USB-C as the “One Cable To Rule Them All” has certainly been a success. While USB-A is still around for now, most of us have breathed a hefty sigh of relief with the passing of micro-USB and the several display and power standards it replaces. It’s not without its minor issues though. One of them is that it’s as susceptible as any other cable to a bit of strain. For that, we think [NordcaForm]’s 3D-printed USB-C cable strain relief is definitely a cut above the rest.
Waxing lyrical about a simple 3D printed model might seem overkill for Hackaday, and it’s true, it’s not something we do often, but as Hackaday writers travel around with plenty of USB-C connected peripherals, we like the design of this one. It’s flexible enough to be useful without resorting to exotic filaments, and since it’s available in a few different forms with curved or straight edges, we think it can find a place in many a cable setup. Certainly more of an everyday carry than a previously featured 3D print. If you want to learn more about USB C, we have a whole series of posts for you to binge read.
If it was a way to make right angle short ends, but it’s a way to put a longer lever into the poor socket which is much harder to replace. The right way to strain relief of a cord is a radiused funnel not that springy elephant trunk stuff. Besides aren’t those ugly soiled stiff braided cable sheaths better at holding up to stress?
I use a 90 degree adapter then use gaffer duct tape to support the remaining cable… This works well on stage for my electronics 👍😎
I think I skip this one, since I prefer a cheap but broken cable over an expensive repair to a broken connector inside a device.
You can use this before the cable begings to get damage.
Also my comment about the first link (FM3k) was not accepted because I wrote about me laughing like a “minion hearing the word BUT, but with a double T” when I heard about FM3k.
I think their point was that it’s a bad idea to attach a big lever to the connector, so when something bumps it, instead of damaging the cable, it would wrench the USB socket off.
really needs to be ‘cheap’ but broken cable!
As assuming you can actually get a footprint compatible connector and have the gear for SMD rework (as USB-C pretty inevitability isn’t a soldering iron job) its actually cheaper to repair the connector by quite some margin even paying yourself a decent hourly rate most of the time. At least for the USB-C cable that isn’t strictly just USB2.0, low power as those are relatively cheap, but the USB 3 speed cables, or worse the USB 4 and high power rated cables really really are not cheap, and really not very repairable.
I do agree though I’d rather break the cable than the device, even when its a cheaper fix to fix the device myself most of the time – as a broken port CAN end up being serious damage to the PCB it mounts to, and at that point repair might well exceed my capabilities and sending it off the loons that manually rebuild the multi-layer PCB by hand under the stereo microscope I don’t even want to know what that would cost.
For charging, I mainly use inexpensive chargers, so if a USB-C jack is going to break off a PC board, I prefer it breaks on a throwaway device. And I have a fairly secure shelf to hold the devices being charged. When I’m connecting something to a computer for a data transfer or similar, I use good cables, careful positioning, and i try to have it connected for the least possible time. For a semi-permanent fixed USB connection, i add extra support or cable anchors to protect and secure the connection.
Of course, travelling and portable use can be harder on USB connections.
(and, fingers crossed, I have not really had problems with USB-A and micro-USB connections, either. )
Funny link to “a previously featured 3D print”.
FM3k .. (insert here a minion hearing the word “butt”).
Success might be “a bit” of stretch from a developer’s point of view. From an advanced user’s, like an IT admin, it might be even worse. But I am sure the casual users are relatively content.
In other words: I bought a 3D printer and I must justify it somehow.
Buying a 3D printer and doing what with it makes sense according to you? Man, comments like yours make every comment section worse post by post.
If you have a hammer, every problem looks like a nail.
Sometimes, when you really really want a hammer, you start inventing nails. Then everything that isn’t a problem starts to look like a nail too.
In that case, it’s best if you don’t buy the hammer.
And if you have a 3D printer, you print the hammer.
A spring type would looks more elegant
Or you could buy quality cables and also treat them with the respect they deserve. I have not worn out a USB cable in decades. And some of them travel a lot.
Congratulations. Please proceed to the front to collect your “Quality USB Cable Only Guy” award. It’s the same with all those “I ain’t got a scratch on my 15 yr. old phone”. Yay!!! But other people have because you know… Not everyone is a clone of YOU.
The practice is its own reward. Not having broken cables and scratched phone screens.
It’s very simple. Just don’t throw your stuff around and yank your cables like an ape, but I guess other people just have to, for some reason.
Wow, you can’t even think of one or two reasons your phone screen could suffer a scratch or your USB cable get yanked thought you didn’t intend to?
That’s a pretty sweet mixture of over simplification of todays world, being naive and ignorant of your surroundings .
Jan, that thing won’t help against a yank the cable can’t handle by itself – unless your cables are the worst kind. Mind, it’s not about price, it’s about build quality. And yes, I have destroyed both cables and displays by mis-abusing them or accidents. I have also thrown out bad cables right after opening the box.
If you can’t afford to do that (money, conscience, etc) back to square one: treat your gear with the required respect of how much you depend on it. If you do not care, then do no complain.
I just use reverse pliers/snaps to slightly widen smaller heat shrink tubing to put over both ends of all my cables. Keeps them great for years. Only have had to replace when the kids lose them.
This is the price you pay for having electronics (line drivers, etc.) in the Plug.
A bad design all around, and one that will make China lots of money in offloading inferior cables.
Why we don’t have an optical fiber along with some power wiring defies logic.
That’s not a problem with USB-C, that’s a problem with idiots kinking cables at a straight angle, often repeatedly. If “you have no choice because the cable is short”, then the proper solution is to use a longer cable. And if you don’t have the space behind the socket, this does not fix the problem.
I lost count of how many dead game controllers I fixed by pruning the cable where cable meets the enclosure.
Cute project, but Amazon sells the Vafoton USB-C magnetic adapter. Small dongle in the C port of your device, matching half on the ENT of your cable. Hold device near the cable and they connect themselves! Pull slightly and they separate without strain on the cable. Brilliant!
do adapters work well with usb c male plugs?
AI Overview
Yes, adapters work well with USB-C male plugs,
especially simple adapters like a female USB-A
to male USB-C adapter, but their functionality
depends on the adapter’s specific design and the
device’s capabilities. While they can provide a
convenient way to connect USB-A devices to
a USB-C port, keep in mind that some adapters
may be data-only or charge-only, and adapters
with the correct internal components are needed
for high-speed data transfer.
Things to consider.
AI Overview
Yes, a powered USB 3.2 hub can offer a significant
speed advantage with USB-C, but only if all
components in your setup—including the hub,
cable, and connected device—support the faster
USB 3.2 standard. A powered hub also ensures
stable, high-speed performance by providing reliable
power to your devices.
Speed improvements with USB 3.2.
AI Overview
Some USB-C 3.2 powered hubs include an HDMI
port because they are more accurately called
docking stations, designed to expand a single
USB-C port into a comprehensive workstation.
This is possible because a single USB-C port can
be configured to carry multiple signals simultaneously,
including video (via DisplayPort or HDMI Alternate
Mode), high-speed data, and power. Therefore, i
nstead of just expanding data-only ports like a
basic hub, these “smart” hubs convert the
USB-C port to offer a variety of functions, such
as video output to an HDMI monitor, multiple USB-A
ports, and network connectivity, all through
one connection.
Video output through Alternate Mode:
Thanks for the pointless AI slop.
Would it be too much to ask HaD commenters to post THEIR thoughts instead of some copy/paste from an oversized pattern-matcher?