Micro-USB was the worst technology of USB. This is why Pi Zero and different SBCs nonetheless use it anyway
Remember when telephone chargers have been straight up rubbish? The Micro-USB customary outlined a technology of gadgets, however it was infamous for each its fragility and its poisonous “hey, I simply bent your telephone’s pins, now I’m the one charger that’ll ever work with it” perspective.
Micro-USB still thrives in some corners of the tech planet, with single-board computer systems (SBCs) being one of the well-known holdouts. There are a number of causes for this discrepancy, however it primarily comes all the way down to price.
You gotta get monetary savings in some way
Hobby boards have to be low-cost. Micro-USB is reasonable
This might not come as a lot of a shock, however the older Micro-USB customary is cheaper to fabricate than USB-C. Not solely are there fewer elements in a Micro-USB cable, however the outdated customary continues to be plentiful, so it’s totally straightforward to supply low-cost components.
Equally vital is Micro-USB’s easy-to-use design, which gives a price profit when designing and assembling SBCs just like the Pi Zero. While USB-C requires further resistors (on the SBC) for energy, Micro-USB is joyful to push electrical energy into absolutely anything. The customary 5-pin structure of Micro-USB can be simpler to solder to a board than even probably the most dumbed-down model of USB-C, which makes use of 6 pins. (Full-fledged USB-C, the sort used within the Pi 5, makes use of 24 pins. There are additionally 16 and 12-pin variants with diminished capabilities.)
It’s value mentioning that lots of in style SBCs have been in production for several years. The price related to transitioning these boards to USB-C, versus ready a couple of years and implementing a Type-C port in a next-gen mannequin, might not be well worth the sturdiness and comfort that clients would achieve from USB-C.
SBCs not often profit from USB-C’s capabilities
Pi Zero and ESP32 boards require a 5V energy supply and make the most of lower than a watt of energy even beneath sustained hundreds. The Pi Zero 2 W can eat up a bit over a watt and a half of energy, however even then, the facility requirement is so low that there is not any profit from utilizing a USB-C cable.
Plus, lots of SBC-powered gadgets obtain energy by way of their GPIO pins and solely use USB for diagnostics (if in any respect). A Pi Zero board, for instance, would not have the polyfuse that is on bigger Pi boards, so there is not any sensible distinction between powering over USB or powering by way of the 5V header. Why spend further on a USB-C port that lots of clients won’t ever contact?
Any profit provided by USB-C’s excessive knowledge switch charges is moot right here, too. A number of SBCs cannot obtain knowledge over a USB connection, and even after they can, it would not actually matter as a result of individuals not often use SBCs to retailer or handle large quantities of knowledge. When they do, they normally go for something that has an Ethernet port … I’m deliberately ignoring some odd projects, after all.
Larger boards are a notable exception right here. The Raspberry Pi 5 eats as much as 27 watts beneath load, which is an excessive amount of for a Micro-USB cable. I’m certain that there are some conditions the place massive boards profit from USB-C switch charges, too, however I ought to level out that the Pi 5’s USB-C port is capped at USB 2.0 switch charges and solely works as an information port beneath sure situations—the USB-C port’s actual goal, on this case, is to hit the board’s energy requirement.
Quiz
USB requirements & connectors
Trivia Challenge
From clunky Type-A plugs to lightning-fast USB4 — take a look at your data of the common serial bus revolution.
HistoryConnectorsSpeedsStandardsHardware
In what 12 months was the unique USB 1.0 specification formally launched?
Correct! USB 1.0 was launched in January 1996 by a consortium led by Intel, Compaq, Microsoft, and others. It aimed to interchange the chaotic mixture of serial ports, parallel ports, and PS/2 connectors that plagued early PCs.
Not fairly — USB 1.0 launched in January 1996. It was developed by a consortium together with Intel and Microsoft to simplify the irritating tangle of legacy ports on private computer systems on the time.
What is the utmost knowledge switch price of USB 2.0, often known as ‘Hi-Speed’ USB?
Correct! USB 2.0 tops out at 480 Mbps, which is why it earned the ‘Hi-Speed’ label when it launched in 2000. That was an enormous leap over USB 1.1’s 12 Mbps Full Speed ceiling, making it sensible for exterior arduous drives and cameras.
Not fairly — the proper reply is 480 Mbps. USB 2.0 is branded ‘Hi-Speed’ and launched in 2000, providing a 40x enchancment over USB 1.1’s Full Speed 12 Mbps mode, which made exterior storage way more viable.
Which USB connector sort was particularly designed to be used with cellphones and cameras, that includes a particular 5-pin trapezoidal form?
Correct! USB Mini-B was the go-to connector for early digital cameras and cellphones earlier than being largely changed. It includes a recognizable five-pin trapezoidal design and was formally laid out in USB 2.0, although it has since been outdated by Micro-B and USB-C.
The right reply is USB Mini-B. It was the usual connector for early digital cameras and lots of cellphones, that includes a 5-pin trapezoidal form. It was finally displaced by the slimmer Micro-B connector, which allowed for thinner gadget designs.
USB 3.0 was later rebranded by the USB Implementers Forum. What is its present official identify?
Correct! The USB-IF rebranded USB 3.0 as USB 3.2 Gen 1 to suit right into a unified naming scheme. It nonetheless delivers the identical 5 Gbps ‘TremendousSpeed’ switch price — the complicated renaming was meant to streamline the usual’s versioning however arguably made it extra difficult.
Not fairly — USB 3.0 is now formally known as USB 3.2 Gen 1. The USB Implementers Forum rebranded your entire USB 3.x household to create a unified naming construction, although the 5 Gbps TremendousSpeed efficiency of the unique USB 3.0 stays unchanged.
What key bodily characteristic makes USB Type-C completely different from all earlier USB connector sorts?
Correct! USB Type-C’s most celebrated characteristic is its symmetrical, reversible design — you possibly can plug it in both means with out fumbling. Introduced in 2014, it additionally helps far increased energy supply and knowledge speeds than older connectors, making it a real common answer.
The standout characteristic is its totally reversible design — you possibly can insert a USB-C plug both means up, ending the frustration of guessing the proper orientation. Introduced in 2014, USB-C additionally helps increased energy supply and knowledge speeds than its predecessors.
Which group is liable for creating and publishing the USB specification?
Correct! The USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF) is the non-profit group shaped by the unique USB builders to take care of and promote the USB specification. Founded in 1995, it certifies compliant merchandise and grants the suitable to make use of the official USB brand.
The right reply is the USB-IF, or USB Implementers Forum. This non-profit was based in 1995 by the businesses that initially developed USB, together with Intel and Microsoft. It maintains the specification, runs compliance packages, and certifies merchandise to hold the USB brand.
What most energy output did USB Power Delivery 3.1 introduce, enabling charging of high-performance laptops?
Correct! USB Power Delivery 3.1, launched in 2021, dramatically raised the ceiling to 240 watts utilizing Extended Power Range (EPR) mode. This is sufficient to cost even power-hungry gaming laptops and workstations over a single USB-C cable, changing cumbersome proprietary chargers.
The reply is 240 watts. USB Power Delivery 3.1, launched in 2021, added an Extended Power Range (EPR) mode that maxes out at 240W over a USB-C cable. Earlier PD variations have been capped at 100W, which was inadequate for a lot of high-performance laptops.
USB4, launched in 2019, is predicated on which firm’s proprietary expertise that was donated to the USB-IF?
Correct! Intel donated the Thunderbolt 3 specification to the USB-IF, which turned the inspiration for USB4. This means USB4 at its quickest tier (40 Gbps) is technically suitable with Thunderbolt 3 gadgets, blurring the road between the 2 requirements considerably.
The right reply is Intel’s Thunderbolt 3. Intel donated its Thunderbolt 3 spec to the USB Implementers Forum, and it turned the premise for USB4. The high USB4 pace tier of 40 Gbps mirrors Thunderbolt 3, and the 2 requirements share a excessive diploma of compatibility.
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Micro-USB is smaller than USB-C
Size constraints hold USB-C off some boards
We’re form of splitting hairs right here, however a Micro-USB connector is ever-so-slightly smaller than a USB-C connector. The former is 6.85mm huge and 1.8 tall, whereas the latter is roughly 8.4 huge (relying on the implementation) and a pair of.56mm tall.
This is such a small distinction that, in apply, it would not actually matter. A millimeter is not going to throw the common venture out of wack. The actual downside goes again to that price factor we talked about earlier: USB-C’s bigger footprint might require a partial redesign of some boards, so a mid-lifecycle improve is not well worth the cash. Next-gen boards will most likely require a partial redesign anyway, so why not save the USB-C improve for that?
There could also be another issues related to sizing, reminiscent of the trouble spent redesigning in style instances or equipment to accommodate for USB-C. But that form of stuff nonetheless simply boils all the way down to price. And, after all, it is simpler to re-sell a case or accent to a buyer if it is related to a correct next-gen {hardware} improve.
SBCs will finally abandon Micro-USB
As outdated designs refresh and Micro-USB availability dwindles, SBCs will slowly shed the outdated customary in favor of USB-C. Still, it should take us a couple of years to succeed in that time. Micro-USB elements and cables are nonetheless plentiful, and tech’s energy capabilities will at all times be appropriate (although not essentially perfect) for low-power gadgets.
