SN875 - Living in a simulation.

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ThirdDegreeByrne

New member
Feb 9, 2022
2
1
An attempt to explain the observed bias towards inserting a USB "A" plug the wrong way into it's socket in a way that does not involve us living in a Matrix style simulation.

Inserting a plug into it's socket is a spatial problem for which the human brain has varying ability based on the circumstances and configuration of the objects.

To illustrate this property, I'll use the US style 120 volt, 15 amp power outlet as a first example.
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The US system uses 2 parallel blades arrayed left to right, above a semicircular ground pin. For this example I'll reference an ungrounded plug, with just the two blades. You'll notice on the female socket, that the left blade (neutral), is wider than the right blade (hot). The male plug has the same arrangement, one blade wider than the other. The result is that the plug can only be inserted into the socket in the correct orientation. The human brain is very good at processing left versus right spatial problems. Probably because our eyes are arranged on our face, left to right opposite from each other. So as a learned physical behavior, we can easily, almost without thinking, recognize that for both the socket and the plug, the wider blade is on the left and we will have a bias to automatically orient the plug so that the wider blade is on the left.

For USB A, on the other hand, the design is different.
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In both the female socket, and male plug, there is a plastic block containing the the signal contacts. Generally the female socket is presented with the plastic block on the bottom. This requires the male plug to be inserted with the plastic block oriented on the top. Up/down spatial processing is not as easy for the human brain as left/right. What's happening that induces the bias for us to attempt to insert the USB the wrong way is that our brains will try to apply the power outlet logic - "wider blade is on the same side for both plug and socket" to the USB problem. For USB, the plastic block must be oriented on THE OPPOSITE side for plug and socket. So since both the orientation for both parts is opposing rather than congruent, and the spatial process is up/down rather than left/right, we will tend to naturally try to insert it the wrong way.

They solved this problem with USB-C by making the plug insertable either way.
 

Ralph

Well-known member
Sep 24, 2020
145
36
On a few cables I just painted a dot on one side so they connect 'dot to dot'. I haven't mis-plugged those cables since.
 

PHolder

Well-known member
Sep 16, 2020
1,027
2
456
Ontario, Canada
On a few cables I just painted a dot
I'm kind of surprised someone hasn't come up with stickers or something for this express purpose. (I relinquish the idea to anyone clever enough to make it profitable.) You could put a sticker around the hole on the device, and another on the top of the cable. If they made them printable, you could even brand your cable with your name (or the company name). The trick, as ever with any sticker, is to make the adhesive just right so they stay in place.
 

Ralph

Well-known member
Sep 24, 2020
145
36
Since a label of some sort on a USB connector fixes a crack in the simulation, does that mean we can apply patches to it? If so maybe we shouldn't do it or we will just make the simulation better.

I used a paint pen for my dots. I didn't know there was such a thing until I was looking for a way to write on black plastic. I couldn't find a white one at the time and got silver instead. Silver turned out to be an interesting choice. Depending on lighting and what color you write on it can beome almost invisible.
 

Paul F

Active member
Sep 17, 2020
44
12
Toronto
Part of the problem is that the flanges on most USB sockets do not extend around the corners. If you cannot see to align the plug with the socket it can get caught on the upper or lower flange making you think you have its orientation wrong.
USB Socket.jpg
 

Ralph

Well-known member
Sep 24, 2020
145
36
Maybe a future USB D connector will have small 'wings' on the ends giving a positive visual cue to orientation. For fix mounted USB connectors I usually check the go's into side (male connector) and look for the side where the metal seam is, often facing that down is correct- but for loose cable ends it's still miss, miss, and hit.
 

aaron

New member
Sep 23, 2020
3
2
Toronto, ON
Is this _actually_ a problem people have? Or is it an elaborate joke that I've missed out on? I very rarely have trouble plugging in USB connectors, especially after the first time plugging into a device. Just orient it with the symbol the right way, or in the case of micro-USB, feel for the little bumps on the longer edge of the connector and orient it the right way. 🤷‍♂️
 
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