What is Usb: Definition and 155 Discussions

Universal Serial Bus (USB) is an industry standard that establishes specifications for cables and connectors and protocols for connection, communication and power supply (interfacing) between computers, peripherals and other computers. A broad variety of USB hardware exists, including eleven different connectors, of which USB-C is the most recent.
Released in 1996, the USB standard is maintained by the USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF). There have been four generations of USB specifications: USB 1.x, USB 2.0, USB 3.x, and USB4.

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  1. S

    Hi how to make USB host controller

    hi! actually, I am doing my computer science engineering...and i don't have more knowledge about electronics... all i need is to know is how a usb host controller works...and how can i make on my own... so that i can connect any USB devices on it ...and use it...
  2. Y

    Choosing an external usb CD/DVD R/W drive.

    Hi I am looking for an external USB CD/DVD R/W drive for my laptop as it does not come with one. I look on Amazon and they only say DVD drive. How do I know whether it can R/W both DVD and CD? Here is the link for...
  3. B

    USB to 3v 100mA. What did I do wrong?

    GOAL: Power a 2x AAA battery powered headset with a USB port METHOD: 3x diode in series RESULT: Failure Detailed Methods: Connected three diodes head to foot. Connected USB 2.0 (side with USB to computer) red wire to 1st diode @ the opposite side of the band. Connected an empty red...
  4. I

    Using a USB HDD to Boot an OS: Advice Needed

    I would like to buy a USB HDD, e.g http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Transcend---StoreJet-Rugged-Series-25H3P-1TB-External-USB-3.0/2.0-Portable-Hard-Drive---Purple/Black/3930191.p?id=1218443230635&skuId=3930191 but my experience with USB HDD is limited after one USB HDD (LogicGate) of mine failed to...
  5. S

    How to Troubleshoot and Resolve BSOD Caused by USB Driver Problem

    So, I've had this problem for about 8 months now. My computer will randomly shut off and display the message above. I've tried reinstalling all the drivers but it didn't actually work. Any advice would be much appreciated. Thanks.
  6. Tesladude

    Creating a Solar USB Charger: Troubleshooting Tips

    So I want to make a solar usb charger but am having some problems that i do not understand. I know that usb is 5v at 1 amp-ish and so I took 4 rechargable AAs and was getting just over 5v. I want to have the solar pannel charge the batteries when there is nothing being pluged into the usb...
  7. DiracPool

    Rabbit TV: A USB Device for Free TV Channels?

    I just acquired this magic jack looking device called Rabbit TV https://www.rabbittv.com/ Its a USB device that you plug into your laptop that's supposed to get you thousands of free TV channels. I read some online reviews that didn't look so hot. So I don't want to plug it in until I do...
  8. cobalt124

    External USB HDD has to be FAT

    I'm planning to use a HDD (IDE, NTFS) removed from an IBM Thinkpad as an external backup device through USB. The instructions that came with my hard drive enclosure state I must reformat to FAT16 or FAT32 before placing in the enclosure. Is there a technical reason why it cannot be NTFS? Is it...
  9. A

    Erase USB Data with Magnets: Ideal Approach

    I want to erase the data in a USB, without actually messing up the circuitry of the device, using magnets. What would be an ideal approach ??
  10. M

    USB functions with PIC18F4550

    It is my understanding that this pic chip has usb wiring ability. Does this mean i can create a very cheap burner, or that it can comunicate to a computer? In the case of the cheap burner being possible could i implement the chip into the circuit and then program it later (that's just an...
  11. D

    Wired USB devices shown to lose power due to RF interference

    I previously posted about an RF interference issue that was affecting a pair of Klipsch ProMedia 2.1 speakers here. I have since found that a neighbor living across the parking lot broadcasts transmissions of up to 2,000 Watts from his apartment, which has been the cause of this issue. I have...
  12. E

    Is there a USB GSM Module with a Development Kit for Sending SMS Alerts?

    USB GSM Module with SDK? I was wondering if anyone knows of a USB GSM Module that comes with some sort of development kit. I would like to develop an application (Probably in C#) and be able to send out SMS/Text messages as alerts to certain events. Most of the GSM Modules I've seen are for...
  13. trollcast

    Micro USB OTG Cable: Can I Use a Female-to-Female Adapter?

    I'm looking at getting one of these for my tablet but would a female to female USB adapter on the end of the USB lead that came with my tablet work the same? Thanks
  14. Y

    How to recover lost folder in the flash drive ( USB stick)?

    My wife lost a file that she worked directly from a flash drive. Somehow, the whole folder disappeared. Is there any way to recover that folder? Problem is she did not work off the C drive where even you accidentally deleted it, you can find it in the trash bin. She worked directly off the...
  15. N

    Connect Mini USB to Micro USB: Canon S100 & Nexus 7

    Does anyone here know if it's possible to connect my Canon S100 (with a mini USB port) to my Nexus 7 tablet (with a micro USB port), to copy the pictures over?
  16. S

    I need acer mother board speck so i can wire in the usb mike port.

    Here's the computer that i have http://www.geeks.com/details.asp?invtid=AM3100-U3201A-R&cm_mmc=geekmail-_-newarrivals_html-_-07jun08-_-AM3100-U3201A-R&AID=10445123&CJPID=4176654 and i recently took the mother board out of the acer and put it in a knew case. I have the motherboard specs for the...
  17. J

    Can I Reassign My USB to Serial Converter to COM 4 or Less on Windows XP?

    I have a Prolific USB Serial Convertor which has been assigned COM 6. When connected to a device that allows 6 serial ports it works fine. I'm now trying to communicate with a device that only allows up to COM 4, how do I reassign the USB converter to COM 4 or less? I'm running WINDOWS XP 2002...
  18. S

    Can You Replace a Firewire Port with a USB Port for an External Hard Drive?

    Can you unsolder a firewire ports pins on the green board and solder a usb port in its place?
  19. S

    Question on wiring fire wire to usb wire?

    Can i wire fire wire to usb wire? What i mean is cut one end off on a fire wire and one end off a usb wire and wire the two together would that work?
  20. L

    Identifying a USB Through Packaging & Codes

    is there any way to tell if a USB is mine, through properties and stuff. I have the packaging and all the cods are written on it. some LK # and stuff. please help
  21. B

    Why is my Camera USB not automatically importing photos on Windows 7?

    I have win7. premiume 64 Bit and a Canan SD1,000 camara. The first time I pluged my Camara in win7. gave me a window on the system tray asking me how I want to import the photos. So I set it up to Automaticly import all photos to a Folder on the Desktop. So now whenever I plug the...
  22. P

    Is there any USB device for simulating

    Is there any USB device for simulating... hi Is it posiible to generate analog signal from a USB device. The data to be generated as analog signal is stored in usb or PC to which it is connected ? thanks
  23. S

    USB IO PICs for Simple Computer Control: Tips and Advice

    Hey all, I'd like to apologise in advance if my post/question seems overly ignorant in any way, also this is sort of an "Hello Forum" and questions combined. I've not used a forum before for help with electronic projects :) I've been looking at basic relay/switching control from a computer so...
  24. C

    Can USB Cables & Ports Survive Over-Standard Voltage/Current?

    would commodity usb cables and ports survive an over-standard voltage and current?? suppose we want to make an adapter to power a gadget that require more voltage and power than what is allowed by the USB standard. But, suppose we try to use off-the-shelf USB cable in the above-standard...
  25. C

    How complex would it be to make a usb power source imitating small battery?

    there are some computer related gadgets out there which, courtesy of the OEM decisions, have to be used with a small battery. E.g. some of the graphics tablet related pens are that way. Perhaps in some situations (like "battery prices just went up by 1000%" situation) it might be nice to be able...
  26. A

    Java Java program to communicate with a USB port

    Hi, I want to write a java program to get information from a USB communications port. I have downloaded the javax-usb-r1 package but I don't know where I should place this folder / package. Can anyone give some advice? Thanks
  27. J

    USB output characteristics / optocouplers

    Hello, the table below represent output values of a device which is connected to USB port: (device used is USB-6501) Its first time I see such output values and thus I don't understand the following: - What is push-pull ? - Negative current means that I should supply the device with such...
  28. O

    Unraveling the Mysteries of USB Power Supply: Is it Just 5V or Something More?

    Hello. This is probably a silly question. But it is something I haven't been able to find an answer too. When I connect something to my laptop through the USB, I know that there is 5V coming from the USB connection ...there are many pinout diagrams about that show this. But what is the...
  29. G

    Ms dos bootable usb flash drive

    Hello! I have accomplished creating the USB boot able flash drive, That boots with DOS, I had thought this would be the perfect way to take control over the hard disk when my Operating system is corrupted.. But it's not. On the Dos windows drive c: is shown but I don't think that's my hard disk...
  30. E

    External USB 1 & USB 2 devices Question

    Will using USB 1 and USB 2 devices in the same desktop PC that has USB 2 ports slow down performance because of the USB 1 device being added to the system? I know that if you use a USB 2 hub and add a USB 1 device to it that the entire hub slows down to USB 1 speed. But I am interested to know...
  31. Kawakaze

    USB Communication: PIC Processor, Capture Software & Standards

    I am making a CCD camera from scratch and all seems to be going pretty swimmingly. However, my programming skills are very basic and the communication with the computer is set to be my next stumbling block. The camera will be controlled via a PIC processor, I have a friend who is writing some...
  32. N

    Avoiding computer power-up surges passing through USB audio I/O to speakers?

    There are many USB and Firewire audio interfaces, that have no circuitry to protect your speakers from the power surge when the computer gets turned on or off, to pass through the audio I/O system and on to your speakers, creating loud pops that can blow the tweeters of expensive monitors...
  33. P

    Is There a Chip That Can Selectively Input USB Video Signals?

    Hi all, Love the forum, just signed up but have been reading for a while. I'm not an EE and I am working on some image processing, so I need some hardware help. What I want to do is to have ~20 USB webcams, of which any 4 are selectable to feed into MATLAB. I have the software side running, but...
  34. S

    Break Beam Sensor with a USB interface

    Hello, I am attempting to build a control system including foul line detectors for a bowling alley. I am a Computer Engineering student, and while I am really good at the software side of things am a bit lacking in the hardware side. I was wondering if I could get any help in creating this...
  35. StevieTNZ

    USB port on router - what be attached?

    Could I attach a USB port hub to the USB port on a router, and then attach two USB devices to the hub? Would that work, i.e. share the printer, and share a storage device?
  36. I_am_learning

    Connecting USB devices in parallel

    Since USB are a kind of Data buses I thought you can simply connect multiple usb devices such as say a keyboard and a mouse in parallel. I mean, strip out the USB cable of both keyboard and mouse, connect together the Power supply (V+ and V-) and also connect together datas lines (D+ and D-)...
  37. PainterGuy

    Software to protect USB flash from viruses

    hello everyone, :smile: when i use my usb flash drive in some internet cafe or school lab it become infected. especially lab's computers are full of viruses. is there some software which i can have on my flash so that it protects flash from viruses. do you understand what i try to say? i want...
  38. M

    Sensor data,need to be used by labview, through usb port only

    sensor data,need to be used by labview, through "usb port" only hi, i have got an assignment. i need to pick up the data from sensor,and then, through dac usng usb port,data has to be used in labview. but,can anyone guide me, regarding usb portocols. devices available in markets, having...
  39. N

    Powering a Device with AAA Batteries and USB

    so i have a device which uses 2 AAA batteries. i don't like charging batteries all the time so instead i want to power the device via usb. a AAA battery: 1.5 volts and 300-1000 mAh (milliampere hours) usb has 5 volts and max current is 500-900 mA how do i do this?
  40. D

    Why is my USB mouse not working on Windows 7?

    I recently built a new computer off newegg. Put everything together without a hitch, and order Windows 7 oem. I proceeded to install windows 7. Once the download was complete, I went to use my mouse, it didn't work. I figured this as being no big deal seeing as how I did not install my...
  41. G

    What does it take to use a usb?

    Is it possible for a microcontroller like PIC to use a USB memory stick? I wanted to make a small microphone that will record onto USB memory stick or those SD memory chips that go into cameras. I know nothing of how flash memory works on a technical level but I imagine you have to send...
  42. B

    18V Batt. to 5V USB Port and 12V CIgarette Lighter

    i am beginner in electrical engineering and am doing it has more of a hobby, therefore i have no books to study from. but i am trying to power a 5 Volt USB Hub and a 12 Volt Cigarette Lighter from a car, with an 18 Volt Battery. Can anyone show me an example of how to set this circuit up...
  43. rhody

    Needed: Low cost, USB Spectrum Analyzer/Osciliscope for use with a PC

    I am posting this for an EE engineer friend, need suggestions/link(s) to a USB Spectrum Analyzer. The more compact the better... Thanks in advance... Rhody...
  44. W

    Can I run all my apps off a USB drive?

    Hey, guys, do you have the experience of running your daily used apps off a USB drive? Which is I am now trying to do. But I find that only portable apps can be run like that. while some apps like MS office are not portably available. How can I do that?
  45. D

    Newbie Converting a USb power to wall(110v)

    Complete newbie to anything and everything but has a little bit of street smarts. sorry for wrong wording of any terms I use but hopefully you can get the gist of it. OK so I'm building a custom laptop stand/ cooler device. I have made a wooden platform about 15 inches by 9 inches and...
  46. R

    How can I create a USB powered cooling unit for my HTPC?

    Hello everyone, i have my HTPC inside cupboard, thus when stressed it overheats. on top of the cupboard i have some slits, and i wanted to build a cooling unit to circulate the air inside. i thought of using there fans...
  47. K

    Grounding problem? Wave attenuates when I plug in USB.

    Hi all. I have a nice little PIC-based system built onto a breadboard. It has ADC and USB capabilities. I wish to connect a function generator to one of the ADC input pins of the PIC to feed it a sine wave. The board is powered by the USB. However, whenever the three grounds are united...
  48. J

    Create a Series of USB Buttons for Easy Computer Access: A DIY Guide

    I need to make a series of buttons which plug into a USB port. Something like this http://www.instructables.com/id/USB-Easy-Button/ , only with a series of buttons. Each button is to serve the same purpose, so the computer doesn't need to know which button in the series is being pressed. In...
  49. S

    Create GUI using Visual Basic/any software and program into PIC18F2550 through USB

    I am sorry because i recreate this post because the old thread is missing =( I need to create a GUI using Visual basic to get input from user.A simple button click will be enough for the GUI.After i get the input, i need to load the input into PIC18F2550 through USB. This will then control my...
  50. H

    How to connect PS/2 female to USB female?

    This is more of a hobbyist than engineering question, but basically I need to connect a female PS/2 (mini DIN 6-pin) to a female USB (ie plug in a computer). I haven't succeeded in finding a connector that does this, so i thought of doing a PS/2 to USB and then USB male to USB male (as this...
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