Need a USB Cable? Build One

https://josef-adamcik.cz/electronics/need-a-usb-cable-build-on.html

by Gedxx • 7 years ago

206 67 7 years ago

oneplane• 7 years ago

I suppose this is more of an aesthetic thing than a tech thing considering that a cable like this probably doesn't match the USB spec very well ;-)

penagwin• 7 years ago

Actually I'm not sure, I don't know much about the spec, but I know that USB 3 has certain pairings similar to ethernet, but USB 2 doesn't have those.

If the cable he's using is shielded by ground then I think it might be up to USB 2 spec?

Edit: Interesting mini-comparison of USB 1 and USB 2 http://ww3.microtek.com.tw/tw/uploads/faq/pdf/comparison-usb...

miahi• 7 years ago

Shielding doesn't mean it meets the required impedance/attenuation for the USB frequencies. USB uses the same idea as Ethernet (differential signaling) so you can make an analogy - Ethernet requires different cable specifications depending on the speed, and it's the same with USB. And the same as with Ethernet, you can usually use a lower-specced cable for short lengths.

metaphor• 7 years ago

Actually I'm not sure, I don't know much about the spec...

See the USB 2.0 Cables and Connectors Class Document[1], in particular, 4.10.7 Test Group '6'.

Why speculate when the USB-IF has made their standards both free and readily accessible?

[1] https://www.usb.org/sites/default/files/CabConn20.pdf

sannee• 7 years ago

Interestingly, even the full speed spec (which is likely what the keyboard is running at) requires a shielded cable (which the one linked in the post isn't).

ocdtrekkie2• 7 years ago

This is cool, and for an art project, sensible, but USB is far to much of a pain in the rear for regular cable-making if you, "need" a USB cable. I prefer to cut my own CAT 5/6 over buying premade in a lot of situations, but that doesn't require I heat up the soldering iron.

hathawsh• 7 years ago

On that tangent... I've made some CAT 5 cables using a crimping tool, but aligning all 8 wires in the correct order for simultaneous insertion into the plug is quite a bit of work. Is there a trick or tool for doing it quickly?

LukeShu• 7 years ago

Having made a lot of them... the only trick I know is "practice".

ocdtrekkie2• 7 years ago

Probably the biggest "pro-tip" I've seen from ISP cable techs is that they tend to strip way more cable than they need to go in the connector, like two or three inches worth, align the wires, kinda bend them back and forth to get everything smoothly bending the same way (straight, ideally), and then cutting off the excess.

The easy though I've seen is some folks use RJ-45 jacks with holes in the end of the connector, so you can run this excess length right through the connector, and then the crimper cuts off the excess as well.

cptskippy2• 7 years ago

Is there a trick or tool for doing it quickly?

I've made quite a few in my day and it's never been an issue. I always untwist the pairs, then with the cable in my left hand, pinch the blue pair between my left thumb and index finger. I then slide the wires in between my fingers from either side in the appropriate order using my right hand. Once I have all the wires aligned, I grasp the wires between right thumb and index finger and slide my left fingers down to the sheath. Then I work the cable back and forth. I then return my left hand to pinching the wires and trim them to length before inserting.

jolmg4• 7 years ago

Connectors like these:

https://i.ytimg.com/vi/ml6qOAiM9Vc/hqdefault.jpg

Insert the cables through it, then cut off the excess.

naveen99• 7 years ago

Untwist using a paperclip and align tighter by bending side to side and forward backward all 8 at the same time. https://youtu.be/14P1cOFM_1k

jolmg4• 7 years ago

GX12 or GX16 4-pin aviation connector (Aliexpress) for decoration.

Aesthetics is subjective of course, but I've never really liked things that are added for decoration but have no functional purpose. It's like fake drawers on cabinets or fake pockets on shirts or blazers. In this case, I imagine that connector even adds weight to the cable for no reason at all. It's got to make it a bit uncomfortable when using the keyboard off the desk which I imagine is the purpose of the coiling.

My kind of beauty is the adminbook[1]. Everything has a functional purpose in that. Nothing is added simply because it looks pretty.

Is there a name for this kind of aesthetics?

[1] https://habr.com/en/post/437912/

roywiggins2• 7 years ago

Brutalism?

dmix• 7 years ago

aka taking functionalism too far

dmurray• 7 years ago

No, that's specifically a style of architecture featuring (inter alia) raw concrete external finishes, and not a catchall for things you find ugly.

kevin_thibedeau2• 7 years ago

I'd go with post-modernist electronics. Pretty much everything case-mod/gamer related.

pbalau• 7 years ago

The device looks interesting and I think I can find uses for it in other domains, than sys admin. I just skimmed over the article, but I can't find a price and from where to buy.

Rebelgecko• 7 years ago

It doesn't exist, it looks like just renderings. Maybe the closest you can get is something like the GPD MicroPC. Although I don't know of anything that has some of the features on their wishlist, like reversible input/output video ports.

Excel_Wizard• 7 years ago

Architects call it functionalism.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Functionalism_(architecture)

deckar01• 7 years ago

Doesn't the connector make it modular?

cptskippy2• 7 years ago

The cable? Yes but why? It's already removable from the keyboard.

jolmg4• 7 years ago

If there's ever a need for a GX12-to-MicroUSB or GX12-to-USB-A cable, then sure, but I doubt it, and the poster specifically said it was only for decoration.

PascLeRasc2• 7 years ago

Let's say you were very into mechanical keyboards and DIY boards (and I think that's a fair assumption if you're building your own cables). You might do this to let you have one cable run from your computer/monitor hub and easily switch between different keyboards with USB-C or micro/mini connectors.

What's the idea behind the key coloring on the Adminbook? (https://hsto.org/webt/2-/mh/ag/2-mhagvoofl7vgqiadv3rcnclb0.j...). I think there's a certain "it's extra bulky and ugly because it looks more functional that way" to both the Adminbook and the 4-pin industrial connector, and that's fine.

jolmg4• 7 years ago

You might do this to let you have one cable run from your computer/monitor hub and easily switch between different keyboards with USB-C or micro/mini connectors.

And the cable does have a microusb connector, but what I was talking about was the inclusion of some aviation connector right in the middle. Even the post said it was purely decorative.

What's the idea behind the key coloring on the Adminbook?

The post on the adminbook does talk about the rationale behind the colors:

To hit the buttons faster, different key colors are used.
For example, the numeric row is specifically colored gray to visually separate it from the QWERTY row, and NumLock is mapped to the “6” key, colored black to stand out.
the function keys can be pressed without Fn. These are separate keys that are even divided into groups of 4 using color coding and location.
That is, it’s an LED above the display, illuminating the keyboard from the top. In this case, it is better than a backlight from below, because it allows you to distinguish the color of the keys.
Indicators are color-coded.

With regards to:

I think there's a certain "it's extra bulky and ugly because it looks more functional that way" to both the Adminbook and the 4-pin industrial connector, and that's fine.

I don't think the industrial connector itself is not functional, but rather its inclusion in a USB cable.

On the keyboard coloring scheme of the Adminbook, whether you would use it or not, it definitely can be used to distinguish different key groups. Besides the ones mentioned in the parts I quoted, there's also the light background color for the keypad buttons, the dark background color for the '0', '-', and '=' keys which are used for controlling zooming in multiple applications. The F key is where the nub for your index finger is to quickly position your hand correctly, etc.

ofrzeta• 7 years ago

As others have pointed out this kind of aesthetics can be categorized by "functionalism" and also goes with the slogan "form follows function" (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Form_follows_function). Also see Adolf Loos' essay "Ornament and Crime" (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ornament_and_Crime).

artsyca• 7 years ago

There's structural functionalism and then functional structuralism, you feel me?

shard• 7 years ago

Some people enjoy making things look interesting or exotic, see steampunk electronics. I am guessing that such stylistic designs in electronics does not appeal to you.

throwaway286• 7 years ago

I suspect the purpose is to put something in a cable that a commercial manufacturer would never put in a cable. That way, he can look at it and be reminded that "I made that", or he can brag about it when someone else sees it and asks.

jascii• 7 years ago

Sigh, whipping up a cable when needed has become something to post about? Does having stacks of pin-out diagrams and a hot soldering iron near my desk make me look old?

irq• 7 years ago

No, but it might make you stand out a bit from the almost entirely software focused nature of this web site.

kevin_thibedeau2• 7 years ago

Using paracord for sleeving is a good idea. Could be useful in practical applications.

lbotos• 7 years ago

Is it tho?

I have paracord on my HyperX headset and it's HORRIBLE, tangles constantly. I'm considering cutting it off just to avoid the tangle.

On something that never moves, maybe, but I abhor it.

kuzimoto2• 7 years ago

It's very popular in the audio community for making audio cables. I used some myself to make a sleeved and braided aux cable and it turned out really nice. Gives the cable a nice feel.

Also, I'm not sure if it's the braiding or the Paracord (or both?) But it's very anti-tangle.

I also used cable with a thin flexible jacket, so it doesn't stiffen up like a twig in winter.

Animats• 7 years ago

I wonder if it works at the higher USB speeds. It would be interesting to use a time domain reflectometer on that to see if the big 4-pin connector causes an impedance mismatch.

Here's a TI document on USB signal PC board layout.[1] Look at all those touchy requirements. Differential lines must be the same length, down to a millimeter or so. Stubs off to the side are bad, even stubs the thickness of a PC board. They cause reflections.

USB, despite how common it is, has tough electrical specs. USB-C (which is only vaguely related to USB A and B) is even worse.

[1] http://www.ti.com/lit/an/spraar7h/spraar7h.pdf

edoo• 7 years ago

USB high speed or slower is actually quite forgiving but you will eat up bus bandwidth on a range leading up to non-workability because if the minimum quality is met it will keep retrying. I've pulled off some designs without impedance matched traces with lengths beyond 40% of the signal wavelength (well into transmission line worry territory) that had no issues and helped keep production costs down.

epx• 7 years ago

Probably not. Assembled a keyboard with a CircuitPython controller, used the bundled mini-USB daughterboard and soldered a short piece of micro-USB cable to connect the controller (to keep the controller side unpluggable). Frozen at random times, solved by using a whole cable straight out from the controller. The original controller used software USB, meaning 1.1 speeds, and the new controller was of course high-speed 2.0.

willis936• 7 years ago

I like TDRs and they have a lot of uses in characterizing channels (especially with time gating). I think you could get away with much less expensive and much more friendly hardware in this case, since all you need is RL or VSWR.

cushychicken• 7 years ago

It's not the electrical performance that bones you - it's the emissions performance. USB stands out like a Dutch brothel in the emissions chamber if you mess up the routing or return path.

In signal integrity terms, I've found it quite robust.

Kirby64• 7 years ago

USB-C electrically is nearly identical to USB Type-A, assuming you're talking about a USB2.0 implementation. You get the same problems on USB-C as USB3.0/USB3.1 Type-A, assuming you're talking the same speeds.

Also, despite there being relatively tight tolerances, USB controls tends to be really tolerant of not meeting specs... if only because not everyone does meet spec. I doubt that 4-pin connector causes any meaningful issues, even at USB2.0 high speed.

jaclaz• 7 years ago

Worth of note:

USB connectors. In my case USB-Mini and USB-A but you can buy USB-Micro and USB-C too.

Sure I can buy the connectors, but soldering a USB-Micro is not exactly the same of a USB-A or a USB-Mini, let alone a USB-C.

And no, those pre-soldered to a breadboard don't count for a DIY cable.

x62Bh7948f• 7 years ago

Nice cable! I’m yet to meet someone who actually uses the hiragana layout for writing japanese.

gwilkes• 7 years ago

Indeed, I don't even know any Japanese people that use the kana keys. I don't know the recent data but in 2009 there was a study that found only 12% of Japanese people used kana input.

Something that is disappointing about these keycaps is that they mostly only make these for US keyboard layouts not actual Japanese keyboard layouts. I have a Japanese keyboard that the keys were getting worn on and something like this seems like it would be a good replacement but it isn't because several of the keys that aren't letters such as shift characters on numbers and other special characters are labeled wrong for a real Japanese keyboard.

There are some Japanese layout replacement keycaps but the selection is very limited compared to how many of these stylistic kana keycaps they make for US layouts. I cringe a little bit every time I see these keycaps. I mean I get it, but still.

corey_moncure• 7 years ago

I couldn't find け or む on this keyboard...

agumonkey• 7 years ago

I've been trying to turn old broken micro/mini usb cables into new ones using these https://www.aliexpress.com/item/10PCS-LOT-YT2153B-Micro-USB-...

But they're a tad too tiny/frail. Anyone knows some larger micro usb connector kits ?

mb_72• 7 years ago

Better build two; a backup of a special cable is always nice to have and it's much more convenient to order the parts and build both at the same time.

xyzal• 7 years ago

Reminded me of this project: Flash drive disguised as a sawed-off usb cable.

https://www.evilmadscientist.com/2008/how-to-make-a-sawed-of...

mncharity• 7 years ago

I'd like a USB cable with a flat right-angle low-profile soft connector. Like a USB mouse/keyboard wireless dongle, but instead of the hard plastic hardware, that's just the start of the cable. Starting with a slight angle, so it works with a row of inline USB ports. For always-in on-the-go USB cables, without the socket-destroying mechanical advantage lever of traditional connectors.

I use laptop USB ports for hand tracking cameras, an HMD, and related cruft. Frequent mobile use, and unfortunate ThinkPad port placement, has those port sockets mechanically distressed. I now have sticks which slide onto the laptop to brace the cables, but... a cleaner solution would be nice. A new laptop might have better placement, but would still need protective sticks.

Need a USB Cable? Build One

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