IdeaWell

Project ideas from Hacker News discussions.

Show HN: WhatCable, a tiny menu bar app for inspecting USB-C cables

Original Article

Hacker News Discussion

📝 Discussion Summary (Click to expand)

Theme 1 – Spotty hardware detection The tool often fails to see or correctly enumerate USB‑C ports.

"No USB‑C ports detected" – bkummel
"USB@1 and USB@2 show the same connected devices" – emaro

Theme 2 – USB‑C “upside‑down” warnings
Users are surprised by the upside‑down detection alerts for USB‑C/TB cables.

"My USB‑C Thunderbolt cable has been plugged in upside down but the connector handled this" – aquir
"'plugged upside down' is weird for a USB‑cable... I tried plugging it 'the other way around' and it showed the same 'upside down' warning" – ulfw

Theme 3 – Preference for a console‑only (or quick‑launch) UI
Many commenters would rather use a terminal‑style utility than a menu‑bar app.

"Could it be just a console utility?" – kmmbvnr_
"I don't like the idea of it taking up menu bar space. Console utility would be good" – captainbland

🚀 Project Ideas

Generating project ideas…

PortPulse

Summary

  • Accurate per‑port enumeration of active USB‑C connections and attached devices.
  • Clear visual cue to distinguish hub ports from downstream ports.

Details

Key Value
Target Audience macOS developers and power users who rely on multiple USB‑C monitors and docks.
Core Feature Real‑time display of each USB‑C port’s status, power‑delivery state, and device identity; alerts when a port reports a hub device incorrectly.
Tech Stack SwiftUI + AppKit, I/O Kit for port tracing, Core Data for history.
Difficulty Medium
Monetization Revenue-ready: Subscription $4.99/mo for premium alerts and export.

Notes

  • Addresses emaro’s and captainbland’s desire for a non‑menu‑bar, quick‑launch view — accessible via Spotlight.
  • Resolves bkummel’s “No USB‑C ports detected” false negative by using low‑level I/O Kit enumeration.
  • Potential for discussion: integrate with existing tools like lsucpd to provide richer PD data.

CableGuard CLI

Summary

  • Reliable command‑line enumeration of USB‑C ports across platforms.
  • Flags upside‑down cable detection and hub vs. device mapping.

Details

Key Value
Target Audience System administrators, dev‑ops engineers, and hardware hackers on Linux, macOS, and Windows.
Core Feature Scriptable output of port topology with PD status, device vendor/product IDs, and orientation warnings.
Tech Stack Rust + libusb + libudev (Linux), I/O Kit (macOS), WinUSB (Windows).
Difficulty High
Monetization Hobby

Notes

  • Directly answers n3storm’s request for a Linux wrapper around lsusb and doug‑gilbert’s lsucpd.
  • Fulfills kmmbvnr_ and hallegbg’s ask for a console utility.
  • Could spark discussion on open‑source port‑mapping standards.

USB‑C Topo Dashboard#Summary

  • Interactive graphical view of USB‑C port layout and connected devices.
  • Quick actions to query or reset ports. ### Details | Key | Value | |-----|-------| | Target Audience | End‑users and IT support staff managing multi‑port workstations. | | Core Feature | Live diagram of all USB‑C ports showing power state, attached device, and orientation error; click to refresh or view detailed logs. | | Tech Stack | Electron + React, Electron‑native UI, backend via Node‑I/O‑Kit and node‑usb. | | Difficulty | Medium | | Monetization | Revenue-ready: One‑time $19 purchase for Pro version with export logs. |

Notes

  • Provides the lightweight GUI that captainbland wanted, launchable from the menu bar.
  • Clarifies the “upside‑down” warning anomaly mentioned by aikir, offering a clear explanation.
  • Encourages community discussion on UI/UX for hardware monitoring tools.

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