View Full Version : Is mixing USB cables bad?
danhenshy23
January 5th, 2005, 04:15 PM
Hey
I have been searching riund my house for a USB printer cable, turns out I have'nt got one after all. However I noticed that the USB cable from my Speed Touch ADSL modem fots the slot on my printer perfectly.
Is it bad to mix cables that were supplied with different hardware?
Dan
zipulrich
January 5th, 2005, 04:18 PM
Nope.
Go for it, you wild thing.
hypnotizeminds
January 5th, 2005, 04:20 PM
I'm going to take a guess and say that your printer probably runs on USB 2.0. As long as the cable you are using is USB 2.0 compliant, you are fine. If it is USB 1.1 however, you will experience severe difficulty in getting the printer to respond, if it does at all. More than likely, it will work just fine, unless the cable is several years old, in which case there is a good chance that it could be made for USB 1.1 only.
danhenshy23
January 5th, 2005, 04:24 PM
hmm well its a broadband modem so is more likely to be 2.0 i guess.
Just wanted to make sure i wouldnt do any damage.
hypnotizeminds
January 5th, 2005, 04:29 PM
Even if it was a 1.1 cable, odds of doing damage are unlikely, you just wouldn't get anywhere and might experience odd behavior (along with next to no usability) with the device until the cable was exchanged for the proper one. No worries.
Good idea to check here first, though. Better safe than sorry. :wave:
danhenshy23
January 5th, 2005, 04:39 PM
It worked!
bAdWaYz
January 5th, 2005, 07:23 PM
YAY!!! :D The many wonders of USB
zipulrich
January 5th, 2005, 11:48 PM
You can use the same USB cable to power this cool fishtank (http://www.thinkgeek.com/gadgets/electronic/6984/), as well as a bunch of other schwag. And the difference between a 1.1-rated cable and a USB 2.0-rated cable is....a couple extra dollars. That's about it. :)
bAdWaYz
January 6th, 2005, 03:38 AM
Thinkgeek is awesome...I sooooo want that USB binary clock!
hypnotizeminds
January 6th, 2005, 05:05 AM
Thinkgeek is awesome...I sooooo want that USB binary clock!
If you are referring to this LED Binary Clock (http://www.thinkgeek.com/cubegoodies/lights/59e0/), me too! I was looking at it a few months ago, the only reason I've yet to buy it is because it is just so small! Check the action shots of it. I still might, though!
Cyber Sp4ce
January 6th, 2005, 05:09 AM
Thinkgeek is awesome...I sooooo want that USB binary clock!
I prefer their caffeine store :)