
Mis-fitted USB ports, an epidemic - hlandau
https://www.devever.net/~hl/usbfit
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grenoire
From the title I guessed this would be about the occasional extra-tight or
extra-loose port. I think that's a bigger problem than exposing the port.

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rty76456
> _It looks ridiculous,_

USB ports look ridiculous anyway, flange or not, there is a reason why Apple
hates them and keeps reducing their number.

> _It makes it harder to insert things into them_

Not sure why he says that, I never had a problem because of the flange. If
anything I would say it makes inserting easier, since it "guides" the plug
into, instead of it banging against a sharp edge. My computer case has them
and I can't remember any frustration.

Also, as a meta rule, if everybody does something, maybe it's not that stupid
after all. It might just be that these plugs are cheaper.

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burnte
It's not the plugs, it's how they design the case that the plugs go into.

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rty76456
To hide the flange you need to make the hole really tight. That sounds like
something which would make plugging the cable harder. Looking at USB and HDMI
ports around me, all have a bit of space around the connector. But I notice
that HDMI plugs don't have the flange.

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standardUser
I notice a lot of loose USB-C ports. Somehow, my MacBook charger won't stay in
my Pixel phone, yet my Pixel charger won't stay in my MacBook either. I have
another USB-C cord for a portable charger that won't stay in any device I own.

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joshvm
This is usually due to dust/gunk in the port or cable. My Pixel slowly lost
its grip until I scraped the crud out. I used the plastic toothpick from my
penknife, it's an ideal size (and non conductive).

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samatman
If you don't have one of those, the little dental picks that come with floss
on one side do a great job.

I've lost bits of wooden toothpicks in headphone jacks before; would not
recommend.

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throwawayurnfj
You know these plastic(outside)/metal(inside) cable ties that are twisted
around cables of any newly bought devices? Strip off the plastic; the metal is
perfectly sized for cleaning USB-C ports. Plus it's just hard enough to push
out the fluff, but soft enough that it probably won't damage the port even if
you make contact. And theyre super available.

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tedunangst
Not sure how it makes it harder to insert. If anything, seems it would be
easier since it prevents the port from sliding around under the case opening
and misaligning.

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brysonreece
I would assume that due to the flanges not being connected at the corners,
there's probably a margin of flex incorporated into the design to accommodate
inconsistent plug design. Insert a plug slightly too large (maybe from
manufacturing tolerances), and each "wall" of the port is intended to flex
outwards ever so slightly.

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rambojazz
Can somebody help me understand the issue here? Why is that "harder" to insert
into the connector? USB-A extension cables have their female connectors freely
exposed and they are not "hard" to use...

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moonbug
of all the USB connector abuses, this is the one to pick on?

