Re: usb Confusion

["Thomas Schmitt" <scdbackup@gmx.net>]

Hi,

Martin McCormick wrote:
> After recently ordering and receiving a new 1 TB external
> SSD drive, I realized I had no way to connect it. It has a small
> rectangular slot about 8 MM or a quarter of an inch long.  A Mac
> lightning connector is almost exactly the same size but
> fortunately doesn't plug in but that's the size of whatever fits.
> Crucial says it is usb-A .

6.5 to 8 mm is too small for USB Type A (12 mm), which is about the only
clearly rectangular shape on
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USB#Receptacle_%28socket%29_identification
All others have protrusions or chamfers instead of corners or rounded edges.

Mac Lightning resembles Type C. 8 mm width, 2.4 mm height, half circles
where a rectangle would have its small vertical edges.
A look into the offers at Amazon shows that Type C is quite usual with
portable SSDs.

The typical USB socket at computers is Type A. 12 mm x 4.5 mm.
Rectangular with a plastic tongue at about half height of the socket.
But the drives at sale often offer a cable for C-to-C too.


Have a nice day :)

Thomas