A. M. The small USB socket found on digital cameras, external hard drives, USB hubs and other equipment. Mini USB is much smaller than USB Type A and B but twice as thick as Micro USB (see illustration below). Mini USB and all other USB connectors are expected to be superseded by USB Type C.
What is a mini USB cable used for?
The USB-Mini was used for connecting mobile devices including MP3 players and cameras, and is a much smaller connection, thus allowing smaller devices to connect. Micro-USB used to be the most common USB port and is still found on many older models.
What does a USB mini cable look like?
A mini USB connector is a much smaller, five-pin version of a standard USB connector, with two crimped sides that give it a trapezoid shape. (Reach back to your memory of geometry class for that one!) These connectors are also known today as mini-B connectors.
What is a standard mini USB cable?
The USB 3.0 Micro-B plug effectively consists of a standard USB 2.0 Micro-B cable plug, with an additional 5 pins plug “stacked” to the side of it. In this way, cables with smaller 5 pin USB 2.0 Micro-B plugs can be plugged into devices with 10 contact USB 3.0 Micro-B receptacles and achieve backward compatibility.
What devices take mini USB?
At its outset, the mini USB was used for a variety of devices including mp3 players, digital cameras, and mobile phones (including Blackberry, Motorola, and HTC devices). Although it wasn’t quite as powerful as the original Type A connector, the mini USB was lauded for its conveniently small size at around 3 x 7 mm.
What is the difference between mini USB and micro USB?
Outwardly, the most noticeable difference between a micro USB and a mini USB cable is the overall size. The micro USB is smaller between the two. A mini USB is relatively smaller than a typical USB, however, it is still somewhat larger than the micro USB.
Does mini USB provide power?
Yes it does, in terms of polarity and voltage, but not current. Some chargers short pin 5 (iirc) in order to tell the device that “hey we’re breaking the USB standard here and you can draw more current.”
Is mini USB the same as USB-C?
USB-C is the faster connector, incorporating USB 3.0 and USB 3.1 technologies to transfer data between 5 Gbps (gigabits-per-second) and 10 Gbps. On the other hand, Micro USB connectors only transfer data at up to 480 Mbps (megabits per second), or up to 5 Gbps if the cable supports USB 3.0.
Are there different types of mini USB cables?
Here’s what you need to know about the physical compatibility of micro USBs: Micro-A plug: Micro-AB USB 2.0 and 3.0 receptacles. Micro-B plug: Micro-B USB 2.0 and 3.0 receptacles & Micro-AB USB 2.0 and 3.0 receptacles.
Are all mini USB cables the same?
They are interchangeable, but you will notice that they are not all same regarding build quality. I have a bunch of mini-USB cables, but only few of them can power a USB hard-drive without a secondary jack. For devices not hungry for power, usually it does not matter.
How can I tell what type of USB cable I have?
If the cable has a Type-A connector at one end (as in the above image), that will usually be the first type. The second will be the shape of connector that will plug into your device. Some cables have the same connector at both ends and are named accordingly—for example, a USB Type-C to USB Type-C cable.
Are micro USB and USB-C interchangeable?
Originally Answered: Will a Micro-USB charger work with a USB Type C port? Yes it will. You just need to replace the cable or buy a cheap adapter from eBay. USB-C is just a connector, just like microUSB is just a connector.
Which is faster USB A or C?
A USB-C connection can charge devices up to 20 times faster than basic USB. USB-C ports support USB Power Delivery, a fast-charging standard that can deliver 100 watts of power to compatible devices.
Are all USB cables the same?
No, not all USB-C cables are equal. USB-C stands for the shape and type of connector, which is the same for all USB-C cables but not all cables support the same kind of protocols and transfer speeds. To use a Thunderbolt 3 product from Akitio, a Thunderbolt 3 cable is required.
Is micro smaller than Mini?
Micro is smaller usually. However these terms are used a lot these days and in various contexts. So it is important to understand the context also. If you refer USB or HDMI cables or connectors then yes micro is smaller than mini.
Can Mini USB charge?
99.9% of the time, if the charger has a Mini-USB connector then it will have 5 Volts to power/charge any USB device. It’s always good to confirm just in case some idiot company decides to use the same Mini-USB connector for some other application which uses a higher voltage… It’s possible but not likely.
What are the 5 pins in USB?
USB cables come with one of five different basic types of USB connector: A, B, mini B, micro B, and C. The micro connector comes standard on most non-Apple mobile phones and many other portables, though USB-C connectors are slowly replacing them in the newest generation of devices.
What uses a mini USB B?
Similar to USB B type connector, USB mini B sockets are used on USB peripheral devices, but in a smaller form factor. The mini B plug by default has 5 pins, including an extra ID pin to support USB On-The-Go (OTG), which allows mobile devices and other peripherals to act as a USB host.
What does a USB-C cable look like?
WHAT DOES A USB-C OR Type-C CABLE LOOK LIKE? The USB-C cable head is smaller than before, and looks a bit like a Micro-USB connector. Eventually this is the USB connector you’ll use with your devices instead of using your existing USB-A, Micro-B, USB-Mini, or Lightning cable.
How do I know if I have a USB-C port?
Next to the ports on a Windows laptop, you’ll find symbols/logo that show you what you can do with a particular port. Is there a symbol of a lightning bolt (Thunderbolt 3) next to the USB-C port? Then you can use this port to charge and to transfer a video signal. That means you can connect a monitor.
What are the three types of USB ports?
Types of USB Ports and Connectors
You will typically find at least one of these three types: Type A (Standard), Type B (Mini-B), or Micro-A. Newer devices favor a smaller version called USB‐C which can carry power up to 100W, data transfer rates upwards of 40 Gbps, and 4K resolution video.
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