USB Cables
USB cables, an abbreviation of Universal Serial Bus Cable, provide a serial bus standard for connecting devices, usually to computers such as PCs and the Apple Macintosh, but it is also becoming common on video game consoles such as Microsoft's Xbox 360, Sony's PlayStation 2, and PDA’s, and even devices like televisions and home stereo equipment. For many devices such as scanners and digital cameras, USB has become the standard connection method. USB leads can connect many more peripherals such as mice, keyboards, game-pads and joysticks, printers, external storage and networking components.
USB was introduced in November 1995 and has seen upgrades from version 1.0 to 1.1 and up to the latest 2.0 standard. In December 2001 we saw the release of the USB On-The-Go specification which adds peer-to-peer functionality to USB. This introduces USB hosts into mobile phone and electronic organisers, and thus has included a specification for mini-A plugs, mini-A receptacles, and mini-AB receptacles.
USB cables support a range of speeds with a hi-Speed rate of 480 Mbps (sometimes stated as 480 Mbit/sec) and a max cable length of 5 metres. This length can be extended by connecting multiple USB leads to multiple USB hubs with a potential maximum length of 30 metres.
There are a multitude of USB cable connections ranging from the standard USB Type-A and Type-B connection, which is widely known and used, to USB Mini-A and Mini-B, each with a male and female connection. This number of connections results in various possible combinations including:
Type A to Type B USB Cables - Standard connector type-A male to Type-B male mainly used for connecting devices such as mice, keyboards, scanners, etc. Capable of handling data transfer speeds up to 480 Mbps.
Type A to Mini-B USB Cables – This cable connects a computer or USB hub to a digital camera, mobile phone or other portable device with a Type A Plug/5-Pin Mini-B connection. This USB Mini-B Device Cable delivers ultra fast, error-free data transfers and ensures top performance.
Type Mini-A to Type B USB OTG Cables – This cable connects a computer or USB OTG peripheral e.g. a mobile phone or other portable device with a 5-Pin Mini-A/B Plug connection. This USB Mini-B Device Cable delivers ultra fast, error-free data transfers and ensures top performance using the USB on the Go standard.
Type A USB Extension Cables - Type-A USB Extension cables allow the extension of Type-A connections by supplying a Type-A female connector and Type-A male connector.
USB Charger Cables - USB charger cables come with a USB connector and a variety of other connectors allowing an array of devices e.g. mobile phones and PDA’s, to be charged via any device with a USB port.
USB Digital Camera Cables - Connect a compatible digital imaging device, such as a digital camera or webcam, with a USB mini port or mini 4 pin ports to your computer via a USB Type A connection.
Your
UK
DE
IT
FR
CH
AT
IE
AU
USA
other
