the device
(as opposed to the PSU) a bad name.

We need to carry two cables in the car: one for my older phone which uses
Micro-USB, and one for my wife's phone and iPad which both use USB-C. In
practice we use one cable, with or without a Micro-USB to USB-C converter.
All we need now is a way to prevent that adaptor getting mislaid...

One of the problems that I can foresee with the switch to USB-C is the use
of USB-C at the *computer* end as well as it the peripheral end (where
peripheral is printer, phone, tablet etc). It's a question of master and
slave. I presume a computer connected to a printer or phone needs one sort
of double-ended USB-C cable whereas two phones connected to each other needs
another sort which is wired for USB-on-the-go. Unless modern devices can
auto-sense and remove the need for differently-wired cables - in the same
way that there is no longer a need for distinguishing between straight-wired
and crossover cables for Ethernet (thank goodness!).

The main requirements for a modern connector are:

- robust: resilient to many plug/unplug cycles and inadvertent sideways
straining of plug in socket

- latching (ideally) so the plug can't pull out if the cable gets tugged: if
only all plugs were as good as BNC connectors! (*)

- symmetrical so there isn't a right and a wrong way round to insert the
plug (USB-C passes this test; normal (**) USB-A, B, Mini and Micro do not,
just as RS-232 and parallel cables failed it)

(*) SCART (European audio+video cables between VCR and TV) were notorious:
the very thick heavy cable tended to pull one end of the plug out of the
socket enough for the pins at that end to make intermittent contact or none
at all. A *bad* design :-(

(**) Excluding the special reversible versions of USB-A and Micro-USB which
are a godsend ;-)