What's the point of USB B-type connectors?

[AstroManLuca]

I've never really understood the reason for these to exist. What's wrong with the standard USB cable? The only place I ever see the B-type connectors used is on printers and external drives, and they're always only on one end. You never see a computer with a B-type connector on the motherboard.

Is it solely so Best Buy and Dell can charge you $30-$50 for what they claim is a "special printer cable," or is there some better accepted technical reason?

 

[bsobel]

"USB-B Standard-B connectors?which have a square shape with beveled exterior corners?typically plug into upstream sockets on devices that use a removable cable, e.g. between a hub and a printer. This two-connector scheme prevents a user from accidentally creating a loop"

 

[AstroManLuca]

What does that mean? Like, it prevents you from accidentally plugging a device into itself?

Actually, I was going to say you'd have to be pretty dumb to mess up that badly, but maybe if you have a big stack of USB hard drives and the associated cable clutter, it would help. No chance of accidentally plugging one drive into another.

 

[bsobel]

Honestly, that was my first thought too, but I guess the logic was that 'b' connectors would be the 'end' and 'a' connectors would be sources or hubs. I know other products have kinda broken that rule, and honestly I dont know how valuable it was in the first place (albeit, I could see some people creating loops, give dump people cable and who knows what will happen)

 

[swbsam]

Originally posted by: AstroManLuca
I've never really understood the reason for these to exist. What's wrong with the standard USB cable? The only place I ever see the B-type connectors used is on printers and external drives, and they're always only on one end. You never see a computer with a B-type connector on the motherboard.

Is it solely so Best Buy and Dell can charge you $30-$50 for what they claim is a "special printer cable," or is there some better accepted technical reason?

Huh? Those cables cost like $4

 

[JackMDS]

USB have two configurations.

The Master side that is on the computer. The master side needs the computer's CPU, Memory, etc. to function.

This side is identified by the large Type A plug.

The Client side. Simple interface with very few active components for

This side is identified by the small Type B plug.

As an example when you have a USB printer you cannot use a simple USB Wireless card to make the printer Wireless since the USB Wireless card need to be plugged into a Computer circuitry to be functional (I.e. to plug type A).

If you want a USB printer to be Wireless you have to buy a USB Wireless server, this server is a combo of USB Wireless card and an emulation of the computer side for the Wireless.

Having different plugs is help to avoid plugging a device that is client into another client with the hope that it would work.

 

[AstroManLuca]

Originally posted by: swbsam

Originally posted by: AstroManLuca
I've never really understood the reason for these to exist. What's wrong with the standard USB cable? The only place I ever see the B-type connectors used is on printers and external drives, and they're always only on one end. You never see a computer with a B-type connector on the motherboard.

Is it solely so Best Buy and Dell can charge you $30-$50 for what they claim is a "special printer cable," or is there some better accepted technical reason?

Huh? Those cables cost like $4

I know. But that doesn't matter.

Most computer companies also sell printers as accessories. A lot of them offer printers for "free" (after mail-in rebate) if you buy a computer. But none of them bundle a simple USB A to B cable with them. If you buy the cable from them, they charge as much as they want for it and hope a few ignorant people will bite.

Dell charges $25. HP charges $20-$25, Apple charges $18-$20, and so on.

Best Buy is the worst. Their cheapest USB A to B cable is $26, for a 4-foot-long retractable one. They go up to $50 for a gold-plated 16-foot-long "Geek Squad" brand cable.

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/ol...oduct&id=1099390830752

It's amazing what some people will buy.

 

[krnmastersgt]

Originally posted by: AstroManLuca

Originally posted by: swbsam

Originally posted by: AstroManLuca
I've never really understood the reason for these to exist. What's wrong with the standard USB cable? The only place I ever see the B-type connectors used is on printers and external drives, and they're always only on one end. You never see a computer with a B-type connector on the motherboard.

Is it solely so Best Buy and Dell can charge you $30-$50 for what they claim is a "special printer cable," or is there some better accepted technical reason?

Huh? Those cables cost like $4

I know. But that doesn't matter.

Most computer companies also sell printers as accessories. A lot of them offer printers for "free" (after mail-in rebate) if you buy a computer. But none of them bundle a simple USB A to B cable with them. If you buy the cable from them, they charge as much as they want for it and hope a few ignorant people will bite.

Dell charges $25. HP charges $20-$25, Apple charges $18-$20, and so on.

Best Buy is the worst. Their cheapest USB A to B cable is $26, for a 4-foot-long retractable one. They go up to $50 for a gold-plated 16-foot-long "Geek Squad" brand cable.

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/ol...oduct&id=1099390830752

It's amazing what some people will buy.

Yes it is, but that's how our economy is, marketing targets the ignorant and makes an awful lot of profit by doing so. Same with any retail store when you think about it, you might think what you just purchased for your car, kitchenware, etc. was a good buy or it don't care for cost since you need it, other people see that as ignorant

It's what our consumer economy has evolved into, if you don't honestly care about computer hardware, like a member here at AT might, then you'd go out, buy a 9500 GT because the number is higher than an 8800 GT and maybe pay $150 for it. Just how things are.

 

[swbsam]

Originally posted by: AstroManLuca

Originally posted by: swbsam

Originally posted by: AstroManLuca
I've never really understood the reason for these to exist. What's wrong with the standard USB cable? The only place I ever see the B-type connectors used is on printers and external drives, and they're always only on one end. You never see a computer with a B-type connector on the motherboard.

Is it solely so Best Buy and Dell can charge you $30-$50 for what they claim is a "special printer cable," or is there some better accepted technical reason?

Huh? Those cables cost like $4

I know. But that doesn't matter.

Most computer companies also sell printers as accessories. A lot of them offer printers for "free" (after mail-in rebate) if you buy a computer. But none of them bundle a simple USB A to B cable with them. If you buy the cable from them, they charge as much as they want for it and hope a few ignorant people will bite.

Dell charges $25. HP charges $20-$25, Apple charges $18-$20, and so on.

Best Buy is the worst. Their cheapest USB A to B cable is $26, for a 4-foot-long retractable one. They go up to $50 for a gold-plated 16-foot-long "Geek Squad" brand cable.

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/ol...oduct&id=1099390830752

It's amazing what some people will buy.

But it's not just USB B cables, it's EVERY cable - retail stores make their $$ on accessories, so they jack up the prices. In fact, it's not limited to cables - item specific batteries are insanely over priced. My dad was going to buy a kodak charger and proprietary battery for about $80. I got him a charger + 2 batteries for $15 shipped from ebay. It's just how it goes and is in no way limited to USB B. Heck, hdmi cables are the worst examples - $3 online vs $80 in store, for digital cables! The technology is not to blame, it's the greedy retailers.

 

[Old Hippie]

You've never run into the other styles?

I had a piece with a Mini A connector. :thumbsdown:

Jack hit the nail on the head but it was probably some marketing guy that had the "vision" in the first place. :laugh:

 

[SonicIce]

Well even if both ends of the cable were the same, do you really think they would be cheaper? I don't think it has anything to do with the connectors beng differant.

 

[bruceb]

It is just another way to rip off the consumer. And as mentioned, initially it was to prevent people from connecting a USB Output Port to another USB Output Port which will blow out the card or the motherboard, depending on where the ports are. But as mentioned some devices, no longer follow the conventions. But one end of the cable should always be Type A and the other either a Type B or one of the many Mini USB types that are out there. As to buying a cable, I would never buy it from Best Buy, Staples or Office Depot unless it was a real "need it right now" type of problem.

 

[virtuality]

Hello from 2016! 7 years later, I'm still a little confused:

1# I'm in the market (maybe) for this kit: http://www.amazon.com/Silicon-Power-Upgrade-Internal-SP120GBSS3S60S27/dp/B012CQGP08
Which, for an external SATA drive, comes with a non-standard (but otherwise standard) USB 3.0 male to male cable. So far, good.

2# I might (or might not, see my related question) buy this 6-port USB 3.0 power hub with Ethernet: http://www.amazon.com/Hapurs-Gigabit-Ethernet-Converter-Charging/dp/B015Z3DPHG
which comes with the dreaded B connector.

Question: could the designers of the 6-port USB 3.0 power hub use the standard male-tomale 3.0 cable from example 1#? If not, why not?

All in all, it would not be easy to connect these 2 peripherals in multiple ways (the drive with, and without the hub) without the use of special plug adapters or such. What would be the best practice here? See my related question 10 lines above. Thank you.

 

[VirtualLarry]

USB has the concept of "upstream" versus "downstream" ports. The fact that it has two different connector types (Type-A and Type-B) reflects this.