What USB extension do you use with a Minecraft Gameband?
August 1, 2015 6:17 PM Subscribe
The kids have two Minecraft Gamebands and struggle to plug them into the back of the iMac. I bought a pretty generic USB 2.0 extension cord but the USB 3.0 Gameband plugs don't fit the extension. Both are very slightly too big. Other USB devices fit the extension. I thought USB 2.0 and 3.0 were dimensionally equivalent. Am I wrong? Any recommendations for an extension that will work with the Gameband?
their FAQ says it should fit. i would guess they are at the upper end of the maximum size allowed (all mechanical parts have some tolerance) and you got unlucky and the usb extension cable is at the lower end of the size allowed, perhaps even a bit too small for the spec (i'm guessing a generic cable is more likely to be out of spec than an expensive band).
if i were you, i'd take the band into a real-world store and try out various extension cables and then buy one you are sure fits ok (i'm not sure a particular make / recommendation is reliable if these are just "natural" variations from part to part).
edit: although, i have had similar issues with a usb plug that has been bent (in the post - emailing a usb data thing). you might also check that the band's connector is not deformed in some way (oh, but two being both deformed seems unlikely).
posted by andrewcooke at 8:17 PM on August 1, 2015
if i were you, i'd take the band into a real-world store and try out various extension cables and then buy one you are sure fits ok (i'm not sure a particular make / recommendation is reliable if these are just "natural" variations from part to part).
edit: although, i have had similar issues with a usb plug that has been bent (in the post - emailing a usb data thing). you might also check that the band's connector is not deformed in some way (oh, but two being both deformed seems unlikely).
posted by andrewcooke at 8:17 PM on August 1, 2015
Best answer: My first suggestion would be a right angled USB extension, wherein the right angled portion is on the FEMALE side, not the male. This was a tough googlesearch, and almost a googlebomb.
Looking at the photos on their site that looks like a standard plug, unlike something stupid like the weird slim thing on nike fuelbands(which was my first suspected issue before i clicked through) it's worth noting, i recently had issues with a generic 2.0 extension not fitting my cheapo USB bluetooth dongle. Upon further inspection, the socket of the extension was made like shit. It was really shoddily stamped and soldered together with bends and blobs that prevented even a slightly imperfect plug from seating fully or working consistently.
Perhaps, before a bigger hunt, i'd go to somewhere like best buy and grab several brand name extensions, test them, and return them if they don't work(IE belkin, targus, etc. Not freaking insignia or rocketfish or some other bestbuy store brand sort of thing). My bluetooth dongle problem was solved with a, i believe, targus extension cable i picked up at a thrift store.
The more i think about this i bet it's an issue with it being a really junky extension, not the gameband. I really expected some kind of stupid nonstandard USB plug to be at play here, but that looks like a standard one to me.
posted by emptythought at 4:01 AM on August 2, 2015
Looking at the photos on their site that looks like a standard plug, unlike something stupid like the weird slim thing on nike fuelbands(which was my first suspected issue before i clicked through) it's worth noting, i recently had issues with a generic 2.0 extension not fitting my cheapo USB bluetooth dongle. Upon further inspection, the socket of the extension was made like shit. It was really shoddily stamped and soldered together with bends and blobs that prevented even a slightly imperfect plug from seating fully or working consistently.
Perhaps, before a bigger hunt, i'd go to somewhere like best buy and grab several brand name extensions, test them, and return them if they don't work(IE belkin, targus, etc. Not freaking insignia or rocketfish or some other bestbuy store brand sort of thing). My bluetooth dongle problem was solved with a, i believe, targus extension cable i picked up at a thrift store.
The more i think about this i bet it's an issue with it being a really junky extension, not the gameband. I really expected some kind of stupid nonstandard USB plug to be at play here, but that looks like a standard one to me.
posted by emptythought at 4:01 AM on August 2, 2015
Response by poster: Thanks all. The extension was, in fact, an insignia product. I expect to get a 3.0 extension from a more solid vendor online.
posted by whatisish at 10:50 AM on August 2, 2015
posted by whatisish at 10:50 AM on August 2, 2015
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posted by sanka at 7:48 PM on August 1, 2015