A Quick and Easy Guide to Identifying Your Raspberry Pi’s USB Ports

This article will show you how to check your Raspberry Pi’s USB ports by using the terminal command line. It is essential to know which USB port to use for connecting peripherals, such as keyboards, m …


Updated September 24, 2023

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This article will show you how to check your Raspberry Pi’s USB ports by using the terminal command line. It is essential to know which USB port to use for connecting peripherals, such as keyboards, mice, external storage devices, and printers.

To check your Raspberry Pi’s USB ports, you will need to access the terminal and run a few commands. Here are the steps:

  1. Open the terminal by clicking on the “Terminal” icon in the top left corner of the menu bar or pressing Ctrl + Alt + T.
  2. Type the following command and press enter:
lsusb

This will list all connected USB devices to your Raspberry Pi, including those connected via USB ports. The output will look something like this:

Bus 001 Device 002: ID 8087:0024 Intel Corp. Integrated Rate Matching Hub
Bus 001 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0002 Linux Foundation 2.0 root hub
Bus 001 Device 003: ID 0424:9512 Standard Microsystems Corp. USB 2.0 Hub
Bus 001 Device 004: ID 0bda:0129 Realtek Semiconductor Corp. RTS5129 Card Reader Controller
  1. Pay close attention to the “Device” number and the “ID” code. The “Device” number is a unique identifier for each connected USB device, while the “ID” code represents the manufacturer and product information.
  2. To identify which port a specific USB device is connected to, use this command:
ls /dev/ttyUSB*

This will list all USB devices connected through serial ports, such as keyboards or mice. The output will look like this:

/dev/ttyUSB0  /dev/ttyUSB1
  1. If you have multiple USB ports and want to check which one is free, run the following command:
ls /dev/ttyACM*

This will list all devices connected through ACM (Abstract Control Model) ports, such as Arduinos or other microcontrollers. The output will look like this:

/dev/ttyACM0  /dev/ttyACM1
  1. To check the power available on each USB port, run this command:
vcgencmd get_throttled

The output will indicate if there is a power issue with any of the ports:

throttled=0x0

If there are no issues, the output will be throttled=0x0. If there is an issue, such as a USB device drawing too much power, it will show a different code.

That’s it! Now you know how to check your Raspberry Pi’s USB ports and identify which ones are available for use with peripherals. Remember that not all USB devices can be used on every port, so make sure to read the device specifications before connecting them.