The Arduino USB Host shield lets your Arduino control USB peripherlas such as HID devices, mass storage, Android ADK devices and others. It complies with USB Specification Revision 2.0 (full-speed 12Mbps peripheral, full-/low-speed 12Mbps/1.5Mbps host) though actual throughput will depend on the Arduino. The on-board MAX3421E USB peripheral/host controller handles the electronic and low level USB protocol interfaces for you. It also protects against electro-static discharge (±15kV ESD) which might otherwise damage the board. The controller manages USB flow control, double buffering and time-sensitive operations greatly simplifying your software development. The shield communicates with the Arduino using SPI and to compensate you for losing pins to the SPI link it has 8 general purpose inputs and 8 outputs of it's own that you can control.
The shield is also Tinkerkit compatible allowing you to quickly connect a range of control, sensors and indicators.
Supports the following devices
HID devices: keyboards, mice, joysticks, etc.
Game controllers: Sony PS3, Nintendo Wii, Xbox360
USB to serial converters: FTDI, PL-2303, ACM, as well as certain cell phones and GPS receivers
ADK-capable Android phones and tablets
Digital cameras: Canon EOS, Powershot, Nikon DSLRs and P&S, as well as generic PTP
Mass storage devices: USB sticks, memory card readers, external hard drives, etc.
