The USB or universal serial bus drive might seem so compact and small, but it can store a massive amount of data. This wonder drive essentially consists of three crucial components:
- The Board: this board contains all the basic components of the USB drive along with the USB connector. The inherent flash drive utilizes this board to transfer both data and power between the USB and the device it is connected to, such as a laptop.
- Memory Chip: this is the chip that stores the flash memory. This is fitted into the principal circuit board of the USB pen drive in order to store all the necessary files safely. It is provided with a transparent outer case to protect it so that it is clearly visible on the circuit board. This chip holds various amounts of memory which depends on the type of the pen drive. These memory chips are continually updated to store more and more information.
- Controller chip: This is the nerve center of the USB drive. This chip effectively retrieves data from the flash drive. It also reads and records data on the memory chip.
- Crystal Oscillator and LEDs
A USB drive is equipped with LEDs or light-emitting diodes which are components that light up to show the working of the drive to the user. When the green LED lights up it means the drive is in the “ready” mode. This signifies that the USB flash drive remains connected and is all set to save data. There are USB drives that come with a red LED to point out that there is some connectivity issue. As to the crystal oscillator, it is that part of the circuit board which sends out frequency signals. Such oscillators are a part of quartz watches as also similar devices used to keep time. In fact, oscillators effectively regulates the USB drive output.