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USB Micro vs Mini
I'm under the impression that USB Mini has been deprecated, or at least discouraged over Micro USB, yet I keep finding lots of keyboards with Mini. Is there a community preference for one over the other?
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keyboard_arrow_downLastBrat
217
Sep 29, 2017
Having soldered some and my micro usb connector broken off the microcontroller, I can understand why the mini usb has the preference. It's really hardly any bigger, but certainly more robust.
KidEh
5
Jul 12, 2016
I'd prefer everything move over to a single standard. USB C has been solid for me so far.
defectivebit
12
Jul 10, 2016
People say that mini is sturdier and while it is true that some SMD micro B jacks can rip off easily from a PCB there are sturdier micro B jacks available with through-hole legs.
spirkus
0
Jul 10, 2016
defectivebitI've had problems with the strength of even the through hole micro B jacks. Part of that is the fact that most of them are designed for cell phone thickness board, not normal pcbs. I have had less problems with mini B, but my tinkering experience with both kinds is limited. Now that type-C is becoming more common place I'd really like to evaluate that as a solution.
jceaser
359
Jul 11, 2016
spirkusI have -c in a work laptop and I'm not sure yet. Sometimes it feels "soft" to me like it will not last, but I'm coming up on 1 year of use in about 2 months so maybe I can speak with some authority then.
cino
104
Jul 10, 2016
@youdub my personal experience with mini tends to prove it is faulty by design if you need to plug/unplug your device several time a day, it may looks sturdier but the inner tongue weakness makes it quiet short living. Micro *seems* more adequate for this use but I do not have enough experience with it yet to say anything. What is funny is that the mechanical keyboards have all room in the case to put a first gen type B female connector, which to my knowledge is indestructible.
tivasyk
85
Jul 11, 2016
cinoi have used many devices with mini usb and had never, not once have a cable on me. however those devices were mostly external usb drives, keyboards… in short not something one (dis)connects several times a day, 7 days a week. i have several micro-usb cables fail on me when used regularly with smartphones just because the connector is too small and has a too plain form to remain rigid over time. but again, micro-usb cables tend to be used much more frequently so the entire mini/micro question is not something i can decide on. in the end it's the keyboard quality and form factor that matter most.
cino
104
Jul 11, 2016
tivasykMini cables are ok, I guess, never had a problem with them (well to be honest I had once but it was more cable quality than mini design by itself) , in my case it's the device female connector that fails after a while and this is inherent to mini design. Best connector for keyboards should be magnetic ; it makes sense unless you are on a clean fixed setup.
youdub
3
Jul 10, 2016
Mini is used over micro because it's so much sturdier and there is plenty of room for a mini connector on the keyboard.
mohitgarg
60
Jul 5, 2016
I've used boards with both and designed boards with both. I would pick microUSB over mini any day, I also believe for new designs, USB Type-C might be the best option, more cables are becoming available everyday.
jceaser
359
Jul 5, 2016
mohitgargI use a mac with the type-c connector at work, it does a fine job, so yea, I would agree that -c would improve everything. Mini however does seam to be a little harder to plug in.
evangs
1492
Jul 4, 2016
As a keyboard creator, I used mini because that's what a lot of other boards were using. I know people get custom cables made and I wanted people to be able to use those cables with my boards as well.
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