New cable for webcam

[Eireann]

I came home tonight to find that one of my cats had chewed through the cable to my webcam. I'm very lucky in that this cable is replaceable. What kind of cable works best for webcams? It's a USB plug on one end and a smaller plug (like on a phone charger) on the other.

[Nunavut Pants]

If it's USB, then it's USB. There shouldn't be any real difference between cables. Higher-quality ones might last longer, and IIRC keeping the length below 2 meters is generally a good idea, but that's about it.

I might consider a cloth-covered one that can absorb something the cat doesn't like the taste of. Not sure what offhand, though. There is (or was) a product out there called "Bitter Yuck" that cats are supposed to dislike. I'd be careful about trying tabasco or other hot pepper stuff as that may be toxic to cats, as onions and garlic are.

[dalesys]

I have USB devices with three different small end plugs, and I think there is at least one more. Be sure to match both ends of your chewed cable.

[Eireann]

I tried it with my phone charger, and it worked - I turned on the camera and got an image. The image wasn't outstanding, but sufficient (probably because it's a phone charger cable, not a high-end data cable). At least now I know the correct plug sizes.

[Buzzard]

That's one of the fun things about standardized connections: If it fits, it's THE cable. Aside from some of the really cheap 'charging' cables that only have the 5v connections, USB is USB. You can pay more for fancy gold plating and such crap, but you're not going to see any actual benefit.

There's a similar deal with HDMI cables. A more expensive cable is just a more expensive cable. If it meets the required specs, then it's going to perform ... pretty much the same as the gold-plated $OMG cable.

As for your camera image... Yeah, that's probably what that camera is rated for.

[Eireann]

I bought a new cable today, brought it home, and plugged it in. The camera showed an image briefly, but now the Camera app says it can't find my camera. Advice? Or will it (possibly) work when I use the computer next time?

[Buzzard]

Best I can offer is unplug, wait a few, replug. Alternatives include restarting the camera app, and the computer itself. (sometimes windoze forgets how to computer. yeah, no bull)