Tipos de cabos USB explicados. A História Completa dos Cabos USB. Do USB 1.0 ao USB4

Have you ever been lost when finding a cable to charge your cell phone or connect an electronic device to your computer? And you're not alone, since the number of cables and types of connectors we have is huge. So to explain it to you in detail, today I'm going to talk about all types of USB cables, how they work, and how technology has evolved so much until arrive at what we know as USB-C.

Hey engineering lovers, many people end up getting lost with the number of cables we use to connect devices and charge our electronics. Have you ever arrived at someone's house and asked to borrow the charger, thinking that the connector is the same, and it didn't fit? So nothing better than telling you a little about the history of the USB connector, its evolution, and what types of connectors exist today.

But before we connect on this topic, take the opportunity to subscribe if you are not already subscribed, leave your like, and activate the notification bell and if you find our content interesting, consider becoming a member to help us continue producing content here on the platform and be remembered in our videos. Oh, and if you want to boost your CV, check out the pinned comment, as we have a list of courses that we recommend that will make all the difference in your professional life, it's seriously worth checking out. So let's go, first of all, what does USB mean?

The USB standard we use stands for Universal Serial Bus, which translates as universal serial port. If you are a little older, you know that in computers of the past, there were several inputs for cable connections, each specific and with different patterns. You had a type of connector that only accepted the mouse, another that only accepted the keyboard, and others that accepted the printer connection and another for video output.

And to simplify these connections and bring the idea of ​​a standard connector to everything, a group of companies thought of a solution. In 1994, Intel, together with other companies such as Microsoft, Compaq, IBM and others, designed a connector that could be used universally on different devices and that could become the standard for everything, and hence the USB standard emerged. After several tests and studies, the first version of USB was released, and in January 1996 USB 1.

0 arrived in the world of computers. As the name suggests, the USB standard aims to be a universal connection for any device. At the time, the USB standard was presented with two types of connectors, the type A connector and the type B connector.

The type A connector is perhaps the most widespread model and known to all of us, but even though the connector format is recognized on several devices, the white color on the inside of the connector was characteristic of USB 1. 0. It had a transfer rate of 1.

5 megabits per second at what they called low speed and 12 megabits per second at full speed. This connector had 4 parallel and aligned internal pins, 1 for 5 volt power input , 1 for negative data, 1 for positive data and finally the ground. The type B connector, similar to this one, was widely used to connect printers and scanners at the time and also had 4 pins, but it was divided into 2 pins at the top and 2 pins at the bottom of the connector.

However, these connectors were too large for some types of devices and maintaining maximum transfer rate was difficult, so the technology was improved, and in August 1998 USB was upgraded to USB 1. 1. It continued to have the same transfer rates of 1.

5 megabits per second at low speed and 12 megabits per second at full speed, but this USB 1. 1 standard gained two more types of connectors, the Mini A connectors and the Mini B connector . new connectors, in addition to the 4 common pins of the USB 1.

0 standard, gained a fifth pin called USB OTG (USB On The Go) The mini B connector, also known as mini usb, was widely used and you can still have a connector like this in your your home. It has become well known for connecting smaller devices, such as cameras, CD changers, external CD burners and other smaller devices. However, the low transfer rate did not help to popularize the USB standard, and also, information in USB 1.

1 was only sent in one direction, that is, either the device received information or it transmitted information, not being able to do both. at the same time. In 2001, the USB standard underwent another update and could even be said to be a revolution, and USB 2.

0 was developed. From the maximum 12 megabits per second of version 1. 1, version 2.

0 increased to an incredible 480 megabits per second. This version was called USB high speed, and it was from there that the USB standard became popular. This gain in transfer rate was possible because the connectors' data pins could now work both to receive and transmit information at the same time, but it still had its limitations.

And we can see the USB 2. 0 standard being used to this day, because its transfer rate still meets most devices. With this popularization, we began to see USB webcams, USB mice, USB keyboards, USB portable chargers, and several other devices that started to use this standard.

This old external hard drive of mine still works and it uses exactly the USB 2. 0 standard, with a Mini-A connector, and to get better performance from the device, it used another USB over power connector. He did this to double the input current for the device, as two USB cables were used to connect it, where one cable with the mini A connector would transmit data and energy, and the other cable would only serve to carry energy.

With the 2. 0 standard, new connectors were also created in addition to those that already existed, such as the mini AB connector, the micro-A connector, micro B connector and the micro AB connector. You must definitely have a micro A connector in your home, because it has become more widespread than other connectors and is still used in many devices today.

This type of connector started to be used in several external hard drives, portable chargers and even cell phones. Many people call this connector micro USB, but it is interesting to know that it is micro USB type B, because as I already said, we still have two more micro type models. And the evolution of the USB standard didn't stop, and in 2008 we had another revolution, with the arrival of USB 3.

0. It gained the name of superhigh speed usb and the leap in transfer rate was gigantic, going from 480 megabits of usb 2. 0 to 5 gigabits per second of usb 3.

0. But with great power came great responsibility (meme). The connectors created until then could not guarantee the new transfer rates and as a result, new connectors were developed.

The old connectors were discontinued and gave way to the new type A superspeed, type b superspeed, micro-A superspeed, micro-B superspeed and micro-AB superspeed connectors. Talking a little about the new connectors, the new type “A” standard may even look like the same connector as the old ones, just don’t be fooled. This new connector, instead of just 4 pins, now has a total of 9, being compatible with the same 4 pins as the common type A, with the addition of 5 more pins at the bottom of the connector, and it is recognized by the blue color inside.

of the connector. In 2013 there was another update that doubled the transfer capacity, going to 10 gigabits per second for the USB 3. 1 version, which became known as USB superspeed plus.

An example of the use of the USB 3. 1 standard is this superspeed micro-B connector, which is widely used in portable external hard drives and I have several hard drives that have this type of connection. Just think with me, what was supposed to be a standard that was the same for everything, ended up becoming a mess of standards, connectors and cables, that many people end up getting lost in which one to use.

It was then that in 2014, the USB Implementers forum (USB-IF), which is a group that brings together several software manufacturers on the market, presented a new standard connector, called USB TYPE c. This time, the revolution was in the type of connector, standardizing everything, and from there, we could finally have a single USB cable. This new connector has 24 internal pins horizontally reversed in a symmetrical way, 12 at the top and 12 at the bottom.

This means that no matter where you place the cable, it will connect in the same way. And that was a big step forward, because, seriously, you must have already turned a USB stick with the type A connector around because you were connecting it on the wrong side. (meme) And with the arrival of this new connector, in September 2017 it was possible to further increase the transfer rate of devices with the update to USB 3.

2, reaching 20 gigabits per second. Several brands of devices have started to adopt the type C standard, ranging from cell phones to entire peripherals. But it didn't stop there.

Once this new standard type-C connector was created, we arrived at the technology we have today, which is the fourth version of the USB standard, called USB 4. Just like its name, it refers to the incredible transfer rate of 40 gigabits per second , but technology has taken a much bigger leap forward than you might think. It wasn't just the transfer rate that increased, but this time, we had a single type of connector that would be used in all types of devices, meaning it fits everything.

And this same technology underwent a recent revision in 2022 that doubled the transfer rate to 80 gigabits per second in the USB4 2. 0 version and that some devices can reach an incredible 120 gigabits per second depending on the device's operating mode. But to talk about USB4 and the Type-C connector, I think it's best to make a specific video, as I'll be able to explain in detail how it works and how this new USB-C board with a new energy protocol has revolutionized technology.

Now tell me how many types of cables you have out there to charge your devices. Are you like me and have a box full of multi-purpose cables ready to be used on any device? Or maybe you're one of those more minimalists and only have one cable that works for everything.

Leave it here in the comments and I want to know. There are two video options that you might like and that are worth checking out to expand your knowledge. And if you want to contribute to us, leave your like, subscribe to the channel, activate the bell and consider becoming a member of the channel.