Which USB is Right for Your Application? (Part 2)

The Universal Serial Bus (USB) peripheral interface is ubiquitous across all personal computing platforms, as well as many industrial and infrastructure platforms. At the same time, however, the correct version for a given application, i.e., USB 1.0, USB 1.1, USB 2.0, USB On-the-Go (OTG), or WirelessUSB (WUSB), can lead to confusion.

The release of USB 1.1, combined with the native operating system support offered by Microsoft, enabled the rapid adoption of USB hosts in the PC. Additionally, it drove the conversion of many peripheral devices from legacy interfaces such as serial (RS-232), PS-2 (mice and keyboards), and parallel ports (Centronix and IEEE-1284 for printers) to this common interface standard.

The release of USB 2.0 enabled high-speed connections. An even greater explosion in the number of available USB peripherals greatly enhanced the end-user experience. Part 1 summarized the evolution of the USB standard. Part 2 addresses common applications and determine which flavor of USB is best for a given application.

Click here to read more ...