Buying the wrong part - even after you tried to tell them

[XOIIO]

USB port A to port A is sometimes needed. I got my hands on an external hard disk enclosure, and only realized afterwards that it just had an USB-A connector. I sacrificed two USB cable and soldered them together...

It was only needed because some moron designed the enclosure to have improper, standards-violating downstream USB A port in the first place. Probably it was cheaper than the proper one.

I actually prefer USB A to A, it would be much nicer than the micro usb 3.0 connectors that are used more commonly. It just feels like a much more secure and strong connection.

[karoru]

I think you're being overly generous.

An RJ45 just looks like a fat RJ11/RJ12 - and they KNOW how they work, so the wider one will work the same, won't it?!!

I'm up for making some twisted pair Ethernet cable with RJ11 plug on one side. Why waste power for these blinkenlight router magic, when you can just connect your computer
straight to the landline! Special offer includes software DSL to Ethernet converter & if you buy it today you get free 3-month America Online subscription.

[hli]

It was only needed because some moron designed the enclosure to have improper, standards-violating downstream USB A port in the first place. Probably it was cheaper than the proper one.

Thats right, its non-standard and should not have been used. Now its a red flag to me as well, but back then I just did not think about it (and was expecting either a B or USB-Mini socket). But given the situation, what should I do? Throw it away?

[Galenbo]

You contradict yourself a little bit there: First you say, if the customer has researched it and knows better (than you) what wrong part to buy, "just sell it" etc. . Then you bring up an example of an obviously non-informed customer, who doesn't know anything about fuses and may set his house on fire if you sell something like that to him.

Life is full of contradictions. And full of dangers.
The customer wasn't non-informed, he was false-informed. I wasn't selling, I was the customer beside him.
There was no way to stop him because everybody already saw the insults and false accusations coming.

[Galenbo]

It was only needed because some moron designed the enclosure to have improper, standards-violating downstream USB A port in the first place. Probably it was cheaper than the proper one.

Like this moron:

[wraper]

USB port A to port A is sometimes needed. I got my hands on an external hard disk enclosure, and only realized afterwards that it just had an USB-A connector. I sacrificed two USB cable and soldered them together...

It was only needed because some moron designed the enclosure to have improper, standards-violating downstream USB A port in the first place. Probably it was cheaper than the proper one.

I actually prefer USB A to A, it would be much nicer than the micro usb 3.0 connectors that are used more commonly. It just feels like a much more secure and strong connection.

The micro USB connector itself is much more robust against the mechanical damage than USB A, and, especially, USB B which can be ripped off with a slightest mechanical abuse. The micro USB connector itself gets damaged very rarely. The question is, how they are mounted on the PCB, if it is just surface mount, they can be ripped off with the pads. But if they are soldered into 4 holes in the PCB, they are almost indestructible.

[macboy]

Related: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA76H35K0295

That is a DVI to VGA adapter.  DVI-D, as in no analog pins in the connector.  Call me skeptical about there being active D/A circuitry in a $4 adapter.  But I would really like to take one of those apart and see if there is even an attempt.

FFS DVI does not even have power supply from connector.

In what universe does it not? On every DVI, Pin 14 is +5 V and pin 15 is the return/GND for it. HDMI has this +5V also, and it is commonly used to power active repeater/equalized cables, VGA adapters, etc.

[nogood]

You contradict yourself a little bit there: First you say, if the customer has researched it and knows better (than you) what wrong part to buy, "just sell it" etc. . Then you bring up an example of an obviously non-informed customer, who doesn't know anything about fuses and may set his house on fire if you sell something like that to him.

Life is full of contradictions. And full of dangers.
The customer wasn't non-informed, he was false-informed. I wasn't selling, I was the customer beside him.
There was no way to stop him because everybody already saw the insults and false accusations coming.

Well I see a burned down house coming, that's why doing things this way is bad.
I would not support a shop like this in any way.

[wraper]

Related: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA76H35K0295

That is a DVI to VGA adapter.  DVI-D, as in no analog pins in the connector.  Call me skeptical about there being active D/A circuitry in a $4 adapter.  But I would really like to take one of those apart and see if there is even an attempt.

FFS DVI does not even have power supply from connector.

In what universe does it not? On every DVI, Pin 14 is +5 V and pin 15 is the return/GND for it. HDMI has this +5V also, and it is commonly used to power active repeater/equalized cables, VGA adapters, etc.

Yes there is 5V, and you can buy a real active adapter cheaply http://www.ebay.com/itm/121639927599 or even cheaper HDMI adapter (which I bought and it is a real deal) http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/131425635470. However that particular adapter is a non working BS which have approximately five wires in it IIRC.

[jwm_]

It was only needed because some moron designed the enclosure to have improper, standards-violating downstream USB A port in the first place. Probably it was cheaper than the proper one.

Like this moron:

That is the correct socket, that is a downstream port; it sources 5V. It is not to run the thing off 5V. (though, it will probably sorta work like that by accident if you don't care about 5V regulation)

[rrinker]

 See, always learning something. I would have been with Galenbo on those, that it was designed to input 5V either via the USB port or the coax jack. I looked at the one I have sitting here and sure enough, the USB port is to OUTPUT 5V, not feed power in. Might be in the instructions, had I bothered to read them, or if it even came with any, I don't recall. I've just been using a small wall wart with a coax connector to power the supply which powers the breadboard.

[Galenbo]

That is the correct socket, that is a downstream port; it sources 5V. It is not to run the thing off 5V.

No it is not. No need to make things up to make it fit.
Nobody wants to charge a phone on this thing.

http://www.aliexpress.com/item/1PC-Promotional-Breadboard-Power-Supply-Module-3-3V-5V-MB102-Solderless-Bread-Board-DIY-New-Power/1884561980.html
"Input voltage: 6.5-12 V (DC) or USB power supply"

[OilsFan]

Apparently these fire hazards are asked for enough that ACE hardware made a sign about them.

https://consumermediallc.files.wordpress.com/2009/01/aceadapter.jpg?w=640&h=746

We use things called cam-lok suicide pins at work all the time on generators and sound stage power cans. They are M/M or F/F as needed. You are only supposed to use them on reverse ground schemes when your cable or distribution boxes do not have the right connectors. You run reverse ground in order to prevent mixing it up with one of your phase legs, especially the blue phase leg as a lot of people can't see the difference between Green and Blue. This is especially true under bad lighting conditions like using a cheap blue led head lamp in a dark forest at 3am. You could easily hook the blue phase leg up to the ground making all of the metal chassis hot if ground were not reversed. Here is what they look like....

http://www.filmtools.com/casuco.html

[jfasoc]

Being really picky, but 10/100 Ethernet only requires two pairs, so you can run two separate connections from one cable.  The two connections have to be wired in at the switch for it to work though obviously.

Just pointing out that maybe they actually had seen something like that before, they wouldn't know how it worked.  Or why doing it like that is not particularly recommended, but anyway.

I have done that in my apartment. Easier than running another cable or putting up another switch. Works fine.