this post was submitted on 17 Jan 2024
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EEVBlog also talked about this in a mailbag episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rEZQvSgdA2k&t=1839s

And they also have different cable versions available: https://caberqu.com/

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[–] Eideen@lemmy.world 25 points 9 months ago (3 children)

If it tested the resistance i would be great.

[–] DonPiano@lemmy.ca 15 points 9 months ago

No point; resistance is futile.

I'll just see myself out.

[–] Dyskolos@lemmy.zip 14 points 9 months ago (1 children)

There are some cheap testers for that. Even om amazon

[–] noodlejetski@lemm.ee 37 points 9 months ago (3 children)
[–] Viking_Hippie@lemmy.world 7 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)

Q: What does a buddhist electrician say when he meditates?

A: Ohm

[–] Dyskolos@lemmy.zip 4 points 9 months ago

lol, no pun intended, just too stupid to type on phone :-)

[–] lunachocken@lemm.ee 3 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)
[–] JaymesRS 6 points 9 months ago

You still need a multimeter, but the one I have (Treedix.com) has easily accessible electrical contacts for testing resistance.

[–] peto@lemm.ee 17 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Oh, that kind of bad usb cable. Still useful I guess.

[–] quiescentcurrent@discuss.tchncs.de 19 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Not sure what else, but the thing can tell you if a cable is USB2.0, USB3.0/3.1/.. or just for charging.

[–] 01189998819991197253@infosec.pub 4 points 9 months ago

I'm pretty sure they thought the article meant this type of badusb cable. I did, too, at first.

[–] Romkslrqusz@lemm.ee 11 points 9 months ago (1 children)

There are superior versions of this that include every physical USB port (A, B, C, Micro, Mini, and even lightning) so that you can test any cable instead of just type C to type C.

[–] jenny_ball@lemmy.world 2 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Link? i have this one only

[–] Romkslrqusz@lemm.ee 15 points 9 months ago (2 children)

Here’s the one I use: https://treedix.com/products/treedix-usb-cable-tester-board-usb-cable-checker-data-wire-with-acrylic-case-charging-test-data-line-type-c-micro-type-a-type-b

The exposed pads are also fantastic to break out data lines for measurement when performing electronics repairs.

[–] jenny_ball@lemmy.world 1 points 9 months ago

nice thank you

[–] BearOfaTime@lemm.ee 0 points 9 months ago (1 children)

That's awesome.

Have you ever seen it with a real case, not just the acrylic "cover"? I'd like to be able to hand it to someone and not worry about the guts. Yea, I could print something, but frankly I can't be arsed, lol.

[–] Romkslrqusz@lemm.ee 1 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Mine didn’t come with a case, it’s a very simple circuit so not much concern of ESD causing a problem.

It basically just runs power through every pin on the cable to illuminate corresponding LEDs.

[–] BearOfaTime@lemm.ee 0 points 9 months ago

Oh, for sure. Just non-tech friends give me the squint eye when I hand em things like this (I'm known for using duct tape and goop on stuff, haha).

[–] paddirn@lemmy.world 11 points 9 months ago (3 children)

Is it common for USB-C cables to go bad? I just had a cable for an Xbox controller start to go bad somehow in a way I hadn't seen before. When plugged in, it will cause the Xbox to power off. Swapping out the cable, but using the same controller made the problem go away, so it's definitely the cable causing it. It's the same USB-C cable we had been using for awhile with this controller, it's what came with it.

[–] lloram239@feddit.de 9 points 9 months ago

If you wiggle them around long enough, they all go bad. But it should take a few years under normal use. They are rated for around 10,000 insertions. Cable bending can also damage them.

The more annoying part with modern USB is that not all cables are alike to begin with. Cheap charging cables that you get with random gadgets (e.g. flashlights, fans, etc.) will often just have two pins connected, meaning they work only for charging, not data. Others might have data pins, but only enough for USB2, not USB3 speeds. Others might have too much resistance slowing down charging or dropping too much voltage to even have a device function properly at the other end (common issue with long cables or extensions). And so on. Rather annoying to deal with when you just have some random cables floating around, as there is absolutely no labeling or color coding to differentiate the cables.

[–] jenny_ball@lemmy.world 8 points 9 months ago

it's not that they go bad. this tool can tell you what features are on the cable because the cables vary a lot.

[–] riskable@programming.dev 3 points 9 months ago

It's not the cable that goes bad it's the connectors on the ends: They wear out.

[–] sagrotan@lemmy.world 7 points 9 months ago (2 children)

Am I missing something here or is this roughly the same what you get for 4 bucks from China? I mean, 30 euros plus shipping is a lot for a cable tester imo

[–] phx@lemmy.ca 10 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Do you trust the $4 tester from China to test the suspect cheap cables from China?

[–] XeroxCool@lemmy.world 1 points 9 months ago

50% failure rate of the cables and 50% failure of the tester means a problem will be found 100% of the time, but it dmwont tell you where. Or something.

[–] topinambour_rex@lemmy.world 3 points 9 months ago

This one seems to test much more lines than the cheap chinese ones.

[–] PipedLinkBot@feddit.rocks 4 points 9 months ago

Here is an alternative Piped link(s):

https://www.piped.video/watch?v=rEZQvSgdA2k&t=1839s

Piped is a privacy-respecting open-source alternative frontend to YouTube.

I'm open-source; check me out at GitHub.

[–] jadedwench@lemmy.world 3 points 9 months ago

Oh man! Super happy to see his channel on here. Dave is the shit and is the only reason I can half ass solder things. His intro soldering videos are great.

[–] SaintWacko@midwest.social 2 points 9 months ago (1 children)

I have a really cool one of those for serial cables

[–] lnxtx@feddit.nl 1 points 9 months ago

Null modem or straight through.

[–] annata20@discuss.tchncs.de 1 points 8 months ago

Consider using a USB-C analyzer or connections tester. These devices can provide information about the cable's performance, power delivery capabilities, and compliance with USB standards.