Are all usb cables the same?

Question

I'm a little confused just purchased a printer and it has a usb cable that came with the printer - BUT when i ordered the printer it said i could get a usb cable 2.0 for half price - im confused why would i want two cables when the one in the box will doo the job?
Is there a different one?

Answer 1

It might have a USB 1 in the box ,I think a 2 is faster but why spend money if the one you have does the job

Answer 2

There are various versions of USB wires...for a printer usually, anything will do. For intensive data transfer, it's different. Some manufacturers use good quality wires (written on the actual wire like electrical wire (gauge)), other prefer short wires...the shorter the wire, the best transfers rate to expect. Also, since USB2.0, there are new standards...USB3.0 is also different since it'S up to 10 times faster than 2.0. Read "up to 10 times faster"....they write that because the cable can make a big difference!



For a printer, almost any USB cable will do. The worse that can happen is that you will have to wait a second or two for the printer to actually start...but I've never seen USB cables that cheap yet!



Good luck!

Answer 3

hi patty

no... there are several types of usb cable... and the one you need for your printer is a "a to b" usb cable.... however dont get ripped off by pc stores by getting charged £10 to £15 for one of these

i recently purchased a pack of 3 usb a to b cables for just £2 ..... and i found these in a local "poundland" store..... ok you may not have one of these in you local area however most towns have "pound" shops that sell everything for a quid... and i can bet you will find one of these for a £1 in one of these shops

to help you locate this cable print out this image of a usb(a to b) cable ( http://www.computashack.com/catalog/images/usb_printer.jpg ) ..... as you can see one end is a normal usb connection and the other end is a square shaped connection....

if the cable in the printer box is the same as in the above image then your good to go..... however if not then you should buy a usb a to b cable but pay no more than £5 ......

i hope this has helped patty however any questions let me know

good luck !

Answer 4

If it's just to hook a printer up to a computer then the quality of the USB cable won't matter. It's not like having your print command sent to the printer 1/10 a second faster will speed up your print speed to any degree that it will matter to you.



If the printer comes with its own USB cable then just use that.

Answer 5

USB is a world wide adopted standard - all cables should be capable of carrying data at the required speed of the attached device.



In your case, you have a cable which comes with the printer - that should perform adequately and suit your needs. The other cable would just add an extra cost to your purchase. (good for the seller - bad for you)



Printers do not typically use simple end-connectors. See the following diagram for graphical information about the types of end-connector found on USB cables:



http://www.usb-facts.com/images/plug_type1.jpg

from L-R:

(1) Micro USB connector [mini-A] - might be found on a Digital Camera

(2) Mini USB connector [mini-B] - Might be found on a Digital Camera;

(3) USB Printer connector [type-B]

(4) Female flylead connector - used for extending the length of your USB cable

(5) Standard USB connector [type-A] - traditionally used for standard USB devices - found on USB Memory sticks



You could get very technical with this:

http://www.beyondlogic.org/usbnutshell/usb1.shtml



USB Maximum Data Transmission Speeds

= USB 1.1

- USB 1.1 Low Speed – 1.5 MB / Sec (187.5 KB/Sec)

- USB 1.1 High Speed – 12 MB / Sec (1.5 MB / Sec)

= USB 2.0 – 480 MB / Sec (60 MB /Sec)

= USB 3.0 – 4.8 Gigabit / Sec (600 MB/Sec)



Printers are fairly slow devices - so I don't think they'd operate above USB 1.1 (high speed) = 12 MB/Sec

Answer 6

some printers dont come with the cable.

you shouldnt buy one as you dont need it.

when i went to pc world to buy a printer recently they told me i needed this wire, so i brought it, and it was identical to the one in the printer box, waste of money!!!



always check ebay for great deals on usb's and wires!