For Santa Claus, the kids got a new TipToi® book – and suddenly they were disillusioned: Neither the Mac nor the Windows PC recognized the TipToi® pen. No pop-up, no drive, no connection. In many cases, this problem has a surprisingly simple cause: a wrong micro USB cable.
Why the TipToi® pen is not recognized
Many micro USB cables lying around at home can only transfer power, but not data. They charge devices reliably, but do not allow any communication between the device and the computer. This is precisely the reason why the TipToi® pen is not recognized by the operating system – it simply remains invisible.
The decisive difference with USB cables
Charging cables (charge-only): They only transport electricity, have fewer wires and are not able to transfer data. Many cables supplied with inexpensive devices belong to this category.
Data cables (sync cables): They contain additional data lines and enable file exchange as well as the necessary device recognition. Such a cable is absolutely essential for the TipToi® pen.
Visually, both variants are often identical – one reason why the problem occurs so frequently. Only cables that are explicitly labeled as data cables (or the original cable) work reliably.
What you can do specifically
- Test a different micro USB cable – ideally a designated data cable.
- Change the USB port – some ports, especially on older devices, are sensitive.
- Change the USB-A to USB-C adapter or avoid it altogether
- Avoid USB hubs – the pen should be connected directly to the computer.
After some searching and a lot of testing, I finally had the right cable in my hand – and suddenly everything worked without a hitch. Maybe this tip will help some of you!
Disclaimer: Tiptoi® is a registered trademark of Ravensburger AG. This how-to guide is not affiliated with Ravensburger and has not been authorized or endorsed by Ravensburger.