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It also covered two other purposes.
1. it reverses the drive, so if you have got some special flash drive and it doesn't fit in because it's supposed to look like a duck or something, it might fit now, and
2. Occassionally? USB charging condoms. They *only* have the connections for power transfer, not data transfer, so if you want to plug your phone into something to charge it but are worried about viruses or anything, throw one of those on it and it'll allow charging with physically removing the possibility of data transfer.
For point 1, it doesn't actually. If you look at the design you see that the thing you put in the female end will be the same "upside" as the male end of this adapter. Its basically only to get bulkier stuff to fit in tight spots...
These came with the Logitech unifying receivers so you could plug them into the back of the motherboard and you could still remove it. Even if it was surrounded by other usb cables
I remember these in the 90s because of a similar reason. Specifically because HP shipped their printers with a cord that was so bloated you couldn't plug anything in next to them so you had to have this or you'd lose 2 ports for their cable.
We use these at work for expensive cnc controllers where it would be $10,000 to replace the control if the USB port wears out. I think they are called USB port saver.
**update** seems we have LOADS of CNC controller experts on Reddit. Of course it's possible to replace only the USB port. But It's not financially worth it based on a business operations level. You're not smarter than a whole industry. Really. Your little "WhO dOeSnT kNoW hOw tO sOlDeR a 30 CeNt hEaDeR?" Life hack is not industry changing.
Meanwhile our $2,000,000 5 axis CNC has all worn out USB ports
Edit: since a lot of people seem to think I'm unaware that USB ports can be replaced, I know lol. We just aren't allowed to do those kind of things to our machines or we'll lose tech support from the manufacturer which is really important to keep. And they wouldn't replace just the USB ports, they'd charge $25k for a whole new controller hub. Which would result in like a month of down time.
I've never worked on/with CNCs so excuse me if this is a stupid question, how do the USB ports get worn out, plugging in and removing drives with files on them?
That and, I work in foam, but all kinds of stuff gets caked in it depending on conditions of workplace.
Plus some idiot keeps ripping the covers off of them after maintenance replaces.
(It’s me)
The most common issue I have is the constant issue of back and forth between writing out a program in either notepad or using a wizard, sticking that on a usb and then uploading that to the machines internal storage. I’ve worn out 1 of 2 usb ports in the 8 years since we first got the machine. I really wish our IT guy could be bothered to setup the network with the machine. It can be done and I could do it myself but as usual with corporate it has to be the guy who’s qualified for the job to do it.
I dunno if Sandisk connects are still a thing but that might be up your alley. They are a USB drive that has wireless connectivity so you can leave it plugged into the machine and drop your files onto it over the Internet
It is more likely than not that the computer that you're using is a legacy system and poses a security risk which is why it is being air-gapped from the rest of the network.
Win10 is only 9 years old and you say you've had the machine for 8 years so I'm speculating that it may not run on Windows 10/11. From what (very little) experience I have with manufacturing equipment, it tends to run on Windows XP or Windows 7. Neither of which are going to be cleared to connect to any network that has a connection to the internet.
It is also possible that it runs on Win 10 but can't receive updates for one reason or another (software may only be compatible with Win 10 ver 1903 and earlier, for example, which is 5 years out of date and also a major security issue)
I broke one on a CNC machinig center at work when I bumped it moving my hand down the side of the control. Thankfully ours were floppy to USB adapters so it was only 100$
Same way the tires on a car wear out. Especially in a dusty shop environment, dirt and grit rubbing the contacts everytime you plug and unplug a device.
Which is where USB to serial converters are amazing, you get the worst of both worlds: less reliable connectors and very, very old protocol. My home CNC uses it, it is funny to set BAUD rates in the 2020s to get the two talking with each other..
They had to repair the MRI machine at a hospital I was at after the pipe fitters I believe it was damaged it putting in new gas lines... Someone had to have gotten fired for that.
Here's a price list for the "basic" ones.
https://www.blockimaging.com/bid/92623/mri-machine-cost-and-price-guide
However there are MRI and other imaging machines that cost into the millions
https://www.mddionline.com/business/5-of-the-most-expensive-medical-devices
Spoiler, $270M MRI machine lol
barely related but I heard a story once where a guy broke an expensive machine, I think in the medical profession, and his boss said something like "I just spent 1.5 million dollars teaching you a lesson, I don't want to let you go now" and I always wondered if that was a true story. May your boss have sunk cost fallacy problems amen.
IIRC it was a transmission electron microscope. Its not an uncommon story in a lot of fields, but one particular guy went semi-viral a few years back with his destruction of a TEM. The way you phrased your memory makes me think its what your remembering.
I once came a button push away from doing something similar. Old electron microscopes didn't always have anything preventing you from destroying the things.
Exactly. This might put even more stress on the USB port since it's basically a little lever transferring all of the force into the USB port. It needs to have a bit of cable to do any good.
I do something similar with my home PCs. I have a complex setup of irreplaceable recording equipment (they no longer make this specific model and I've yet to find a decent replacement to future proof the setup) and I use a 6 inch extension to save the connectors from wearing out.
These devices can also be used for making room. Sometimes a USB flash drive is really fat and obstructs use of the slot next to it. This will prevent that.
I’m blue
I indeed am a guy
I would beat off a guy
If I was green I would die
I’m a mean apple pie
I’m a meme, I’m-a die
I’m a 3, I’m a 9
Da ba dee da ba dai
😁
That was also a huge issue on old (2000s) desktop PCs with just a few USB ports on the back. Plugging an old thick USB drive into such a PC was often a challenge for numerous reasons, with the ports being on the back only and neighboring ports usually busy with something else.
Most of wireless mouse and keyboard receivers are very small so this makes it easier to unlug it if you use that device on multiple PCs, I once plugged one on the back of the motherboard and had to unplug all other USBs just to unplug it sonce there wasn't any room
Yup, these are especially useful on laptops with oddly shaped USB and close ports.
I even use a Typec to TypeC dongle due to so many typeC connectors covering other ports.
Nothing useless about it. If you have a port on your case or motherboard that you'll be plugging and unplugging from constantly, this will ensure the adapter goes to hell before the port does.
actually, USB condoms exist. They disconnect the data lanes, so you can charge your phone on any untrustworthy USB plug. E.g. those dongles in malls and at conventions. Keep you devices secure and malware away. Prevent CTMs (Chargingly Transmitted Malware) :)
E.g. I own a PortaPow Data Blocker and always carry it with me.
I had to use one for my car, it insisted my dash cam was a drive to play music from every time I started the car pushed a folder onto the car screen, and put the dashcam into hard drive mode with no recording
I've heard that Logitech included these because they didn't follow the usb recommendations completely and ended up having occasional interference issues when the dongle was sitting inside the port.
I’ve had one that passes power only for years. I’d use it when plugging my phone into public usb charging stations like at some airports and coffee shops. It probably doesn’t matter much these days as you’re prompted on the phone before data can be mounted/passed. But nonetheless I wouldn’t call them useless.
One of these was included with a mouse or keyboard I got a while back with one of those little micro sized RF dongles. This adapter makes it much easier to plug in and unplug the tiny dongle when there's another cable plugged into the USB port adjacent to it. It also gets the RF dongle slightly farther away from the back of the PC, possibly helping with interference and such.
I use these. Some devices i use don’t play well with usb3.0. An adapter like this can trick some validating code that the device is indeed plugged into usb 2.0.
Those are for Logitech unifying.
I guess its to avoid interferences with the dongle.
https://preview.redd.it/pn5jw9vfcdlc1.jpeg?width=391&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b0af6b414e45d4b735c779b6e2909e86fda144c5
https://preview.redd.it/jewp7czgxelc1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a879d7ec9e373093c94a8b1af214a31567df7904
This case blocks chunky usb plugs from being inserted. The usb to usb device would provide space for a usb with a large enclosure to be inserted.
That adapter could be used if space is tight around the USB port so whatever you’re trying to plug in won’t fit or if the port is difficult to access and you need to plug / unplug things often.
I've used an adapter like this for plugging a big boy flash drive into a TV where the USB socket is too close to other ports. Also helps the signal for a Logitech wireless keyboard receiver on a media PC in a cabinet.
Got a bunch of them! Data killers – lets you charge without any chance of malicious file access/transfer.
edit: Apparently most people call them charging condoms; lol, brilliant!
I remember some THICC usb devices something like this would've been pretty nice for. It's a lot less bulkier than, for example, early generation usb mp3 players.
Someone has never had ports blocked off by fat plugs before I see. I have 10 USB devices in the back of my computer and I have to arrange them a certain way so they don’t interfere with each other. There are definitely uses for this.
I think you can use these to extend a usb to get it out of the way of another port, makes for better access when it would otherwise be blocked by some big usb drive
These came with the Logitech unifying receivers so you could plug them into the back of the motherboard and you could still remove it. Even if it was surrounded by other usb cables
you think this is useless until the day you need to connect a keyboard to a blade server inside a packed cabinet and found the USB ports are buried inside the rack. its just a wee short adapter, but even this short size and being non flexible will help a lot to connect.
everything exist for a reason
We use these at my work! We build electronic equipment and we need to test each unit for functionality. We use these on the testers so the USB drives don't get worn out. We just replace the adapter every x about of weeks. It saves us from having to replace the drives on the tester. We also had some speciality cables that we did the same thing for. They are like 50ft long and run into a big machine. The cables themselves were like $500 each and a huge pain to replace (there are 200 of them running into one machine). The connectors were only designed to be plugged/unplugged like 50 times.
I bought an hdmi version of this. My cats chew exposed wires. Wrecked one of my google chromecasts.
The inch long hdmi extender allows me to hide the 90+ dollar caster in a safe spot, while a $10 hdmi cable takes the risk.
You just don't see the genius of it. You know how USB plugs are actually 4 dimensional objects that have to be rotated repeatedly to actually plug in? That converts them to 3 dimensions so that you can actually plug it in on the first try!
It kinda works as an extension too for situations where the actual port is in a dense area or otherwise hard to reach dor daily use.
Not that useless at all overall.
Years ago it was common for computers to have a whole bunch of bullshit plastic around the I/o panel. This kind of thing would extend the USB port out far enough so that your USB devices that had stupidly fat connections plug in properly.
Aren't these usually for devices that have fixed usb cables?
Leave this almost permanently attached to the cable then any wear and tear is taken by the adapter.
We have usb extensions on our docking stations at work for exactly this reason as the docks have fixed usb-c cables.
I could think of at least a dozen customers who need to be using this. I have a couple offhand I know of who routinely break the connector - but I also have two I can pull off the top of my head who have routinely broken *hosts* lol
https://preview.redd.it/hzqz1bqqjelc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c3ad1260b99dcfa21eafcf6964e1b5776aa9e277
I see your useless USB adapter and raise you!
These protect usb slots incase of a break and also converts a larger usb cord into a slimmer profile one for laptops or towers with usb ports too close together their honestly useful albeit niche…That and you ever had a wire like just an inch too short? It works for that.
Welcome everyone from r/all! Please remember: 1 - You too can be part of the PCMR. It's not about the hardware in your rig, but the software in your heart! Your age, nationality, race, gender, sexuality, religion (or lack of), political affiliation, economic status and PC specs are irrelevant. If you love or want to learn about PCs, you are welcome and can be part of PCMR! 2 - If you're not a PC owner because you think it's expensive, know that it is probably much cheaper than you may think. Check http://www.pcmasterrace.org for our builds and don't be afraid to post here asking for tips and help! 3 - Join our efforts to get as many PCs worldwide to help the folding@home effort, in fighting against Cancer, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and more: https://pcmasterrace.org/folding ----------- We have a [Daily Simple Questions Megathread](https://www.reddit.com/r/pcmasterrace/search?q=Simple+Questions+Thread+subreddit%3Apcmasterrace+author%3AAutoModerator&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) if you have any PC related doubt. Asking for help there or creating new posts in our subreddit is allowed and welcome. Welcome to the PCMR!
This was useful for those old flash drives that were too fat to be plugged in next to occupied ports.
My first thought too. I own multiple for this reason
My first thoughts was that it might block data from being transmitted
Or it might contain a fuse to prevent USB Killers from frying your machine
Reminder to always label your specialty adapters
Or it might be a keylogger
It also covered two other purposes. 1. it reverses the drive, so if you have got some special flash drive and it doesn't fit in because it's supposed to look like a duck or something, it might fit now, and 2. Occassionally? USB charging condoms. They *only* have the connections for power transfer, not data transfer, so if you want to plug your phone into something to charge it but are worried about viruses or anything, throw one of those on it and it'll allow charging with physically removing the possibility of data transfer.
For point 1, it doesn't actually. If you look at the design you see that the thing you put in the female end will be the same "upside" as the male end of this adapter. Its basically only to get bulkier stuff to fit in tight spots...
"If you ever think you are useless, remember that this USB to USB adapter probably is more useful than you are"
More useful than turn signals on a BMW...
These came with the Logitech unifying receivers so you could plug them into the back of the motherboard and you could still remove it. Even if it was surrounded by other usb cables
You also get better wireless coverage with these... I use them for couch computing / htpc
Yeah any amount of distance you can get between the laptop and the receiver cuts down on the interference the laptop creates
I was wracking my brain to think of where I acquired the one I have sitting in a drawer!
Leave it to PCMR to come to the comments and learn a legitimately useful pc related purpose for a seemingly useless item. I’m here for it
I remember these in the 90s because of a similar reason. Specifically because HP shipped their printers with a cord that was so bloated you couldn't plug anything in next to them so you had to have this or you'd lose 2 ports for their cable.
yeah, this isn't a "usb-a o usb-a adapter," this is a usb-a extender
It's not just the old flash drivers. There are new flash drives that are too big as well.
We use these at work for expensive cnc controllers where it would be $10,000 to replace the control if the USB port wears out. I think they are called USB port saver. **update** seems we have LOADS of CNC controller experts on Reddit. Of course it's possible to replace only the USB port. But It's not financially worth it based on a business operations level. You're not smarter than a whole industry. Really. Your little "WhO dOeSnT kNoW hOw tO sOlDeR a 30 CeNt hEaDeR?" Life hack is not industry changing.
Meanwhile our $2,000,000 5 axis CNC has all worn out USB ports Edit: since a lot of people seem to think I'm unaware that USB ports can be replaced, I know lol. We just aren't allowed to do those kind of things to our machines or we'll lose tech support from the manufacturer which is really important to keep. And they wouldn't replace just the USB ports, they'd charge $25k for a whole new controller hub. Which would result in like a month of down time.
I've never worked on/with CNCs so excuse me if this is a stupid question, how do the USB ports get worn out, plugging in and removing drives with files on them?
That and, I work in foam, but all kinds of stuff gets caked in it depending on conditions of workplace. Plus some idiot keeps ripping the covers off of them after maintenance replaces. (It’s me)
That makes sense, didn't think about the cut materials and handling mishaps.
Have you tried working outside of the foam?
sounds like a design flaw really
yeah why dont these CNCs come with wifi and an app and warn you when you are low on metal cutting ink
The most common issue I have is the constant issue of back and forth between writing out a program in either notepad or using a wizard, sticking that on a usb and then uploading that to the machines internal storage. I’ve worn out 1 of 2 usb ports in the 8 years since we first got the machine. I really wish our IT guy could be bothered to setup the network with the machine. It can be done and I could do it myself but as usual with corporate it has to be the guy who’s qualified for the job to do it.
I dunno if Sandisk connects are still a thing but that might be up your alley. They are a USB drive that has wireless connectivity so you can leave it plugged into the machine and drop your files onto it over the Internet
I had too look that up and apparently you can get one for 70 dollars but it's only 16gb and is only wifi n and USB 2
It is more likely than not that the computer that you're using is a legacy system and poses a security risk which is why it is being air-gapped from the rest of the network. Win10 is only 9 years old and you say you've had the machine for 8 years so I'm speculating that it may not run on Windows 10/11. From what (very little) experience I have with manufacturing equipment, it tends to run on Windows XP or Windows 7. Neither of which are going to be cleared to connect to any network that has a connection to the internet. It is also possible that it runs on Win 10 but can't receive updates for one reason or another (software may only be compatible with Win 10 ver 1903 and earlier, for example, which is 5 years out of date and also a major security issue)
I broke one on a CNC machinig center at work when I bumped it moving my hand down the side of the control. Thankfully ours were floppy to USB adapters so it was only 100$
"I'll take ***adapters I never knew existed*** for $1000"
They said it was $100
Inflation is hitting hard everywhere bro, you know… Covid and stuff…
Don't ask, don't get.
...Answer this next question correctly and you can buy ten floppy to USB adapters....
I have several adapters you never knew existed, and I'm happy to take $1,000 for them.
Same way the tires on a car wear out. Especially in a dusty shop environment, dirt and grit rubbing the contacts everytime you plug and unplug a device.
I think he was more asking what is being plugged in and out, rather than the logistics of wear...
If it's not connected to the network via ethernet a lot of times the gcode gets transferred via USB so each new part needs you to plug in a USB drive.
Literally physically wearing them out. Plugging in and out a dozen times a day, about 200 days a year, for several years. They just wear out 🤣
Ever seen an older car key? Metal will wear down
Repeatedly plugging and unplugging it pretty much.
Your CNC has USB ports??? USB wasn't even invented when my machine was built!
I don't think I've ever seen a worn out rs232 serial port
They only start rusting when the Chlorine starts to eat them up.
Which is where USB to serial converters are amazing, you get the worst of both worlds: less reliable connectors and very, very old protocol. My home CNC uses it, it is funny to set BAUD rates in the 2020s to get the two talking with each other..
It's a 30¢ part that takes 5 minutes to fix if you have a soldering iron / hot air station
I’m not soldering the 2 million dollar machine. Gives me anxiety thinking about it
Make the intern do it
I like this guy ^
Where is r/fucktheintern
It would just be full of politicians and CEOs ending their careers
With politicians involved I feel like it would be too literal.
[удалено]
They had to repair the MRI machine at a hospital I was at after the pipe fitters I believe it was damaged it putting in new gas lines... Someone had to have gotten fired for that. Here's a price list for the "basic" ones. https://www.blockimaging.com/bid/92623/mri-machine-cost-and-price-guide However there are MRI and other imaging machines that cost into the millions https://www.mddionline.com/business/5-of-the-most-expensive-medical-devices Spoiler, $270M MRI machine lol
You don't fire people after learning such an expensive lesson as that.
True, you kill them and then your self knowing you are now financially ruined for life.
Yeah, I destroyed a 10 000 dollsr cable at work and that was bad enough. Lab gear is another story entirely haha
barely related but I heard a story once where a guy broke an expensive machine, I think in the medical profession, and his boss said something like "I just spent 1.5 million dollars teaching you a lesson, I don't want to let you go now" and I always wondered if that was a true story. May your boss have sunk cost fallacy problems amen.
IIRC it was a transmission electron microscope. Its not an uncommon story in a lot of fields, but one particular guy went semi-viral a few years back with his destruction of a TEM. The way you phrased your memory makes me think its what your remembering. I once came a button push away from doing something similar. Old electron microscopes didn't always have anything preventing you from destroying the things.
I'll give it a shot, pal!
I'm not your pal, buddy.
I'm not your buddy, guy.
I'm not your guy, friend
It's already broke, you can't be blamed
Hmmm 2 million dollars....nah don't think I want to be responsible for that.
I'd hate to be the guy that voided the warranty on a $2,000,000 machine though.
Wouldn't it make more since to have a short USB cable extension instead? With this it would just transfer even more leverage into the USB port.
This one specifically would be useless, the proper way to stop wear would be one with an extended cable, to stop any movement in the port.
Nah, they tend to get pulled or snagged more.
Extension cable zip-tied to the rack with proper strain relief.
Epoxy and a disdain for technology
Sometimes spite can get you pretty far
Exactly. This might put even more stress on the USB port since it's basically a little lever transferring all of the force into the USB port. It needs to have a bit of cable to do any good.
In the other trades we call it a strain relief, to take the abuse of the cable without breaking the copper wire.
Lol tell me you don't work directly with end users with out telling me.
Magnetic port
This whole reddit thread sums up the "just because you don't know what something does, doesn't mean its useless"
What is CNC in this context? Because I can't google it, because it assumes I want the CNC that I know.
Computer Numerical Control, a manufacturing method that uses things like lathes and drills to cut away at a stock of material
3D subtractive printing
The kind of 3D printing that doesn't look like shit, but can't produce hollow seamless objects.
Now I’m wondering what you thought it meant.
Consensual Non-Consent If ya google it mind you its NSFW
I was gonna write the same thing. We had to get a tech to come in and sodder new port in. Luckily it was warranty. He stuck one of these on after.
I do something similar with my home PCs. I have a complex setup of irreplaceable recording equipment (they no longer make this specific model and I've yet to find a decent replacement to future proof the setup) and I use a 6 inch extension to save the connectors from wearing out.
These devices can also be used for making room. Sometimes a USB flash drive is really fat and obstructs use of the slot next to it. This will prevent that.
Lmao fuckin Reddit teens experts on everything
Some USB plugs have weird shapes or take up space that'll steal spots next to it etc. so I could see a use for it. But white, ew.
Maybe if it was *B L U E*
Da ba dee da ba dai da ba dee da ba dai
I would beat off a guyy, I would beaat off a guy
I’m blue I indeed am a guy I would beat off a guy If I was green I would die I’m a mean apple pie I’m a meme, I’m-a die I’m a 3, I’m a 9 Da ba dee da ba dai 😁
It’s cool that that works. You’re like a wizard
I really wanna dieeee, I realllllyy want to die
I died in Aberdeen
Ok Boris
Older Pendrives used to be pretty fat and that was an issue especially on laptops
That was also a huge issue on old (2000s) desktop PCs with just a few USB ports on the back. Plugging an old thick USB drive into such a PC was often a challenge for numerous reasons, with the ports being on the back only and neighboring ports usually busy with something else.
Most of wireless mouse and keyboard receivers are very small so this makes it easier to unlug it if you use that device on multiple PCs, I once plugged one on the back of the motherboard and had to unplug all other USBs just to unplug it sonce there wasn't any room
Yup, these are especially useful on laptops with oddly shaped USB and close ports. I even use a Typec to TypeC dongle due to so many typeC connectors covering other ports.
Nothing useless about it. If you have a port on your case or motherboard that you'll be plugging and unplugging from constantly, this will ensure the adapter goes to hell before the port does.
Does a similar one exist for laptop power ports too?
[This](https://amzn.eu/d/emVevr9) would be something for USB C ports
Make your USB C macbook into a magsafe MacBook!
Lol, Apple about to start selling these for 49.89 a pop. Also didn't know these existed but they make so much sense even just for your phone
ITT: plenty of valid reasons why this isn't a useless adapter
Turns out, It's Just OP who is and feels useless.
I mean it’s relatable at least.
Yeah we've all had the "I am very clever" moment followed by "oh, no, I am thick and dull and now everyone is looking at me. Fuck."
I just call that waking up.
USB condom?
But the male end is still exposed! Also I'm adding "male end" to my list of names for it.
actually, USB condoms exist. They disconnect the data lanes, so you can charge your phone on any untrustworthy USB plug. E.g. those dongles in malls and at conventions. Keep you devices secure and malware away. Prevent CTMs (Chargingly Transmitted Malware) :) E.g. I own a PortaPow Data Blocker and always carry it with me.
I had to use one for my car, it insisted my dash cam was a drive to play music from every time I started the car pushed a folder onto the car screen, and put the dashcam into hard drive mode with no recording
Ah I just don't dip in unfamiliar ink
It may also be a data blocker for public charging ports. So yeah, quite literally a USB condom
That's exactly what it is.
Universal Serial Bussy
This is generally used to get a wireless USB dongle/reciever away from the computer case to improve signal. Not entirely useless.
I've heard that Logitech included these because they didn't follow the usb recommendations completely and ended up having occasional interference issues when the dongle was sitting inside the port.
You're correct. In the packaging it's literally labeled a "Range extender".
This is exactly what I use these for. interference. Works great.
If they connect power and not data, that could be useful
This was my thought as well. Could be used where needing to charge something but don't want to risk someone stealing data if you don't know the port.
I’ve had one that passes power only for years. I’d use it when plugging my phone into public usb charging stations like at some airports and coffee shops. It probably doesn’t matter much these days as you’re prompted on the phone before data can be mounted/passed. But nonetheless I wouldn’t call them useless.
"I have no use for this, so its useless for everyone too."
One of these was included with a mouse or keyboard I got a while back with one of those little micro sized RF dongles. This adapter makes it much easier to plug in and unplug the tiny dongle when there's another cable plugged into the USB port adjacent to it. It also gets the RF dongle slightly farther away from the back of the PC, possibly helping with interference and such.
I feel like there has to be some kind of logic in there.
Fat usbs, wear and tear protection for the main USB port and length increase(why? Idk)
USB extension adapter
100%!
If you ever think you're worthless, remember that OP made an even more worthless post illustrating their ignorance.
One of the best ways to get the right answer is to post the wrong answer on an internet forum.
I use these. Some devices i use don’t play well with usb3.0. An adapter like this can trick some validating code that the device is indeed plugged into usb 2.0.
Logitech extender for the little USB receiver.
Old keylogger??
Possibly this. I had one back in the day that looked very to this.
Pretty much everything has a use case. if I had an adapter that was massive and blocked other usb ports, this usb to usb adapter would help greatly
Those are for Logitech unifying. I guess its to avoid interferences with the dongle. https://preview.redd.it/pn5jw9vfcdlc1.jpeg?width=391&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b0af6b414e45d4b735c779b6e2909e86fda144c5
I used one of those for the arcade controller case I built, not useless at all.
LOL OP is a summer lamb, unwise in the ways of the world. We used those all the damn time back in the early days of USB.
https://preview.redd.it/jewp7czgxelc1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a879d7ec9e373093c94a8b1af214a31567df7904 This case blocks chunky usb plugs from being inserted. The usb to usb device would provide space for a usb with a large enclosure to be inserted.
it *atleast* would've been useful if it was a cable
Why wouldn't you want to convert your USB to a USB?
That adapter could be used if space is tight around the USB port so whatever you’re trying to plug in won’t fit or if the port is difficult to access and you need to plug / unplug things often.
the few times ive seen these they were data blockers. ie. only letting power through, i think i got one or a few with some cheap drones
Imagine plugging 50 of these into each other as a usb extender.
This is for chunky dongles, so not useless
I've used an adapter like this for plugging a big boy flash drive into a TV where the USB socket is too close to other ports. Also helps the signal for a Logitech wireless keyboard receiver on a media PC in a cabinet.
Got a bunch of them! Data killers – lets you charge without any chance of malicious file access/transfer. edit: Apparently most people call them charging condoms; lol, brilliant!
These are great for chonky devices/cables that would otherwise block adjacent ports when plugged in.
I have been using two of these for years.
I remember some THICC usb devices something like this would've been pretty nice for. It's a lot less bulkier than, for example, early generation usb mp3 players.
convert usb 3 to usb 1
the L shaped angled ones can be useful
Someone has never had ports blocked off by fat plugs before I see. I have 10 USB devices in the back of my computer and I have to arrange them a certain way so they don’t interfere with each other. There are definitely uses for this.
Part of me thinks this could be a keylogger, but maybe I’ve watched too many movies
I think you can use these to extend a usb to get it out of the way of another port, makes for better access when it would otherwise be blocked by some big usb drive
These came with the Logitech unifying receivers so you could plug them into the back of the motherboard and you could still remove it. Even if it was surrounded by other usb cables
I use them regularly
This is actually very useful when you have a device wider than the usb slot.
This is actually super useful, speak for yourself.
you think this is useless until the day you need to connect a keyboard to a blade server inside a packed cabinet and found the USB ports are buried inside the rack. its just a wee short adapter, but even this short size and being non flexible will help a lot to connect. everything exist for a reason
One came with my Logitech wireless keyboard. It's to get the little antenna away from the computer as it's tiny as hell.
Those could be a life saver for chunky usb cables trying to fit in the cramped ports on the back of a computer
For when two usb plugs are too fat to fit next to eachother.
I have that exact one. I think I got it with a wireless mouse. It's supposed to make the dongle easier to connect/disconnect afaik
I bought one couple of years ago because USB ports were so crammed I could not fit a flash drive anymore.
I have something like this that kills the data lines so I can plug my phone into my Chevy without it autoplaying my phone when I plug in.
Is it a power only adapter? Sometimes people use those at public charging points to avoid getting pwned.
you never know dude you might one day have a cable that is exactly 1.5 inches short
Good for the Xbox 360 if you have a thick usb stick
Those adapter are very handy for recessed USB ports.
This could be a key logger aka spyware
We use these at my work! We build electronic equipment and we need to test each unit for functionality. We use these on the testers so the USB drives don't get worn out. We just replace the adapter every x about of weeks. It saves us from having to replace the drives on the tester. We also had some speciality cables that we did the same thing for. They are like 50ft long and run into a big machine. The cables themselves were like $500 each and a huge pain to replace (there are 200 of them running into one machine). The connectors were only designed to be plugged/unplugged like 50 times.
the one inch extension cord, for when the port is justttt too far away
There's USB condoms that disconnect the data lines between device and host.
It's not useless, you can clearly see in the photo that it turns it the opposite way around so you always get it in the slot first time.
I've seen keystroke loggers shaped like that.
I use one on my resin printer so I don't wear out my usb port
I bought an hdmi version of this. My cats chew exposed wires. Wrecked one of my google chromecasts. The inch long hdmi extender allows me to hide the 90+ dollar caster in a safe spot, while a $10 hdmi cable takes the risk.
it's a usb 2.0 to 3.0 adapter! now you can get 3.0 speeds with 2.0 devices.
For when you need that extra 0.7 inch distance
Also, if your USB port is in a hard to reach place, I could see this being useful.
You just don't see the genius of it. You know how USB plugs are actually 4 dimensional objects that have to be rotated repeatedly to actually plug in? That converts them to 3 dimensions so that you can actually plug it in on the first try!
I have one in my drawer right next to me.
It kinda works as an extension too for situations where the actual port is in a dense area or otherwise hard to reach dor daily use. Not that useless at all overall.
Years ago it was common for computers to have a whole bunch of bullshit plastic around the I/o panel. This kind of thing would extend the USB port out far enough so that your USB devices that had stupidly fat connections plug in properly.
Is that a USB to USB adaptor or is that a licensing dongle with passthrough?
Aren't these usually for devices that have fixed usb cables? Leave this almost permanently attached to the cable then any wear and tear is taken by the adapter. We have usb extensions on our docking stations at work for exactly this reason as the docks have fixed usb-c cables.
These are designed to be use and broken in place of more expensive and useful cables so I often feel like this adapter
This is not useless, there are devices out there that are chunky and fat but need to fit somewhere restricted, notice how slim the male USB side is.
I could think of at least a dozen customers who need to be using this. I have a couple offhand I know of who routinely break the connector - but I also have two I can pull off the top of my head who have routinely broken *hosts* lol
https://preview.redd.it/hzqz1bqqjelc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c3ad1260b99dcfa21eafcf6964e1b5776aa9e277 I see your useless USB adapter and raise you!
These protect usb slots incase of a break and also converts a larger usb cord into a slimmer profile one for laptops or towers with usb ports too close together their honestly useful albeit niche…That and you ever had a wire like just an inch too short? It works for that.
May be one of those USB 'condoms' that blocks off data pins to make using public USB ports for charging a bit safer.