Cable quaeritur cum picto vel corto, ad filum negatum pretium.
Cable quaeritur cum picto vel corto, ad filum negatum pretium.
Hi guys me again with another dumb question, my apologies in advance and particularly if I've posted this in the wrong part of the forums (I wasn't sure where questions on usb 2.0 cables would go).
So I have an ancient usb 2.0 cable that came with my equally ancient (has to be at least 10 years old) laptop cooler with fans inside of it - one of those old school heavy blocks of metal with the fans built into it. I foolishly taped the usb 2.0 A to A cable that came with it to the laptop cooler so it wouldn't get lost then when I brought the laptop cooler out of retirement and was trying to pry the tape off with my fingernails I managed to put a small cut/nick in the black sheath/plastic tubing of the usb cable in two different spots. I can see a very small (about 1/16th of an inch ) patch of white underneath which in turn I am guessing is the second layer of wire tubing. The (I'm guessing as to the colors since I can't see them through the cut) white, black, green and black wires that do the actual transmitting of electricity are not visible and are not exposed/outside of the plastic tubing. I'm going by the links below as to what wires make up a usb cable I could be wrong on this
https://www.kabasi-connector.com/info/wh...35814.html
https://www.electroschematics.com/usb-how-things-work/
I wrapped electrical tape around the two nicks on the cable which covers the nicks completely and appears to be secure I don't think the tape is going to come off anytime soon. I'm wondering if it's okay to just go ahead and use the usb 2.0 cable to power the fans on my laptop in the future.
I know that usb 2.0 cables are cheap as all heck
and normally I'd just go ahead and replace the cable to be on the safe side but I'm wondering if it's risky to use a cable other than the one that originally came with the (again ancient, over 10 years old) laptop cooler in case the cable creates problems (delivers too much electrical power to the fans in the laptop cooler maybe). If it's safe to replace the cable though do you guys think something like this would work?
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002KK...X0DER&th=1
Hopefully that link works but if not the name of the product is "Monoprice 105442 3ft USB 2.0 A Male to A Male 28/24AWG Cable (Gold Plated) -Black for Data Transfer Hard Drive Enclosures, Printers, Modems, Cameras and More!" 3 foot option amazon asin number B002KKXP3M
Thanks so much to anyone who reads this and replies
You may want to add a couple of images to illustrate the damage. Based on your text, it seems acceptable, though I want to confirm you didn't accidentally connect the wires after they were exposed. External laptop cooler fans run on 5V, requiring just two wires—one black and one red.
Using tape around the nicks on your old cable works perfectly! The tiny cut that lets you see the white wire insulation isn’t a major problem. There seems to be no electrical damage—this repair is mainly about keeping the internal wires safe.
Actually, I think this approach is superior to replacing the cable you mentioned. Why? Because the device you’re using is a cooler with fans and doesn’t require data transfer. Fans usually need more power than data devices. The original cable was built for that purpose. The new cable you linked is meant for optimal DATA transfer using thin wires, which might handle your fans’ needs better, though not perfectly. Since you don’t need to replace it, just wrap it up.
Thank you for your prompt response. I understand why I reacted that way.
Of course, since I’m still learning, I panicked and wrapped the damaged sections in electrical tape right away. Later I thought about taking a photo beforehand, which would have been helpful.
I’m sorry if my explanation wasn’t clear in the long text post—I tried to explain it in detail but it might have been confusing.
I didn’t notice any specific wires like red, black, white, or green. I only saw them in a USB cable, thanks to the diagrams and links I shared earlier. Honestly, I’ve never seen the internal wires of a USB cable before.
Sorry for the unclear post! What I meant was that I likely removed the black coating on the cable, revealing a small white patch underneath. I’m not sure if that matches the white wire you mentioned, but since it looks like it’s there in both spots, I’m guessing there might be another layer of white plastic beneath the black one.
I really hope this makes sense, especially considering Paperdoc suggested not replacing the USB cable.
Paperdoc appreciates your prompt response, and Lutfij was great too.
... similar to what Lutfij mentioned, I should have shown a photo of the damage instead of rushing to wrap electrical tape around it.
I’m hoping the issue is just white wire insulation inside, and all I did was scratch the black plastic covering it. You really helped me understand the difference between data transfer USB cables and power supply cables—thank you for that.
...
Now I’m curious about where I can find USB cables that can actually replace a laptop cooler, especially since they often stop working eventually.
I searched Amazon using "usb cable for laptop cooler" but found reviews claiming it worked fine for some coolers, like the Monoprice model in the link above.
However, there’s still the concern of fake reviews on Amazon that can mislead people.
It could be a genuine review or just another example of this problem.
Two points to note for understanding. On any cable, USB or otherwise, the typical design is that each metal strand is covered with its own plastic insulation, often colored to simplify connections. This insulation alone is sufficient to ensure electrical separation between wires. Above this lies the outer molded cover, which adds extra protection against external factors and grounding, as well as mechanical wear and water exposure. In your scenario, only the outer layer shows a nick, so covering it with tape should suffice—unless you plan to submerge it in water!
Every USB2 cable contains all four wires and is designed to carry both power (on two wires) and data (on the other two). Each wire should be capable of handling the standard current (5 VDC at up to 0.5 A on power wires) and the minimal currents needed for data transmission. I was just exercising caution (too much?) since the cable mentioned gold-plated wires for better conductivity, which is typical for reliable data transfer, and it’s only 28 gauge—a relatively thin wire. However, I didn’t verify the ampacity rating for such a wire size. Still, I assume the cable meets the minimum requirements for USB2.