It is expected that eventually, USB Type-C ports, connectors, and devices will be ubiquitous. However in the meantime, many companies are taking advantage of the budding technology and have begun to introduce USB Type-C cables for users who might own such devices, like the OnePlus 2, the Chromebook Pixel, or the 12-inch MacBook from Apple.Unfortunately not all Type-C cables were created equal, as discovered by Google engineer Benson Leung, who had actually taken it upon himself to test the different versions available in the market today. However it seems that recently, Leung stumbled across a Type-C cable that was apparently dangerous enough where it fried his computer’s hardware.
The cable he was testing was made by a company called Surjtech. According to Leung’s review after plugging it in, “On my Pixel, both USB Type-C ports stopped responding immediately. Neither would charge or act as a host when I plugged in a USB device such as an ethernet adapter. Upon rebooting my Pixel, the system came up in recovery mode because it could not verify the Embedded Controller on the system. No amount of software recovery could revive the EC. Upon closer analysis, serious damage has been done to components related to charging and managing the USB Type-C port’s capabilities.”
He goes on to add that the cable is “fundamentally dangerous” and that customers shopping about for a USB Type-C cable should probably avoid this brand, or at least until Surjtech gets back to him and addresses the problem.