USB is the most common way to connect peripherals to a computer. USB connectors have two types: Type A for the computer and Type B for the device. Other types include Mini-B and Mini-A, which are used for smaller devices. USB ports are found on almost all computing devices and are often in convenient locations.
Most computer users are familiar with the Universal Serial Bus (USB), which has become the most commonly used way to connect peripherals to a computer. Your mouse, printer, digital camera, scanner, and other devices probably all 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.
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. Typically, the connectors on each end of the cable are quite different, making it necessary to know which one goes to the computer and which one connects to the device.
Most USB cables have two types of connectors, one on each end. A Type A connector is located on the end that connects to the computer. These are wide and flat, with a piece of plastic inside that prevents the user from plugging them upside down. Most users are familiar with USB Type-A ports on their computers, as virtually every peripheral device on the market these days uses them. For example, printers, scanners, and digital cameras all connect to computers via a USB cable. USB drives, which are small mobile data storage devices, usually have Type A connectors on one end, which plug directly into a computer’s USB ports.
The other of the more common types of these connectors are a bit more square in shape, although two of the corners have been notched to ensure that the user inserts it correctly. This is known as a USB Type B connector and usually connects to the peripheral device. For example, most printers and scanners have Type B connector ports.
Other types of USB connectors are becoming more common. Most newer cell phones and digital cameras use a Mini-B type a connector, which is shaped like a type B connector, but smaller. These are especially useful for small devices that don’t have the space for a full-sized 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.
There are also Mini-A connectors. These are usually used for On-The-Go (OTG) devices that need to connect to each other, rather than to a computer. Like Mini-B USB connectors, Mini-A was developed because devices were too small to offer a full-sized Type-A port.
Ports for USB connectors are now found on almost all types of computing devices. Because it’s become such a common way to connect peripherals to a computer, USB ports are often found in more convenient places than they used to be. While desktop computers still have USB ports on the back side of the tower where they’re difficult to access, they now also have them on the front of the tower, usually under the disk drives. Laptops usually have two or three USB ports on the right side of the laptop where a mouse should be plugged in, while some laptops have one or two USB ports on each side for easier access.
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