• Interesting things about USB. All about USB. USB Types: A Guide to Different Standards

    The first specifications for USB 1.0 were introduced in 1994-1995. USB development was supported by Intel, Microsoft, Philips, US Robotics. USB has become the "common denominator" under three unrelated aspirations of different companies:

    • Expanding the functionality of the computer. At that time, several “traditional” (English) devices were used to connect external peripheral devices to a personal computer. legacy) interfaces (PS/2, serial port, parallel port, joystick port, SCSI), and with the advent of new external devices, a new connector was developed. It was assumed that USB would replace them all and at the same time spur the development of non-traditional devices.
    • Connect your mobile phone to your computer. At that time mobile networks were switching to digital voice transmission, and none of the available interfaces were suitable for transmitting both speech and data from the phone to the computer.
    • Simplicity for the user. Old interfaces (such as serial (COM) and parallel (LPT) ports) were extremely simple for the developer, but did not meet the requirements of the “Plug and Play” specifications. New mechanisms for interaction between the computer and low- and medium-speed external devices were required - perhaps more complex for designers, but reliable, friendly and suitable for “hot” plugging.
    • Mini-B Connector ECN: Notice issued October 2000.
    • Errata, since December 2000: Notice issued December 2000.
    • Pull-up/Pull-down Resistors ECN
    • Errata, since May 2002: Notice issued May 2002.
    • Interface Associations ECN: Notice issued May 2003.
      • New standards have been added to allow multiple interfaces to be associated with a single device function.
    • Rounded Chamfer ECN: Notice issued October 2003.
    • Unicode ECN: Notice issued February 2005.
      • This ECN specifies that strings are encoded using UTF-16LE.
    • Inter-Chip USB Supplement: Notice issued March 2006.
    • On-The-Go Supplement 1.3: Notice issued December 2006.
      • USB On-The-Go makes it possible for two USB devices to communicate with each other without a separate USB host. In practice, one of the devices acts as a host for the other.

    USB OTG

    USB 3.0

    In the USB 3.0 specification, connectors and cables of the updated standard are physically and functionally compatible with USB 2.0, and for unambiguous identification USB connectors 3.0 is usually made of blue plastic. The USB 2.0 cable contains four lines - a pair for receiving/transmitting data, plus and zero for power. In addition to these, USB 3.0 adds four more communication lines (two twisted pairs), resulting in a much thicker cable. The new contacts in the USB 3.0 connectors are located separately from the old ones in a different contact row. The USB 3.0 specification increases the maximum information transfer speed to 5 Gbps - which is an order of magnitude higher than the 480 Mbps that USB 2.0 can provide. Thus, the transfer speed increases from 60 MB/s to 600 MB/s and allows you to transfer 1 TB not in 8-10 hours, but in 40-60 minutes.

    Version 3.0 is distinguished not only by a higher information transfer speed, but also by an increased current strength from 500 mA to 900 mA. Thus, from one hub you can feed more devices or rid the devices themselves of separate power supplies.

    Intel announced [ When?] preview version program model USB 3.0 controller. But in October 2009, information appeared (from EE Times with reference to an employee of one of largest companies for the production of personal computers) that Intel decided to delay the introduction of USB 3.0 support in its chipsets until 2011. This decision led to the fact that until 2011 this standard did not become widespread, because It was not enough for the user to simply buy a motherboard; an additional adapter was needed. Introduction to Hardware Version 3 Rev.3) Intel chips P/H/Q67 for building motherboards that support the USB 3.0 specification partially solved this problem.

    Hardware support for 4 USB 3.0 ports is implemented in the 3rd generation of Intel Core processors, 7-series Ivy Bridge chipsets. Apple installed USB ports 3.0 in its new MacBook Air and MacBook Pro.

    To maintain a sufficient signal level in the cable and prevent its attenuation, it is necessary to correlate the cable length with the cross-section of the conductors. It is common practice to indicate the thickness of the wire cross-section in AWG, for example “28 AWG/1P.....”.

    USB 3.0 connectors and their compatibility with USB 2.0

    • All USB connectors that can be connected to each other are designed to working together. This is also achieved due to the electrical compatibility of all pins of the USB 2.0 connector with the corresponding pins of the USB 3.0 connector. At the same time, the USB 3.0 connector has additional contacts that do not have a correspondence in the USB 2.0 connector and, therefore, when connecting connectors different versions“extra” contacts will not be used, ensuring normal work connections version 2.0.
    • All jacks and plugs between USB 3.0 Type A and USB 2.0 Type A are designed to work together.
    • The USB 3.0 Type B jack is slightly larger in size than would be required for a USB 2.0 Type B and earlier plug. In this case, it is possible to connect this type of plug to these sockets. Accordingly, to connect to a computer peripheral device With USB connector 3.0 Type B, you can use both types of cables, but for a device with a USB 2.0 Type B connector, only a USB 2.0 cable.
    • eSATAp sockets (eSATA/USB Combo) are designed to connect USB Type A plugs: USB 2.0 and USB 3.0, but at high speed USB mode 2.0.
    • The eSATAp plug, as before, cannot fit into any version of the USB socket.

    Images of USB 3.0 connectors

    Type A Type B
    Ordinary Mini Micro Ordinary Mini Micro

    USB 3.0 connector type A

    USB 3.0 type B connector

    USB 3.0 Type A Connector Pinouts

    External images
    USB Type A
    USB Type B
    USB Type B micro
    USB type mini B
    USB 3.0 Powered-B
    3_USB 3B_pinout_lrg.jpg Pinout arrangement on the USB 3.0 B socket
    3_USB 3A_pinout_lrg.jpg Pinout arrangement on the USB 3.0 A socket
    Contact no. A B micro B
    1 VBUS (VCC) VBUS (VCC) VBUS (VCC)
    2 D- D- D-
    3 D+ D+ D+
    4 GND GND ID
    5 StdA_SSTX- StdA_SSTX- GND
    6 StdA_SSTX+ StdA_SSTX+ StdA_SSTX-
    7 GND_DRAIN GND_DRAIN StdA_SSTX+
    8 StdA_SSRX- StdA_SSRX- GND_DRAIN
    9 StdA_SSRX+ StdA_SSRX+ StdA_SSRX-
    10 StdA_SSRX+
    Screen Screen Screen Screen

    There are also two more types of USB 3.0 Micro connectors: a USB 3.0 Micro-A plug and a USB 3.0 Micro-AB socket. Visually they differ from USB 3.0 Micro-B in the “rectangular” (not cut) part of the connector with the USB 2.0 section, which avoids connecting the Micro-A plug to the Micro-B socket, and makes the Micro-AB socket compatible with both plugs.

    The Micro-AB socket will be used in mobile devices that have an on-board USB 3.0 host controller. To identify the host/client mode, pin 4 (ID) is used - in the Micro-A plug it is shorted to ground.

    USB 3.0 Powered-B Connector Pinouts

    Device classes

    The purpose of USB devices is determined by the class codes that are reported to the USB host for booting necessary drivers. Class codes allow you to unify work with devices of the same type different manufacturers. A device can support one or more classes, the number of which is determined by the number of endpoints (USB endpoints).

    Code Name Examples of use / note
    00h N/A Not specified
    01h Audio Sound card, MIDI
    02h Communication Device (CDC) Modem, Network card, COM port
    03h Human Interface Device (HID) Keyboard, Mouse, Joystick
    05h Physical Interface Device (PID) Joystick with Force feedback support
    06h Image Webcam, Scanner
    07h Printer Printer
    08h Mass Storage Device (MSD) USB flash drive, Memory card, Card reader, Digital player, Digital camera
    09h USB hub USB hub
    0Ah CDC Data Used in conjunction with the CDC class
    0Bh Smart Card Reader(CCID) Smart card reader
    0Dh Content security Biometric scanner
    0Eh Video Device Class Webcam
    0Fh Personal Healthcare Pulse indicator, medical equipment
    DCh Diagnostic Device Used to test USB compatibility
    E0h Wireless Controller Bluetooth adapter
    EFh Miscellaneous ActiveSync devices
    FEh Application-specific IrDA devices, firmware update mode (DFU)
    FFh Vendor-specific At the discretion of the manufacturer

    Disadvantages of USB 2.0

    Although the peak throughput USB 2.0 is 480 Mbit/s (60 MB/s); in practice, it is not possible to provide throughput close to the peak (~33.5 MB/s in practice). This is explained enough long delays USB bus between the request for data transfer and the actual start of the transfer. For example, FireWire, although it has a lower peak throughput of 400 Mbps, which is 80 Mbps (10 MB/s) less than USB 2.0, actually allows for greater data transfer throughput to hard drives and other storage devices. In this regard, various mobile drives have long been limited by the insufficient practical bandwidth of USB 2.0.

    Criticism

    Most Mini and Micro USB connectors do not have a sufficiently reliable fastening to the printed circuit board, which is why, under sufficiently high mechanical loads, they can come off along with the printed tracks and pads, in most cases leading to the need complete replacement boards due to the impossibility of reliably restoring torn printed tracks. This disadvantage It is most common in small devices such as telephones or pocket digital players.

    USB and FireWire/1394

    Protocol USB Mass Storage, which is a method of transmitting SCSI commands over the USB bus, has greater overhead than its corresponding SBP-2 protocol on the FireWire/1394 bus. Therefore, when connecting an external drive or CD/DVD drive via FireWire, it is possible to achieve higher data transfer rates. In addition, USB Mass Storage was not supported in older operating systems (including Windows 98), and required driver installation. SBP-2 was supported in them initially. Also in older OS (Windows 2000) USB protocol storage was implemented in a stripped-down form that did not allow the use of the recording and DVD function on a USB drive connected; SBP-2 never had such restrictions.

    The USB bus is strictly oriented, so connecting two computers requires additional equipment. The connection of equipment without a computer, for example, a printer and a scanner or a camera and a printer, was defined by the standard, but previously these implementations were tied to a specific manufacturer. The 1394/FireWire bus is not initially subject to this drawback (for example, you can connect two video cameras).

    However, due to Apple's licensing policies, as well as the significantly higher complexity of the hardware, 1394 is less common, many computer motherboards do not have a 1394 controller. As for peripherals, 1394 support is implemented in many HDD-based external storage enclosures (especially premium ones). segment) and drives optical disks, multimedia interfaces, camcorders.

    It should also be noted that Apple also uses port 1394b, known as FireWire800, in its computers, the peak data transfer rate of which is 800 Mbps.

    See also

    • TransferJet
    • USB-IF

    Notes

    Links

    • USB Implementers Forum, Inc. (English)
    • USB Specifications (USB 3.0, USB 2.0, Wireless USB) (English)

    What is USB? Today, probably only the lazy do not know or have heard about this. USB is firmly established in life modern man, and many areas of activity cannot be imagined without it. USB has surpassed all other similar interfaces in popularity that interact with computer peripherals. Almost everything is equipped with USB connectors. electronic gadgets and systems: computers, phones, tablets, TVs, car radios and many other devices.

    USB concept

    A technical definition will help you understand what USB is. The official documentation states: USB, Universal Serial Bus - universal serial bus. In essence, it is a software tool that makes connections for transmitting data between electronic gadgets.

    USB has its own symbolic icon in the form geometric shapes: two circles (small and large), a triangle and a square. Three branched lines emerge from the large circle, at the ends of which are the remaining figures.

    You can define what USB is in a simpler concept. This is the connector to which a device with a plug of the same standard is connected. For example, when USB help A keyboard, mouse, and printers are connected to a personal computer. To exchange information, install various updates, settings, phones, smartphones, tablets, e-readers, portable hard drives and many other gadgets.

    Features and Benefits

    This interface was developed and introduced at the end of 1994. Companies such as Microsoft, Intel, Philips and US Robotics had a hand in the emergence of USB.

    Previously, external third-party devices communicated with the PC through such switching means as PS/2, serial and parallel input ports, a separate connector for connecting game controllers, and no one had even heard of what USB was. When developing new gadgets, there was an urgent need to unify switching capabilities. The presentation of the new standard led to increased functionality of the computer and stimulated the development of third-party products with the USB bus.

    Today, all PCs and laptops come out in mandatory with USB connectors. Up to 12 USB connectors can be mounted on a desktop computer; a laptop has 3-4 inputs. Any modern “self-respecting” gadget has a USB port.

    Simplicity and ease of use have become synonymous with USB technology. It allowed interaction with the specification " Plug and Play", which provided reliable, fast and user-friendly switching of external sources.


    USB standardization

    Trial specification standards were presented at the end of 1994. Several more versions were released throughout the year, and on January 15, 1996, the USB 1.0 standard was presented. It was characterized by two types of data exchange: a high throughput channel of up to 12 Mbit/s and a low throughput channel of 1.5 Mbit/s. With high throughput, the length of the USB cable was 3 m, and with low throughput - 5 m. The voltage for connected devices was determined to be 5 V with a maximum current of 500 mA. Up to 127 gadgets could be connected. Moreover, they could all function with different access standards.

    In September 1998, work was carried out on the detected errors, the speed was increased to 15 Mbit/s, and USB version 1.1 was launched.

    The beginning of 2000 was marked by the release of the USB generation 2.0 interface. A high-speed data processing and transmission mode was introduced. USB 2.0 received three types of bandwidth:

      from 10 to 1500 Kbps was used for operation with keyboards, mice and gaming gadgets; from 0.5 to 12 Mbit/s reserved various video and audio media; from 25 to 480 Mbit/s worked with hard drives(HDD) and video stream processing.

    Additional Specifications

    In 2005, USB Wireless technology was developed. A characteristic feature was stated to be wireless switching with high data transfer rates. Within a radius of 3 meters the speed was about 480 Mbit/s, 10 m – 110 Mbit/s.

    Through the joint efforts of Microsoft, Intel, Hewlett-Packard and some others, the USB 3.0 specification standard appeared. This version fully compatible with 2.0. The latest specification connectors have a characteristic blue plastic as opposed to white previous version. Specification 3.0 has an additional four switching lines, making the cable a little thicker and the throughput increased to a stratospheric 5 Gbps. With these parameters, for example, information with a volume of 1 TB can be transferred in approximately 50 minutes. Whereas with standard 2.0 the same volume is transmitted in about 9 hours.


    The latest version of USB has a higher current of 900 mA. This parameter made it possible to connect a larger number of devices to the connector compared to 2.0.

    There is also a USB OTG specification that allows connected devices to unilaterally determine when to be a host and when to be a peripheral.

    USB connectors

    The USB specification has two types of connectors/plugs: type A and type B.

    Type A connects third party device USB and computer. It is on the controller side. When connecting any gadget USB drivers instantly finds it herself operating system. If there are none, the device is always equipped with a software disk, which includes the necessary installation element.

    Type B is present on the USB peripheral side. These are mainly scanners, printers or multifunctional devices. Both types include several plug/socket configuration options: mini USB and micro USB.

    The mini USB connector/plug is more compact in size and is found on earlier versions smartphones, cameras, video cameras, e-books, etc.

    The micro USB connector/plug is even smaller in size than the previous version. It is often found in modern smartphones.


    Disadvantages of the USB interface

    Due to design features, mini USB and micro USB connectors often fail before their service life. This is due to the fact that such connectors are usually found in gadgets that very often have to be connected to a computer or charged (phones, smartphones, PDAs, MP3 players). It is worth noting that USB technology not only allows you to exchange data, but also makes it possible to charge devices through its connection.


    The stated throughput of the 2.0 specification of 480 Mbps is not true. This happens because data is transmitted in both directions over a single twisted pair cable. To achieve maximum speed 2 clock cycles are required when exchanging information, which, by the way, is implemented in USB 3.0.

    USB(USB, English) Universal Serial Bus- “universal serial bus”) - serial interface for connecting peripheral devices to computer equipment. It has become very widespread and has actually become the main interface for connecting peripherals to household digital equipment.

    The interface allows not only to exchange data, but also to provide power to the peripheral device. Network architecture allows you to connect large number peripherals even to a device with one USB connector.

    The development of USB specifications is carried out within the framework of the international non-profit organization USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF), which unites developers and manufacturers of equipment with the USB bus. During the development process, several versions of the specifications were developed. Nevertheless, the developers managed to maintain a high degree of compatibility between equipment of different generations.

    There are two types of connectors/sockets for USB:

    • Type A
    • Type B

    Each type is divided into three groups:

    • Standard
    • Micro

    Some types of connectors



    All USB devices have their own version.

    First version of USB connectors (1.1). Her Characteristic feature is a very low speed at which all information is transmitted with a long delay.
    The transfer speed is 12 Mbit/s. Its main purpose is to be used for interconnecting devices.

    Second version of USB connectors (2.0).

    Characterized by a data transfer rate of 480 Mbit/s. This corresponds to a speed of 48 MB/s.

    The bulk of all modern technical instruments and devices are adapted to use this particular version. It is the most popular and well-known, and therefore is still in demand in the electrical goods market.
    True, due to many factors, the real speed of this standard does not exceed 30 - 33 MB/s.

    Third version of USB (3.0).

    This version is characterized by the speed of information transfer – 5 Gbit/s – which is considered a fairly high figure.
    This speed corresponds 500 MB/s This is much higher than the speed of hard drives latest generation(150 – 170 MB/s).

    USB 3.0 connectors are (sometimes) specially marked blue for recognition.

    USB power supply

    The power for which connected devices with USB connectors are designed is 2,5 W and also 4,5 W (for the third version). Based on this, USB connectors of all versions require voltage 5 V. Current up to 0,5 Oh, and for the third version - 0.9 A.

    Micro USB 3.0.

    Modern external drives with high speed, as well as disks SSD type, basically, all are equipped with such a connector, which is characterized by a high speed of information exchange.

    USB 3.1 Type-C

    • Data transfer rate up to 10 GBps
    • Possibility of powering devices with power consumption from the port up to 100W
    • Connector dimensions comparable to micro-USB
    • The symmetry of the connector - it does not have a top or bottom, which means there is no key, which often leads to damage to both the connectors themselves and the gadgets connected through them
    • By using of this interface You can power devices with voltage up to 20 volts
    • No longer exists different types connectors - A and B. Both ends of the cable have exactly the same connectors. Both data and power supply can be transmitted through the same connector in both directions. Depending on the situation, each connector can act as a master or slave
    • We are promised that the connector design can withstand up to 10,000 connections
    • It is possible to use this interface for direct connection instead of some other widely used interfaces for quick exchange data.
    • The standard is compatible from top to bottom with both the regular USB 3 interface and its younger brothers. Of course not directly, but with the help of an adapter it is possible to connect, say, a USB 2.0 drive through it

    Good day, Geektimes! Everyone has already heard about USB Type-C? The one that's two-way, fast-fashionable, charges your new MacBook, makes your hair silky smooth, and promises to be the new standard for connectivity for the next ten years?

    So, firstly, this is a connector type, not a new standard. The standard is called USB 3.1. Secondly, we need to talk specifically about the new USB standard, and Type-C is only nice bonus. To understand what the difference is, what is hidden behind USB 3.1 and what is behind Type C, how to charge an entire laptop from a USB cable and what else can be done with new USB Type-C:

    Briefly about the main thing

    USB as a standard appeared almost twenty years ago. The first specifications for USB 1.0 appeared in 1994 and solved three key problems: unification of the connector through which equipment that expanded the functions of a PC was connected, simplicity for the user, and high speed data transfer to and from the device.

    Despite certain advantages of the USB connection over PS/2, COM and LPT ports, its popularity did not come immediately. USB experienced explosive growth at the beginning of the 2000s: first cameras, scanners and printers were connected to it, then flash drives.

    In 2001, the first commercial implementations of the USB that is familiar and understandable to us appeared: version 2.0. We have been using it for the 14th year now and it is designed relatively simply.

    USB 2.0

    Any USB cable version 2.0 and lower has 4 copper conductors inside. Two of them transmit power, the other two transmit data. USB cables (according to the standard) are strictly oriented: one of the ends must be connected to the host (that is, the system that will manage the connection) and it is called Type-A, the other - to the device, it is called Type-B. Of course, sometimes in devices (such as flash drives) there is no cable at all; the “to-host” connector is located directly on the board.

    There is a special chip on the host side: USB controller(in desktop computers it can be either part of the system logic or placed as an external chip). It is he who initializes the operation of the bus, determines the connection speed, the order and schedule of data packets, but these are all details. We are most interested in connectors and connectors of the classic USB format.

    The most popular connector that everyone used was USB Type-A classic size: it is located on flash drives, USB modems, at the ends of the wires of mice and keyboards. Full-size USB Type-B is a little less common: printers and scanners are usually connected with this cable. A mini version of USB Type-B is still often used in card readers, digital cameras, USB hubs. Through the efforts of European standardizers, the micro version of Type-B has become de facto the most popular connector in the world: all current mobile phones, smartphones and tablets (except for the products of one fruit company) are produced with the USB Type-B Micro connector.

    Well, USB Type-A micro and probably no one has really seen the mini-format. Personally, off the top of my head I can’t name a single device with such connectors. Even the photographs had to be taken from Wikipedia:

    Hidden text



    All these connectors are united by one simple thing: inside there are four contact pads that provide the connected device with both power and communication:

    With USB 2.0 everything is more or less clear. The problem with the standard was that two conductors were not enough to transmit data, and the specifications developed in the middle of the first decade did not provide for the transmission of large currents through power circuits. External hard drives suffered the most from such limitations.

    USB 3.0

    To improve the characteristics of the standard, a new USB 3.0 specification was developed, which contained the following key differences:
    • Five additional contacts, four of which provide additional communication lines;
    • Increase in maximum throughput from 480 Mbit/s to 5 Gbit/s;
    • Increasing the maximum current from 500 mA to 900 mA.

    In addition, 4 more connectors have appeared that are electrically and mechanically compatible with USB Type-A version 2.0. They allowed both USB 2.0 devices to be connected to 3.0 hosts, and 3.0 devices to 2.0 hosts or via a 2.0 cable, but with limitations in power supply and data transfer speed.

    USB 3.1

    Since the fall of 2013, specifications for the updated USB 3.1 standard have been adopted, which brought us the connector Type-C, transfers up to 100W of power and doubles the data transfer speed of USB 3.0. However, it is worth noting that all three innovations are just parts of one new standard, which can be applied all together (and then the device or cable will receive USB 3.1 certification) or separately. For example, technically inside Type-C cable You can organize at least USB 2.0 on four wires and two pairs of contacts. By the way, Nokia pulled off such a “feint”: its Nokia N1 tablet has a USB Type-C connector, but inside it uses regular USB 2.0: with all the limitations on power supply and data transfer speed.

    USB 3.1, Type-C and power

    A new standard is responsible for the ability to transfer truly serious power USB PD(Power Delivery). According to the specifications, to be certified as USB PD, the device and cable must be capable of transmitting current with a power of up to 100 Watts, both in both directions (both to and from the host). In this case, the transmission of electricity should not interfere with the transmission of data.

    So far there are only two laptops that fully support USB Power Delivery: new MacBook and Chromebook Pixel.

    Well, then, who knows, maybe we’ll install sockets like this at home?

    USB Type-C and backward compatibility

    USB as a standard is strong in its backward compatibility. Find an ancient 16 megabyte flash drive that only supports USB 1.1, insert it into a 3.0 port and go. Connect a modern HDD to a USB 2.0 connector, and if it has enough power, everything will start, the speed will just be limited. And if that’s not enough, there are special adapters: they use the power circuits of another USB port. The speed will not increase, but the HDD will work.

    It’s the same story with USB 3.1 and the Type-C connector, with only one amendment: the new connector is geometrically in no way compatible with the old ones. However, manufacturers have actively begun production of both Type-A wires<=>Type-C, as well as all kinds of adapters, adapters and splitters.

    USB Type-C and tunneling

    The data transfer speed of the USB 3.1 standard allows you not only to connect storage devices and peripherals, charge the laptop from the network via a Type-C cable, but also to connect, say... a monitor. One wire. And a USB hub with several 2.0 ports inside the monitor. 100W power, speed comparable to DisplayPort and HDMI, universal connector and just one wire from the laptop to the monitor, the power supply of which will provide electricity to the display and charge the laptop. Isn't this wonderful?

    What's on USB Type-C now?

    Since the technology is young, there are very few devices with USB 3.1. There are slightly more devices with a USB Type-C cable/connector, but still not enough for Type-C to become as common and natural as Micro-B, which any smartphone user has.

    On personal computers Type-C can be expected as early as 2016, but some manufacturers have taken and updated the line of existing motherboards. For example, USB Type-C with full USB support 3.1 is available on the MSI Z97A Gaming 6 motherboard.


    ASUS is not far behind: ASUS X99-A and ASUS Z97-A motherboards support USB 3.1, but, unfortunately, do not have Type-C connectors. In addition, special expansion boards have been announced for those who do not want to either upgrade the motherboard or give up USB pairs 3.1 ports.


    SanDisk recently introduced a 32 GB flash drive with two connectors: classic USB Type-A and USB Type-C:


    Of course, don't forget about the recent MacBook with passive cooling and only one USB Type-C connector. We’ll talk about its performance and other delights separately, but about the connector today. Apple abandoned both its “magic” MagSafe charging and other connectors on the case, leaving one port for power, connecting peripherals and external displays. Of course, if one connector is not enough for you, you can buy an official adapter-splitter to HDMI, a classic USB and a power connector (the same Type-C) for... $80. :) We can only hope that Type-C will come to mobile devices Apple (and this is where the zoo with wires for smartphones will finally end), although the chances of such an update are minimal: was it in vain that they developed and patented Lightning?


    One of the peripheral manufacturers - LaCie - has already released a stylish external storage with support for USB 3.1 Type-C.

    Mobile device users had a hard time in the 2000s - they were forced to put up with the so-called proprietary. The phones of each manufacturer were equipped with unique charging connectors - as a result, the charger, for example, for Nokia did not work with a Motorola phone. It even got to the point of absurdity - when for two phones from the same manufacturer (Finnish) it was necessary to look for different chargers. The dissatisfaction of users was so strong that the European Parliament was forced to intervene.

    Now the situation is completely different: almost all smartphone manufacturers equip their gadgets with ports for chargers same type. The user no longer has to buy a new charger “in addition” to the phone.

    USB cables can be used not only to transfer data from a PC to a gadget, but also to charge a mobile device. Smartphones are capable of replenishing battery “reserves” both from an outlet and from a computer, but in the second case, charging will take significantly longer. Traditional USB cable for Android smartphone or Windows Phone looks like this:

    There is a standard plug at one of its ends USB 2.0 Type-A:

    This plug plugs into the USB port on your computer or laptop.

    At the other end of the wire there is a plug microUSB.

    It is accordingly inserted into micro USB connector on a mobile device.

    Micro-USB 2.0 is now a unified connector: it can be found on smartphones and tablets from almost all mobile device manufacturers (with the exception of Apple). An agreement on interface standardization was signed in 2011 by representatives of 13 leading companies in the mobile market.

    The choice fell on Micro-USB for a number of reasons:

    • The connector is compact. Its physical dimensions are only 2x7 millimeters - this is about 4 times smaller than USB 2.0 Type-A.
    • The plug is durable– especially when compared with the Nokia thin charger.
    • The connector is capable of providing high data transfer rates. Theoretically, the transfer speed via Micro-USB when using the 2.0 standard can reach 480 Mbit/s. The actual speed is much lower (10-12 Mbit/s in Full Speed), but this rarely causes inconvenience to users.
    • The connector supports the OTG function. We'll tell you more about the benefits this provides later.

    Micro-USB could impose competition in the fight for the role of a standard connector Mini-USB. The mini plug looks like this:

    This type of USB connector was not suitable as a standard one, and here's why:

    • The connector is larger in size– albeit not by much. Its size is 3x7 millimeters.
    • The connector is quite fragile– due to the lack of rigid fastenings, it becomes loose very quickly. As a result, transmitting data via cable becomes a real pain for the user.

    In the 2000s, a mini-USB connector could be found on smartphones from “second-class” manufacturers - say, Philips And Alcatel. Now mobile gadgets You won’t find one with a mini-connector on the market.

    In addition to the USB connectors we mentioned (Micro-USB, Mini-USB, USB Type-A), there are others. For example, micro-USB standard 3.0 can be used to connect to PC hard drives, A USB Type-B(square shape) for musical instruments (in particular, MIDI keyboards). These connectors are not directly related to mobile technology (except for Galaxy Note 3 c USB 3.0), so we won’t talk about them in more detail.

    What types of USB cables are there for smartphones?

    Thanks to the inexhaustible imagination of Chinese handicrafts, mobile technology users can buy cables of completely different formations. For example, in the era of proprietaryism, the following “monster” was incredibly popular:

    Yes, this charger fits all the main connectors!

    Similar “multi-tools” are still on sale, but they have fewer plugs. Here is a 4-in-1 charger, which can be ordered for less than 200 rubles:

    This charger is equipped with all modern plugs - Lightning, 30Pin (both for iPhone), microUSB, USB 3.0. Definitely a “must-have” for the user!

    There are other interesting options. Here is the cable from OATSBASF For those who hate cables:

    This cable allows you to charge two mobile devices from your computer. simultaneously(for example, the 5th iPhone and Android) and has a very tempting price - just over 100 rubles.

    In domestic stores and showrooms, the user, of course, will not find such an abundance of different cables as on the pages of catalogs GearBest And AliExpress. In addition, data equipment at retail costs significantly more. For these two reasons, users are recommended to order USB cables from China.

    What is the OTG standard?

    Surely many have seen such a cable and wondered what it is for:

    This is a cable OTG; at one end there is a plug micro-USB, on the second – connector USB 2.0, "Mother". Using such a cable, you can connect a USB flash drive to a smartphone or tablet, but only if the mobile device itself supports the standard OTG.

    OTG(short for On-The-Go) is a function designed to fast connection 2 USB devices with each other, without the mediation of a computer. Connect by OTG you can use not only a flash drive (although this, of course, is the most common case), but also, for example, a computer mouse, keyboard, external hard drive, game steering wheel, joystick. You can even connect your smartphone to a printer or MFP to print out a photo taken with the gadget’s camera.

    Cables OTG for the iPhone have also already appeared, however, you can only download photos and videos to an Apple device (without jailbreak) from an external storage device - and then only when the root folders on the flash drive and the photos themselves have the “correct” names.

    A complete list of smartphones that support the function OTG, no - simply because almost everyone can boast of having this standard modern gadgets and the list would be huge. However, a buyer who intends to connect a mouse or flash drive to the device should ask the store consultant about support OTG before giving away money - “just in case.”

    USB Type-C: what are the advantages?

    Transition from micro-USB This is a new trend in the mobile electronics market! Manufacturers are actively mastering the technology and equipping their flagship models with improved connectors for charging and data transfer. USB Type-C waited a long time “in the shadows”: the connector was created back in 2013, but only in 2016 did market leaders pay attention to it.

    Looks like USB Type-C So:

    What are the advantages? Type-C in front of everyone familiar micro-USB?

    • High speed data transmission. Bandwidth Type-C equals 10 Gb/sec (!). But that's just bandwidth.: in reality, only owners of smartphones with the standard can count on such speed USB 3.1- For example, Nexus 6P And 5X. If the gadget uses the standard USB 3.0, the speed will be around 5 Gb/sec; at USB 2.0 Data transfer will be significantly slower.
    • Fast charging. The duration of the smartphone charging procedure depends on the potential amount of watts supplied by the connector. USB standard 2.0 capable of serving everything 2.5 W– that’s why charging lasts for hours. Connector USB Type-C provides 100 W– that is, 40 times (!) more. It is curious that current transmission can occur in both directions - both to the host and from it.
    • Connector symmetry. If the connector micro-USB there is up and down, then the connector Type-C symmetrical Which side you insert it into the connector does not matter. From this point of view, technology USB Type-C similar to Lightning from Apple.

    Dignity Type-C The size of the connector is also small - only 8.4 × 2.6 millimeters. According to this technology criterion micro-USB And USB Type-C similar.

    U USB Type-C There are also disadvantages, one of which is more than significant. Due to the unregulated operation of the connector, charging can easily “fry” the mobile device. This probability is not purely theoretical - fires have occurred in practice. It is for this reason that the proliferation of non-original, “makeshift” cables and chargers USB Type-C Type-C and decide to abandon the standard connector. At the same time, Ravencraft admits that, perhaps, complete replacement USB-A will never happen.