5 May
2012
5 May
'12
4:02 p.m.
On Sat, May 05, 2012 at 10:26:23AM -0700, Eric Smith wrote:
Mouse wrote:
WTF? So why not put the USB to serial part into the _device_ so you can
use a normal USB cable and ports? The only explanation that comes to
my mind is:
- certified medical device
- they got away with changing the connector (from something very custom)
- but changing the internal circuitry would trigger a re-certification
Of course that might be wrong and it is simply a case of some hardware
designer smoking something strongly brain-damaging.
The connector is not all there is to it. I
recently ran into a
device (not a phone, but it wouldn't surprise me if phones did the
same thing) that, if you plug in the wrong charger, even though
the connector is correct, displays a snarky message about how you
have to use the charger and cable that came with the device, and
refuses to charge.
There are far worse abuses of USB connectors than that. I've got a
pulse oximeter with a mini USB B connector, but it isn't a USB
device. It has 3.3V CMOS async serial (not RS-232) on the
connector, and may be damaged if it is plugged directly into USB.
The cable they provided, USB A male to USB mini B male, has a USB to
serial chip molded in. This would have been a reasonable plan, if they had
found some other
connector to put on the device, rather than a USB connector.
Or that, yes.
Kind regards,
Alex.
--
"Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and
looks like work." -- Thomas A. Edison