USB Cables and USB Versions

For USB a cable is just a cable. USB 1.0 cables are the same as USB 2.0 cables (with the exception for the Mini and micro formats), that's the whole point of having a world standardised "Universal Serial Bus".

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universal_Serial_Bus

There are two kinds of USB cable: Fully-rated and sub-channel.

The Main difference between them is that fully-rated can be used for typical peripherals operating at the rated 480 Mbps signaling, (USB 1 and 2) while sub-channel 1.5 Mbps signaling (USB 1).

USB 2 has a foil shield and a braided shield and a drain wire to ground the shields.

USB 1 Sub channel cables don't.

Maximum cable length shall not exceed 3M for sub channel or 5M for the fully rated channel.

A 3rd kind, USB 3, is coming.

Jon

Hello Mooseman,

The cables and connectors on USB 1.1 and USB 2 are the same. It is the electronic architecture which is different. However, Where all cables will work with USB 2, only about 30% of these will work with USB 1.1. They are not certified to work with the older ref' USB. So if you want to use an older USB 1.1, make sure it is certified for use with the USB 1.1. I have pasted some sites below which should help:

What Is The Difference Between USB Cable Types?

- Blurtit USB Question: What Is The Difference Between USB Cable Types? USB stands for Universal Serial Bus and is used to connect peripherals using a single ... www.blurtit.com/q383041.html - Cached - Similar

Compatibility between USB 2.0 & USB - CNET Computer help Forums 15 posts - 12 authors - Last post: 18 Nov 2006 To my knowledge, there is no difference between a USB 1 CABLE and a USB 2.0 cable except marketing hype. I have used both with no difference ... forums.cnet.com/5208-6122_102-0.html?threadID=218426 - Cached - Similar

USB, universal serial bus, USB cable, connecting serial devices ... There are two types of cables. The standard USB cable which is used for 12 Mbps ... The difference between the devices has to do with the amount of power a ... www.connectworld.net/usb.html - Similar

What Is the Difference Between USB & Ethernet? | Expert Village Videos Summary: The difference between USB and Ethernet cables involves the information that is transferred through them, as Ethernet cables are used to connect ... www.expertvillage.com/.../164313_what-difference-between-usb-ethernet. htm - Cached - Similar

myLot - What's the difference between a regular usb cable & a ... Firewire cables are normally used to connect digital cameras and the like whereas standard usb cables are used to connect virtually anything else. ... www.mylot.com/w/discussions/1200667.aspx - Cached - Similar

What Is the Difference Between a Universal Serial Bus (USB) Cable ... This document describes the differences between universal serial bus (USB) and parallel cables. A USB connection is generally better than a parallel port ... whp-java.extweb.hp.com/ewfrf/.../document?... - Similar

Universal Serial Bus - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia The Universal Serial Bus Micro-USB Cables and Connectors Specification details the ..... The most significant technical differences between FireWire and USB ... en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universal_Serial_Bus - Cached - Similar

Hi Baby,

You said:

"Where all cables will work with USB 2, only about 30% of these will work with USB 1.1. They are not certified to work with the older ref' USB. So if you want to use an older USB 1.1, make sure it is certified for use with the USB 1.1."

Where all cables will work with USB 1, not all will work with USB 2. If you want to use an older USB 1 cable with USB 2 it should be the shielded type that can handle high speed data transfers of USB 2. A shielded USB 1 cable is made the same way as a USB 2 cable of the same length.

A USB 1 unshielded cable can be used for low speed applications of USB 2. Noise immunity and propagation issues are the only concerns with unshieled USB 1 cables.

Jon

Hello kududweller9,

I cannot recall where I read the detail about the cables, but I read the detail in two sites. Sorry if that was wrong. It sounds like you really know your stuff!

It made sense to me that the newer cables would work with both the USB 2 and 1.1. It seems reasonable to me that the old cable reference would not work on the newer cable, but I can only write what I find if I do not actually have experience with these cables dow to the minutiae like you my friend.

No insult intended OK?

Hi Baby,

Thanks for the kind comment.

My earlier profession was Radio Communication and then Industrial and then Aerospace data and computer related systems.

I also looked at the Google stuff and usually find Wikipedia and info blog errors.

The professional training, experience, and common sense come through so I can do better at finding a better answer.

One company listed things that they claimed made their data cables better. They were still using copper instead of silver plated conductors for high speed data. No skin effect advantage there. They put a braided fabric sleeve on the outside - no electrical advantage. They have a comfortable looking connector housing and latch - again no electrical advantage.

Gold contacts are poorer conductors than copper but don't tarnish. Most use a thin layer of gold on contacts to prevent tarnish and the gold is softer and has a slight contact resistance improvement over a harder, more tarnishable metal.

We can't depend on assumptions like Cable USB 1 equals Cable USB 2 when there is a high chance that it doesn't, as in the case of the unshielded and shielded USB cables.

I can pass a USB cable through an electrical noise generating chamber and run data back and forth through them to find out if they can handle the high speed data transfer uncorrupted and mark it accordingly.

I can also check for continuity between the metal connector housings to see if there is a shield connecting them together. Many USB 1 cables didn't have shields.

I bought some audio cables in Russia that were the same as one's I had at home. They were far less durable and poorly assembled (fell apart). Looked the same on the outside but they were far from equal.

Jon

USB 2 is a software upgrade, nothing to do with the cable, it is all in the device. Cables come in at various prices because either a company thinks it can get away with it or in some cases it uses better grade copper and/ or contacts - or the cables supplied are of different lengths.

regards

Does this look like software?

The question says: "Is there a test to determine if a USB cable was built for 2.0 or a previous version?"

USB 2 has a foil shield and a braided shield and a drain wire to ground the shields. Increased data speeds and noise immunity are key features of a USB 2 Cable.

The USB 2.0 standard, says a "standard detachable cable" is high/full speed. And will have a shield. It can be as long as 5 meters.

USB 1 cables often don't have shielding and can cause problems due to noise and poor propagation at high data transfer speeds. It can be as long as 3 meters.

The question had to do with using a cable designed for USB 1 on a USB 2 system.

"Is there a test to determine if a USB cable was built for 2.0 or a previous version? Some other way besides plugging it in and see if it works, like inter-pin capacity, Frequency attenuation etc. -- or -- is it just a reason to charge $4.00 more for the same cable?"

WOW! I now have more info on USB Cables than I ever wanted to know. Shielded-Unshielded, High Speed, 3 ft 15 ft. all is good info. An answer to every question about USB except, Again, -- Is there a way to determine if a cable that I am holding in my hand is for V1.1 or V2.0? -- Without cutting into the cable to see if it has a shield. It seems as they do not identify them.

Oh Yeah!

I was just explaining to Baby Bear that you can do an end to end Ohmcheck of the connector housings.

Shielded ones have continuity and work with both USB 1 and 2.

Unshielded will work where high speed is not required so you don't need to chuck them.

Jon

Almost off topic however, but I had to put this somewhere. Be careful about claims on cables - follow this link to denon, http://www.usa.denon.com/productdetails/3429.asp# $500 USD is an AWFUL lot to pay for 1.5m of ethernet cable to transmit digital signals. I couldn't believe that this was real - but it is. Look for it on Amazon - there are some brilliant reviews