Your USB-C cables aren’t damaged. This $14 tester reveals what’s actually occurring

I’ve a drawer stuffed with USB cables and each time I wish to join a tool, I’ve to attempt them out. USB-C was presupposed to simplify issues: One cable for every little thing, that was the promise. In apply, it’s a unique story: There are cables that may solely cost. There are some that switch information. Some additionally transmit picture info, which might then be used as a monitor cable.

After which there’s at all times the query of velocity: 30 or 100 watts of charging energy? USB 2.0 velocity with 480 megabits or USB 3.2 and even Thunderbolt with as much as 40 gigabits per second? Sadly, the cable labelling usually doesn’t assist to carry order to the cable chaos. After which units run or cost unnecessarily slowly as a result of the unsuitable cable has been used.

Cheap cable tester solves cable issues

Fortuitously, this has now come to an finish for me: An cheap cable tester from Treedix makes testing cables youngster’s play: Merely plug it in, test the LEDs, and I do know whether or not my cable is “good” or whether or not I can stuff it within the different cable field within the basement. The one the place I additionally hold SCART and jack cables.

The tester’s small, intelligent circuit board is powered by a reasonable CR2032 button battery and presents quite a few USB ports. Along with two USB-C 3.0 ports, there are two USB-A ports (USB 2.0 and USB 3.0) in addition to mini-USB, micro-USB, Sort-B, Lightning, and a tough drive connector (Micro-B 2.0).

The performance is so simple as it’s environment friendly. Merely plug each ends of the cable to be examined into the machine and the cable tester will show a collection of LEDs. Principally, the extra LEDs that gentle up, the higher the cable.

Which means of the person LEDs on the cable tester

Sadly, no directions have been provided with my cable tester — nevertheless, there’s a PDF on-line with working directions for the Treedix model.

Sadly, the cable tester doesn’t at the moment assist Thunderbolt or USB 4.0 — however this isn’t an issue, as each cable varieties must be labelled as commonplace anyway. What’s extra, these cables are comparatively costly and will due to this fact be straightforward to recollect — not less than that’s how it’s for me.

No family ought to be with no USB cable tester

For me, the small cable tester can also be extra of an assist to sorting the numerous different cables. Ragged USB-C charging cables can look identical to the high-quality cables from the digital digicam — with the distinction that they don’t work in the identical manner. The cable tester helps me rather a lot right here — and in my view, no family ought to be with out one. Particularly because it’s cheap and straightforward to make use of.