Determine the Descriptors

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The next best thing to do after you've determined the VID/PID is to identify the descriptor of the device. A descriptor is a sort of 'menu' of what the device can do and how it likes to transfer data. In general, each device has one descriptor. Sometimes a device has more than one descriptor and you can choose which one you want but its not terribly common so we're just going to ignore it.A fantastic way to get the descriptor without having to write any software is to run lsusb -vv on a linux computer.  (Try the "USB Prober" tool from Apple for Mac OS X or USBView on Windows)

Here is the output of lsusb for the NUI Motor

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Device Descriptor:
  bLength                18
  bDescriptorType         1
  bcdUSB               2.00
  bDeviceClass            0 (Defined at Interface level)
  bDeviceSubClass         0
  bDeviceProtocol         0
  bMaxPacketSize0        64
  idVendor           0x045e Microsoft Corp.
  idProduct          0x02b0
  bcdDevice            1.05
  iManufacturer           1 Microsoft
  iProduct                2 Xbox NUI Motor
  iSerial                 0
  bNumConfigurations      1
  Configuration Descriptor:
    bLength                 9
    bDescriptorType         2
    wTotalLength           18
    bNumInterfaces          1
    bConfigurationValue     1
    iConfiguration          0
    bmAttributes         0xc0
      Self Powered
    MaxPower              100mA
    Interface Descriptor:
      bLength                 9
      bDescriptorType         4
      bInterfaceNumber        0
      bAlternateSetting       0
      bNumEndpoints           0
      bInterfaceClass       255 Vendor Specific Class
      bInterfaceSubClass      0
      bInterfaceProtocol      0
      iInterface              0
Device Status:     0x0000
  (Bus Powered)

Let's see what we've got. You can see the VID and PID up there. Next we'll look at bNumConfigurations (how many different descriptors we have) and lucky for us the number is 1. Next, look at the Interface Descriptor in particular, bNumEndpoints which is 0. This means there are no Endpoints.

Endpoints are a type of USB 'data pipe' - there are 4 kinds:

  • Bulk Endpoints are for transferring a lot of data, like a disk drive. It's OK if it takes a little longer but we want big packets. This endpoint goes only in one direction (so to read and write you'd want two)
  • Interrupt Endpoints are for transferring tiny amounts of data very quickly, like for a USB mouse. In this case, the device has to be responsive so we want fast movement. This endpoint goes only in one direction
  • Isochronous Endpoints are for transferring a fair amount of data where the data must show up at the same time and if it can't it should just be dropped. This is for stuff like Audio and Video where timing is key. This endpoint goes only in one direction (so bidirectional audio for headphone and mic would have two EPs)
  • Control Endpoints are this weird not-quite-an-Endpoint Endpoint. They are used to transfer small amounts of data to say turn a device on or off. They're very 'cheap' to develop, and every device has one even if its not mentioned.

For example, a serial port may have two Interrupt endpoints for transferring data in and out and then a control endpoint for setting the baud rate.

For more details we really do suggest reading everything at janaxelson.com about USB as it's complex.

This motor device has no Endpoints, but that doesn't mean you can't communicate with it. It just means it only uses a bidirectional Control Endpoint. This isn't surprising, motors are slow and don't require a lot of data to control.

Contrast this to the Video/Camera device:

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Device Descriptor:
  bLength                18
  bDescriptorType         1
  bcdUSB               2.00
  bDeviceClass            0 (Defined at Interface level)
  bDeviceSubClass         0
  bDeviceProtocol         0
  bMaxPacketSize0        64
  idVendor           0x045e Microsoft Corp.
  idProduct          0x02ae
  bcdDevice            1.0b
  iManufacturer           2 Microsoft
  iProduct                1 Xbox NUI Camera
  iSerial                 3 A00366A08793039A
  bNumConfigurations      1
  Configuration Descriptor:
    bLength                 9
    bDescriptorType         2
    wTotalLength           32
    bNumInterfaces          1
    bConfigurationValue     1
    iConfiguration          0
    bmAttributes         0xc0
      Self Powered
    MaxPower               16mA
    Interface Descriptor:
      bLength                 9
      bDescriptorType         4
      bInterfaceNumber        0
      bAlternateSetting       0
      bNumEndpoints           2
      bInterfaceClass       255 Vendor Specific Class
      bInterfaceSubClass    255 Vendor Specific Subclass
      bInterfaceProtocol    255 Vendor Specific Protocol
      iInterface              0
      Endpoint Descriptor:
        bLength                 7
        bDescriptorType         5
        bEndpointAddress     0x81  EP 1 IN
        bmAttributes            1
          Transfer Type            Isochronous
          Synch Type               None
          Usage Type               Data
        wMaxPacketSize     0x0bc0  2x 960 bytes
        bInterval               1
      Endpoint Descriptor:
        bLength                 7
        bDescriptorType         5
        bEndpointAddress     0x82  EP 2 IN
        bmAttributes            1
          Transfer Type            Isochronous
          Synch Type               None
          Usage Type               Data
        wMaxPacketSize     0x0bc0  2x 960 bytes
        bInterval               1
Device Qualifier (for other device speed):
  bLength                10
  bDescriptorType         6
  bcdUSB               2.00
  bDeviceClass            0 (Defined at Interface level)
  bDeviceSubClass         0
  bDeviceProtocol         0
  bMaxPacketSize0        64
  bNumConfigurations      1
Device Status:     0x0001
  Self Powered
This device has two Isochronous endpoints both of which are IN type (data going INto the computer). This makes sense: the Kinect has a IR depth camera and a normal VGA camera. Two cameras, two Endpoints. Of course, there is also a Control endpoint not mentioned here, the Control endpoint could be used to set stuff like aperture, gamma correction, any sort of built-in filter, etc.
 Verify the VID & PID Making a Driver 

This guide was first published on Jul 29, 2012. It was last updated on Jun 13, 2012.

This page (Determine the Descriptors) was last updated on Jun 13, 2012.

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