I am an IT guy and have a lot of USB cables and chargers.

As the world consolidates on the USB-C connector, regardless of what cable is actually used, it becomes more important to verify the specs of a cable and chargers.

Just because they might say USB3 doesn’t mean that they are USB3, they might USB2 with USB-C comnectors, or they might be a hybrid solution with a low data rate and a high charge rate.

How do you know?

A real USB cable analyzer costs a shitload of money.

I have three tools that can help me get and idea about what kind of cable or charger.

  1. The USB data lines tester - this tool shows if a USB cable has all pins connected, a quick and dirty test to verify the design of the cable, if not the quallity.
  2. USB Power meter - This is probably the most useful tester you can get for everyday use, it shows the current power draw when connected in series with a carger/powerbank, cable and device, you can verify that a device is actually charging and how fast it is charging. You can verify that a charger is supplying the correct amount of power and even see a diagram of how the charge rate over time.
  3. USB power load tester - This allows me to force test a charger’s output, it also tests if the charger can support fast charging protocols like QC or PD, the model linked does not seem to support PD testing, but mine from joy-it.com does.
  • wizardbeard@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
    2·
    21 days ago

    Hey, just wanted to follow up and apologize for my shitty tone. It can be easy to forget just how freaking vast the landscape of IT has become, and how it’s entirely possible to be a professional with a long history in the field and still have blind spots. Plus it doesn’t help that everything keeps trying to hide more and more of the actual details from end users.

    Thank you for taking it in stride and politely.

    • stoy@lemmy.zipOPEnglish
      2·
      21 days ago

      Hey, thanks for the apology, though I wasn’t offended.

      I am fine with some banter and you also took the time to explain the issue and sort out my links, which I really appreciate.

      The other poster was rude in just bashing without explaining the risks, and I was sarcastic back to them, you took the time and helped me, that is the difference.

      I hope you will have a great weekend, I have tickets for the Project Hail Mary film for tomorrow evening, and I hope you also get to have some fun.