
Show HN: An app for your older relatives, helping them find the right cables - jblok
https://www.dongledaddy.com
======
jbob2000
This is awesome! My only suggestion would be that for selections that are
incompatible, you should offer an explanation about why they are incompatible.
Just having the options greyed out and disabled is really frustrating for non-
technical users.

For example: "I want to connect my tablet to the TV". As a techie, I know this
is possible, but the solution is probably too complicated. It might be helpful
to let the user make this choice, but then say "You can't do this with a
cable". Even for stupid ones like "I want to connect my Printer to the TV",
just say "This is not possible, you can't connect X to Y".

~~~
witty_username
> For example: "I want to connect my tablet to the TV". As a techie, I know
> this is possible, but the solution is probably too complicated.

What do you mean? I've plugged in my mother's tablet to the TV on numerous
occasions with a mini-HDMI to HDMI cable. Is that uncommon on newer tablets?

~~~
jbob2000
Well that depends on the tablet you have, so the next question when you select
tablet-to-tv would be "Which tablet do you have"? Because a Nexus 7 doesn't
have any HDMI ports, so you'd have to get a Chromecast or something (too
technical).

~~~
pilsetnieks
When you select computer to TV, it asks whether your computer has a port like
this (this being a picture of a HDMI port.) I see no reason why they couldn't
do the same for a tablet.

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justusthane
Found a problem when trying to go for USB-C on Android.

I chose Mobile Phone to computer. It asked if I had an iPhone. I said no. It
asked if I had an Android. I said yes. It showed me a picture of a Micro USB
port and asked if the connection looked like that. I said no. Then it showed
me a picture of an older iPhone with a 30pin connector and asked if I had
that.

~~~
saddestcatever
Can confirm. Dongle Daddy can't currently help me power my Nexus 5x.

~~~
saddestcatever
Also, if my laptop doesn't have HDMI or VGA, I can't connect it to my TV.
Don't some ultrabooks only have Display Port out?

~~~
detaro
Yes, and even if something has DisplayPort and VGA (like some Thinkpads) you'd
probably want to use DP where possible.

EDIT: and I'm fairly sure the suggestion for connecting a VGA laptop to a HDMI
TV doesn't actually work that way around.

~~~
Symbiote
Indeed -- many TVs have VGA ports, or DVA, and that should be the first option
if the computer only has VGA (or DVA) out.

You can buy a VGA to HDMI adaptor, but I haven't tried one.

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PeterWhittaker
Awesome and clever idea! But, uh, marketing....

Within IT, we know what a dongle is. Outside IT, it sounds like it might mean
dildo or dong or something equally penilesque.

Combine that with "daddy", and, well, we might get it as a joke, but your
churchgoing grandma might not.

This service is not for IT people, so it cannot assume IT culture....

~~~
jblok
Old people love inuendos too :)

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detaro
Good idea, but I noticed some issues:

IMHO it would be useful if at least the result pages had permalinks so you
could copy and share them.

I think the adapter suggested for "laptop with VGA" to "TV with HDMI" does not
work that way around, which is exactly the kind of mistake this site should
help to avoid.

As others have noticed, (m)DP is fairly important and missing.

given the watermark, you are probably not allowed to use this image on your
site in this way
[https://www.dongledaddy.com/images/tv/hdmi.jpg](https://www.dongledaddy.com/images/tv/hdmi.jpg)

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aarondf
This is one of the few blatant affiliate plays that I'm 100% ok with. This
provides a very useful service, I don't care at all that you have your amazon
links there. Very very well done!

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overcast
Actually a pretty clever, and useful app. Definitely not only for "older
relatives". People in my office, in their 20/30/40's, can't even handle the
basics. That name though :D

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amatus
You're missing a cable I had to buy recently for my father-in-law: Laptop to
monitor: mini display port to DVI (specifically DVI without analog pins or it
wouldn't fit into the plug on the monitor).

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delecti
It's worth pointing out that the results might be hidden if you've got an
adblocker enabled. Took me a second after the result appeared to figure out
why there wasn't any product link like other comments were mentioning.

Neat idea though. Almost makes me wish I had some tech illiterate people in my
life so this could save me tech support.

Also, small suggestion: "TV" could reasonably be named "TV/Monitor/Projector".

~~~
deutronium
Ah, I was wondering where the link was, that explains it.

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RIMR
There is no way I am showing my grandfather this. He'll surely do it wrong and
blame me. Even when I do all the work for him, he gets confused, tells me I
did it wrong, redoes it himself, and then blames me when it doesn't work...

Last time I tried to help him, we argued for an hour about the difference
between an HDMI cable and a high-speed HDMI cable...

My clients, on the other hand, will love this tool.

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rdiddly
"Your older relatives," really? Did I miss the memo about how I'm supposed to
become instantly stupid and lazy just because you happened to come along and
be born? (Late?)

I know I know, "people whose purchasing of electronic junk surpasses their
ability/willingness to use Wikipedia" just isn't catchy.

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qntty
Cool site. I noticed it doesn't know about phones that have USB-C chargers.

edit: also DisplayPort for connecting to laptops

~~~
schlowmo
> "I noticed it doesn't know about phones that have USB-C chargers."

Allthough I find the base concept of the side promising (not only for older
relatives), it would be much more helpful if you add more connection types.
Some examples:

\- "Computer --> TV" only knows HDMI and VGA (E.g. what about [mini] Display
Port?) \- "Computer --> Printer" only knows USB A to USB B

I would start with the most common possibility and go down to the more exotic
ones, to not clutter the expirience for most people. Then you could even add
more special connections where you need adapters for.

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13of40
"For Christ's sake Billy, I just want to connect the CueCat to my iPAQ...
Where's my soldering iron? And hand me those reading glasses."

------
string
> "If your phone is made by Samsung, HTC, Sony, Motorola, LG, Nexus, Nokia or
> Google it's definitely an Android phone. If you have an Apple iPhone, it's
> definitely not an Android"

Just a heads up, my Nokia running WP is definitely not an Android phone.

~~~
khedoros1
Ditto for my wife's HTC Windows Phone 8X.

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mrgreenfur
I dare you to add a "Live Chat" or "Live Video Help" button. :)

Charge by the minute and see how long your patience lasts.

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gumby
You know where this could become _really_ valuable would be in helping people
figure out which USB Type-C cable they need. Because of the proliferation of
Type-C alternate modes (USB/HDMI/Displayport/Thunderbolt) and power levels,
it'll will become common to use a cable that fits mechanically but doesn't
function. I predict significant unhappiness!

~~~
crooked-v
This is a good idea, but would also take an exhaustive database of individual
devices.

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Xeoncross
Older people often have older hardware since they don't feel the need to
change what works. My first search for a common older printer connector (USB
AB) didn't work:

[http://www.notebookreview.com/feature/what-printer-cables-
do...](http://www.notebookreview.com/feature/what-printer-cables-do-i-need/)

~~~
morsch
I found it immediately:

    
    
      I want to connect my... Printer/Scanner
      to my... Computer/Laptop
      Printer/Scanner connection: USB B
      Computer/Laptop connection: USB A
    
      You need this cable
      USB 2.0 A-Male to B-Male

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smcg
That's a rather unfortunate name. Or fortunate, if you're targeting certain
audiences.

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dhodges
The ageism in this post is incredible. I speak as someone who is the "older
relative" to a lot of people, and as someone who provides tech support to
those same people. Characterizing older relatives as people who need help with
cables is as ridiculous as characterizing millenials as "digital natives". My
generation has been cabling shit together for decades, from stereos to VCR's
to DVD's to quadraphonic sound systems to DVR's. If anything, cabling has
gotten simpler these days. HDMI and USB cover a multitude of sins. Curb your
ageism, please!

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jblok
As many have mentioned, this is missing some key connectors (USB C, DP, etc).
I wanted to launch with an initial subset of connections just to get going.
Also I found USB C hard to distinguish in a photo compared to Micro USB. But I
will put it in soon, for sure.

Technology wise this app uses two things I really want to recommend. Netlify
for the static hosting with automatic SSL provision (and they have awesome
GitHub integratiOn). And Preact, which is the front end framework in use here.
This is the same API as React but bundles down to 3kb which is really cool.

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notatoad
The question section is great, with lots of helpful picture, but then the
answer is just text - how about some pictures there too? If i tell my mum she
needs a USB 2.0 A-Male to B-Male, that might help her order a cable from
amazon but it doesn't help her find what she's looking for in the shoebox full
of cables under the computer desk.

~~~
stevekemp
> that might help her order a cable from amazon

I'm surprised there weren't (affiliate) links to Amazon in the responses -
that would be such an obvious route to profit.

~~~
detaro
there are, maybe your adblocker is throwing them out? (They are just some
amazon widget, so they get blocked completely)

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blklane
Back in college I made an application similar to this:
[http://mymanual.herokuapp.com/](http://mymanual.herokuapp.com/) (sorry if its
slow or broken, unmaintained for ~3 years).

I had to do an input for each device and tag the ports so the logic in the
application can create custom setup guides.

------
catbird
This is really nice. If you are looking to expand, I would like to see more
audio equipment included, such as synthesizers, mixers, and computer audio
interfaces. I've recently been struggling somewhat with the difference between
mono, balanced mono, and stereo connections as I try to set up a small home
studio.

------
akeck
TV is greyed out when I want to connect from a mobile phone. We do this all
the time with our Lightning to HDMI adaptor to show family videos to
grandparents. Also, older relatives have asked for this capability
specifically, since they are mostly phone-only (iPhone in our case), but have
HDTVs.

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laurent123456
For Computer => Printer it only proposes a USB cable, but many still-working
printers require an LPT2 cable.

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randomsofr
I would be nice to have links to the products.

Also the name is kind of weird :/, it looks like a porno site name.

~~~
khedoros1
> Also the name is kind of weird

I think I would've called it Cable Sleuth.

~~~
Humdeee
I would of went with "Just The Tip".

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RugnirViking
If my computer only has a HDMI and my monitor doesn't have a HDMI then it
doesn't know what cable I need (hint: check for dvi-d)

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BugsJustFindMe
Great idea, but many common connection options are missing. Connecting TV with
HDMI to computer asks only about full size HDMI and VGA and then gives up. No
DVI, no display port, nothing else.

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koolba
I like it and the name is a nice combination of memorable and provocative.

Should add a Phone => Computer guide though would be more specific to the
model type (ex: may need a Lightning to HDMI adapter).

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theonemind
As an IT guy with a computer science degree who just hasn't found it worth it
to keep up with consumer technology, I also find this helpful.

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israrkhan
My nexus 5x has a USB type C connector. So I need USB-A to USB-C cable to
connect Nexus 5x to PC. The site could not find this combination

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elwell
Didn't see the affiliate links until I turned off Adblock. Well, the target
audience is less likely to be Adblock users.

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kvee
Interesting that this doesn't tell you how to connect the newest iPhone to the
newest Macbook Pro

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cryptozeus
Love the idea, you can may be add YouTube link witg the result to show how to
connect the two devices.

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tetraodonpuffer
cool idea!

Note the first thing I tried (connecting a laptop with DVI, say, an old
macbook) to a TV told me it didn't know what cable to use, I would've expected
it to show me a DVI->hdmi cable

~~~
xemoka
Or thunderbolt, or display port.

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andygeers
Good work Jonny :-) I'm proud of you!

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reustle
No option for phones using usb c

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sumobob
FYI, ur FB share isnt set up

