Hello,
This does not directly relate to android or android devices but as this seems to be one of the more active communities, I thought I should give it a shot here.
I’m Wondering why the USB C socket and plug have the geometry they have. To me, it seems like the more complex hardware is located in the socket which is located on the more expensive device compared to the cable. Firebolt (is that the apple standard’s name?) seem to handle it the opposite by having the flat plug with bare contacts.
Background is that I have frequently had issues with charging my phone due to dust or other dirt getting suck in the socket. Lacking adequate household items, I had to use a small screw driver to get the dirt out, which I think in general a bad idea.
Are there any technical reasons to have the flat contact in the center of the usb socket rather than the plug?
Use a wooden toothpick, not a conductive metal screw. Geez!
In terms of WHY? It’s 1/2 dozen of one, 6 or so of another. Yeah, the Apple solution seems more robust, and I have no doubt it is. Apple gets a lot of shit, most of it well deserved, but I also have little doubt that they tested the hell out of their connector to be incredibly robust.
I too think their solution seems better, but if yiu are abusing your device enough to where you are breaking the connector, something is wrong.
Apple was one of the major contributors to the USB-C standard, including the physical connectors.
The tongue design was used because it makes high speed a lot easier. If your traces are in the center of the connector, you can do a cutout of the PCB and mount a “dumb” connector housing for the socket. You can also have a ground plane right in the middle and use both sides for differential pairs, which is exactly what happened. It also means you don’t have to deal with the pain of high frequency signals leaving the board into the air like other connectors.
But yes, don’t shove screwdrivers into your USB sockets either.
They probably did test it… and made it worse for planed obsolescence.