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What is Universal Serial Bus?
Universal Serial Bus (USB) is an industry-standard that establishes specifications for cables and connectors and protocols for connection, communication and power supply between computers, peripherals and other devices. USB was designed to standardize the connection of computer peripherals (including keyboards, pointing devices, digital cameras, printers, portable media players, disk drives and network adapters) to personal computers, both to communicate and to supply electric power. It has become commonplace on other devices, such as smartphones, PDAs and video game consoles. USB has effectively replaced a variety of earlier interfaces, such as serial and parallel ports, as well as separate power chargers for portable devices.
USB connectors have been increasingly replaced by USB ports. USB ports are found on many other devices, such as smartphones, PDAs and video game consoles.
USB cables are used to connect the various devices that use USB ports. There are two types of USB cables: standard and mini. Standard USB cables have a larger connector that is typically used for connecting devices to computers. Mini USB cables have a smaller connector that is typically used for connecting portable devices to each other.
USB cables are available in various lengths, with the most common being 3 feet (1 meter) and 6 feet (2 meters).
Generations of USB
USB has gone through several generations of development, each designed to improve upon the last. Some of the latest generations are given below:
The first generation, USB 1.0: Was released in 1996 and had a data transfer rate of 1.5Mbps.
USB 2.0: It was released in 2000, and increased the data transfer rate to 480Mbps.
USB 3.0: It was released in 2008, and increased the data transfer rate to 4.8Gbps.
USB 3.1: It was released in 2013 and offers a data transfer rate of 10Gbps.
USB 3.2: It was released in 2017 and it offers a data transfer rate of 20Gbps.
USB 4: It was released in 2019 and superseded 3.2. It offers 40Gbps data transfer.
Types of USB Cables
The two main types of USB cables are:
Standard USB cable – This is the most common type of USB cable. It is typically used to connect devices to computers.
Mini USB cable – This type of USB cable is typically used to connect portable devices to each other.
Types of USB Ports
The three main types of USB ports are:
Standard USB port – This is the most common type of USB port. It is typically used for connecting devices to computers.
Mini USB port – This type of USB port is typically used for connecting portable devices to each other.
Micro USB port – This type of USB port is becoming increasingly common on smartphones and other portable devices.
Types of USB Connectors
The three main types of USB connectors are:
Standard USB connector – This is the most common type of USB connector. It is typically used for connecting devices to computers.
Mini USB connector – This type of USB connector is typically used for connecting portable devices to each other.
Micro USB connector – This type of USB connector is becoming increasingly common on smartphones and other portable devices.