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USB Connectivity: Fast, Standardized, User-FriendlyUSB: Fast, Standardized, User-Friendly

What is USB?
The Universal Serial Bus (USB) is today’s standard for communication between personal computers and peripherals (such as digital cameras, keyboards, printers, MP3 players, etc.). USB is a connectivity standard that enables external devices to be connected to a computer without reconfiguring the system or opening the computer box to install specialty interface cards. The computer automatically recognizes the device and installs the appropriate drivers without user intervention. USB enables plug-and-play and hot-swapping (removing and adding a device while a computer is on), letting users to quickly and easily connect devices to their PCs. USB replaces the need for multiple external ports, (such as serial ports, parallel ports), allowing up to 127 peripheral devices to be connected sequentially into a single external USB port, giving users the ultimate in scalability.

USB LogoA Short History
Though having gained mass adoption coinciding with the popularity of the World Wide Web, USB was officially introduced in 1995 by a consortium of seven computer and telecommunications industry leaders, including: Compaq, Microsoft, NEC, Digital Equipment, IBM, Intel, and Northern Telecom. The consortium established the USB Implementer's Forum (USB-IF) to help speed the development of high-quality compatible devices using USB. The USB-IF published the original USB Specification in 1996, and continued development in the field, releasing version 1.1 in September 1998.

Does USB Have Time Delays?
At 12 megabytes per second, USB transmits data nearly instantaneously. Technically, each byte of data takes 0.00000008 seconds to move from the USB device to PC, so there is actually no humanly perceivable delay in transfer — making USB the perfect technology for most real time voice or data applications.

What Are the Limits to USB?
Due to its reliability, widespread adoption by manufacturers and ease of use, USB technology is the interface of choice for scores of devices. The only practical limit to USB is that it cannot handle the bandwidth required for uncompressed live video. Otherwise, USB technology continues to be the most popular format for connecting computer peripherals of all types.

For more information about USB, please visit:

www.usb.org
USB Implementers Forum, a non-profit corporation founded by the developers of USB.