Tag: gender changer

DIY USB and SATA panel mount connectors (#P13)

Next batch of connectors incoming! (yes, I’m onto something)

I bet most of you are familiar with USB panel mount connectors, which (I guess) are a by-product of the slot mounted USB ports of PC mainboards in the late 1990s, early 2000s. Back then, boards had none or few USB ports on their back I/O panel, but often one or two available via pin header. So people obviously needed some slot adapter for them, something like this:

If you slap on a different connector on the other end and omit the metal bracket, this is basically what you get these days when buying USB panel mount connectors. […]


USB 3.0 Type A Male to Type A Male M-M Coupler Adapter Gender Changer Connector Pro New (WHL #16)

…also sold as Blue USB 3.0 A Male to Male Extension Converter Adapter USB Connector Gender Changer Coupler For Pc Laptop and tons of other variations.

Remember the USB 3.0 keystone module from WHL #13? Yep, it can get worse than that.

I’ve always kept USB gender changers handy to connect weird and wonderful combinations of devices, including measurement contraptions e.g. for current tests. With the advent of USB 3.0 (with classic A plugs, I don’t have any USB type-C devices yet), I needed to slowly upgrade my gear to do such measurements in USB 3 mode. […]