Well yeah recently I got a bit confused on what the different types of USB’s were after coming across something called, “Lightning Connector”.
And I sat down thinking well why? and a little look on Wikipedia gave it out.
Lightning is a proprietary computer bus and power connector created and designed by Apple Inc. Introduced on September 12, 2012, to replace its predecessor, the 30-pin dock connector, the Lightning connector is used to connect Apple mobile devices like iPhones, iPads, and iPods to host computers, external monitors, cameras, USB battery chargers, and other peripherals.Wikipedia
Well I remember those 30 pin connectors and they were not my friends.
So there are 5 USB types and let’s look at them in images.
There’s a USB-A that I think most people have had an encounter with.
Then there’s the USB-B …this one looks really notorious but is found on the connectors for some printers and …
A Mini-USB. I have memories with this one…😏️ it was later replaced by the Micro-USB
Micro-USB, the popular trend among manufacturers of our devices and our best friend.
But there’s a problem, all these male, yeah male connectors, can only be inserted into the female port on a single plane, that is ‘you can’t turn it the other way round’ which is a bit inconvenient. You can’t insert it without looking or thinking so much about which side the port is facing.😣️
Phew! Then our life saver was invented…🤯️Ze USB-C
This USB connector, unlike the other types is ‘symmetrical’ so can be plugged in either direction into the port and doesn’t require all your physics calculations. *blinking my eyes*
But where’s the lightning. Well from what Wikipedia said, its an Apple designed ‘proprietary’ product and it looks like this; Nice ain’t it? That’s Apple.
One mistake I see people make with the USB-C and lightning connectors is that, they use them interchangeably 🤨️, Please don’t do it.
USB-C and Lightning are not interchangeable as they are entirely different pin-outs, protocols and connectors
So to finalize this, when you see a USB cable and you’d like to mention the name, you mention the connectors on both ends, separated by ‘to’.
So this one will be called a USB-A to Lightning cable. already smart aren’t you.
Don’t forget to clap for me…👏️😏️💜️See you in the next one of these…
