[Explanation] I understand the types of USB cables!Explains how to distinguish and use cables -IT is closer.Soft Bank News

The USB cable used for charging smartphones and transferring data to personal computers has a variety of shapes depending on the standard.If you want to charge, the cable terminal and the outlet do not match and you can not insert it!Have you ever experienced?

Smartphones, laptops, wireless earphones, etc.It is still commonplace to charge or connect with many devices alone, so let's know the standard of USB cable, which is a necessity.

This time, I will explain in detail from the characteristics of each standard and how to distinguish the cable.

What is USB?

Before you look at the types in detail, let's start with a brief USB.In the first place, a USB is an abbreviation of the Universal Serial Bus, and is used to connect peripheral devices to a computer.Originally, it was necessary to use different standards for each device such as mouse and printer, but there is a history that USB was formulated to unify those standards.

The USB cable has multiple standards, and the shape of the terminal differs depending on the standard.This time, we picked up a relatively many opportunities we usually see.

The most standard standard that is often connected to the computer side.Speaking of USB, many people think of this shape.It has a flat rectangle, and when you look at the terminal, there are blue and white parts.

The feature of this standard is that the two horns have a hexagonal shape.It is mainly used on the "peripheral device" side that connects to a personal computer, such as printers, scanners, and external HDDs.

As the name suggests, the terminal of the USB "mini version".Looking from the front, it is characterized by a slightly narrowed side.It is mainly used for relatively small devices such as digital cameras and IC recorders.

This Micro USB Type-B has further reduced "mini".It features a terminal that looks like a square crushed, and has a claw at the tip of the terminal, so it is difficult to remove.It is mainly used for Android smartphones and tablet devices released several years ago.

The feature of this standard is that it has a dented light rectangular shape near the center.This is also a standard that is often used for peripheral devices, portable HDDs and external DVD drives.

This Type-C has recently increased the opportunity to see.The feature is that the terminals are elliptical, so the advantage is that they can be inserted into the device without worrying about the upper and lower directions.The number of compatible devices, such as Android smartphones released in recent years, Apple's MacBook, and notebook PCs and wireless earphones, are still increasing.

As a cable I usually use, there is also a standard called "Lightning" developed by Apple.Strictly, it is not a USB standard, but it is used to connect iPhone, iPad, AirPods, etc. to a computer or charger.If you are an Apple product user, you may use it every day.The shape is very thin and can be inserted without worrying about the up and down direction like Type-C.

Most USB cables have different standard terminals on both sides.The combination of common terminals is summarized in the following table with the device used.

In addition to "Type", which represents the standard, "2.0/3.There is something that says "0".This represents the standard version, indicating that the larger the number, the newer version.Specifically, USB3.0 is USB2.There is a big difference in the transfer speed, such as being able to transfer at about 10 times the speed (theoretical value) of 0.USB2 is a white part of the terminal.0, blue is USB3.You can distinguish it from 0.