Most computer users are familiar with the Universal Serial Bus (USB), which has become the most common way to connect peripheral devices to a computer. Most likely, your mouse, printer, digital camera, scanner, and other devices connect to your computer through a USB port. Many memory storage devices, such as portable hard drives, flash drives, and memory card readers, also connect to a computer via USB.
A variety of USB cables including micro, mini and standard plugs.
USB connectors allow you to connect a device to your computer via USB. A long cable is used to connect the device to the computer. Usually the connectors at each end of the cable are quite different, so you need to know which one goes to your computer and which one plugs into your device.
A USB drive.
Most USB cables have two types of connectors, one at each end. A type A connector is on the end that plugs into your computer. They are wide and flat, with a plastic piece inside that prevents the user from connecting them upside down. Most users are familiar with USB Type-A ports on their computers, as they are used by virtually every peripheral device on the market today. For example, printers, scanners, and digital cameras connect to computers using a USB cable. USB drives, which are small mobile data storage devices, typically have Type A connectors on one end, which plug directly into USB ports on a computer.
Memory card readers connect to a computer via USB.
The other more common type of these connectors are a bit more square in shape, although there is a notch cut out of two of the corners to ensure that the user inserts it correctly. This is known as a USB type B connector and is usually connected to the peripheral device. For example, most printers and scanners have ports for type B connectors.
A USB hub can help you connect USB devices to computers with different types of connectors.
Other types of USB connectors are becoming more common. Most newer cell phones and digital cameras use a Mini-B type connector, which is shaped like a Type B connector but is smaller. They’re especially useful for small devices that don’t have room for a full-size USB port. In fact, many cell phones, digital cameras, and PDAs come with a USB cable that has a Type-A connector on one end and a Mini-B connector on the other.
USB cables are used to connect devices, such as printers, keyboards, and music players, to computers.
There are also Mini-A connectors. They are generally used for On-The-Go (OTG) devices that need to connect to each other rather than to a computer. Like USB Mini-B connectors, Mini-A was developed because devices were too small to offer a full-size Type-A port.
MP3 players often use USB cables to connect to a computer.
Ports for USB connectors are now found on almost any type of computing device. Because it has become such a common way to connect peripherals to a computer, USB ports are often placed in more convenient places than they used to be. While desktop computers still have USB ports on the back of the tower, where they’re hard to access, they now also have them on the front of the tower, usually under the drives. Laptops usually have two or three USB ports on the right side of the laptop where a mouse would need to be plugged in, while some laptops have one or two USB ports on each side for easy access.
USB 3.0, with its SuperSpeed connection, is shaped differently than previous ports.
