Are there 6 pin USB C sockets with D- D+ lines instead of CC1 and CC2 ?

[LinuxHata]

Hello.

I need an USB C female socket, which will have 6 pins (for ease of soldering). There are thousands of various types available, but all which I was able to find, have VDD VSS and CC1 and CC2 lines - these are used for charging purposes only. I need to transfer data, but sockets with D+ and D- pins usually have 14 or 16 pins and are very hard to solder.

So maybe someone seen the USB C socket with 6 pins, but with D+ and D- lines?

[ataradov]

No. There is a big thread from a couple years back where we tried to find one and could not. For Type-C to work you need to have both CCx and D+/-.

There is some weird connector with like 8 pins that has that, but it is next to impossible to find, so I would not bother.

Here is the thread https://www.eevblog.com/forum/projects/type-c-in-micro-usb-footprint-(female-connectors)/

[LinuxHata]

Well, I do have some 6 pin connectors which have D+ and D- lines, but they're vertical
bought maybe 2 years ago in China.

[Berni]

There is a good reason they are made in the 16 pin versions.

Look at the required pinout and try to draw out the shape of the stamped metal contacts to make the required connections onto 6 pins, then you will see why.

You also do need the CC lines for your device to work properly with hosts that have USB-C ports.

While these connectors are more difficult to solder than a microUSB, they are still reasonably easy to solder using hot air, only issue is that on some connectors it is impossible to inspect all the pins after soldering.

[langwadt]

https://www.aliexpress.com/i/1005003639528308.html ?

[thm_w]

If you are soldering wires onto it, you just get something like this with the PCB already in place:
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005005488562443.html
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005005769163862.html

They are what is used inside type A to C cables sometimes.

https://www.aliexpress.com/i/1005003639528308.html ?

No diagram showing what pins are connected to?

[ataradov]

No diagram showing what pins are connected to?

There is a drawing in the post I linked. But yes, those things are not well documented and not readily available. I would avoid them.

[artag]

There is a drawing in the post I linked. But yes, those things are not well documented and not readily available. I would avoid them.

Yes, that's a problem. I can find what I want (I just need a charging socket) in aliexpress but I can't specify that for a BoM, they won't be there next week. Where can I find a reliable stockist with specs, drawings and leadtimes ?  Places like Digikey and TE Connectivity have only a very limited choice of mounting options.

And they're priced at $2-$3 each instead of $0.08. I get that there might be a quality difference but $30 on the retail price is just not reasonable.,

What I need is the type that I think's made for encapsulating in plastic - no side tabs, and pins out the back so the inlet can be placed in a thick panel. eg https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005004218910074.html

[thm_w]

Yes, that's a problem. I can find what I want (I just need a charging socket) in aliexpress but I can't specify that for a BoM, they won't be there next week. Where can I find a reliable stockist with specs, drawings and leadtimes ?  Places like Digikey and TE Connectivity have only a very limited choice of mounting options.

What I need is the type that I think's made for encapsulating in plastic - no side tabs, and pins out the back so the inlet can be placed in a thick panel. eg https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005004218910074.html

Source via alibaba.
LCSC has similar ones as well https://www.lcsc.com/product-detail/USB-Connectors_SHOU-HAN-TYPE-C-6P-LCH10-0_C5187470.html

Why are side tabs not an option?

[langwadt]

There is a drawing in the post I linked. But yes, those things are not well documented and not readily available. I would avoid them.

Yes, that's a problem. I can find what I want (I just need a charging socket) in aliexpress but I can't specify that for a BoM, they won't be there next week. Where can I find a reliable stockist with specs, drawings and leadtimes ?  Places like Digikey and TE Connectivity have only a very limited choice of mounting options.

And they're priced at $2-$3 each instead of $0.08. I get that there might be a quality difference but $30 on the retail price is just not reasonable.,

What I need is the type that I think's made for encapsulating in plastic - no side tabs, and pins out the back so the inlet can be placed in a thick panel. eg https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005004218910074.html

close enough? https://www.mouser.dk/ProductDetail/GCT/USB4140-GF-0230-C?qs=Li%252BoUPsLEnsTahb5O%2FBErw%3D%3D

[ataradov]

LCSC is a reliable and consistent supplier. Things still change over time, so you may eventually have to find a replacement. But LCSC would have all sorts of mounting options at actually reasonable prices.

[artag]

Thanks, I'd looked on LCSC but hadn't found those. The GCT one I had found but it's really a vertical-mount so the pcb goes at rightangles which doesn't suit retaining it so well in my application.

Side tabs aren't an option because it needs to thread into a deep hole in a wooden base. I can cut a slot with rounded ends but not have a narrow opening and a wide mounting end. Normally I'd prefer them - I distrust purely surface mounting external connectors having seen too many broken phone charging sockets but in this case I want a parallel-sided piece with a pcb transition to wiring that can be pushed into the hole and anchored with a screw.

Annoyingly I can find this ready-made very easily - except they have the wrong CC connections (the common B008 pcb has only one resistor, which as I understand it is completely useless)  and no retaining mechanism except accurate mouldings or glue.

[ataradov]

The male ones with a PCB will only have one CC because cable only has one CC wire. This is up to the spec. Only the board (female) size needs 2 CCx lines, which guarantees that the one in the cable will be connected to one of them no matter the orientation.

I looked at what B008 is. Yes, this is technically wrong. You need to have 2 separate resistors. It would work with passive cables, but may fail with e-marekd cables.

The resistor appears to be not populated at all by default. This is fine for power-only applications. It would work without the resistors if there is USB-A connector on the other side. But if it is USB-C, then there may be issues with smart hosts that only supply power when the device is connected.

[artag]

OK, I guess it makes sense if B008 is intended as an encapsulated female connector. But it seems to be marketed as a female inlet connector with pads for one resistor. It's just about possible to hack it to take two but not a sensible option!

I appreciate the guidance. I've got my head around some of USB C but am pretty confused as to why some of the products exist. I did indeed find that I could use B008 to accept power from a USB-A to -C cable but not with a proper PD connection.

[LinuxHata]

As said above, I do have some vertical Type C connectors which have DP and DM lines instead of CC1 CC2.
The issue is that I need a "normal" socket.
I do use some 16P TH typeC sockets, but JLCPCB, after they "upgraded" their production lines year a so, gives me warning that they can't guarantee that all holes will be solder-free (previously, same design was just fine), so when PCB arrives, some of these holes are filled with solder and I'm having hard time cleaning it out.

[Berni]

Then order the PCB with some other finish than HASL.

As for cleaning out the holes, you might want a PCB preheater to get the whole board hot, so that it it easier to melt the solder deep in the hole. A hot air station can probably do that too. But yeah id imagine it is not fun with holes this small.

Unfortunately all this complication is due to the reversible nature of the USB-C. None of the USB 2.0 spec is designed to be reversible, so they have no other choice but to duplicate the whole connector on the reverse side, and this inevitably means a lot of criss crossing connections. Hence making it difficult to make these crossing connections internally when each contact+pin has to be a single piece of stamped metal.

[LinuxHata]

I ordered these 8 pin sockets, mentioned above.
They are still very hard to solder, because two set of pins have very close spacing.

[LinuxHata]

If anyone still wants to use them, here's a datasheet from the manufacturer.

[Berni]

To me that datasheet looks like it connects the D+ and D- pins only on one side of the connector.

If this is true then USB data transfer will stop working if you plug the cable in rotated around half a turn.

[LinuxHata]

I will test tomorrow and let you know. But these pins are interconnected in cable anyways, so no big importance, imo...

[ataradov]

No, they are not interconnected in the cable. Cable only has one D+/D- wire. This is why you need to have that connection in the connector.

I would assume that there is internal connection, otherwise this connector is just junk. Why even make it?

[thm_w]

No, they are not interconnected in the cable. Cable only has one D+/D- wire. This is why you need to have that connection in the connector.

I would assume that there is internal connection, otherwise this connector is just junk. Why even make it?

That is a good point. This site shows an image where they are left floating on the PCB: https://www.pshinecable.com/article/usb-c-cable-wiring-diagram.html

That is probably why it is not made, it is too expensive to internally connect the D+'s together and have one pin coming out. Even the 6 pin ones, they just have two VBUS pins coming out and you short those together.

[ataradov]

Internal connections would be tricky indeed. But not bringing out all the pins makes no sense at all.

In your link, the first picture of the USB-C female connector on a cable is not allowed by the standard Female connectors can be only board mounted.

[LinuxHata]

Sure?
never seen USB-C extension cables?

[ataradov]

I've seen them, of course. They are not allowed by the standard. Obviously people in China don't care. But as a side effect, those cables only work in one orientation, and you are instructed to flip the connector if it does not work.

There are also USB-A to USB-A cables. And that abomination does not even make sense, yet they exists.