Coming: USB 3.1 type C
One of the new developments in evidence at the show was the USB Type-C connector and the accompanying USB 3.1 standard. USB Type-C corrects some problems with older USB formats and may even have the horsepower to serve as a cheaper alternative to HDMI connectors, according to the spokesperson from cable maker Kinnex A with whom we spoke. Type C has twice the theoretical throughput (10 Gbps bandwidth) of USB 3.0 and can provide far more power, 100 W. Reports are that there will be USB 3.1 cables that are backwards compatible with existing USB 3.0 ports but no so thing as a Type-C adapter with conventional USB at one end and the new connector at the other.
The new standard will employ a 128-bit and 132-bit encoding scheme, similar to that used in PCI-Express 3.0. The Type-C plug works with previous standards of USB. Speculation is that the ability to provide 100 W via a USB connector could eliminate the need for a lot of power bricks among smart products. The first products incorporating USB Type-C are expected to debut in late 2015 or early 2016. Type-C connectors could arrive more quickly because the cable standard is compatible with existing USB chipsets.
Filed Under: Cables + cable management, IoT • IIoT • Internet of things • Industry 4.0, CONNECTIVITY • fieldbuses • networks, Connectors (electrical) • crimp technologies, ELECTRONICS • ELECTRICAL, Vision • machine vision • cameras + lenses • frame grabbers • optical filters
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