CompTIA A+ 1101 USB & Peripheral Cables (Speeds, Definitions, and Connectors)

USB (Acronym)

Universal Serial Bus

USB

- used for charging and data transfers

- a type of serial connection

- one of the most common peripheral connectors

micro-USB

- the smallest type of USB

- commonly used for mobile phones and tablets

mini-USB

- slightly larger than micro-USB

- often used on older devices

USB Type A

- often seen on computers

USB Type C

- used on newer phones, tablets, and computers

- 24-pin, double sided connector

- works in either orientation, unlike USB Type A connectors

- acts as a USB 2.0/3.0/3.1/4 connector

- different signal types can use the same connector (for example, displayport, hdmi, thunderbolt)

USB 1.1

low speed:

- 1.5 megabits per second maximum speeds

- maximum cable length of 3 meters

high speed:

- 12 megabits per second maximum speeds

- maximum cable length of 5 meters

USB 2.0

- upgrade from USB 1.1

- 480 megabits per second maximum speeds

- maximum cable length of 5 meters

USB 1.1/2.0 Standard-A Plug (Connector Image)

USB 1.1/2.0 Standard-B Plug (Connector Image)

USB 1.1/2.0 Mini-B Plug (Connector Image)

USB 1.1/2.0 Micro-B Plug (Connector Image)

USB 3.0

- upgrade from USB 2.0

- "superspeed USB"

- maximum speeds of 5 gigabits per second (single lane)

- no standard maximum cable length, but usually about 3 meters

- was, USB 3.1 Gen 1

- now, USB 3.2 Gen 1

USB 3.1

- released in July 2013

- maximum speeds of 10 gigabits per second (single lane)

- superspeed+

- was, USB 3.1 Gen 2

- now, USB 3.2 Gen 2

USB 3.2

- released in September 2017

- doubles bandwidth when using USB-C connectors (by using an extra lane of communication)

USB 3.2 Gen 1x2

- maximum speeds of 10 gigabits per second (using two gen 1 lanes)

USB 3.2 Gen 2x2

- maximum speeds of 20 gigabits per second (using two gen 2 lanes)

USB 3.0 Standard-A Plug (Connector Image)

USB 3.0 Standard-B Plug (Connector Image)

USB 3.0 Micro-B Plug (Connector Image)

Lightning

- Apple proprietary

- 8-pin digital signals

advantages over micro-USB:

- higher power output

- reversible insertion

thunderbolt

- high-speed serial connections

- data and power on the same cable

thunderbolt v1

- two channels

- maximum speeds of 10 gigabits per second, per channel

- total maximum speed of 20 gigabits per second

- uses a mini displayport (MDP) connector

thunderbolt v2

- maximum speeds of 20 gigabits per second, through aggregated channels

- uses a mini displayport (MDP) connector)

thunderbolt v3

- maximum speeds of 40 gigabits per second, through aggregated channels

- uses a USB-C connector

D-Subminiature (DB-9) and D-Sub (DB-25)

- 9-pin connector for DB-9, 25-pin connector for DB-25

- commonly used for RS 232, for serial communication

D-Subminiature (DB-9) (Connector Image)