Smaller iPhone dock cable shown with mystery engraving

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Comments

  • Reply 21 of 49

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by wizard69 View Post



    Slow news day?


    Best post in the thread^



    Shoot its the day before the announcement and we have EXHAUSTED our "sources" and revealed EVERYTHING before the big uncurtaining!..







    "Hurray! Someone find some mundane details!"

  • Reply 22 of 49


    If there was going to be some sort of BIG leak, it will happen tonight after 8PM or tomorrow morning within two hours of the event.

  • Reply 23 of 49
    jfc1138jfc1138 Posts: 3,090member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Douglas Bailey View Post



    'C' is so Apple can tell who the leak came from!


    ^this^


     


    lol

  • Reply 24 of 49
    mstonemstone Posts: 11,510member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by SolipsismX View Post




    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Gazoobee View Post



    What I find annoying and silly about the whole "new adapter cable" thing is that we are treated to endless pictures of a rather plain white cable, but no one has yet bothered to try and figure out the electronics inside.  There's only been one picture of the chips and no one bothered to analyse it at all.  Do the chips just serve to identify accessories?  Is it possible that the chips can switch the contacts so video out is still possible? Who knows?  



    Everyone's caught up in staring at the pretty cable, but no one is bothering to try and figure out the technology.  




    I've asked those same questions. I know Melgross also had the same thoughts. I guess that makes at least three people thinking about a reversible data cable would actually work as a replacement to a cable that had 30 pins.


    I still think there is a possibility that the outer part of the plug will be made of entirely non-conductive Liquid Metal and that it is only 8 active pins not 9. The reason I speculate this is because I haven't read any other explanation how the leading edge of this plug would not short out the pins inside the device as it is inserted. That is except my own rather implausible explanation that upon insertion the internal pins are retracted until the plug clicks in.


     


    Of course if it were LM that might preclude third party manufacturers.


     


    Maybe there more than one type of plug as we saw in early photos. One with "C"hip and another without.

  • Reply 25 of 49


    You see, C is code for "subtraction=addition in a parallel univers but division=pi and multiplication*8=Apple and Apple=Microsoft)


     


    Wait, that doesn't sound right. huh...


     


     


     


     


     


    /s

  • Reply 26 of 49
    richlrichl Posts: 2,213member


    image

  • Reply 27 of 49

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by RichL View Post


    image



     


     


    Hahaha I was just about to post that...

  • Reply 28 of 49



    #next_pages_container { width: 5px; hight: 5px; position: absolute; top: -100px; left: -100px; z-index: 2147483647 !important; }
    C stands for cable. Otherwise how would anyone know? 


     
  • Reply 29 of 49
    mstone wrote: »
    I still think there is a possibility that the outer part of the plug will be made of entirely non-conductive Liquid Metal and that it is only 8 active pins not 9. The reason I speculate this is because I haven't read any other explanation how the leading edge of this plug would not short out the pins inside the device as it is inserted. That is except my own rather implausible explanation that upon insertion the internal pins are retracted until the plug clicks in.

    Of course if it were LM that might preclude third party manufacturers.

    Maybe there more than one type of plug as we saw in early photos. One with "C"hip and another without.

    Is that an issue when you're talking about a 9th pin that would be the ground?

    Is that an issue when you're talking about a device that can only receive power, not send, therefore making any connection with the ground not an issue as that would also be the ground for the USB-A end if it's plugged into anything?
  • Reply 30 of 49
    mstonemstone Posts: 11,510member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by SolipsismX View Post




    Quote:

    Originally Posted by mstone View Post



    I still think there is a possibility that the outer part of the plug will be made of entirely non-conductive Liquid Metal and that it is only 8 active pins not 9. The reason I speculate this is because I haven't read any other explanation how the leading edge of this plug would not short out the pins inside the device as it is inserted. That is except my own rather implausible explanation that upon insertion the internal pins are retracted until the plug clicks in.



    Of course if it were LM that might preclude third party manufacturers.



    Maybe there more than one type of plug as we saw in early photos. One with "C"hip and another without.




    Is that an issue when you're talking about a 9th pin that would be the ground?



    Is that an issue when you're talking about a device that can only receive power, not send, therefore making any connection with the ground not an issue as that would also be the ground for the USB-A end if it's plugged into anything?


    Data is bi-directional, charging power of course is not. But you don't want to short the data pins either as that could potentially damage something

  • Reply 31 of 49
    mstone wrote: »
    Data is bi-directional, charging power of course is not. But you don't want to short the data pins either as that could potentially damage something

    How would you short the data pins? What would they be shorted by? I'm under the impression that only the powered pins can cause shorts.

    If it is 8 pins (which is one less than USB 3.0) and Apple has designed a more complex and sophisticated system that can switch the data the pins can send and receive that would also leave open the possibility for it to be 16(17) pins while still being reversible as it could also detect the orientation based on HW in the cable or the device the cable is connected to.
  • Reply 32 of 49
    mstonemstone Posts: 11,510member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by SolipsismX View Post




    Quote:

    Originally Posted by mstone View Post



    Data is bi-directional, charging power of course is not. But you don't want to short the data pins either as that could potentially damage something




    How would you short the data pins? What would they be shorted by?


    The leading edge of the male plug. If it were conductive. I'm not arguing that it is impossible to solve just very bad practice from an electrical engineering perspective to short out pins that when in normal operation need to be insulated from one another.

  • Reply 33 of 49
    mstone wrote: »
    The leading edge of the male plug. If it were conductive. I'm not arguing that it is impossible to solve just very bad practice from an electrical engineering perspective to short out pins that when in normal operation need to be insulated from one another.

    I'm not an electrical engineer but I have dealt with various electronics over the years. If that is a 9th pin — and I'm not saying it is — I could see how it would have to be inserted into the device before the other 8 activate. Perhaps some physical spring loaded switch (which would probably wear quickly) or electronics that will complete a circuit when that 9th pin (which i assume would be ground) is inserted which then allows the 8(16) parallel pins to work from the device end.
  • Reply 34 of 49
    mstonemstone Posts: 11,510member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by SolipsismX View Post




    Quote:

    Originally Posted by mstone View Post



    The leading edge of the male plug. If it were conductive. I'm not arguing that it is impossible to solve just very bad practice from an electrical engineering perspective to short out pins that when in normal operation need to be insulated from one another.




    I'm not an electrical engineer but I have dealt with various electronics over the years. If that is a 9th pin — and I'm not saying it is — I could see how it would have to be inserted into the device before the other 8 activate. Perhaps some physical spring loaded switch (which would probably wear quickly) or electronics that will complete a circuit when that 9th pin (which i assume would be ground) is inserted which then allows the 8(16) parallel pins to work from the device end.


    Agreed that is what seems unanswered for me hence the suggestion that the casing is not a pin nor conductive. Possible???


     


    I also wondered about the possibility of 16 pins but the inside view of the port on the device only showed pins on one side.


     


    Another thing that is puzzling is that it really should be 9 pins because that is the number of pins for USB 3. 


     


    Let me make one more wild guess. Since we have not really seen any high resolution shots (at least I haven't), perhaps it is a combination of things that are hard to see. In the article above it sort of looks like there is a band around the edge of the plug that could be non conductive LM and the flat side of the plug body could be a conductive metal. This way it solves the shorting pins issue and another yet unseen pin inside the device touches the flat side of the plug to make it a total of 9 pins.

  • Reply 35 of 49
    My thoughts on the new reversible, USB 3.0 compatible, not quite-yet Thunderbolt, non-MagSafe cable...

    http://www.isights.org/2012/09/inside-the-iphone-5-smart-cable.html
  • Reply 36 of 49


    c is for the speed of light. it's that fast!


     


    No really, I also think it's just an identification mark to see who has a leakage problem.

  • Reply 37 of 49
    mstonemstone Posts: 11,510member


    I just wish the people making all these leaks had decent cameras and/or a tripod. How are we supposed to overanalyze these rumors with such blurry photos?

  • Reply 38 of 49


    I'm surprised no one has said anything about Apple convincing the USB group to define a third type of connector.  We have USB A and B (and standard, mini, micro variants), Apple will introduce to the world the USB Micro-C connector.  I see them wanting to short circuit any whining and moaning about their new connector continuing to be proprietary.

  • Reply 39 of 49
    mstone wrote: »
    I also wondered about the possibility of 16 pins but the inside view of the port on the device only showed pins on one side.

    Oh yeah! I had forgotten we had seen inside. That looks pretty definitive so that means the cable has to be more complex and sophisticated to do the switching, even if the connectors are forked and switched to make reversing the male port work in either way.
    Another thing that is puzzling is that it really should be 9 pins because that is the number of pins for USB 3. 

    Regardless of where we think the pins are or aren't 9 pins seems most likely to me because of USB 3.0.
    Let me make one more wild guess. Since we have not really seen any high resolution shots (at least I haven't), perhaps it is a combination of things that are hard to see. In the article above it sort of looks like there is a band around the edge of the plug that could be non conductive LM and the flat side of the plug body could be a conductive metal.

    That sounds reasonable to me. That connector does look unusual for a contact and wouldn't have to be so large if it was. It might just be a material that they feel will weather well for being inserted and removed repeatedly.
    This way it solves the shorting pins issue and another yet unseen pin inside the device touches the flat side of the plug to make it a total of 9 pins.

    Are 9 pins required for all basic data and power to a small device like that or was USB 3.0 designed for a much great range? For instance, RJ45/8P8C jacks for Ethernet have 8 pins but you often only use half those wires/pins.
  • Reply 40 of 49
    quinneyquinney Posts: 2,528member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by NotScott View Post


    We're all a little orientation independent.



    Not that there's anything wrong with it?

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