220-1101 Question 224
Single answerMiniUSBA technician needs to copy photos from an older digital camera to a laptop. The camera powers on normally, and the laptop has standard USB Type-A ports only. The camera's port is smaller than USB Type-A and matches a MiniUSB connector. Which cable should the technician use to connect the camera directly to the laptop?
- A
USB Type-A to MiniUSB cable
- B
USB Type-A to MicroUSB cable
- C
USB Type-A to USB-C cable
- D
MiniUSB to MicroUSB adapter cable
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: A
Explanation
MiniUSB was commonly used on older portable devices, including digital cameras and GPS receivers, before MicroUSB became more prevalent. In an A+ Core 1 context, a technician should identify connector types accurately and select the correct cable for the device and host ports available. Here, the laptop has USB Type-A ports and the camera has a MiniUSB port, so the correct choice is a USB Type-A to MiniUSB cable. This follows standard USB connector matching practices and avoids unnecessary adapters. CompTIA A+ Core 1 objectives commonly expect familiarity with USB connector types such as USB Type-A, MiniUSB, MicroUSB, and USB-C, including their practical use in real-world peripheral connections.
- A. Correct.
Correct. A USB Type-A to MiniUSB cable is the appropriate cable for connecting an older device such as a digital camera with a MiniUSB port to a laptop that has standard USB Type-A ports. This is a common legacy connection used for data transfer and sometimes charging on older cameras, GPS units, and similar peripherals.
- B. Incorrect.
Incorrect. MicroUSB is a different connector standard from MiniUSB. Although both are smaller than USB Type-A and were used on portable devices, they are not interchangeable. A technician might choose this option because MicroUSB became very common on smartphones and other mobile devices, but it will not fit a MiniUSB port.
- C. Incorrect.
Incorrect. USB-C is a newer connector standard and does not match a MiniUSB port. This distractor is plausible because many modern laptops and devices use USB-C, but the scenario specifies that the laptop has USB Type-A ports and the camera uses MiniUSB.
- D. Incorrect.
Incorrect. MiniUSB and MicroUSB are different physical connector types, so this does not provide the direct, correct connection described in the scenario. A technician might think an adapter solves the issue, but the proper and simplest solution is to use the correct native cable type rather than trying to convert between two different small USB connector formats unnecessarily.