The trick with DIN connectors was to try to insert them gently while rotating them. Once you got the notch lined up they would very clearly drop into the socket at which point you could apply more pressure to fully seat them. It was only a problem if you were jamming them in full force while rotating because you could exert enough pressure to force it into the socket even with the key notch misaligned crushing the pins. I never once had a problem inserting a DIN connector, something I absolutely can’t say about USB-A.
Comment on USB inventor explains why the connector was not designed to be reversible
Valmond@lemmy.mindoki.com 11 months agoI was there when we had lots of “round” connectors like Din connectors but also lots of proprietary ones.
That was way worse, trying for the eleventh time to put it in correctly without looking as it’s under/on the backside in a jungle of other cables, and not damaging any of the fragile 7 pins… gargl.
orclev@lemmy.world 11 months ago
florge@feddit.uk 11 months ago
Wow I’d forgotten about the old keyboard and mouse ports, they were such a faff to plug in without looking.
Puzzle_Sluts_4Ever@lemmy.world 11 months ago
Yeah. I will always hate USB A and went a bit overboard on switching as much as possible to USB C the moment it was even kind of viable.
But… if USB A is the “This marvel movie is the worst movie ever made” of complaining, people would lose their god damned minds if they ever had to deal with ps/2 (a direct to dvd movie starring mel gibson) or some of the serial style plugs that were rectangular instead of trapezoidal and had non-symmetrical pins (a recording of an improv group)
roguetrick@kbin.social 11 months ago
Isn't that coming back for mechanical keyboard enthusiasts?
Puzzle_Sluts_4Ever@lemmy.world 11 months ago
More “retro hardware” enthusiasts.
From a keyboard perspective? Cherry Blues are too mainstream. Everyone now needs one of those god awful ibm keyboards from the 70s (?). Because how can you type a screenplay if people in the Starbucks three towns over can’t hear you?
But that has mostly manifested as switch modding and new designs. Because ergonomics and layout matter a lot too. I mean. how can you get anything done if you aren’t rocking at least TKL?
But there are people who have access to older hardware. Either because they had it in the basement for 30 years or because they got gouged on ebay. But the USB->PS/2 adapters have been on the market basically forever. Not in huge quantities but they are also dirt cheap to make so more or less any store that sells “electronics” has a few collecting dust.
Rhaedas@kbin.social 11 months ago
That caused a flashback, as I haven't seen those in years (but I know I have a few still somewhere lol). It also made me think...I can not recall ever having to do the "1-2-3" tries when hooking a USB mouse or keyboard into those before I plugged it all into the back of the PC. Which makes me lean towards blaming the socket installation and lack of reference for a lot of the woes, not the cord or flashdrive (which you can see).