this post was submitted on 09 Aug 2023
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So far, nothing I’ve ever owned has had a C connector, I have two computers with c ports, but nothing to plug in to them. Also, does the thunderbolt look like the USBc? If you plug in a thunderbolt device into a USBc, does it work or burn out the port?
Edit: why did this get only 18 downvotes?
That’s actually impressive you’ve managed to stay in the past so long.
I have always striven to remain at the cutting edge of obsolescence. It is fun to keep old tech going
Thank you for being the kind of person I sell my used tech to so I can buy new tech. You are a hero.
"written from my Palm Pilot"
What devices do you have that connect over usb-c aside from a phone? As far as I've seen, it's still not common for keyboards, mice, webcams, controllers, monitors, printers, or external drives (though I'd admit drives are becoming more common, particularly for ssds). I'm honestly curious, because I feel like I'm missing out.
All my gadgets use USB-C. Bluetooth headphones, eReader, laptop, printer, power bank, 360 camera, they all charge via USB-C.
Hell, even my neck cooler runs off it.
Ah, for charging, sure. The comment I was replying to seemed like they were talking about interacting/interfacing via usb-c with their desktop, not just charging, which is certainly becoming more common.
To be clear - they also work with data transfer (well, except the power bank and neck cooler).
I copy ebooks to my reader over USB, transfer photos off my camera, and print photos - all via USB-C.
My headset, watch, powerbank, Nintendo switch, my TV remote
I've got a USB doc, a security key for work, and an audio interface. I also have a charger for my computer that plugs into USB C. It's much nicer for laptops to save space but USB A is still better for my desktop since I'm not swapping things much and C would get knocked out more easily
Just about everything except truly basement-tier China tech sitting in warehouses has C now so you'll soon be glad to have the ports.
USB C is a form factor (pretty little reversible oval cable). Thunderbolt is a protocol and yes it uses USB C for the form factor. Other protocols on USB C cabling include 2.0 (ancient speed, used for charging only these days), 3.1 (old speed) 3.2 (slightly old but also not, it's weird, and most common nowadays), DisplayPort (lovely modern video standard), and USB4 (which is newest and fast, but not quite as fast as TB). Decent rule of thumb is USB4 will always be one step behind Thunderbolt in speed (currently ~80gbps vs 40gbps in USB4). The cable will work at the fastest speed permitted by both devices. If they both have TB, then TB speed and power. If only one is TB, it'll go at USB speed over yes the same cable because...
Lastly, any proper spec cable will negotiate the best, safest power transfer between chargers and devices. So just don't buy complete junk, read a couple reviews, you'll almost certainly be fine.
And for uploading the firmware into nearly every small device you have that has a microcontroller with some flash memory on it. They still use TTL serial, so a USB 2.0 to TTL serial adapter is often used. It's also still widely in use for, again, programming of things like commercial/industrial fire/burglar alarm panels.
Often, things we consider "old" in the consumer space go on to live for decades just fine in the industrial/commercial space.
I don't entirely agree with you. It's still very standard for wired mouse and keyboard to use USB A. USB A isn't going anywhere for a while on desktops. I think you're right about laptops though, it's a much better experience
Iirc thunderbolt looks like usb-c and it even works with usb-c, you just won't get the extra bandwidth and some devices won't work properly.
Type C is the connector which can either be power only, power and data, power data and video, or thunderbolt which is basically faster power data and video. You can’t really burn out the port with the wrong device or charger, it either won’t charge, charge slowly, or not work.
Thanks for answering. Is a old computer with thunderbolt 2 port able to connect thunderbolt 3 & 4 monitors or storage devices? I’m tempted to get an old thunderbolt 2 card for my computer, but don’t know if it’s really a useable port in 2023
Thunderbolt 2 can support a single 4K monitor and they still make TB2 external storage devices. Apple makes a bidirectional adapter that will allow some 3&4 devices to work with a 2 port but every device is different and most will not be officially supported. Link to adapter is https://www.apple.com/shop/product/MMEL2AM/A/thunderbolt-3-usb-c-to-thunderbolt-2-adapter
I would not add a TB2 card to an older machine though. Just find an adapter that works with the fastest port on that machine. There are plenty of devices that work well with usb3.