Do you want a clearer perspective on how the Usb devices work? Here is a easy lowdown on some facts and features of a Universal Serial Bus (more generally known as the Usb):
- You can associate up to 127 devices to the host (the computer) directly or through Usb hubs
- Did you know that personel Usb cables can have the distance of until 5 meters; while its hubs or devices can run the distance of up to 30 meters (or 6 Usb cables worth) away from the host computer?
- The Usb version 3.0 has a maximum data rate of a whopping 480 megabytes per second. That is approximately 10 times the speed of a Usb 2.0
- A Usb 2.0 has only two wires for power (+5 volts and ground) and an interconnecting pair to transmit the data. Add four more wires to this set-up for data transmission and you have the Usb 3.0. Here is another stark difference: the Usb 2.0 can only send data in one direction at a time (downstream or upstream) while the Usb 3.0 can have the data swimming in both directions at any given time!
- On the issue of the power wires, the host computer can provide up to 500 milliamps of power at 5 volts. A Usb 3.0 can provide up to 900 milliamps of power.
- Low power devices like mice may obtain power directly from the Usb. A higher power gadget such as a printer has its own power supplies but still draws a miniature bit of power from the bus. Hubs may have their own power supplies to supplement power to devices related to it.
- Usb devices are hot-swappable which means they can be plugged and unplugged from the bus anytime. Also, a Usb 3.0 is compatible with a 2.0 port. The data change won't be as fast as from using a 3.0 port but still, the data may be transmitted.
- A Usb gadget can go into a sleep mode when the host computer is in its own power-saving mode.
Usb Facts and Features
