Why This WEIRD USB Connector Exists (Type B)
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- Опубліковано 6 жов 2024
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What's the point of the different types of USB connector?
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![[RANT] The DUMBEST Thing About USB](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/gShRBsahzXg/mqdefault.jpg)
The connector in the thumbnail was never brought up. For anyone wondering, that's a USB 3.0 type B connector commonly found on hard drive docks.
Thank you, I was indeed wondering.
And printers
Was going to say this and just looked for a similar comment just in case it's not double posted.
Figured that out when I needed a USB B and looked up 3.0 just to see if they exist. I have never seen them implemented anywhere
@@hunterblackwood9020 try again, my friend. I thought so as well, but he says "the standard type B" then they show one picture of a B 3.0 socket, but the one he is holding is just the older B. That's actually a bit of and uprising oversight not to specifically explain what the extra bit is for or to use the wrong one In the thumbnail by accident.
@@hunterblackwood9020 nope. its a different one then in the thumbnail.
I can’t understand why printers still, to this day, even multi-thousand dollar ones, _still_ give infinite problems. They go crazy, always disconnect from their networks, drivers are hell, getting all the features in Mac OS is still impossible even on eternal brands like Kyocera, like what the fuck? In my last job, even tho I was the head on electrical engineering, had to spend like half of my week helping accounting and human resources to get the stupid printer to work. _What the fuck..._
There is a job at my college mainly just for printer maintenance and tech delivery across campus and tech support as an extra if printers are all working.
@@noblej7897 I work at tech support can confirm more than half of all our work is printer related.
Side note epson printers are the easiest to maintain.
They make them that way so when they inevitably break you say fuck it and buy a new one, or they're so interconnected to your workspace that you're willing to pay for one of their techs to come fix them even at $500/hr. If they made them reliable, how would they keep making money?
@@christopherthompson5229 Epson has resources available for self repair, they're also really easy to open up. If you're gonna buy a printer for home I'd recommend to get an epson.
HP and Canon on the other hand can go fuck themselves. HP printers require so many proprietary tools to repair it's absurd. Canon makes it so incredibly complex to open up a printer and doesn't provide any resources online.
@@carlangelo653 I was speaking in generalities. Most people aren't repairing their own printers and most companies aren't either.
Next tech quickie: why printers are never convenient or easy to use.
I used to have this EPSON dot matrix printer in the 90s that was so good. It's drivers fit on a floppy, ink lasted ages.
Nowadays printer drivers fill a CD, need you to enter a wifi password using a number pad....
Avoid ink jets like the plague. Find yourself an office-grade laser printer and never have to deal with cleaning or aligning print heads. As a bonus it'll support a dozen different network discovery standards so all the devices are going to work fine.
Yeah the toner is expensive, but at least you won't waste a dozen pages every time you want to print trying to get it to work properly!
brother laser printer. 115 euros up front, always using third party toner and drums. never failed. runs like a charm, even after 10000 pages and 4 yrs of service. almost instant print. best investment ever.
@@whosdr My problem is I have to print maybe 5 pages of stuff per year. Just like everyone else I try my best to do digital only, but when you have to print something, you really have to print it. I'd rather not take my USB with confidential papers to a kinkos to print either. I will say, wifi printing is pretty handy though.
They can't answer an unanswerable question. Inkjet printers will always fail. The paper will always jam. The software is always janky (IMO). And you will always get stressed over all of it. Why? Because printers are the worst.
Signed, an amateur bookbinder who needs to print a fair amount, both ink and laser, and hates to do so every single time. Fuck printers.
"Printers are never easy"
Yeah, my 3D Printer is easier to operate than my standard Inkjet printer.
That is so true
Just 3D print a white plastic sheet with black letters on it😂
That's totally fair. If I cancel a 3D print. It instantly stops printing and resets. If I cancel a paper print, it finishes the job and gets 2/3rds of the way through the next job, then cancels mid way through a sheet, causing a paper jam.
Lol true. I have less issues with my Saturn than my dang Canon printer! You'd think these geniuses would have figured out printers by now!
Can confirm
As a musician, I have more of these than any other cable.
Same... 😔
And the damn b plug breaks easier then others too.
Same
What about audiojack though?
You have more USB Type B cables than Balance or 3.5mm cables?
"Something about printers...is just never easy."
Hard yes on that one. Printers are the most brain rot inducing piece of office equipment, especially wireless ones.
And the newer they are, the harder are they trying to scam you out of your money.
wish there was a company to break the industry
@@RedSunFX aren't ink tank printers common in USA now?
Indeed
"PC load letter" has been burned in brain
"You probably don't just have one lying around" - Laughs in audio engineering
LMAO thats what i thought
You mean like the 12x12x12 box of cables sitting in my office?
They under estimate our readiness
@@chronon8782 laughs in Arduino
@@somenamelastnaammee52 Beat me to it haha
*laughs in AV/IT engineering* edit: .... ending makes me sad *cries in AV/IT engineer with 15 year old printer that STILL works great*
USB type B to type A cables are pretty common for audio equipment. I have three in use at the moment, for a USB mic, a midi keyboard, and an audio interface
Yep, my Focusrite audio interface is a type B to type A. Though their newest version of the same model has since switched to type C.
As an EDM/Metal musician, I have a plethora of B to A and B to C cables
DJ Controllers too
Yep I have more USB A to B cables than any other USB types
"You probably don't just have one [USB A-B cable] lying around."
*Looks to my box on the bookshelf with over a dozen of them*
Same lmao I have dozens
Same
lmao... Same here.
My neighbours once gave me a weird-collection of usb-connection-thingies.
There is some WEIRD stuff in there, like USB to firewire, USB A to B, Mini-B, Micro-A, connectors I have no idea what they are, and even a Type A to Type A connector.
This collection did help me quite often though, over the years.
Q: What do cats eat for breakfast?
A: Mice Crispies!
I used to actually love the USB 2.0 Mini-B connector, felt more solid than the Micro that became the phone standard.
So the video doesn't explain why THE ONE in the thumbnail exists 🌚
It's USB type b. But the revision that came out with USB 3.0. it exists to add another plug to drive you crazy. And so printers can print faster I guess?
@@tonyconpint1342 More like so things like external drives can transfer data faster. (I have a backup drive that uses 3.0 B.)
@@tonyconpint1342 i have one of these connector at my external hard drive with USB 3.0. May it was invented for them... and some printers have also a USB hub- if you print from your USB-Stick (with 3.0) - i guess if you want to load oversized pictures faster.
I thought he explained it?
Three types of USB. USB A, USB B and USB C.
USB A gives power output. USB B gives data.
USB A is the thing on all flash drives.
USB A (male) to USB A (male) is almost never used.
USB A (male) to USB A (female) is a USB extension cord.
USB C basically overrode the first two
the same than Micro Tipe B 3.0, and extra data layer, 2:40 you can check Type B and Micro Type B is the same conector with diferent size
I've work 20+ years in IT and wifi printing just makes me cry...
F to the intern who had to go around and search the Boxes and collect a Cable with different Connectors.
Q: Why can't a leopard hide?
A: Because he's always spotted!
Yeah how did they find a 3.0 micro to usb C lmao never knew that was a thing
well
literally everything is organised there
saw it in the background of an ltt vid
In reality it's all a mess....😂
Dude, that was James first job. There's a video where linus made home plug and unplug a 1000 times.
James: You probably don’t have a lot of USB B lying around
All DJs and producers: bruh....
far more devices use mini (not micro) than B, but it's undeniable that you can find every single flavour of USB in music production, seemingly regardless of age, since brand new stuff is still being released with mini and B instead of micro. i've even seen the more rare and elusive mini A and micro A a couple of times, as well as, bizarrely, camera AV, which looks a lot like usb but isn't.
Also arduino
Arduino users: bruh
"you probably dont have one lying around"
You underestimate my hoarding James
yeah, the device may have perished long ago, the cable snakes it's way to a storage box ...
"Hmmm, I don't know what this is, but I'm gonna put it in this box just incase I ever find a use for it."
I have a gigantic box that is full of stuff that "I might be able to use one day".. lol
Me too. I must have at least 5 of them, probably more like 10. Most of them came bundled with printers or other electronics, go figure. I actually do use a lot of them though, mostly for audio recording equipment and HDD docks.
"Mini" connectors were't even mentioned. 'Cause those were a thing too before the "micro" connectors.
Ya, how come mini got no love?! Windows mobile, and blackberry memories…
Yeah, MP3 players and Dualshock 3 used it.
@@kacciahrula I forgot about dualshock 3. Haha, every console generation since wireless controllers, sony has used a different USB cable.
But only briefly: The mini was replaced quickly by the micro. Because the micro was just a little thinner, supported USB2.0 speeds (The mini was only ever rated for 1.1, officially) and added USB On the Go support for mobile devices. Small improvements, but as the micro cost no more than the mini, the mini was rapidly displaced.
@@vylbird8014 Weren't Mini-AB ports a thing that could do basically the same thing as OTG?
Do not ask
A woman: Her age
A man: His salary
James: How many times he had plugged and unplugged USB Micro B and USB Type C SSD
*wheeze* I remember that video XD
Link please
@@GaithTalahmeh ua-cam.com/video/OqtNleXhTRE/v-deo.html
@@infernys20 thanks alot man ☺️
@@GaithTalahmeh starting at ua-cam.com/video/OqtNleXhTRE/v-deo.html
Thumbnail: 3.0 Type-B
Title: Why ***This*** WEIRD USB Connector Exists
Video: 3.0 Micro-B and 2.0 Type-B
Y’all didn’t even talk about the connector in the thumbnail USB 3.0 type B with the funny little top hat.
I have one of these on my monitor for USB passthrough
yeah it was weird they didnt talk about it and there is a second even stranger version of it that has 2 extra pins for 12V on the sides. the Kinect 2 uses that one.
i need one for my electronic drim kits midi interface
I know right i have tons of these cables and devices between monitors and hubs and hard drive docks i was so happy and i specifically searched out this variant over the shit micro B even the 3.0 version was still just as fragile . glad C is here to take over however it also has issues similar to that of micro B 3.0 I'll take D instead
Yeah that's what my dac has on it it took me awhile to figure that out when I needed a longer one for use with my pc
About 10 years ago I plugged our Brother MFP into our router with an Ethernet cable and it has been working great since. They really are not that bad as long as its not a pile to begin with.
Kind of surprised they passed over mini-B altogether: You get all the awkwardness that comes with the small size of the micro-B/C with less fragility. They always are a preference of mine when a type C isn't available, especially when it's fixed to some random import hobby pcb since you never know quite how those will hold up over time...
Linus and Luke talked about this in a wan show waaaaay back. Fun times
I still have a mini-B camera, so I'll probably keep a mini-B cable around for that, if nothing else. (I probably still have a mini-B cellphone in a drawer somewhere too.)
For a more complete take on USB connectors, see Nostalgia Nerd's "Why Does USB Keep Changing?" -- ua-cam.com/video/36CKsP9YQ1E/v-deo.html -- ~21 min
I had a whole drawer of mini-B cables. Then one day, I bought a new device and the mini-B wouldn't fit. I realized Micro-B connectors were a thing then! Soon afterwards, my whole drawer of mini-B cables became useless.
I have mini B's because ps3 controllers lol
@@ultimatedarkkiller7215 Those mini connectors are so much sturdier than the micro USB on the PS4. I'm glad the PS5 opted for usb-c.
0:47
"Which probably means you don't have a bunch lying around"
*stares angrily at pile of unused arduinos and cables*
So what was the USB on the thumbnail!!?!?!?!?!
And also you forgot USB B mini ;)
That one is the USB 3.0 version of the Type B connector.... Just to be awkward and add yet another different connector!
mini USB ... I even have a USB3 version of it laying around somewhere.
I hate it when they show something in the thumbnail and never talk about it in the actual video. 👎
yeah, i have one of those, and now i am wondering if ever existed a mini-b 3.0
@@EHirsh there should be no mini usb 3.0 connector. The mini standard was superseeded by micro in 2007 (one upside is that it was designed so it instead have the parts wearing out be on the cable and not on the device - easier to replace cables). USB 3.0 standard came about in 2010 so mini was several years since it's replacement had arrived (though not knockings it out of course, that took time).
Shoulda thrown in the least reliable usb connector of all: the Apple lightning. Also, pretty sure the first image has a mini HDMI in it.
Thanks to USB-C now I can connect two chargers to each other. It's so easy
USB Type B is also widely used in music production equipment (audio interfaces, midi controllers)
"USB carries power"
Did they forget about PoE?
POE is a negotiated standard. USB type-c connector standard allowed negotiated power delivery hence it could be on both ends of the cable. This is why they still mentioned the network cables as having 2 of the same connector as they were comparing them in a similar way then showing the changes at the end with USB Type-C
PoE came out long after USB. And USB came out after FireWire, which carried power. Basically, this video’s entire premise is actually wrong.
Correction: There do exist file transfer cables that have USB type A connectors on both ends, and that support Windows, macOS, and Linux. I have two such cables, but I must admit that I've never actually used them because there are several other file transfer methods available that are more convenient and sometimes faster. The required file transfer software is built into the cable. They are available as USB 2.0 or USB 3.0 speeds.
plus the lightning cable is not passive. It negotiates with the device to identify itself. One reason why Apple resisted moving the iPhone to USB-C… even though they invented the connector and hold the parent on it.
That would make TOO much sense to have one cable for everything!
This is kind of what USB-C is supposed to be, but while the connector is common and you get the same connector on both ends the actual cable can be very different depending on what USB standard is supported, if thunderbolt 3 or 4 is supported, if displayport is supported etc. I would also point out that this is also what displayport was supposed to be, displayport is a bidirectional packet interface that can carry just about any data so the idea was you plug displayport cable from computer to monitor and that carries the display, USB, audio, and potentially even networking, but that does not seem to have been actually used at all. The other big thing with displayport is a properly certified displayport cable works for all displayport versions and devices, unlike USB and HDMI.
@@jeffreyparker9396 OMG...I got a headache reading your reply...lol
@@jeffreyparker9396 yeah I hate how not every HDMI cable is compatible, needlessly complicated.
One cable to rule them all.
One cable to find them.
One cable to bring them all
and in the darkness bind them.
@@jeffreyparker9396 so let me get this straight
DP was actually a usb c but without a power delivery or basically anything to power something necessary
Is that right?
USB B connectors Used to be an external hard drive’s back in the day.
And external modems.
Some even had 2 Type A one side to pull more power I still have some My GPS trackers use them
Do an episode on why printer are always difficult.
"PC Load Letter? WTF does that mean?"
“Letter” is a 🇺🇸 thing. The entire rest of the world uses A4.
@@lawrencedoliveiro9104 We use A4, too. Get off your high horse. It's a movie quote.
We IT geeks are paid to know stuff. Like that the secret† keystroke to tell an HP LaserJet-series printer to print the job using whatever paper is in the cassette is Shift-Continue.
†Actually not so secret-it’s explained in the manual. But normal people like you don’t read manuals, do you? We do.
PC is HP's term for the tray that paper goes in: The "Paper Carrier." Why they don't call it a tray, no-one knows.
Letter is a standard paper size in the US, perhaps the only country that doesn't use the A/B standard paper size scheme - instead they have paper sizes like 'letter' and 'legal.'
The PC LOAD LETTER is a fault indication, but it has to be written in contracted form to fit on the tiny display. Expanded out it means "Fault in Paper Carrier: Load 'letter' size paper."
The most common causes are either the paper has run out, or someone has sent a print job in letter size paper but the printer has a size other than letter in the tray.
It's far from the vaguest error message HP printers can give though. The best might be "INVALID USER PERSONALITY." A message so obscure that I can't even find it on google, but I know it exists because I have witnessed it myself. It is the error you might get on an old parallel printer if you attempt to use a driver intended for a different model of printer.
I was in the US (I'm from Australia) and was trying to print something. It kept saying load A4 and it took me ages after confirming there was paper and what tray it should have been loading it from, to realise that it had Letter sized paper loaded and not that it was empty.
"you won't find other devices with usb B" **cries in arduino**
Or any industrial and scientific device
Type B was pretty universal until smartphones took off. Device types that predate smartphones tend to still use it. Arduino is an example of such.
@@Flowxing Wait, yours don't still use DE15 (VGA) or other Dsubs?
Gotta love the screws on them though.
@@dycedargselderbrother5353 Still is... Tons of devices use it today
@@dycedargselderbrother5353 Unless it was a camera or an mp3 player, in which case it had its own proprietary connector at the device end
the connector in the thumbnail isn't even featured in the video itself. full proof of how underrated type B is
3:39 no truer words have been spoken
Surprisingly, at 42 y/o, I only realized not long ago that the smaller standard Micro B could work in the bigger half of the usb 3 micro b ports. The more you know
Video didn’t actually answer the question posed in the title.
its a USB 3.0 as a Type B. Kinda similar to how the Micro USB Type B had a weird little add on for 3.0
@@Kolma Yup, the bump on top has the extra wires USB 3 added.
Was looking for this comment
It actually did... ;)
Just forgot to mention the exact USB 3.0 B plug in the thumbnail but it's the same with that so,...
@@Oystein87 lol I rewatched it twice and can’t find where the connector in the thumbnail is featured. Can you point to a timecode?
Thankyou for acknowledging that printers are a pain in the butt. Appreciate the love and support!!!
Yeah printers. Bane of my life. When I was working in IT most of my time was spent sorting them out.
Printers are literally the only aspect of computing that hasn't improved one jott since the 90's lol. It's crazy how bad they still are. Especially some of the software for them. My god! We had a £15,000 commercial photocopier where I used to work and the software it came with didn't even have the ability to make print presets. You had to set each print run up, every... single... time. For access to this basic function they wanted another £1000 to unlock it in the software! Fuck that! The UI and responsiveness of it all was pure garbage too.
Needs some sort of Apple / Xerox partnership 😂
@@TalesOfWar We had a photocopier at home. Photocopier engineers were probably the profession who visited the most.
Same. It was 40% printer issues, 40% email issues, 20% everything else.
As an MSP, we outsource printers/copiers as much as possible, or specifically charge extra for the tech hours they inevitably drain. The move to remote working has exacerbated this problem with the inclusion of really poor home mfps. The worst tech.
I miss the full size B connector, it's far more robust than any of the smaller versions
And you could determine the orientation of the plug before plugging it in, so it fits on the first try.
The truth is:
"Because USB-IF sucks"
How a "Universal" conector have so many changes
PCI and PCI-e was so smart about it...
The truth is, they had to adapt to different use cases emerging and technology developing.
All the connectors have uses and are generally liked for what those uses. Music equipment for instance on the whole would still not be great with USB C as USB C is just too fiddly and fragile.
@@tams805 usb-c with screws when /s
@@bootmii98 With the /s? I mean, it was a good solution for the DB9 conectors.
Okay, thank you for this video. I've been wondering what would happen if I spliced a USB type A the the end of another USB cable and see what would happen if I connected two computers together. I'm glad that I haven't been curious enough to do it before watching this.
No one:
Auto-Generated Subtitle: Vietnamese
fix your shit Google
I actually have a USB-A to USB-A cable to transfer data between two computers connected on each end, and I use it frequently since it's very useful, doesn't need a switch like an ethernet and it's pretty fast for what I need as it's USB 3
I have one too xD
I think its only 2.0 tho and i never used it
So the question "why do these connectors still exists" remains unanswered.
Because USB Type A and Type B are common, you don't need new cables and they don't break as easily as those smaller plugs.
The answer that I was expecting from them was a discussion on the requirements of the extra pins for the higher data through put and the requirements to be backwards compatible with USB 1.0-2.0
I like it how you didn't actually talk about that weird USB connector in the thumbnail 🙃
We have USB hubs in the office which use a type A to type A cable. Never tried A to anything else, I’m sure A to C would work just as you’d expect, but I wonder what would happen (probably nothing) with some A to micro/mini with a handheld device of some sort. 🤷♂️
0:07 "You can even get a USB turret to shoot Nerf projectiles at your irritating coworkers."
I smell an upcoming ChannelSuperFun video.
It exists solely to have another method for printers to inconvenience you
Which is why I always go to a shop with a pendrive full of files to get it printed
Even if they charge an exceptionally high amount of money.
Haha! But then explain all the other thousands of equiment that uses it ;P Very common connector for various things.
I love these videos. I always learn something. I often know about 50% of the information provided, but it's always nice to have James fill in the blanks.
I still don’t understand why tf USB-B gotta be so chonky. I got click baited.
it doesn't, they made it big cuz they expected it to be in peripherals and it was the 90s, now all those plugs are old tech.
Let me tell you there are a bunch of USB-B devices in my house. I hope I'm the exception, but here's the devices I can name right off the top of my head.
-Printer (of course)
-My microphone
-My DJ controllers
-My UPS
-My monitor* kinda. It's that big, more awkward connector that's USB-B and extra pins 3.0 transfer speeds.
-My NAS* maybe. If I had one.
So I am that guy with six USB-B cables in my room, always to hand.
And actually never said anything about the conector in the thumbnail...
I guess he assumed everyone knew it's called USB Type B.
@3:33 "In the mean time, you can always use your printer, wirelessly".
I use my printer's Ethernet port with a Cat 5 cable.
Jokes on y’all my arduino came with usb type b
Whats nice about the devices that have that 3.0 micro B+ with the extra bit to make more data lanes to make them 3.0 speed, is that the non-extra bit is just a normal micro-B, and in a pinch, you can use a normal micro on that side (careful plugging it in), and it will still work, just slower. This is very critical to know if you have external hard drive (or thin enclosures) with that micro-B+ and dont have/cant get the 3.0 "+" cable and really need the data off it (or moved onto one)
You guys.... didn't answer your own question...
Seeing that computer at 2:00 reminded me why I'm so glad computer cases have evolved with our hardware.
We call Riley's mom USB-D because she can take all the connectors no matter the size or shape. 🥳🥒
boo
I never stopped to bonder why the USB often have different connectors on opposite ends. Thanks for the clear explanation.
Congrats to Everyone Who is Early And who found this Comment’💚..:
Bot?
Shut up bot
Fun fact: there's actually a micro-AB for devices that can negotiate power, as well as the micro-B you're more familiar with that always receives power. It's almost never used correctly. On the other end of the spectrum, there's actually devices that actually have to be programmed over an A-to-A cable, which is total design malpractice.
I suppose this is why they just threw up their hands and gave us Type-C, but I feel like that was way too late to fix this mess (and has it's own messes).
@1:08 "hence why" got me raging almost as much as B-types sold separately
Lol same
Type B is one of the most detrimental and helpful cables I have ever used when using OLD VGA and DVI Monitors.
When connected with DVI, the Ports and Sound on the Monitor dont work, but all you have to do is plug the Type B cable into the Monitor and PC, and all your ports and sound on the monitor will work!
Forgot about the Mini B connector my personal favorite. And the USB 3.0 B connector in the thumbnail. There is also a bit of the standard not just for power as it had the directionality due to host and device distinctions that is until peoples mouse's started being computers on their own. Oh and you should do one on firewire and how it's nowhere near the same as USB and unofficial unstandardized FireWire to USB adapters/cables can fry things!
You could have the most functional system ever, but then there's the printer... it's always a fkn printer!
For people wondering what the thumbnail is of; it's a USB 3.X type B SuperSpeed, used for some USB hubs.
They showed us *micro* USB 3.X type B SuperSpeed, used mostly for external drives.
Honestly for anything like a keyboard or stationary stuff that you still want the cable to be removable USB type B is still my absolute favorite. I like it more than type C, its so much more confidence inspiring when you plug it in, i trust it a lot more.
Exceedingly civil and informative. I learned something here. Thank you very much for your clean presentation.
They're very rare, but there does exist a usbA to usbA data crossover cable, so you CAN connect to computers via usbA
I recall reading one of the original designers of usb saying the original standard was made simpler to keep the cost down.
i once had a motherboard that came with a special A-A cable, because you could install a specific overclocking suite on another computer and use it to overclock the main one(with a special A port), on the fly
I was worried about plugging in my USB C - C into the charging adapter without checking any in or out symbols. Glad my doubt was clarified towards the end.
Did you know: A USB 3 port has extra pins - those extra pins are what carry the USB 3 data. The old USB 2 pins are not used in USB 3 communications, they are only provided so you can plug a USB 2 device into a USB 3 port. In fact, a USB 3 enabled PC also has a USB 2 controller.
This means you can split a single USB 3 port into a USB 3 and a USB 2, and run both devices from the same port.
Pretty weird but pretty cool if you really need it.
I've had so many fights with my printers in the past that I still tend to avoid trouble shooting them. Whenever a less techsavvy friend/family member asks for my help. I usually say, I don't understand printers. 🤣
"You probably don't have any lying around"
*looks at my handful of them I have for my midi keyboards*
I use this for monitors that have a usb “B” Input so you can connect devices directly to the monitor via usb “A” rather than to the pc itself.
"The days of juggling connectors should be over." It's so cute when kids haven't experienced something like connectors and are so very very naive about them.
In the past most USB devices used that USB-b connector. That was the only USB cable we needed until the mini connector came around and then the micro.
I came for the thumb nail. Not the USB type B. This user covered it. Thanks.
TheSonicFan4
2 years ago
The connector in the thumbnail was never brought up. For anyone wondering, that's a USB 3.0 type B connector commonly found on hard drive docks.
This was actually really useful. Many questions answered.
have 3 type B, 4 micro, 3 mini, only 2 3.0 b, and 1 mini type b. I have a lot of old tech, I even have a zip drive, it uses the old I/O port that use to be used for printers. Have several 5.5 floppy's too. I miss the sound of that old drive on start up, kind of like the sound of dial up, nostalgic.
USB A to A is such a joy. I remember a couple years ago I tried to connect an Android box to my PC with a known-good cable. After hours of failure I facepalmed and nearly hung myself after I tried reversing the cable and it then worked.
USB type B is still used commonly in some sectors. It is the cable used to connect and program an Arduino Uno or Mega board, for instance.
Finally, a proper explenation about this...
I'm actually baffeled that you guys seem to be the first one with a (proper) video on this topic :|
0:07 I always wanted the USB Christmas tree, but never had the space on my desk. Although it seemed like a novelty to have something that can only be basically powered by a computer. Hold on I gotta be a Grinch and restart and turn off the tree. But now they have wallplugs with USB built in and I wouldn't be surprised if they put them right into electrical sockets....
Meanwhile, I have two GoPros and a few cameras with the USB Mini-B (not Micro-B like smartphones until 2016) connector. I don't think it ever got a 3.0 expansion as seen at 2:42
Than you for clearing up the confusion! :D
"You probably don't having one lying around" laughs awkwardly while looking at my multiple boxes of random cords from the 90's to today.
Getting a 2 years old video suddenly recommended to me is weird. What's even weirder is to see Techquickie that didn't answer the question of "why type B connector exists" while talking about literally any other USB standard.
Early USB protocols were unidirectional and you had to have the right cable to ensure that power was going the right direction. Later requirements (well before usb-c) had requirements for the devices so that the host would know it could supply power without harming the device meaning that usb-b ends became obsolete. Mini USB and micro USB were designed after usb-b was no longer required if the new devices followed the new power protocols. Mini and micro USB were designed for small devices where space is a limitation.
A to A was actually used occasionally, and I have a couple of external hard drives that use A to A. I also have an audio mixer that supports connection to a PC for audio playback and recording.
Type B is one of more robust connectors if you feel like anything smaller is needlessly too weak for your device. Many controllers for arcade inputs to USB such as BROOK Universal fighting board and some hobbyist things use type B connectors which makes it extra fun trying to find a USB A to B cable that is satisfyingly long and also hip and cool. It is bit sad it is "The printer cable" for most people but there is some number of fun uses the connector has.
2:55 used to have an external wd drive that had that connector on it. they're so easy to break. ripped the drive out of the enclosure and put it into a new one.
Great, easy to understand overview James. Thanks. PS. I keep ALL the cables on-hand. PPS no one talks about how the little retention pins on usb micro-B must have beendesigned to wear out / break before the cable does.
3:15 as someone who spents 10s of hours over several weeks trying to setup octoprint using several old phones instead of a raspberry pi I can say the inconsistency of this made me want to destroy a brick wall with my head.
Midi Keyboards always use a weird USB connector, as a music producer it's so annoying because if I forget the cable chances are I wont find another one easily
i'm an electrical engineer who's worked as a sysadmin and electronic music is my passion. i've seen every connector under the sun. usb type-b is ubiquitous in electronic music applications. audio interfaces are only now transitioning to usb type-c/thunderbolt interfaces, and only the higher-end ones at that. usb 2.0 is offers plenty of bandwidth for MIDI and 24bit 48kHz stereo audio which the vast majority of synths with audio-over-usb use. i'd say a good 95% of music gear uses USB type B. mechanically speaking i'd trust a USB type B connector in a studio or on a live stage over the type-c one any day of the week. the vast majority devices are too bulky and cumbersome for the flimsy type c.
What did the wasp say to the bee?
"i wanna see USB"
I had my first wireless inkjet printer/scanner from Brother, surprisingly works flawlessly, and .... on both Linux (Ubuntu) and Windows 10 :o