Are USB cables device-specific?
Rise to the top 3% as a developer or hire one of them at Toptal: https://topt.al/25cXVn
--------------------------------------------------
Music by Eric Matyas
https://www.soundimage.org
Track title: Sunrise at the Stream
--
Chapters
00:00 Are Usb Cables Device-Specific?
00:40 Accepted Answer Score 14
01:10 Answer 2 Score 13
01:28 Answer 3 Score 4
01:51 Answer 4 Score 1
02:10 Answer 5 Score 0
02:33 Thank you
--
Full question
https://superuser.com/questions/115435/a...
--
Content licensed under CC BY-SA
https://meta.stackexchange.com/help/lice...
--
Tags
#usb #compatibility #cable
#avk47
ACCEPTED ANSWER
Score 14
The U means universal indeed, but some manufacturers (such as Apple) choose to provide their own proprietary USB cables -- which are not interchangeable -- while others provide generic USB cables which are interchangeable.
All standard USB connectors by pinout.
In picture form: micro USB on the left, then mini USB, then regular full-size B and A USB.
ANSWER 2
Score 13
The U in USB means Universal. They're totally interchangeable. I just keep one around and the rest as backups/to lend to others, it works pretty well.
ANSWER 3
Score 4
They are interchangeable, but you will notice that they are not all same regarding build quality. I have a bunch of mini-USB cables, but only few of them can power a USB hard-drive without a secondary jack.
For devices not hungry for power, usually it does not matter.
ANSWER 4
Score 1
Note that there is a new USB 3.0 standard emerging.
Here's a news story entitled USB 3.0 - The new speed limit about it I received earlier today (2010-03-02).
ANSWER 5
Score 0
Also, on occasion you will run across a cable that looks like a USB cable, but is really not.
The ML-7 GPS tracker comes to mind. It has a A to mini-B USB cable that actually has a USB-to-serial converter inside the overmoulding on one end.
On the other hand, cables like that are REALLY rare.