1 Topic by TLrme (edited by TLrme 2021-07-28 01:41:35)

  • TLrme
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Topic: Connecting the Babyface Pro through a USB extension cable?

I'm trying a way to be able to turn off the Babyface Pro without either having to set USB power to shut down when the PC is off or in sleep mode (which means wireless keyboard/mouse won't be able to wake the PC) or disconnecting again and again the cable from the interface or from the interface or the PC (which could eventually cause malfunction); the issue is that USB hubs seem prone to problems in this application, and a cable with some on/off switch is not to be found.

Do you know if a (passive, 0.5 meter) USB extension cable that is up to the gen 3 standard should perform as if it's not there in terms of power and data consistency?

Thanks.

  • vinark
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Re: Connecting the Babyface Pro through a USB extension cable?

Yes that should work. Any short usb2 should work too. Also dependent on the following normal cable.
I have an extension cable on my desk for connecting card readers phones hd's etc and for my phone the long usb c cable I have works, my short one does not.
Also expensive is no guarantee. Just try what you have laying around, if it works it works. Does not need to be short either.

Vincent, Amsterdam
https://soundcloud.com/thesecretworld
BFpro fs, 2X HDSP9652 ADI-8AE, 2X HDSP9632
  • TLrme
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Re: Connecting the Babyface Pro through a USB extension cable?

vinark wrote:

Yes that should work. Any short usb2 should work too. Also dependent on the following normal cable.
I have an extension cable on my desk for connecting card readers phones hd's etc and for my phone the long usb c cable I have works, my short one does not.
Also expensive is no guarantee. Just try what you have laying around, if it works it works. Does not need to be short either.

Well, RME back then said they recommend connecting the Babyface Pro to a USB 3 port even though it's data rate is USB 2 due to working better with the higher voltage provided by a USB 3 port, and I'm not sure USB 2 cables usually support these voltages (for example, back when Android phones usually had Micro-USB ports but there was already Quick Charge, if you tried to charge it with an old USB cable laying around your house it often didn't QC'ed).

And I need it to be as short as possible as I just want it to be a buffer between the Babyface Pro port and the rest of the cable, but I also read that passive USB cables are only rated for up to 4 or 5 meters, so short distances are probably better for reliability.

Let's see what someone from the RME team will have to say.

  • vinark
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Re: Connecting the Babyface Pro through a USB extension cable?

Ah ok about why using usb3. Mine is connected to usb2. I have an old computer with native usb2 and a pcie usb3 card. I trust my usb2 Intel onboard more then the add in. I agree with needing a usb3 extension cable then.

Vincent, Amsterdam
https://soundcloud.com/thesecretworld
BFpro fs, 2X HDSP9652 ADI-8AE, 2X HDSP9632

5 Reply by TLrme (edited by TLrme 2021-07-28 18:33:11)

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Re: Connecting the Babyface Pro through a USB extension cable?

vinark wrote:

Ah ok about why using usb3. Mine is connected to usb2. I have an old computer with native usb2 and a pcie usb3 card. I trust my usb2 Intel onboard more then the add in. I agree with needing a usb3 extension cable then.

Yeah, I was just going per RME's recommendation.
But still, let's wait for someone from the company to reply whether it should be performance wise.

I also considered using a USB B to C adapter on the Babyface and connect a USB C cable to my PC, but I also don't know whether an adapter like this is also "transparent" to the signal so it shouldn't effect consistency, latency and voltage.

  • mkok
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Re: Connecting the Babyface Pro through a USB extension cable?

The Babyface Pro is usb2 anyway. I dont use the usb c cone tor as it’s not as robust as the older type.

Babyface Pro Fs, Behringer ADA8200, win 10/11 PCs, Cubase/Wavelab, Adam A7X monitors.

7 Reply by TLrme (edited by TLrme 2021-07-28 17:36:17)

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Re: Connecting the Babyface Pro through a USB extension cable?

mkok wrote:

The Babyface Pro is usb2 anyway. I dont use the usb c cone tor as it’s not as robust as the older type.

This is from RME's own product page:
"Babyface Pro’s incredibly efficient design almost never requires an external power supply – it’s perfectly stable on USB 3 bus power, and also most USB 2 ports, with no degradation in any technical specification".

So for voltage supply it does recommend USB 3 to be on the safe side.

But actually this quote is on their manual:
"USB 2.0: Standard USB socket for connection to the computer. Please make sure the Babyface
Pro can have the full voltage/current delivered from the computer by using hi-quality USB ca-
bles (like the one included), no USB extension cables and no USB hubs. When connected to
USB 3 only the USB 2 protocol will be used".

So they recommend not to even use an extension cable, but I wonder if that actually matters when the extender is of good quality.

And regarding USB C – I thought it is also touted is more sturdy or at least expected to last longer than the previous generations, in part due to being symmetrical.

EDIT: Here, this is quoted in Wikipedia:
"Standard USB has a minimum rated lifetime of 1,500 cycles of insertion and removal,[4] the mini-USB receptacle increases this to 5,000 cycles,[4] and the newer Micro-USB[4] and USB-C receptacles are both designed for a minimum rated lifetime of 10,000 cycles of insertion and removal.[5]"

8 Reply by t1 (edited by t1 2023-10-12 15:36:26)

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Re: Connecting the Babyface Pro through a USB extension cable?

TLrme wrote:

But actually this quote is on their manual:
"USB 2.0: Standard USB socket for connection to the computer. Please make sure the Babyface
Pro can have the full voltage/current delivered from the computer by using hi-quality USB ca-
bles (like the one included), no USB extension cables and no USB hubs. When connected to
USB 3 only the USB 2 protocol will be used".

So they recommend not to even use an extension cable, but I wonder if that actually matters when the extender is of good quality.

(Found this thread because I'm looking for a 3 meter (10 feet) USB cable for my Babyface Pro FS.)

What exactly do they mean by hi-quality cable?
I've never seen any company marketing their cables as meh-quality (nor ok, decent, average, low, so-so, half-pie etc etc..)

What cable specs should the buyer be looking for?

Does it need to be/have:
- Shielded (if so, then single, double or triple etc)
- Gold plated
- Minimum Watts/Ohms
- Ferrite Bead (a.k.a ferrite block, ferrite core, ferrite ring, EMI filter, or ferrite choke)
- Active

Would be appreciated if RME could give some different examples and take into account the accessibility in different parts of the world.
(Some brands are easy to come by at a reasonable price in the US, whilst others in Europe and so on. So that every continent gets some proper recommendations from RME.)

9 Reply by t1

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Re: Connecting the Babyface Pro through a USB extension cable?

[Addition]

Is this hi-quality enough for example?

https://www.startech.com/en-eu/cables/usbab3mr

(To make things worse, different companies have different takes on what's left-angled and what's right-angled..)

10 Reply by MC

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Re: Connecting the Babyface Pro through a USB extension cable?

Look at your BF cable and the Startech: its right-angled connector does not match. It will work but not fit perfectly into the BF cutout. That said get a 1 or 2 m USB 3 extension cable (USB-a male to female) and extend the original BF cable with it. Easiest solution.

Regards
Matthias Carstens
RME

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Re: Connecting the Babyface Pro through a USB extension cable?

t1 wrote:

[Addition]

Is this hi-quality enough for example?

https://www.startech.com/en-eu/cables/usbab3mr

(To make things worse, different companies have different takes on what's left-angled and what's right-angled..)

Hello, I have this Startech cable (1 meter though), indeed the connector will not be locked like the original RME cable, but it fits and works perfectly.