Loose Thunderbolt 3/4 Cables.

[transmaster]

As this topic concerns My Mac Studio I will post this here.

Has anyone noticed loose-fitting Thunderbolt Cables? I use a Samsung 4 TiB SSD as my Mac Studio's Time Machine. The Thunderbolt 4 cables I have used on it, specifically Anker Thunderbolt 4 cables, are very loose and easily fall out, to get them to fit tightly, using needle nose pliers, have to carefully squeeze the long side of the metal part of the plug to expand it just a couple of 1000th of an inch so it fits tightly. I have not taken a Micrometer to these cables to see if they are up to specs. These cables fit tightly into the Mac, so I wonder if the problem is in the Samsung SSD, this is not the first time I have had this trouble, and I have had to change out cables with other SSDs until I find one that fits tightly. Thunderbolt cables, good ones, are not cheap.

These cables work just fine in my iPad Pro.

 

[Bigwaff]

Sounds like you need a couple to these...

OWC ClingOn USB Type-C and Thunderbolt 3 Connector

Designed to eliminate ongoing cable strain and unintentional disconnects of all external devices with USB-C and Thunderbolt 3 connection ports.

eshop.macsales.com

 

[transmaster]

I was looking at those a couple of days ago. Sadly, the Samsung T7 Shield SSD is too narrow to use these, at least as they are applied in the video. I might be able to glue them on with Duco Cement. I ordered five of them anyway. I do have an OWC Thunderbolt hub, so I can use them there.

 

[transmaster]

For ordering these retention clips, I got $6 bucks off of an OWC Thunderbolt 4 cable.

 

[transmaster]

I Gave up trying to keep a Thunderbolt cable plugged in, the same for a USB-4. I tried a regular USB-C cable and it fit perfectly. Put a micrometer on a USB-C, and an Apple Thunderbolt cable. The Thunderbolt cable is a couple of thousands narrower on the long side than the straight USB-C plug, just enough to not have a snug fit. I ordered a 2TB SSD Thunderbolt drive to replace the Samsung. I can use the 4 TB Samsung on the Mini PC.

 

[PaulD-UK]

The retaining springs that Apple fit inside the external slot of their TB3/4/5 ports is at the top and bottom of their vertical ports.
So for Apple cables the overall width of the metal sleeve isn’t a factor in the design. It’s the exact dimension of the metal sleeve at the top and bottom (on a vertical slot).
If you use pliers to squeeze the long axis of the sleeve you end up loosening the fit…
There is a second pair of springs inside the USB-C plug that again holds the long axis of the inner protrusion that insulates the contacts.

Edit: I can't find a pic of the computer ports, but this shows the retaining spring in the Studio Display's ports: