usb cords

E

elmer91

Member
this may seem like a stupid question, but i know on some usb cords, there are a little plastic piece at one of the ends, and i want to know if effects anything. here is what i am talking about, i didnt know how to explain it. in this pic, it is the round thing near where it connects to the MP3 player
dmp-silver-usb.jpg
 
That is a magnet, its there to stop interference from other electrical equipment that is near by.
 
thanks. i wasnt sure, and i didnt want to mess up my external hard drive with out know what those things did. The stupid hard drive came with a cord about 6-8 inches, and it is just stupid how short it is.
 
kobaj said:
:P Its not a magnet, its a ferrite ring, but you got the idea right. It stops interference.
Click to expand...

lol, i would of never have guessed that. but why do some wires have it...like that one...and some don't...like the iPOD usb connection wire?
 
Some wires have enough internal shielding/grounding that they dont need an external ferrite ring to remove interference. And frankly, its a bit of an eyesore, and you know apple, all about making it look pretty : /.
 
Which is why they don't have a CD/DVD drive in the new AirBook. As for your original question, I would buy a USB extension cable to go on the end of the connection cable for the drive. Those cables cost about the same, and you can keep the original cable with the ferrite ring on it connected.
 
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