IDS Software Suite 4.96.1

The Universal Serial Bus (USB) is an interface which enables you to easily connect various devices to a PC. As all data exchange is controlled by the PC, no additional interface controller is needed. Further advantages of USB are:

•The PC does not have to be shut down when connecting USB devices (hot plugging).

•USB devices can be supplied with power from the PC.

•High bandwidth for data transmission.

The USB standard was developed by a group of companies including Compaq, IBM, Intel, and Microsoft. Version 1.0 was presented in 1995. The slightly faster USB 1.1 standard followed in 1998.

At first, the USB interface was designed to connect peripheral devices such as printers, mice, or keyboards. With the introduction of USB 2.0 in 2000, the transfer rate increased to 480 Mbit/s, making USB 2.0 suitable for connecting devices with higher data volumes (such as mass storage devices, scanners, or cameras).

In 2008, with USB 3.0 a new version of the interface has been published, which is significantly faster than USB 2.0 (400 MByte/s).