You may have seen them dozens (if not hundreds) of times and never really paid much attention to them. All of them USB-A connectors They have this feature that often goes quite unnoticed, but has several important functions. All cable connectors have two holes, but do you know what they are called and what they are? functions do they comply?
You may not know it, but not all USB cables and connectors are the same, even if they look the same. There are a wide variety of features that vary depending on the version of the universal interface. In addition, they hide many “secrets” and some of them are just plain visible.
I invite you to take the cable from your charger or any other that has a male USB-A connector, the “one of a kind”. Look at it from all sides. Now, look at it again and notice those two strange square holes. Well, these two holes are called alignment or positioning holes, and they have a certain use that we will tell you about right away.
Function of USB connector holes
Many times we use different products or technologies and we don’t know how they all work. Something as common as USB cables or ports are an example of this. Saying that you know all of their features can be quite complicated due to the large number of versions that exist.
An unknown and important element in USB cables is the alignment or positioning holes on the USB-A connector. You may have seen them in passing without giving them much thought, but they are very important.
The first feature you should know is that these holes are used to properly align the USB connector with the port. This serves to ensure a precise and stable connection. In addition, it helps prevent damage to the pins, ensuring a quality data transfer.
Additionally, these act as a holding element, being small stops that prevent the connector from coming out of the port accidentally. This feature is especially important in portable devices or when cables are used in environments where there is a lot of movement.
These are two of the main characteristics, but they are not the only ones of these holes. They have two additional functions that are quite little known, such as:
- Data communication: They can be used for low-speed data transmission. They are mainly used for device identification or to obtain information about the power supply. These are fairly minor uses, but in certain fields they can be important.
- Data protection: It can be used to block access to certain connector pins, preventing unauthorized data transfer. It is a very interesting and little-known security add-on.
This feature is not generally in common use. It is focused on complicated environments where additional security is required to prevent accidental disconnection. Also, helping to ensure data integrity is very interesting and an extremely unknown feature.
Now you know what the holes in USB-A connectors on cables are really useful for. You can also show off and impress your friends and family by using them, since you probably have access to several cables with the connector.