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USB Complete: The Developer's Guide (Complete Guides series)

Axelson, Jan, Axelson, Jan ● 2015

Now in its Fifth Edition, USB Complete bridges the gap between the technical specifications and the real world of designing and programming devices that connect over the Universal Serial Bus (USB). Learn how to select a USB speed, device class, and hardware for a design; communicate with devices using Visual C#; use standard host drivers to access devices, including devices that perform vendor-defined tasks; save power with USB's built-in power-conserving protocols; and create robust designs using testing and debugging tools. This fully revised edition also covers SuperSpeed and SuperSpeedPlus (USB 3.1), wireless options, and USB OTG and embedded hosts.

Table of Contents
Introduction
1. USB Basics
2. Inside USB Transfers
3. A Transfer Type for Every Purpose
4. Enumeration: How the Host Learns about Devices
5. Control Transfers: Structured Requests for Critical Data
6. Chip Choices
7. Device Classes
8. How the Host Communicates
9. Matching a Driver to a Device
10. Detecting Devices
11. Human Interface Devices: Capabilities
12. Human Interface Devices: Reports
13. Human Interface Devices: Host Application
14. Using WinUSB for Vendor-Defined Functions
15. Using WinUSB's System INF File
16. Using Hubs to Extend and Expand the Bus
17. Managing Power
18. Testing and Debugging
19. Packets on the Bus
20. Electrical and Mechanical Interface
21. Hosts for Embedded Systems

Why Read This Book

You should read this book if you need a practical bridge between the USB specifications and working embedded designs: it walks you through selecting speeds, device classes, hardware, and writing firmware and host-side code. You will get concrete examples, test/debug workflows, and up-to-date coverage of SuperSpeed (USB 3.x) and OTG/embedded-host scenarios relevant to microcontroller projects.

Who Will Benefit

Embedded firmware engineers and hardware designers who must add USB connectivity (device or host/OTG) to products, or engineers debugging USB problems across Windows/Linux and microcontroller targets.

Level: Intermediate — Prerequisites: Familiarity with C programming and basic embedded systems concepts (microcontroller I/O, interrupts); helpful to know basic digital electronics and the USB concept of endpoints and transfers.

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Key Takeaways

  • Design USB descriptors and understand enumeration so your device is recognized correctly by hosts
  • Choose appropriate USB speeds and device classes and implement class- or vendor-defined behaviors
  • Implement device-side firmware for common microcontrollers and manage endpoints, transfers, and control requests
  • Use host APIs (WinUSB/libusb/Visual C# examples) to communicate with devices and troubleshoot driver issues
  • Apply debugging and testing techniques with USB protocol analyzers, test suites, and power/robustness checks
  • Support advanced features such as USB OTG/embedded-host, power management, SuperSpeed (USB 3.x), and vendor-specific extensions

Topics Covered

  1. Introduction and USB overview
  2. USB Basics: topology, roles, and signaling
  3. Inside USB transfers: packets, frames, and transfers
  4. Transfer types and endpoint behavior
  5. Enumeration and descriptors
  6. Device classes and choosing the right class for your product
  7. Hardware: controllers, transceivers, connectors, and PHYs
  8. Firmware: implementing endpoints, control requests, and state machines
  9. Host-side programming and drivers (Windows, libusb, Visual C# examples)
  10. USB OTG, embedded hosts, and host/device role management
  11. Power management, bus-powered vs self-powered devices
  12. Testing, debugging, and using USB analyzers
  13. SuperSpeed and SuperSpeedPlus (USB 3.x) and wireless/alternate transports
  14. Appendices: example code, tools, and reference material

Languages, Platforms & Tools

CC#Generic microcontrollers (ARM Cortex-M, AVR, PIC)Windows (host)Linux (host)Microsoft Visual Studio / Visual C#libusbWinUSBUSB protocol analyzers (Total Phase, Beagle, Ellisys etc.)Microcontroller vendor USB stacks (example guidance)

How It Compares

More practical and hands-on than academic treatments like 'USB System Architecture', and broader in device-side and cross-platform guidance than the kernel-focused 'Linux Device Drivers' USB chapters.

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