1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:06,360 The U in USB stands for universal, which is appropriate seeing as how USB devices are 2 00:00:06,360 --> 00:00:12,120 everywhere. I mean, you can even get a USB turret to shoot nerf projectiles at your irritating coworkers. 3 00:00:12,120 --> 00:00:16,880 But one common annoyance is that there's been a plethora of USB connector types over 4 00:00:16,880 --> 00:00:20,760 the years, making the experience not quite as universal as we'd like. 5 00:00:20,760 --> 00:00:25,760 What's so special about USB where we can't have the same connector on both ends of the 6 00:00:25,760 --> 00:00:31,520 cable? We've been at HDMI and good old RCA jacks figured it out, so why can't USB? 7 00:00:31,520 --> 00:00:35,520 Take a look at this thing, which you'll probably recognize if you've ever plugged in a printer 8 00:00:35,520 --> 00:00:39,720 over USB. This is called a USB type B connector. 9 00:00:39,720 --> 00:00:47,480 And unfortunately, if you've ever needed one of these cables in a pinch, there aren't a whole lot of other devices that use it, meaning you probably don't just have one lying around. 10 00:00:47,480 --> 00:00:52,080 To add insult to injury, printer manufacturers usually don't include a type B cable in the 11 00:00:52,080 --> 00:00:58,440 box, meaning you have to go out and buy one yourself. So is this some kind of big racket by the electronics industry to suck more money out 12 00:00:58,440 --> 00:01:05,000 of you? Well, maybe not. A fundamental difference between USB and some of those other connection types we mentioned 13 00:01:05,000 --> 00:01:11,160 earlier is that USB carries power, hence why so many USB gadgets don't need to be plugged 14 00:01:11,160 --> 00:01:17,300 into the wall separately. But providing power on the same cable as data has the drawback that connecting things the 15 00:01:17,300 --> 00:01:22,000 wrong way can lead to damaged devices or other electrical hazards. 16 00:01:22,000 --> 00:01:27,880 So the power is that B designed USB so that you'd always have an upstream and a downstream 17 00:01:27,880 --> 00:01:31,960 device, with power only flowing in one direction. 18 00:01:31,960 --> 00:01:36,600 As part of this design process, different connectors were created for upstream and downstream devices. 19 00:01:36,600 --> 00:01:42,240 The typical rectangular USB type A connector that you're used to seeing is usually on devices 20 00:01:42,240 --> 00:01:48,360 that provide power. This is why you'll often see them on gadgets that you plug into the wall, like desktop 21 00:01:48,360 --> 00:01:56,320 PCs and charging bricks for your smartphone. The other end is often something different on purpose so that people won't try to connect 22 00:01:56,320 --> 00:02:02,960 two type A ports together. So if, for example, you've ever wondered why you can't just send data between two computers 23 00:02:02,960 --> 00:02:08,080 by connecting them with type A to type A, this is a big part of the reason why. 24 00:02:08,080 --> 00:02:12,080 Of course, the standard type B that you see on a printer or something like a monitor with 25 00:02:12,080 --> 00:02:17,640 a USB hub or a desktop DAC for you audio people is fairly bulky. 26 00:02:17,640 --> 00:02:22,960 So the micro B connector became pretty common for small devices like smartphones that receive 27 00:02:22,960 --> 00:02:28,240 power. You can even see this on your typical power bank, where you plug in the full size type 28 00:02:28,240 --> 00:02:33,280 A connector when using it to charge a phone, but instead plug in a micro B connector when 29 00:02:33,280 --> 00:02:36,280 you're recharging the power bank itself. 30 00:02:36,280 --> 00:02:40,720 Micro B was further revised once USB 3.0 was released. 31 00:02:40,720 --> 00:02:46,920 As we saw these very funky looking connectors hit the market, that extra lobe on the side 32 00:02:46,920 --> 00:02:52,800 enables more data to be carried, making the connector compliant with higher USB 3.0 speeds. 33 00:02:52,800 --> 00:02:57,080 But in my opinion, this connector sucks, they break easily, and I don't like plugging 34 00:02:57,080 --> 00:03:03,240 them in. Agree. Of course, with the launch of USB type C, as you can see here, it's more common now 35 00:03:03,240 --> 00:03:10,840 to find a C to C cable, as the USB-C actually supports having two devices negotiate to determine 36 00:03:10,840 --> 00:03:17,880 which will be the host that provides power. Although this was possible with previous USB connectors, with a protocol called USB on 37 00:03:17,880 --> 00:03:26,720 the go, support for it was inconsistent. However, because many USB-C devices need to connect to older hardware, C to A cables should 38 00:03:26,720 --> 00:03:33,360 still be commonplace for a long time. But do know that the days of juggling connectors should be numbered. 39 00:03:33,360 --> 00:03:37,120 In the meantime, you can always use your printer wirelessly. 40 00:03:37,120 --> 00:03:42,560 Oh god, that sounds like a nightmare. Something about printers, that's just never easy. 41 00:03:42,560 --> 00:03:46,560 So thanks for watching guys, if you liked this video, hit like, hit subscribe, and hit 42 00:03:46,560 --> 00:03:50,840 us up in the comments section with your suggestions for topics that we should cover in the future.