In July 2012, the USB Promoters Group announced the finalization of the USB Power Delivery ( USB-PD) specification (USB PD rev. 1), an extension that specifies using certified PD aware USB cables with standard USB Type-A and Type-B connectors to deliver increased power (more than 7.5W) to devices with greater power demands. (USB-PD A and B plugs have a mechanical mark while Micro plugs have a resistor or capacitor attached to the ID pin indicating the cable capability.) USB-PD Devices can request higher currents and supply voltages from compliant hosts—up to 2A at 5V (for a power consumption of up to 10W), and optionally up to 3A or 5A at either 12V (36W or 60W) or 20V (60W or 100W). [59] In all cases, both host-to-device and device-to-host configurations are supported. [60] USB Type-B: This connector is mostly used for connecting printers, scanners, and other peripheral devices to computers. It has a square shape with bevelled corners.

USB Type-C Revision 1.0" (PDF). USB 3.0 Promoter Group. March 1, 2021. Archived (PDF) from the original on November 3, 2021 . Retrieved November 3, 2021.The different A and B plugs prevent accidentally connecting two power sources. However, some of this directed topology is lost with the advent of multi-purpose USB connections (such as USB On-The-Go in smartphones, and USB-powered Wi-Fi routers), which require A-to-A, B-to-B, and sometimes Y/splitter cables. See the USB On-The-Go connectors section below for a more detailed summary description. USB Type-A: This is the most common USB connector and is rectangular in shape. It is used for connecting devices like computers, laptops, power adapters, and USB hubs. In 2022, the Radio Equipment Directive 2022/2380 made USB-C compulsory as a mobile phone charging standard from 2024, and for laptops from 2026. [97] Faster-charging standards [ edit ]

a b c "10 Power Rules", Universal Serial Bus Power Delivery Specification revision3.1, version1.0, USB Implementers Forum , retrieved September 5, 2017 Main article: USB-C The USB-C plug USB cable with a USB-C plug and a USB-C port on a notebook computer The 24-pin double-sided connector provides four power–ground pairs, two differential pairs for USB2.0 data (though only one pair is implemented in a USB-C cable), four pairs for SuperSpeed data bus (only two pairs are used in USB 3.1 mode), two "sideband use" pins, V CONN +5V power for active cables, and a configuration pin for cable orientation detection and dedicated biphase mark code (BMC) configuration data channel. [27] [28] Type-A and Type-B adaptors and cables are required for older hosts and devices to plug into USB-C hosts and devices. Adapters and cables with a USB-C receptacle are not allowed. [29]Apple's Lightning to Micro-USB adapter now available in US, not just Europe anymore", Engadget, 3 November 2012, archived from the original on 26 June 2017 USB ports and connectors are often color-coded to distinguish their different functions and USB versions. These colors are not part of the USB specification and can vary between manufacturers; for example, the USB3.0 specification mandates appropriate color-coding while it only recommends blue inserts for Standard-A USB3.0 connectors and plugs. [8] Connector types [ edit ] The different A and B plugs prevent accidentally connecting two power sources. However, some of this directed topology is lost with the advent of multi-purpose USB connections (such as USB On-The-Go in smartphones, and USB-powered Wi-Fi routers), which require A-to-A, B-to-B, and sometimes Y/splitter cables.

USB Cable Length Limitations" (PDF). cablesplususa.com. November 3, 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 11, 2014 . Retrieved February 2, 2014. Broad Manufacturer Agreement Gives Universal Phone Cable Green Light" (Press release). OTMP. September 17, 2007. Archived from the original on June 29, 2009 . Retrieved November 26, 2007. USB takes full advantage of the additional processing power that can be economically put into peripheral devices so that they can manage themselves. As such, USB devices often do not have user-adjustable interface settings. While converters exist between certain legacy interfaces and USB, they might not provide a full implementation of the legacy hardware. For example, a USB-to-parallel-port converter might work well with a printer, but not with a scanner that requires bidirectional use of the data pins.The connectors the USB committee specifies support a number of USB's underlying goals, and reflect lessons learned from the many connectors the computer industry has used. The female connector mounted on the host or device is called the receptacle, and the male connector attached to the cable is called the plug. [30] :2–5 – 2–6 The official USB specification documents also periodically define the term male to represent the plug, and female to represent the receptacle. [85] The legacy USB Type-A plug. This is one of many legacy types of USB connector. a b c d e "Universal Serial Bus Cables and Connectors Class Document Revision 2.0" (PDF). USB.org. August 2007. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 11, 2014 . Retrieved April 28, 2019. Mini-USB connectors were introduced together with USB 2.0 in April 2000, for use with smaller devices such as digital cameras, smartphones, and tablet computers. The Mini-A connector and the Mini-AB receptacle connector have been deprecated since May 2007. [11] Mini-B connectors are still supported, but are not On-The-Go-compliant; [12] the Mini-B USB connector was standard for transferring data to and from the early smartphones and PDAs. Both Mini-A and Mini-B plugs are approximately 3 by 7mm (0.12 by 0.28in). The Mini-AB receptacle accepts either a Mini-A or Mini-B plug. Devices that draw more than one unit are high-power devices (such as typical 2.5-inch

In addition to limiting the total average power used by the device, the USB specification limits the inrush current (i.e., the current used to charge decoupling and filter capacitors) when the device is first connected. Otherwise, connecting a device could cause problems with the host's internal power. USB devices are also required to automatically enter ultra low-power suspend mode when the USB host is suspended. Nevertheless, many USB host interfaces do not cut off the power supply to USB devices when they are suspended. [100] The Micro plug design is rated for at least 10,000 connect-disconnect cycles, which is more than the Mini plug design. [13] [16] The Micro connector is also designed to reduce the mechanical wear on the device; instead, the easier-to-replace cable is designed to bear the mechanical wear of connection and disconnection. The Universal Serial Bus Micro-USB Cables and Connectors Specification details the mechanical characteristics of Micro-A plugs, Micro-AB receptacles (which accept both Micro-A and Micro-B plugs), Double-Sided Micro USB, and Micro-B plugs and receptacles, [16] along with a Standard-A receptacle to a Micro-A plug adapter. On January 8, 2018, USB-IF announced "Certified USB Fast Charger" logo for chargers that use "Programmable Power Supply" (PPS) protocol from the USB Power Delivery 3.0 specification. [70] A. Power Profiles", Universal Serial Bus Power Delivery Specification revision 2.0, version 1.2, USB Implementers Forum, 25 March 2016, archived from the original on 12 April 2016 , retrieved 9 April 2016 USB4 products may optionally offer interoperability with the HDMI, MHL, and VirtualLink Alternate Modes.The USB3.1 specification introduced an Enhanced SuperSpeed System – while preserving the SuperSpeed architecture and protocol ( SuperSpeed USB) – with an additional SuperSpeedPlus architecture and protocol (aka SuperSpeedPlus USB) adding a new coding schema (128b/132b symbols, 10 Gbps; also known as Gen 2); for some time period marketed as SupeerSpeed+ ( SS+). Low-power and high-power devices remain operational with this standard, but devices using SuperSpeed can take advantage of increased available current of between 150mA and 900mA, respectively. [30] :9–9