Preface
On the evening of October 30, 2018, Apple held a new product launch conference in the United States, releasing three hardware products, including the new MacBook Air laptop, iPad Pro tablet, Mac mini host; and iPad Pro 2018 finally gave up the Lighting interface and replaced it with a more mainstream USB-C interface, and will obtain the ability to output 4K HDR videos. It is a "toothpaste-squeezing" iPad.
Today, our protagonist is not iPad Pro 2018, but USB Type-Ch, and is also used to being called USB-C or Type-C. It is a hardware interface form of universal serial bus (USB). The biggest feature in appearance is that its upper and lower ends are completely consistent, and it no longer distinguishes the front and back sides compared with ports such as Micro-USB and USB-A.
USB-C port
Users who are using USB-C port devices basically understand that the full pins inside the USB-C port are 24 pins, and 12 pins are on the upper and lower sides. And since the release of the USB-C specification in 2014, many new 3C devices such as Android mobile devices, laptops, desktops and even gaming consoles have begun to use this connection port.
USB-IF Association clearly stipulates the USB-C ports mounted on smart devices. Although the number of pins is 24, the number of pins does not necessarily have to be full.
Therefore, users will see that the number of internal pins of the USB-C cable ports of different specifications is different to achieve different functions.
Last issue, the charging head network has introduced the function definition of Apple's lightning terminal pins. From the above figure, we can see the signal principle of the internal pins of the USB-C port.
Apple original USB-C cable
As early as the 2018 iPad Pro, Apple updated and used a new port (MacBook was equipped with a USB-C port in 2015).
For the cables with USB-C ports included in Apple devices, the internal pins are not fully equipped. The specially designed pins can achieve different functions, and only take into account several of the functions of charging, data transmission, video transmission, etc., and are not full-function cables. Of course, they need to be purchased separately.
In iPad-based and MacBook-based computers, the original cable (with the included USB-C cable) is inserted into the USB port, and the damping is smooth and very small; and you can use a third-party USB-C cable and forcefully plug it into the iPad or Mac. It can be used but it obviously perceives large damping, which is related to adaptability to a certain extent.
"common" charging damage
Why does iPad say that "common" charging damage? First of all, it originates from the current tablet market, and users account for the vast majority of the world, so problems will be more complicated than users in other camps.
Secondly, although the USB-C port has clear dimensions in the USB-IF specification file, the thickness, quantity and materials of the internal pins are not uniform; for Apple products, third-party accessories may be adaptable, but the details that cannot be seen will wear the material surface, resulting in poor contact, and even the iPad's tail plug is damaged, metal contacts are exposed and short circuits are short-circuited. What's more, it breaks through the IC chip touch pin or CPU internal circuit.
Charging Head Network Summary
For the USB-C interface, although the appearance is unified, the USB-C port is a universal container in the current era, which can attach various private protocols from many brand manufacturers. Therefore, a strange phenomenon occurs: any USB-C cable equipped with a USB-C port seems to be able to charge, but it lacks the fast charging that each manufacturer should have. It seems public and is more private in actual testing.
Secondly, including the metal contacts at the end of the USB-C port used by iPad-type tablets are all blocked by insulating material , which does not affect each other. However, when the third accessory is connected or the voltage and current gear provided by the voltage and current gear exceeds the standard gear set by Apple, the high heat generated by excessive voltage and current will also have a certain impact on the insulating material and internal load-bearing circuit, resulting in short circuit, wear or breakdown.
Finally, tablets that return to the Android camp have private protocols, which support higher and larger voltage and current outputs. The metal contact bearing capacity of the tail plug may be more compatible with third-party accessories than iPads. Even if it is damaged, the maintenance cost is relatively low. Therefore, in the face of such a large user base and the flood of third-party accessories market, the "common problem" is certain. The author recommends that users use the original charging suit as much as possible. After all, the cost of damage to the tail plug is much higher than the cost of charging cables and chargers.
