USB Full Form

USB full form is Universal Serial Bus. It is used as a medium for communication between connectors and cables. Data transfer, electricity supply and a  source of communication between peripheral devices such as keyboard, mouse, printer, portable media players, disk drive etc. was the main motive behind designing a USB. It is also used for connection and power supply between computers, laptops, and electronic devices. It is a common platform that allows communication between the devices and a host controller such as a PC (computer). They are used for the purpose of networking, contact or power supply purposes.

What is USB Full Form?

USB Full Form is a Universal Serial Bus. The Universal Serial Bus, as in the USB full form, is probably the easiest and mostly used connectivity device. Universal Serial Bus is productive in nature and reduces the workload to serve the function of successfully transferring data and electrical power supply between different gadgets which are considered peripheral such as mouse, printers, digital cameras, keyboards, scanners, flash drives and external hard drives etc. It also reduces the power consumption, which is suitable for storing data. All the connectivity devices come with an already installed USB connectivity slot known as the USB port. For operating, you have to insert the USB into the port. After the insertion, the device will have to detect and accept the USB and the connection will be established.

A Brief History of USB

USB was developed by a group of seven companies collectively named as Microsoft, IBM, Compaq, DEC, Intel, NEC and Nortel in the year 1994. It was developed for establishing an easy connection with external devices. It is a very easy process to connect USB devices with laptops and computers.

Before the onset of USBs, the ports were used to plug into devices and computers for the data transfer. Each peripheral device like keyboard, mouse, printer, etc. used its own individual port to connect with the computer device. Earlier, data transfer between serial and parallel ports was very slow and ranged between 100 to 450 kbs per second.

Because of these huge levels of incompatibility and problems in using multiple interfaces, the need for technological advancement like USB emerged.

Characteristics of USB

The Universal Serial Bus was developed to simplify and improve the interface between personal computers and peripheral devices, such as cell phones, computer accessories and monitors, when compared with previous ad hoc proprietary interfaces. Even if there is no supply of power, it can store the data without any potential harm or data loss. The USB maintains the integrity of the data. The following are few of the characteristics of USB:

• A maximum number of 127 peripherals can be connected to a single USB host controller.
• The USB device retains the maximum speed up to 480 Mbps (for USB 2.0).
• Length of the individual USB cable can reach up to 5 meters without a hub and 40 meters with hub on average.
• USB acts as a “plug and play” device.
• USB can draw power through its own supply or from a computer.
• If a computer turns into power-saving mode, some USB devices will automatically convert themselves safely into “sleep” mode.

Different Types of USBs

The USB acronym is the most commonly used form for device connectivity. Different devices have different types of connectivity to USB ports. Thus, you will need knowledge about the usage of various kinds of USBs for proper functioning. You will  notice the different USB cables everywhere around you. We use it especially to charge our phones the most. But, since different devices use different types of USB for functioning, let us discuss the different kinds of USBs in brief:

• Type-A USB
• USB Type-B
• Type-C
• Mini USB
• Micro USB

• Type-A USB: This is the most commonly found USB. Used primarily for devices like smartphones, computers, keyboards, mouse, cameras and the like, the Type A USB is present on one end of almost all the USB cables.

• USB Type-B: These types of Universal Serial Bus i.e., the full form of USB, have very specific usage and are rare to find because of restricted usage. Mainly printers and scanners use Type B USB for the purpose of connecting to an input device.

• Type-C: The nature of Type C USB is more modern in technology and it will be found in the new age renewed models of gadgets. Type C Charger is available in the larger units as it is accompanied in the modern day gadgets.

• Mini USB: This is an obsolete version of USB which is rarely in use. Older models of various gadgets used this type of USB before the next model replaced it. Mini USB cannot be spotted easily.

• Micro USB: They have a modern touch and sleek design. Micro USBs  are being used globally for almost all the devices that need USB connectivity in the present day.

Advantages Of USB

The single most noticeable advantage of a USB drive is the remarkable convenience and efficiency it offers with regard to data storage. USBs have made the transport and transfer of files and information easier and faster from computer to computer without any extra complications. They are also easy to carry around and their portability makes them a very handy device for people. Few of the advantages of USB are mentioned below:

• Ease of use
• Acceptable data rate for many applications
• Robust connector system
• Variety of connector types/sizes available
• Low cost
• Negligible power uses
• No loss of data from major devices

Disadvantages of USB

With the major advantages of USB, there lies major technical glitch or complexities involved in the usage of USB. Therefore, one needs to understand the basic disadvantages before the usage of USB devices. Few major disadvantages of USB are as follows:

• USB cables are limited in the measurement of length
• Some very high-speed peripheral devices require sustained speed limit which is not available in the USB standard
• Use of the USB logos on the product requires annual fees and membership in the organization which becomes a mandatory payment.
• Threats of data exposure through weakness in encryption is a serious issue
• The size and lightweight can be disadvantage which can make it lost more often