Add USB To Your Electronics Projects! - The USB Protocol Explained

USB is both the simplest and most complex interface to use. It is simple to plug in and let the computer handle. It is complex to create and run a microcontroller with it.

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[unknownerorr]

I have no idea how I ended up here. I'm light years away from this level of engineering. But this video was explained so well. This seems really helpful! Thank you for making this!

[PhilXavierSierraJones]

If you *just* need serial connection to be turned into USB connection, CH340 (with some series of chips requiring even less external components than the rest, like CH340C) is a really, really cheap option.

[alexstone]

I thought finally a VUSB tutorial that a mortal can understand, most distributers dont ship to Serbia and locals are ripoff and dont have most modern ics

[thompsonschwabbel]

i've harvested a bunch of analog turning knobs, sliders, latching and tactile switches from a ancient fried 8-channel sony mixpult. I'm gonna use them to upgrade my flightsim setup; this video is worth its time in gold since i had no idea how to cross the analog-digital bridge. thank you a thousand times.

[SheeplessNW]

Oh wow! I had no idea those solderless SMD adaptors existed! The whole video was good, but that bit of information was life changing!

[Mike]

Great introduction to USB programming. It would be nice to see a video explaining how HID interfaces work and how they correlate with the low-level USB transfers described in this video.

[soroush]

God knows how many times I tried to find a useful resource to get familiar with usb protocol. God bless u and ur family sir. I will follow u forever ♥️

[jercos]

Excellent overview, though for nearly $4 in the current market, I'd favor an RP2040/pi pico over an atmega. PIOs can handle matrix scanning, sensor interfacing, and even a second USB, while the SIO peripheral offers the low-latency pin access often missing from 32-bit mcus.

[StephenBrown]

This was a really nice and concise intro - a lot of other videos on the topic are 45 minutes long and so boring I couldn't make it through!

[RegisMichelLeclerc]

Ben Eater has made a video on the USB protocol explaining it from the oscilloscope point of view, with an implementation on 6502.

[Listeningtomuzak]

I studied molecular biology. It’s amazing how DNA encodes its information so efficiently - i.e. at the most basic level our genes are coded following the same structure as the USB packet. There’s a binding site that allows for a protein complex to latch on upstream of the gene. Then that complex slides along the DNA, sniffing for the START sequence. Downstream of that is the body of the data, followed by a STOP sequence. At a higher level, there’s plenty of extra modifying data in and around the gene, as well as different interpretations of the data where chunks can be edited out. The bulk of this coding scheme evolved in very, very early life and every cell on earth depends on this established protocol. There’s so much more going on at the higher control level of gene translation that we still don’t understand - we need the brilliant minds of computer science to reveal to us how exactly the cell operates translation and gene expression.

[lalchandra]

Oh really this is 15 min long video. I think it's level is many hours of study in college. I shocked that this video's every frame is informative.

Thanks for saving alot my time.

[stevekoehn]

You explain these concepts so efficiently and clearly. My brain is getting older and this is what I need! Thanks

[dalesmith]

The absolute easiest USB chip to use is the Microchip PIC18F4550, DIP40! Plenty of examples, great datasheet, and applications notes. Been using these for years! No surface mount nonsense, either! An excellent book is Jan Axleson USB Complete, for those that want to learn and experiment.

[SodAlmighty]

That was the most detailed and useful USB tutorial I've ever seen.

[michalsebek]

Fun fact, on Arduino Uno, the chip handling the USB-serial conversion is actually the ATmega 16U2 microcontroller. Furthermore, you can easily reprogram it to another purpose. Although its IO is very limited, it is connected to the main ATmega328P microcontroller through two pins (the ones that normally serve as the serial line), so you can use a serial protocol to exchange data between the two microcontrollers on-board.

[andrewsydney]

Cool video, dude! I was expecting the USB FTDI UART merry-go-round ride, but instead we went on the USB roller coaster, underwater in the dark! Thanks

[snipsnap]

This is exactly the type of video I was looking for a few months ago! This is the perfect start for those who want to hack around with USB

[GregMatoga]

Sooo excited to test that out! Although, I have this lurking feeling of dread of programming a custom driver

[jmhannnon]

The FTDI USB to serial adapter you showed at the beginning can also be used as a USB to GPIO adapter. Works great when you just need to control a few logic lines.