Project:USB Cable Tester: Difference between revisions

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Do you know the moment when you have connecting your device and you suspect a USB cable without data lines but you don´t know for sure or you want to know which cable is best for charging your power hungry phone or [[Raspberry Pi]].
==Project Background==
So it would be great to have a measuring instrument that tells you exactly that. First the idea was to build just one for the space but we could design a [[PCB]] and host a [[seminar]] in the future.
Do you know the moment when you try to connect a device and expect a USB cable to have connected data lines but you don´t know for sure? Or you want to figure out, which cable is best for charging your power hungry phone or [[Raspberry Pi]]?


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In these moments, it would be great to have a measuring instrument that tells you exactly that.


Feature wise I wanted it to have support for USB A, micro USB and type C because these are becoming increasingly popular. It should also be able to tell if the data pins are connected or if manufacturer cheeped out on "non essential" lanes and measure the resistance of the power lanes.
As a starting point, the idea is to build such a device for the CoMakingSpace and later possibly think about designing a a [[PCB]] and host a [[seminar]].
It would be nice to have a build in power source so you don´t have to plug it in when you want to use it, imagine that on a [[Multimeters|multimeter]].  
 
I haven´t decided jet whether or not to include a micro controller. For example an [[ESP8266]].
==The idea==
Feature wise, the cable tester should support USB A, micro USB and type C since these are the most pupular cable and connector types.  
 
It should be able to tell whether the data pins are connected or the manufacturer cheeped out on "non essential" lanes.<br/> Additionally, it should be able to measure the resistance of the power lanes in order to indicate the cable quality.
 
It would be nice to have a build in power source so you don´t have to plug it in when you want to use it.  
I haven´t decided yet whether or not to include a micro controller. For example an [[ESP8266]].

Latest revision as of 16:50, 22 March 2019

ProjectInfoBox

USB Cable Tester

Project-default.png
Status: infancy
Release Date: 2019-02-02
Initiator: Luzian
Materials Used:
Tools Used: soldering iron
Software Used: Maybe PlatformIO
Approx. Cost: ~10€


Project Background

Do you know the moment when you try to connect a device and expect a USB cable to have connected data lines but you don´t know for sure? Or you want to figure out, which cable is best for charging your power hungry phone or Raspberry Pi?

In these moments, it would be great to have a measuring instrument that tells you exactly that.

As a starting point, the idea is to build such a device for the CoMakingSpace and later possibly think about designing a a PCB and host a seminar.

The idea

Feature wise, the cable tester should support USB A, micro USB and type C since these are the most pupular cable and connector types.

It should be able to tell whether the data pins are connected or the manufacturer cheeped out on "non essential" lanes.
Additionally, it should be able to measure the resistance of the power lanes in order to indicate the cable quality.

It would be nice to have a build in power source so you don´t have to plug it in when you want to use it. I haven´t decided yet whether or not to include a micro controller. For example an ESP8266.