Using A-to-A cables outside of debugging would only require software to make this more accessible to users. net/products/… I suspect that it's because there are so many non-compliant cables out there that Apple, Microsoft, Google, and other OS publishers do not support use of these A-to-A cables. If you connect two computers together with a USB-A to USB-A cable, their 5V supplies are almost certainly not at the same voltage, so one of them will power the other one through the USB cable.

USB-A/male to USB-A/male cables are in the table of valid cable assemblies, but the wiring is very specific and perhaps counter intuitive to be a valid assembly.The way you describe the use of this device it appears that one might be using the same port to connect to hosts and devices. It is true that the type A connector is for hosts but what has not been true for years is that host to host connections are not allowed by the USB spec. This in and of itself is not really a major problem, provided the source has appropriate current limiting to prevent the cable heating up and starting a fire.

You’ve probably heard of power banks – handy portable power units, ideal for keeping your phone, headphones and other electronic devices charged up while you’re on the go. Starting off with a manifestly obvious statement followed by a couple of low grade denigrations is a strange way to start out. Now, you have an external 5V supply coming in to a powered-off device that isn't designed to handle it. I assume this isn't dangerous as the mixer is mains powered, and therefore the pins that would normally receive 5v of USB power probably aren't connected inside the mixer. Instructional tutorials he's written have been linked to by organizations like The New York Times, Wirecutter, Lifehacker, the BBC, CNET, Ars Technica, and John Gruber's Daring Fireball.

However, while Type-A connectors have been around for a while, they still work with the latest modern versions of USB.

It's possible that it came with a special cable that had the power pins not connected to avoid the problems talked about above. All it should take to make this work for connecting two computers to create a serial-like or Ethernet-like connection is the right software. Available in both USB-A and USB-C varieties, USB hubs often feature multiple connectivity options, but which one is right for you? But sure, a small minority might be compliant, and you would need a multimeter to tell the difference. For longer distances, active cables exist that contain an internal repeater or USB hub to regenerate the signal.When you do this you can use the SBC to develop a new USB "gadget" (Linux parlance for a USB device) but then to use it as a device you need a USB 3 male-to-male A-A cross cable as defined in the standard or similar.