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Instantly diagnose the type and integrity of USB cables with this Arduino Cable Tracer. Suitable to trace USB A, Mini, Mico, and USB-C cables this is very useful to identify the exact wiring configuration and also diagnose broken connections.

The Arduino Mega board is an excellent option for this project because it can support both a display and provide an additional 48 digital pins to simultaneously trace each of the wires within a cable. For this prototype, I used existing cables with commonly used USB sockets.

Parts list

Arduino Mega 2560 board
USB A to USB B Arduino Mega programming cable
2.8” TFT LCD display
Vero Board (1 of 16x6 holes, 2 of 8x5 holes, 2 of 17x5 holes - see photo)
Arduino dual strip male header pins( 2 of 8 pins, 2 of 6 pins - see photo)
Arduino Stackable Header 4 of 8 pins
Vero Pins qty of 48
2 x USB-C V3.0 Cable
2 x USB-C to USB-C through adapter
2 x USB Mini to USB A adapter
1 x USB Micro cable with socket
1 x USB-A cable with socket
1 x USB-A V3 cable with socket
Tools

Access to a 3D printer with a Build Plate of 220mm (i.e Creality Ender 3)
Soldering Iron
Box cutter knife
Metal Ruler
Wooden chopping board
Heat Shrink insulation
Wire Strippers
Heat shrink air gun
Hot Glue Gun
Electronic PCB microscope (optional if you have issues with cable wiring)”

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