How to Different USB Cable Types
There are several types of USB connectors available. Some have been added as the specification has advanced. The original USB specification detailed Standard A and Standard B plugs and receptacles. The first engineering change notice to the USB 2.0 specification added Mini-B plugs and receptacles. The data slots in the A – Plug are actually farther in the plug than the outside power wires to prevent data errors by powering the device first, then transferring data.The Standard-A type of USB connectors takes on the appearance of flattened rectangles that plugs into downstream-port sockets on the USB host or a hub. This kind of connector is most frequently seen on cables that are permanently attached to a device, such as one on a cable that connects a keyboard or mouse to the computer. Standard-B connectors looks square with beveled corners, and plugs into upstream sockets on devices and hubs. The Standard-B connector is mainly used only for the device end of a removable cable, such as between a hub and a printer. This two-connector scheme prevents a user from accidentally creating a loop.
The non-standard Mini-USB’s, official Mini-B, Micro-A, and Micro-B connectors are used for smaller devices such as PDAs, mobile phones or digital cameras. The Standard-A plug is approximately 4 by 12 mm, the Standard-B approximately 7 by 8 mm, and the Mini-A and Mini-B plugs approximately 2 by 7 mm.
The Micro-USB connector was launched in 2007. It is intended to replace the Mini-USB plugs used in many new smartphones and Personal digital assistants. This Micro-USB plug is rated for 10,000 connect-disconnect cycles. It is about half the height of the mini-USB connector, but features a similar width. In the Universal Serial Bus Micro-USB Cables and Connectors Specification, details have been laid down for Micro-A plugs, Micro-AB receptacles, and Micro-B plugs and receptacles, along with a Standard-A receptacle to Micro-A plug adapter. The carrier led group OMTP have recently endorsed micro-USB as the standard connector for data and power on mobile devices.
Different USB CableTypes
Currently, there are several USB cable types available in the market. A few have been augmented as technology has modernized. The Standard A and Standard B ports have been used by the first USB classification. The Mini-B ports and containers were augmented as the initial engineering variation to the USB 2.0 classification. The information pins in the A-Plug are separate from the external power cables to avoid information breakdown by activating the instrument first before storing information.
Standard-B USB Plug
The Standard-B type USB plugs meanwhile, connect into uploading plugs on instruments and controllers or computers, and are shaped like a square with chamfered corners. This Standard-B plug is utilized exclusively for devices with frequently detached connections like the one between a printer and a personal computer. The difference in the USB cable types protects the user from unknowingly interchanging and damaging the connections.
Standard-A USB Plug
Appearing as depressed rectangles, the Standard-A type USB plugs connect into the downloading plugs on the USB controller or computer. This plug type is normally used on cables that are continuously connected to an instrument, such as the cables used in keyboards and mice attached to personal computers.
Mini and Micro USB Plugs
Smaller instruments like digital cameras, cellular phones, and PDAs call for the unorthodox Mini-USB’s, specifically the Mini-B, Micro-A, and Micro-B plugs. Released commercially in 2007, the Micro-USB plug took the place of the Mini-USB connector that is employed in a host of modern cellular phones and PDAs.
Transfer Speed
The transfer speed of the USB has advanced exponentially. The first USB series, version 1.1, had a transfer speed of 12 Mbps. When USB version 2.0 was made commercially available, it displayed a speed 40 times greater than the original version, or some 480 Mbps at the maximum transfer rate. Just less than two years ago, in August 2008,USB version 3.0 was introduced into the market with a staggering 5 Gbps capacity of data transfer. For a comparison of the latest USB standard and an alternative connection type known as Firewire read USB 3.0 vs Firewire.
Summary
Before the arrival of the USB, computer components were interfaced using various forms of cable connections. USB was created to provide a common appliance that would link all computer components to one cable connection. From this invention came the different USB cable types that are in popular use today.