Alternate Mode
USB Type-C is a new connector standard that is very small. It is about a third the size of an old USB Type-A plug. This is a single
connector standard that every device should be able to use. USB Type-C ports can support a variety of different protocols using
“alternate modes,” which allows you to have adapters that can output HDMI, VGA, DisplayPort, or other types of connections from that
single USB port
USB Power Delivery
The USB PD specification is also closely intertwined with USB Type-C. Currently, smartphones, tablets, and other mobile devices often
use a USB connection to charge. A USB 2.0 connection provides up to 2.5 watts of power — that'll charge your phone, but that's about
it. A laptop might require up to 60 watts, for example. The USB Power Delivery specification ups this power delivery to 100 watts. It's bi-
directional, so a device can either send or receive power. And this power can be transferred at the same time the device is transmitting
data across the connection.
This could spell the end of all those proprietary laptop charging cables, with everything charging via a standard USB connection. You could
charge your laptop from one of those portable battery packs you charge your smartphones and other portable devices from today. You
could plug your laptop into an external display connected to a power cable, and that external display would charge your laptop as you used
it as an external display — all via the one little USB Type-C connection. To use this, the device and the cable have to support USB Power
Delivery. Just having a USB Type-C connection doesn't necessarily mean they do.
USB Type-C and USB 3.1
USB 3.1 is a new USB standard. USB 3's theoretical bandwidth is 5 Gbps, while USB 3.1's is 10 Gbps. That's double the bandwidth, as fast
as a first-generation Thunderbolt connector. USB Type-C isn't the same thing as USB 3.1. USB Type-C is just a connector shape, and the
underlying technology could just be USB 2 or USB 3.0. In fact, Nokia's N1 Android tablet uses a USB Type-C connector, but underneath
it's all USB 2.0 — not even USB 3.0. However, these technologies are closely related.
USB features
Universal Serial Bus, or USB, was introduced in 1996. It dramatically simplified the connection between host computers and peripheral
devices like mouses, keyboards, external drivers, and printers.
Table 6. USB evolution
Type
Data Transfer Rate
Category
Introduction Year
USB 2.0
480 Mbps
High Speed
2000
USB 3.2 Gen 1
5 Gbps
Super-Speed
2010
USB 3.2 Gen 2
10 Gbps
Super-Speed
2013
USB 3.2 Gen 1 (Super-Speed USB)
For years, the USB 2.0 has been firmly entrenched as the de facto interface standard in the PC world with about 6 billion devices sold, and
yet the need for more speed grows by ever faster computing hardware and ever greater bandwidth demands. The USB 3.2 Gen 1 finally
has the answer to the consumer's demands with a theoretically 10 times faster than its predecessor. In a nutshell, USB 3.2 Gen 1 features
are as follows:
•
Higher transfer rates (up to 5 Gbps)
•
Increased maximum bus power and increased device current draw to better accommodate power-hungry devices
•
New power management features
•
Full-duplex data transfers and support for new transfer types
•
Backward USB 2.0 compatibility
•
New connectors and cable
The topics below cover some of the most commonly asked questions regarding USB 3.2 Gen 1.
Technology and components
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