Magnetic Mini USB Cable? Does it exist?

Status
Not open for further replies.

saboken

Member
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Apr 10, 2013
Messages
124
Location
Canton PA
I have been searching the net and Amazon for a Magnetic Mini USB cable for my 996 and 536, trying to save wear and tear on the mini USB port, does such a cable exist? They have everything else Micro USB, Lightining, etc preferably a Angled it’s hard to press the “E” on the 536 with a cable plugged in! Uniden didn’t think that one out very well since you have to choose either “.” Or “E” when using the usb cable I don’t have huge fingers but only a small child could easily press the “E” while a cable is in without touching the usb cable! I think this could cause issues in the long run! My other issue is Eyesight it’s not the greatest anymore and it’s hard for me to see the buttons well I just feel for them, (hopefully getting better glasses in 2019 waiting on a change in my insurance next year :) )
 

letarotor

Member
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Dec 19, 2002
Messages
1,050
Location
Arlington, TX
I have been searching the net and Amazon for a Magnetic Mini USB cable for my 996 and 536, trying to save wear and tear on the mini USB port, does such a cable exist? They have everything else Micro USB, Lightining, etc preferably a Angled it’s hard to press the “E” on the 536 with a cable plugged in! Uniden didn’t think that one out very well since you have to choose either “.” Or “E” when using the usb cable I don’t have huge fingers but only a small child could easily press the “E” while a cable is in without touching the usb cable! I think this could cause issues in the long run! My other issue is Eyesight it’s not the greatest anymore and it’s hard for me to see the buttons well I just feel for them, (hopefully getting better glasses in 2019 waiting on a change in my insurance next year :) )

...My other issue is Eyesight it’s not the greatest anymore and it’s hard for me to see the buttons well I just feel for them, (hopefully getting better glasses in 2019 waiting on a change in my insurance next year :) )

I'm right there with you, well really most likely way past you, with the eyesight issue. I am legally blind and have been since September 2001. I was amazed at how well I knew my radios by feel when I couldn't see them at all for over a year. It was impossible for me to confirm if I was actually programming everything right. But thankfully a lot of the radios had software because it was pretty new to the radio game. But a lot of them didn't also. It was probably about 8 years before the vision in the one eye I have very little in could be considered at its best. And thank God, the brain does rewire itself and you learn to do things you thought you'd never be able to do again. I just wish that included driving haha. I have my trusty high-powered magnifying glass that I got through the commission for the blind back around the end of 2002. It's been chewed on by dogs, scratched to death, and who knows what else. It's being held together buy a tie strap and has been for about 10 years :) I completely know what you mean by the difficulties in using many of the radios or pressing the right button even. I was really happy by the customization I could do on the SDS 100 screen. But I still have to have the trusty old magnifying glass with me most of the time and my Google Voice to Text, which I'm using right now, on my phone. It's difficult to do things on a computer but it is much, much easier. I managed to get most things done even if they aren't always 100% correct nowadays but it's through trial and error a lot of times. I think that a lot of people who are into radios has been into them for a long time. I don't see a lot of the younger generation very interested. And as is normal, that means a lot of the people that are older do start having normal vision problems. I've been wondering if the manufacturers have been taking this into consideration? And I think they have. The screens are much easier to see or adjust on many radios and I've even run across a few that have a audibel voice capability. I hope that in the future more and more manufacturers will realize that a lot of people do have vision problems and continue implementing measures that help.

I just want to make one thing clear here. This is not my account I'm posting this on because mine will not and allow me to login anymore for some weird reason. It's been going on for so long that I don't even remember the password for my old account. So the name for this account that it is being posted from is a friends and I just didn't want anybody to mistake my post about my vision as being from him. I never did do much Forum posting in the past but since I have put Tapatalk on my phone it has become a lot easier. Anyhow, now back to the regular radio topics... :)

Brian (COMMSCAN )
c4bab5b278257c84628d5bcf95c66f51.jpg


Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk
 

letarotor

Member
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Dec 19, 2002
Messages
1,050
Location
Arlington, TX
And as a good example, I messed up by thinking I was only replying to part of the thread poster's message :) I'll know better next time how to do this right haha.

Brian COMMSCAN)

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk
 

bob550

Member
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Apr 5, 2005
Messages
2,070
Location
Albany County, NY
A workaround of sorts for the 536 is to use ProScan ($50), which will display a user interface on your computer screen. The size of the scanner face on your monitor is a bit larger than the actual scanner, and allows you to press the "E" button by clicking with your mouse. Unfortunately, that won't do anything to lessen wear on the cable or USB port. The good news, however, is that there's a whole lot more features in ProScan that you may find useful. (You can play the 536 audio through your computer speakers.) You'd need a WiFi connection to your home network for this to work.

As for the 996, you can use the rear serial port for programming. You'd need a serial cable, null modem adapter, and a serial-to-USB adapter (if no serial port on your computer). I have my 996xt connected to my computer by this method and it works fine. The only drawback is that you still need to connect the USB cable to the front for any firmware updates.
 

kruser

Active Member
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Nov 25, 2007
Messages
4,987
Location
West St Louis County, MO
A workaround of sorts for the 536 is to use ProScan ($50), which will display a user interface on your computer screen. The size of the scanner face on your monitor is a bit larger than the actual scanner, and allows you to press the "E" button by clicking with your mouse. Unfortunately, that won't do anything to lessen wear on the cable or USB port. The good news, however, is that there's a whole lot more features in ProScan that you may find useful. (You can play the 536 audio through your computer speakers.) You'd need a WiFi connection to your home network for this to work.

As for the 996, you can use the rear serial port for programming. You'd need a serial cable, null modem adapter, and a serial-to-USB adapter (if no serial port on your computer). I have my 996xt connected to my computer by this method and it works fine. The only drawback is that you still need to connect the USB cable to the front for any firmware updates.

You can use the rear GPS DB9 port on the 536 for ProScan. You can't program through that port of course but it works great for monitoring with ProScan if you don't use a GPS unit with the radio.
 

mule1075

Member
Feed Provider
Joined
Jan 20, 2003
Messages
3,956
Location
Washington Pennsylvania
You can use the rear GPS DB9 port on the 536 for ProScan. You can't program through that port of course but it works great for monitoring with ProScan if you don't use a GPS unit with the radio.
I think you can still program the radio you just can't do firmware updates. IIRC I could with my 996xt so I would guess it is possible with the 536hp.
 

kruser

Active Member
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Nov 25, 2007
Messages
4,987
Location
West St Louis County, MO
I think you can still program the radio you just can't do firmware updates. IIRC I could with my 996xt so I would guess it is possible with the 536hp.

My bad, you are correct in that you can do anything with the radio that you can do using the radio's front panel buttons and knobs but using a program like ProScan.
I guess the good thing is the front connector is no longer a problem and you can use ProScan or the radio's buttons without worrying about breaking the cable or cable socket on the front of the radio.

Firmware can be applied by inserting the SD card into a card reader in your computer so in theory, one could do everything with the 536HP without using a USB cable at all. Sentinel will still do program changes with the card in a reader.
 

KI6YFW

Newbie
Joined
Feb 16, 2015
Messages
1
Maybe look for a USB "extension" cable? That way, you would only be plugging/unplugging from the end of the extension and wouldn't wear out your main connector. Just a thought. Hope it helps.

Sent from my moto x4 using Tapatalk
 

saboken

Member
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Apr 10, 2013
Messages
124
Location
Canton PA
I sent the 536 back but that's a idea, I just wish they made a magnetic cable to keep things clean when not needed! I hate wires when they are in front! I wish they put a USB port on the back for programming and the front as a backup! I know there's a full size USB port on the back of the 536 for the WiFi (does it work with proscan? I don't know) but the 996 doesn't have one! It would make sense to have a port on the back for indash installs also a USB port to power the GPS Dongle the dongle is a wiring mess especially with the 436!
 

mark5151

Newbie
Joined
Nov 27, 2018
Messages
1
Mini USB cable

Yes, the mini USB cable is very useful but the main thing is that it does not get supported by most of the devices. As I have tried it on my printer to make the print of some document, which was saved on my tablet and I have connected it with the mini USB cable. But the printer showed Epson error code 0x97 and the print did not happen.
 

saboken

Member
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Apr 10, 2013
Messages
124
Location
Canton PA
I know some cables wired for power only? Why they do this I don't know? Maybe that's what's happening with your printer?
 

KK4JUG

Member
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Dec 13, 2014
Messages
4,247
Location
GA
Micro cables are sometimes wired for power only. They usually come with wall chargers. I think the industry has gotten away from that now. I don't believe type B, type C or mini cables come in power only.

I have a couple micros that are power-only but I clearly marked them. If the cable came with a wall wart, I check it for data use regardless of the plug.
 

KK4JUG

Member
Premium Subscriber
Joined
Dec 13, 2014
Messages
4,247
Location
GA
Yes, the mini USB cable is very useful but the main thing is that it does not get supported by most of the devices. As I have tried it on my printer to make the print of some document, which was saved on my tablet and I have connected it with the mini USB cable. But the printer showed Epson error code 0x97 and the print did not happen.

That code indicates a hardware problem. That makes it physical, not electrical.

You do know the difference in hardware and software? Hardware you can kick. Software you can only cuss at. :)
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top