Basic TIPS on the USB Cord

We all use chargers of different shapes, sizes, colors and designs. We only worry about getting a full charge and don’t have a full scoop of what the USB cord actually entails. Some of us even deal with problems of slow charging on your devices and some even have USB cords that once were used to transfer files and now can only charge your device.

I’d be classifying USB cords according to a non-standard yet explanatory way so as to help you understand better.

Let’s classify USB cords into 2 places in terms of functions. One is the charging cord and the other is the charging plus data cord.

The first can only supply power to your devices while the latter can act as a charger and can also work to put your phone in the mass storage or data transfer mode. In the first type of USB cables, there are usually 2 wires, the black and red wire. Meaning the positive and negative power lines. The latter usually has 4 wires inside. The red, black, white and green wires. The red and black are power lines while the white and green are data lines. So, if any of these data lines were to get damaged, the cord wouldn’t work as a data cable again but function alone as a power cord. This is why intensive care should be given to our cords. Preventive and protective measures would be later discussed.

Another classification is the classification by Version. There are 2 prominent versions of USB. They are USB 2.0 and USB 3.0. 

USB 3.0 provides better speed and more efficient power management than USB 2.0. USB 3.0 is backward compatible with USB 2.0 devices; however, data transfer speeds are limited to USB 2.0 levels when these devices inter-operate (A USB 2.0 device would operate at USB 2.0 speeds even when connected to a USB 3.0 port). In 2014, a new standard, USB 3.1 was released and is expected to be in widespread use by 2015. Rather than 4 wires in the USB 2.0 cords, there are 9 wires in USB 3.0 cords. USB 3.0 is special in a unique way. It dedicates one line to sending data and another separate line to receiving data. USB 2.0 uses the same line to send and receive data. So, if you are planning on getting a device, a laptop, phone or external hard disk, ensure you get one that has USB 3.0 support.

Selecting a charger/ replacing your charger

We all have this syndrome where we don’t consider any replacement part of our device to be as good as the one that came in the same box with our devices. The follow come syndrome. Funny thing. Getting the best out of a replacement charger is as easy as saying the word EASY. There are few steps I’d like to share with us.

a.     a. When you get a charger from the box, identify the power ratings of the charger. The output voltage, the current etc.

b.   b.   When you want to get a replacement for your charger, get a charger with power details similar to that of the charger that came in the box. A lot of people get chargers that are meant for tablets and use it for their small sized smartphones for the fact that it charges faster. Well, that is just equal to feeding a small baby with a big spoon. The OEMs have the best reason for packing the charger with a small power rating with the phone right out the factory. Respect that.

c.     c. Some chargers come in parts. The power head as a bit and the USB cord as another bit. There are times when the charger starts misbehaving. Try to check the USB cord first and then the power head.

Care of USB cords

USB cords are one of the most common accessories around. Getting one can be cheap but getting another after another can be annoying. To help prevent this. Some precautions must be taken.

a.      Try not to pull the cord from ports by the wire, you should rather pull by the connectors.

b.      Don’t lift devices using the cords as handles.

c.      Don’t roll up USB cords in tight rings or turns. These turns flex the wires again and again and can cause a break after some time.

d.      Pull the cords directly out of ports and try not to shake them repeatedly so as to get it loose. This will only loosen the port and the connector on the USB cord.

Concerning the slow charge of devices, some reason are outlined below for slow charge.

a.      Connecting your USB cord to a pc and trying to charge a device would definitely be slow as the port on that computer doesn’t supply the same power as indicated on the charger for that device.

b.    b.   Plugging of multiple USB charger cords to a USB hub would result in a slow charge as the voltage would split into connected devices and result in slow charging.

c.  c.     A damaged power line in a USB cord can also result in slow charging as a proper conduction of power is absent.

d.  d.     A burnt charger may sometimes charge a device but at a slow pace. Check your chargers regularly for defects, burns, odd smells etc.

A lot can be said concerning the use of USB cords, this little should do for now. For more info, feel free to ask.