{"id":179440,"date":"2021-02-16T09:40:40","date_gmt":"2021-02-16T06:40:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/why-do-usb-connections-need-three-tries\/"},"modified":"2021-02-16T09:40:40","modified_gmt":"2021-02-16T06:40:40","slug":"why-do-usb-connections-need-three-tries","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/why-do-usb-connections-need-three-tries\/","title":{"rendered":"#Why Do USB Connections Need Three Tries?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_84 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a22749de6cc0\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a22749de6cc0\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/why-do-usb-connections-need-three-tries\/#Decades_of_Flipping_USB_Cables_Around\" >Decades of Flipping USB Cables Around<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/why-do-usb-connections-need-three-tries\/#The_Joke_Explanation_USB_Superposition\" >The Joke Explanation: USB Superposition<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/why-do-usb-connections-need-three-tries\/#A_Design_That_Appears_Symmetrical_but_Isnt\" >A Design That Appears Symmetrical but Isn\u2019t<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/why-do-usb-connections-need-three-tries\/#Its_Unclear_Which_Side_Is_the_Top\" >It\u2019s Unclear Which Side Is the Top<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/why-do-usb-connections-need-three-tries\/#Trial_and_Error%E2%80%94but_Why_Three_Times\" >Trial and Error\u2014but Why Three Times?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/why-do-usb-connections-need-three-tries\/#Its_Not_You_Its_USB\" >It\u2019s Not You, It\u2019s USB<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<p><strong>&#8220;#Why Do USB Connections Need Three Tries?&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<div>\n<figure style=\"width: 650px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-709594 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/usb-flip-three-times-fixed.jpg\" alt=\"USB meme\" width=\"650\" height=\"300\" data-crediturl=\"https:\/\/www.shutterstock.com\/image-vector\/vector-isometric-illustration-usb-flash-drive-1884432181\" data-credittext=\"NavissOne\/Shutterstock\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span class=\"imagecredit\"><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.shutterstock.com\/image-vector\/vector-isometric-illustration-usb-flash-drive-1884432181\">NavissOne\/Shutterstock<\/a><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>It\u2019s h<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>ened to everyone: You try to plug in a USB connector, and it doesn\u2019t work. So you flip it, and it still doesn\u2019t work. Frustrated, you flip it a third time\u2014and it fits! Why is this experience so common with USB?<\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Decades_of_Flipping_USB_Cables_Around\"><\/span>Decades of Flipping USB Cables Around<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>We\u2019re talking about the classic USB hardware here\u2014specifically, the \u201ctype-A\u201d connector that dates back to USB\u2019s first release in 1996.<\/p>\n<p>Modern USB-C connectors don\u2019t have this problem. You can plug them in either way. USB has definitely improved on its design, and the problem is going away.<\/p>\n<p>But we\u2019ve still been flipping those USB sticks back and forth for decades now. So let\u2019s look at why that is.<\/p>\n<p><strong>RELATED:<\/strong> <strong><em>25 Years of Making Connections With USB (After Three Attempts)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_Joke_Explanation_USB_Superposition\"><\/span>The Joke Explanation: USB Superposition<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Many geeks have speculated that USB connections have a sort of \u201csuperposition.\u201d You must spin a USB device around three times because it has three states\u2014up, down, and a third position we do not fully understand. Only in this position will the connection be in a correct, pluggable state.<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s all pretty funny, but of course, it\u2019s just a joke. However, it\u2019s funny because there does seem to be something unusual about USB compared to the other common connectors we use every day.<\/p>\n<p>These USB connection issues are\u00a0a meme at this point. This problem is also known as the \u201cUSB paradox\u201d: If there are only two ways a USB connector can fit, why does it take three tries to plug it in?<\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"A_Design_That_Appears_Symmetrical_but_Isnt\"><\/span>A Design That Appears Symmetrical but Isn\u2019t<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<figure style=\"width: 650px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-713527 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/usb-type-a-and-port.jpg\" alt=\"The inside of a USB port and connector.\" width=\"650\" height=\"434\" data-crediturl=\"https:\/\/www.shutterstock.com\/image-illustration\/usb-ports-148189814\" data-credittext=\"maxuser\/Shutterstock.com\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span class=\"imagecredit\"><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.shutterstock.com\/image-illustration\/usb-ports-148189814\">maxuser\/Shutterstock.com<\/a><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Physically, a USB type-A connector appears to be symmetrical. It\u2019s rectangular in shape. Unlike HDMI, for example, there\u2019s nothing about the physical shape of the connector that makes it look like one side is up and one side is down.<\/p>\n<p>But it is! Just look inside the connector and you\u2019ll see that it isn\u2019t symmetrical. One side must be up and one side must be down.<\/p>\n<p>But unlike with something like HDMI, there\u2019s nothing about the shape that makes it easy to tell which side is up and which side is down. USB is just asking for trouble.<\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Its_Unclear_Which_Side_Is_the_Top\"><\/span>It\u2019s Unclear Which Side Is the Top<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Without any clear indication of which side is actually the top of the USB cable, you don\u2019t have much choice. You either carefully look at the inside of the connector, or you flip it around and experiment, right?<\/p>\n<p>Actually, the USB standard tries to help.<\/p>\n<p>Did you know that there is something that\u2019s supposed to tell you which side is the top of the USB connector? There\u2019s often a USB logo on top of the connector, and you can see it\u2014and possibly feel it with your fingers. If you see the logo while looking down at the USB connector, then you know that the USB connector is in its correct orientation and that you should just be able to plug it in.<\/p>\n<p>If you have a vertical USB connection\u2014for example, on the back of your monitor\u2014the USB cable should be plugged in with the logo on the connector facing you.<\/p>\n<figure style=\"width: 650px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-713528 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/connecting-usb.jpg\" alt=\"The USB logo on top of a USB connector.\" width=\"650\" height=\"453\" data-crediturl=\"https:\/\/www.shutterstock.com\/image-photo\/unplugging-usb-cable-power-adapter-disconnect-1874227606\" data-credittext=\"Jin Odin\/Shutterstock.com.\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span class=\"imagecredit\"><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.shutterstock.com\/image-photo\/unplugging-usb-cable-power-adapter-disconnect-1874227606\">Jin Odin\/Shutterstock.com.<\/a><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>This logo position is required by the official USB specification, but not every company follows it. Since not every USB connector has a logo on it, you can\u2019t take this for granted. Also, on some devices, the USB ports themselves are upside down inside the device\u2014this may be necessary to fit a bunch of components inside a laptop, for example.<\/p>\n<p>So, not only do most people not know about this logo trick, but it also doesn\u2019t necessarily work all the time.<\/p>\n<p>Even if you know the trick, you might still find yourself flipping the connector three times, just trying to find which orientation is correct by trial and error.<\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Trial_and_Error%E2%80%94but_Why_Three_Times\"><\/span>Trial and Error\u2014but Why Three Times?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>So, with a connector with an unclear design and unreliable marking of which side belongs on top, what do you do?<\/p>\n<p>Sure, you could look at the inside of the USB connector and the inside of the USB port you\u2019re plugging it into and determine the correct orientation with your eyes. But why bother? It may be difficult to see the inside of the USB port\u2014for example, if it\u2019s on the back of a computer. It also may be dark in your room. You just need to try two orientations and see which one works\u2014in theory.<\/p>\n<p>To save time, people just try inserting a USB device and seeing whether it works. Did it not connect? Flip it around, now it will work\u2014well, not always. Sometimes you have to flip it again.<\/p>\n<p>Again, it all comes down to USB Type-A\u2019s design. When you\u2019re trying to connect a USB device, it\u2019s very easy to bump the edge of the connector against the edge of the USB port\u2014or the metal or plastic next to it. This feels about the same as if you have the USB connector upside down.<\/p>\n<p>You probably don\u2019t want to apply any extra force or jiggle it around\u2014because why force it? You may have the device upside down. Just flip it and try the other way. But if even that doesn\u2019t work, you know for sure that you\u2019re doing something wrong. You have to apply some extra force and push harder, or you have to jiggle the connection around to correctly align it, or you have to feel the port with your finger to ensure that it\u2019s correctly aligned.<\/p>\n<p>In other words: Even when you\u2019re kind of close, a USB Type-A port doesn\u2019t necessarily guide your connector in. There\u2019s no clear, tactile feedback that you\u2019re just missing the connection in the correct orientation. It feels the same as if you have the connector the wrong way around.<\/p>\n<p>When you think about how people often start inserting a USB device, the first attempt is kind of a \u201ctest\u201d\u2014does it go in easily? If not, you might have the device the wrong way around. Flip it and try again. If even that doesn\u2019t work, you\u2019ll need to flip it back to the first position and try a little harder.<\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Its_Not_You_Its_USB\"><\/span>It\u2019s Not You, It\u2019s USB<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Ultimately, the problem isn\u2019t with you\u2014it\u2019s with the USB Type-A connector. It\u2019s just designed in an unclear way that leads to this problem. Why it\u2019s designed that way is a question only the designers can answer.<\/p>\n<p>The good <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">news<\/a> is that we\u2019ve learned from the history of flipping USB sticks and other devices around three times. USB Type-C is reversible, so you\u2019ll never have to flip it\u2014just plug it in either way. The USB4 standard requires USB Type-C, so USB Type-A is slowly and gradually being phased out.<\/p>\n<p>One day, future generations won\u2019t even understand the USB-flipping meme.<\/p>\n<figure style=\"width: 650px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-713529 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/usb-type-c.jpg\" alt=\"A USB4 cable with a Type-C connector.\" width=\"650\" height=\"434\" data-crediturl=\"https:\/\/www.shutterstock.com\/image-photo\/usb4-cable-white-new-black-phone-1498058336\" data-credittext=\"Alexander_Evgenyevich\/Shutterstock.com\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span class=\"imagecredit\"><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.shutterstock.com\/image-photo\/usb4-cable-white-new-black-phone-1498058336\">Alexander_Evgenyevich\/Shutterstock.com<\/a><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><strong>RELATED:<\/strong> <strong><em>USB Type-C Explained: What is USB-C and Why You&#8217;ll Want it<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><script>\n setTimeout(function(){\n  !function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s)\n  {if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function(){n.callMethod?\n  n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)};\n  if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version='2.0';\n  n.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0;\n  t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0];\n  s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s) } (window, document,'script',\n  'https:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/fbevents.js');\n   fbq('init', '335401813750447');\n   fbq('track', 'PageView');\n  },3000);\n<\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. 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So you flip it, and it still doesn\u2019t work. Frustrated, you flip it a third time\u2014and it fits! Why is this experience so common with USB? Decades of Flipping USB Cables&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":179441,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/usb-flip-three-times-fixed.jpg?height=200p&trim=2,2,2,2","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-179440","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/179440","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=179440"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/179440\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/179441"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=179440"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=179440"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=179440"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}