Lecture Notes: Connecting Peripherals via USB and Thunderbolt

Introduction to Peripheral Connections

• Most common method: USB (Universal Serial Bus)
• Used for connecting:
  • Mouse
  • Keyboard
  • Printer
  • Other peripherals

USB History and Standards

USB 1.1

• Two speeds:
  • Low Speed: 1.5 Mbps, 3m cable
  • Full Speed: 12 Mbps, 5m cable

USB 2.0

• Increased speed: 480 Mbps
• Max cable length: 5 meters

USB 3.0

• Also known as SuperSpeed USB
• Speed: 5 Gbps
• Common cable length: 3 meters
• Backward compatibility with USB 2.0

USB Connectors

• USB 1.1 & 2.0:
  • Standard-A plug
  • Standard-B plug
  • Mini-B and Micro-B plug (common in mobile devices)
• USB 3.0:
  • New Standard-B and Micro-B plugs

USB-C Connector

• Reversible plug (works in any orientation)
• Supports multiple signals (data, video, etc.)
• Small, symmetric design

Naming Changes with USB Standards

• USB 3.0: Now called USB 3.1 Gen1
  • Speed: 5 Gbps
• USB 3.1 Gen2: Also known as SuperSpeed+
  • Speed: 10 Gbps
• USB 3.2:
  • USB 3.2 Gen 1: 5 Gbps (formerly USB 3.0/3.1 Gen1)
  • USB 3.2 Gen 2: 10 Gbps (formerly USB 3.1 Gen2)
  • USB 3.2 Gen 2x2: 20 Gbps (doubles the lanes)

Thunderbolt Connections

• High-speed serial connection
• Combines data and power

Thunderbolt Versions

• Thunderbolt 1:
  • 2 channels, each 10 Gbps
  • Max throughput: 20 Gbps
• Thunderbolt 2:
  • Aggregated channels, max throughput: 20 Gbps
• Thunderbolt 3:
  • Uses USB-C connector
  • Max throughput: 40 Gbps

Thunderbolt Cable Types

• Copper: Max 3 meters
• Fiber: Max 60 meters
• Daisy-chaining: Supports up to 6 devices

Legacy Serial Connections

• Pre-USB connections using 9-pin and 25-pin serial connectors
• Used for RS-232 signals
• Commonly used for serial consoles in networking devices (switches, routers, firewalls)