Are there other reversible ports other than lightning and USB C is ?

[SuperCookie78]

I am currently designing a custom port and I am trying to learn everything i can. Last time I asked if people preferred reversible ports and 80% did. So i think i am going to make a reversible port. But the most common reversible ports use a logic chip to set choose what contacts to use. I want to avoid using a logic chip. At a minimum i need 7 pins but i would prefer 8. I would like to study other reversible ports before choosing a design. Do you know of any reversible ports that I can study?

 

If you are wondering i have design that is reversible and doesn't need logic but it has double for the footprint.

[5x5]

You can't really make it without any logic hardware. Maybe I'd it's a barrel plug but that's quite fragile. 

[minibois]

I don't think barrel connectors are quite fair to mention here, right?  Same for some not grounded power plugs, like the IEC C7 plug. But that's nowhere near enough pins for your purpose, it seems..

But I know there are some 'special' USB A cable that allow you to plug it into a connector either way. That's of course the cable side and not the device side though.

[SuperCookie78]

Just now, 5x5 said:

You can't really make it without any logic hardware. Maybe I'd it's a barrel plug but that's quite fragile. 

you can. Imagine a port like USB C port with the female connector having the pins on a centralized pcb. Lets say it has 4 pins. the picture i provided shows how you can non logic reversible connector. But as you can see you need double the width. The male part of the cable would only have pins match the top. When you flip the cable then they line up with bottom. But this method makes 75% of the possible contact area unused.

[Kisai]

8 hours ago, SuperCookie78 said:

I am currently designing a custom port and I am trying to learn everything i can. Last time I asked if people preferred reversible ports and 80% did. So i think i am going to make a reversible port. But the most common reversible ports use a logic chip to set choose what contacts to use. I want to avoid using a logic chip. At a minimum i need 7 pins but i would prefer 8. I would like to study other reversible ports before choosing a design. Do you know of any reversible ports that I can study?

 

If you are wondering i have design that is reversible and doesn't need logic but it has double for the footprint.

Apple's Magsafe is reversible IIRC.

 

The key thing about reversable ports is not being able to short it. So ground pins need to make contact before power. But you also need the port to not be mechanically similar to another existing port (eg so you don't stick a HDMI cable into a DP port while fumbling behind a monitor, and shorting it.)

 

Like one of the benefits of mini-DP is that it's pretty much impossible to short it. USB-C has the same draw-back a lot of proprietary mobile chargers had, where the little PCB bit inside the DEVICE ends up being damaged from flexing the USB-C mechanically.

 

All it takes is someone to plug in a USB-C cable and then kink the cable close to the connector to do so. A lot of the mini-USB stuff also has this problem, as the connector will get ripped out at the ends rather then pulled straight out.

[geo3]

An audio pin style connector works in 360 degrees of orientation, not just 2.

[SuperCookie78]

14 hours ago, geo3 said:

An audio pin style connector works in 360 degrees of orientation, not just 2.

try fitting 8 connections on that.

[SuperCookie78]

16 hours ago, Kisai said:

Apple's Magsafe is reversible IIRC.

 

The key thing about reversable ports is not being able to short it. So ground pins need to make contact before power. But you also need the port to not be mechanically similar to another existing port (eg so you don't stick a HDMI cable into a DP port while fumbling behind a monitor, and shorting it.)

 

Like one of the benefits of mini-DP is that it's pretty much impossible to short it. USB-C has the same draw-back a lot of proprietary mobile chargers had, where the little PCB bit inside the DEVICE ends up being damaged from flexing the USB-C mechanically.

 

All it takes is someone to plug in a USB-C cable and then kink the cable close to the connector to do so. A lot of the mini-USB stuff also has this problem, as the connector will get ripped out at the ends rather then pulled straight out.

Since i am making it hot pluggable I already have GND as the first thing it contacts. then data lines then power lines