Wish Enable USB-A port for powering / charging USB devices

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It would just be cool to have this set up the same as the USB-B port. This way those of us with a loose/shitty connection could use the USB-A. The B port is just a piece of crap.............
 
flarocks said:
It would just be cool to have this set up the same as the USB-B port. This way those of us with a loose/shitty connection could use the USB-A. The B port is just a piece of crap.............
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Not gonna happen. It’d be a violation of the USB spec. USB-A is a host connection, like a computer, which is why it could supply power if it was enabled. USB-B is a large peripheral, like a printer or drive, something that doesn’t act like a computer.

Agreed, the USB-B port design isn’t that great but that’s not Fractal’s fault, the design came from the specification committee, it’s the same design used by the industry and Fractal pretty much had no say if they were going to allow the modelers to connect to computers. USB will probably eventually go away, and other busses are now available so maybe a future Fractal device will take advantage of Lightning or whatever else comes, but only if enough people have computers that have that capability. USB is the lowest common denominator for host to peripheral connectivity right now.
PS - laxu correctly divined I meant to say “Thunderbolt”, not “Lightning”. Both are faster versions of USB and both have connectors that loosen over time if subjected to stress or strain so they’re not perfect either.
 
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Greg Ferguson said:
Agreed, the USB-B port design isn’t that great but that’s not Fractal’s fault, the design came from the specification committee, it’s the same design used by the industry and Fractal pretty much had no say if they were going to allow the modelers to connect to computers. USB will probably eventually go away, and other busses are now available so maybe a future Fractal device will take advantage of Lightning or whatever else comes, but only if enough people have computers that have that capability. USB is the lowest common denominator for host to peripheral connectivity right now.
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I think you mean Thunderbolt. Lightning is Apple's proprietary connector that refuses to go away despite half of their devices already using USB-C/Thunderbolt.

But it's not like those ports are not without their problems. USB-C can end up becoming loose over time and is not quite as robust for connecting things as USB-A or B. In any case I fully expect a next gen Fractal unit to use USB-C. It saves space if nothing else and more devices are moving to it.

You are totally correct about the difference between intended function of USB-A and USB-B.
 
laxu said:
I think you mean Thunderbolt. Lightning is Apple's proprietary connector that refuses to go away despite half of their devices already using USB-C/Thunderbolt.

But it's not like those ports are not without their problems. USB-C can end up becoming loose over time and is not quite as robust for connecting things as USB-A or B. In any case I fully expect a next gen Fractal unit to use USB-C. It saves space if nothing else and more devices are moving to it.

You are totally correct about the difference between intended function of USB-A and USB-B.
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Yes, Thunderbolt. You are correct!
 
Prio 1 - power through the USB port.
Prio 2 - import/export presets without a computer only with a USB stick (like Kemper)
Prio 3 - wireless editing with an additional module

This would be my wish list :D
 
There is 2 aspects this is unlikely to happen:
a) Technical: I've never seen or heard of a USB based "external" processing unit - probably the BUS speed wouldnt be sufficient for such an idea
b) Non-technical: we haven't seen the ~prio 1 things (for USB) happening for quite a while - it's unlikely above idea would happen (even if it would be possible)
 
+1 kind of; but the FM3 already has a nice +12V 1A power source on the back if you aren't using the Faslink port for anything else. There are threads on how to access Faslink power with a modified XLR cable. I just whipped one up for a Morningstar MC6 and gigged with it yesterday, worked perfectly. But use this power at your own risk.

A nice simple USB standard 5V @ 1A from the USB A would indeed be nice, but Fractal probably put power enabling/current limiting switching on the port. If that is the case, and if they could ensure that a user would only use power cables (no D+ and D- connections), it might be possible with a firmware update.
 
MKB99 said:
+1 kind of; but the FM3 already has a nice +12V 1A power source on the back if you aren't using the Faslink port for anything else. There are threads on how to access Faslink power with a modified XLR cable. I just whipped one up for a Morningstar MC6 and gigged with it yesterday, worked perfectly. But use this power at your own risk.

A nice simple USB standard 5V @ 1A from the USB A would indeed be nice, but Fractal probably put power enabling/current limiting switching on the port. If that is the case, and if they could ensure that a user would only use power cables (no D+ and D- connections), it might be possible with a firmware update.
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Not going to happen due to possibility of frying the FM3 by users connecting unapproved devices.

In my opinion, the USB A port was going to be utilized for powering a proprietary Fractal devices only. The omission of the USB A port on FM9 as well as in AxeFXIII MkII and Turbo was a nail in the coffin for USB A development on FM3.
 
jaza69 said:
In my opinion, the USB A port was going to be utilized for powering a proprietary Fractal devices only.
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Cliff had several uses in mind:
"The USB-A connector is for a FLASH drive to import/ export presets. However it’s currently not working yet." [38]
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“The USB-A port can be whatever we want but it requires writing drivers (or buying them and hooking them into the OS). If the demand is great enough we can look into these things. Peripheral drivers are a lot easier than host drivers and USB-A is host.” [39]
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"The USB-A port can provide power if enabled. At this point the port is disabled and reserved for future expansion." [40]
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"The USB A port is NOT designed to be connected to a computer. It is reserved for future expansion." (..) "We also looked into the ramifications of doing this and it WON'T damage anything. It just won't work."[41]
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jaza69 said:
Not going to happen due to possibility of frying the FM3 by users connecting unapproved devices.

In my opinion, the USB A port was going to be utilized for powering a proprietary Fractal devices only. The omission of the USB A port on FM9 as well as in AxeFXIII MkII and Turbo was a nail in the coffin for USB A development on FM3.
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If Fractal was going to use the USB A port to support a proprietary device, and if plugging a standard USB A device into that connector would fry the device, they shouldn't/wouldn't have used a USB A port. That connector is attached to a set of standards that exist to prevent unit damage if an incompatible device with the same plug/standard is plugged into that port. If you plug any unapproved USB A device that meets the standard into an enabled or not enabled USB A port, the worst thing that should happen is the units will not talk to each other properly.

There are only 4 connections in that USB A connector, two power (+5V @ 1A and ground, I do not recall the voltage tolerance), and two data lines (D+ and D-). The metal case is a separate shield. There are charging cables available that do not have D+ and D- pins, those are good for charging only.
 
MKB99 said:
If Fractal was going to use the USB A port to support a proprietary device, and if plugging a standard USB A device into that connector would fry the device, they shouldn't/wouldn't have used a USB A port. That connector is attached to a set of standards that exist to prevent unit damage if an incompatible device with the same plug/standard is plugged into that port. If you plug any unapproved USB A device that meets the standard into an enabled or not enabled USB A port, the worst thing that should happen is the units will not talk to each other properly.

There are only 4 connections in that USB A connector, two power (+5V @ 1A and ground, I do not recall the voltage tolerance), and two data lines (D+ and D-). The metal case is a separate shield. There are charging cables available that do not have D+ and D- pins, those are good for charging only.
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I was thinking about people using the USB A port just for power., like LED strips, cellphones etc. I thought USB A was rated at 5V 500mA, 2.5W
 
jaza69 said:
I was thinking about people using the USB A port just for power., like LED strips, cellphones etc. I thought USB A was rated at 5V 500mA, 2.5W
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You're right, the last USB connection I designed into a device here at work was USB C. My memory is fading...
 
The question on what the USB could and actually can do is keep coming up in other threads ...
So, anything officially about this? ..

  • import/export of presets?
  • wireless editing via an additional module?
  • enable USB power for external devices?

Just having the port but without any functions is ... pointless :D
 
I'm still hoping for the USB WIDI plug for wireless editing with FM3 edit ... would improve the unit so much.
But I think that this would be quite hard to realize ...
 
crdark said:
Still hoping for the wireless editing/firmware update capabilities with the USB-A port ... or even wireless MIDI over Bluetooth. An iOs/Android app would be perfect, but also just a wireless connection to AxeEdit on a PC/Mac would already be awesome (and make me very, very happy :D).

This would give the FM3 also an advantage over the FM9. An argument more for an ultra portable device.

But I'm not sure if it's still on the to-do list ... at least it doesn't seem to have a high priority (compared to other, also important, things).
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crdark said:
I'm still hoping for the USB WIDI plug for wireless editing with FM3 edit ... would improve the unit so much.
But I think that this would be quite hard to realize ...
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You could probably use one of the easily purchased midi bluetooth wireless dongles to connect directly through BLE to an iPad or iPhone, and run the third party Fractal editor over the BLE connection. I'd try it but I don't have that app, but have used the wireless midi dongles enough to feel fairly confident it should work with a newer iPad.

However, if you try using one of the dongles like the CME WidiMaster with a FM3, you have to also provide a 5 pin midi extension to get the dongle to clear the power cable connector.

https://www.cme-pro.com/ble-midi-wireless-midi-via-bluetooth/
 
benvigil said:
+1 on this.

It's be great to be able to power a 5V Midi controller from the FM3 USB A port.
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I built a plug to get power from the FC port (XLR)
Then I downgrade it from 12V to 9V via an adapter (Engl) and then isolate the ground (Joyo) - works really well.
So, 5V is possible ;)
 
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