The world of USB connectors

Over the years, and particularly since I got my first computer in 1983, I’ve dealt the very best I could with the different types of connectors that came my way, changed in rapid succession and I did the best I could to understand them and adapt. 

Then came the USB connectors that stand for “Universal Serial Bus”. It’s not a brand name, but an industry standard developed in 1996 for connecting and transferring data and power between devices. The reason why I’m talking about this is the fact I just ran into an unknown USB connector, and we’ll discuss it at the end of this blog. 

At first I got exposed to the Type B 2.0 used to connect my video cameras and back up devices, then when we got our Apple iPads, we used the 8 Pin Lightning, and as I always was an Android smartphone user I was using the Micro B connector and then my GoPro as well as a host of electronic device used a Min B. Navigating that world was complicated, prone to errors and necessitated to carry a menagerie of different connectors when going on a trip. 

It’s only in 2014 when the Type C connector was introduced that things started to become more orderly. At the same time the transferring power of these connectors kept on growing before exploding exponentially these past years. 

So, what inspired my reflection on this topic was when I was rummaging through a box of connectors I had and finding one that looked like a “Type C” but wouldn’t get inside the female receptacle. On closer examination it couldn’t as it had two tiny “horns” on top. 

I did further research, submitted this picture to a few AI engine, and I was able to gather that it was part of the Mini-USB Type B family, even though it looked like a USB-C from afar, wasn’t reversible and was probably harking back to the mid-2000s and use for some digital camera, MP3 player, external hard drives, or some GPS unit. 

Bottom line, I shouldn’t never force it into a C plug, put it securely aside or throw it away! Now you know all you need about USB!