I stopped trusting USB-C cable labels and started testing them

I use one of these to check the wiring of the USB cables I get, especially if I'm getting a weird one. I've always been a little freaked out by the story of that Google employee who posted very trusted USB-C cable reviews to Amazon, then got his equipment fried by one that crossed the wires.

https://www.tindie.com/products/bittradeone/usb-cable-checke...

But when I care about performance, I just get a cable from Anker and don't worry too much about it.

BUT THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IS: WHERE CAN I GET ONE OF THOSE TINY GREEN MILK CREATES IN THE PHOTO?

> But I shouldn't have had to do any of this. It's time cables came with a label of their own, or some sort of color coding.

There shouldn't even need to be a label. A USB-C cable should be a USB-C cable should be a USB-C cable. There should be a single connectivity/performance spec, and if the cable meets it, it can be called a USB-C cable, and if it doesn't, it should have to be marketed as USB-JUNK or something.

This is what happens when the spec is awful and says "the cable must do 480Mbps, or it must do 40Gbps, or... whatever, have fun!"

I came up with a color code based on the wiring: Red for Power Only, Blue for USB 2.0, Green for USB 3 (the ones with the extra pairs connected). I use paint pens to mark every cable I come across with this code. Generally speaking, only the Green ones have special PD emarker chips.

It doesn't cover every possible configuration, but it's good enough for when I'm like "I need a USB cable" vs "I need a good USB cable"

I use this tester: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CF95VL2Y

> Any cable that can transfer data faster than USB 2.0 speeds also requires a chip to do so.

I always found this confusing because USB 3.0 Micro-B cables can transfer data faster than USB 2.0 without needing an e-marker, so why do USB-C cables need one if they already have the Tx and Rx SuperSpeed wires?

It seems like the answer is, roughly, "it's complicated".

https://old.reddit.com/r/UsbCHardware/comments/1ow1tpf/why_d...

https://old.reddit.com/r/UsbCHardware/comments/13j0gev/do_us...

That's an ad. There's a lot of cable testers around, most of them are crap. Cheap testers like this one are based on generic chips reading e-markers and aren't even guaranteed to support all quick charging standards. And bandwidth is another matter entirely.

Related discussion “The USB Situation” (3 months ago): https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47950993

re: https://randsinrepose.com/guides/usb/usb-guide.html

Apple sells this $30 (0.5m) CalDigit cable https://www.apple.com/shop/product/hs9d2zm/a/ and this $70 (1m) Apple cable https://www.apple.com/shop/product/mdw94am/a/

There's also some interesting discussion of Thunderbolt 5 cables on reddit (6 months ago): https://www.reddit.com/r/UsbCHardware/comments/1r84q54/

Does HN allow spammy posts written for the sake of sharing an affiliate link? Surprised to see this here.

LTT has created true spec cables with the actual spec mentioned on the cables but they can not keep up with demand despite being expensive get sold out as soon as new stock comes in.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hfovjw7Ts_U&t=974s

As always, these testers (the affordable ones) are capable of testing continuity, and, I guess, the cable chip report.

If you want to test bandwidth, that's a five- or six-figure bit of gear.

Interestingly, I have found a very mixed bag of USB-C cables I've collected over the years to generally just work for all my use cases. I can charge my various USB-C laptops at 65W with all the USB-C cables I have on hand. Maybe it's just my habit of just buying cables from known brands (Belkin is normally my go to) but I also have random cables that came with various devices of varying quality and all these also work just fine. I have a 6-port charging hub so I can see the charging wattage and I can easily get 65W to various laptops and a high capacity power bank, regardless of the cable being used. All cables also work fine for data transfer, although I confess I use USB-C for data transfer rarely so it is possible there is some variability there. YMMV but I wonder how much of this issue is just crappy low-end cables?

Verge recently posted this (free) app for testing on Mac's: https://www.theverge.com/gadgets/963759/whatcable-usb-c-cabl...

I swear ive read this exact same thread with the exact same truepsec cable mention with the exact same amazon link for recommendations.

Is there a cheap, reliable tester that someone can recommend that will test multiple USB cable types (A, micro & C)?

The whole space is so scammy that I'd pay for a good USB-C cable tester

I have completely stopped buying USB. I only rely on thunderbolt cables and hubs now.

I'd like a HDMI cable tester as well, I can't seem to find one that works well with my high refresh monitor.

Started using whatcable.uk app. Been amazing at finally knowing cable speed, but also device max speeds, and everything in between, without having to carry around one of those digital dongles with more limited use.

The Anker Prime 160W power brick shows the maximum wattage of the cables you plug in. It is also surprisingly small.

If you want a super fast cable and high power thats where they get pricey. "Charge only" cables can often be fairly cheap and perform well even for laptops and high draw devices.

I just pay a premium to a reliable source: Apple

Regardless of tests they do charge my most energy hungry devices and everything else

Many of us are privileged enough to make our lives easier in this way and haven't thought about it

Just measuring the power info is limited use. I'm sure there's value for some people, but I only need to keep track of 0-2 high power cables.

> Your no-brand 480Mbps USB 2.0 cable is indistinguishable from the super-fast USB 4 cable that can move 40 gigabits (around 5 gigabytes) of data every single second.

One of those is way thicker than the other, at least.

I would love for something to force a speed and power rating on USB-C plugs.

Isnt this what "USB-IF certified" is supposed to guarantee?

Instead of using a dedicated device, on Macs you can also use the WhatCable app:

https://www.whatcable.uk

hmm, how about just being able to infer the features of a cable by it's physical form factor? oh wait...

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