SILICON
SILIC
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Editorial Viewpoint
Standardising on USB-C:
a great idea
The EU is again looking at forcing manufacturers
to standardise on a single charging connector, almost
certainly USB-C this time. They have been discussing
this since 2009; I’m not sure why it is taking so long
to finalise. In the time they have been considering it,
several ‘standard’ USB connectors have come and gone,
with mini-B giving way to micro-B and now Type C.
I don’t like the idea of governments forcing manufacturers to use particular
technology for a host of reasons. For example, industry leaders are likely to
have a much better idea of suitable technologies than those in government.
Also, imagine the nightmare if different governments (eg, EU & USA) introduced
conflicting requirements.
But ignoring all that, standardising on USB-C for charging the vast majority
of portable devices is a fantastic idea.
Most phone and tablet manufacturers have already switched to USB-C. It is
superior to the connector used on fruit-themed phones, giving higher transfer
rates and much higher power delivery. Having a connector standard across all
devices would mean that we all only need to buy one type of charger to power
and charge virtually all our devices.
Even low-cost gadgets are switching to USB-C for power and charging these
days, and I think pretty soon, power-only Type-C connectors will cost little
more than a micro-B connector. It’s also nice that the cables can be symmetrical,
with Type-C plugs on each end.
The only people that such standardisation would not benefit would be those
who are dead-set on using proprietary connectors to lock consumers into using
their products. Ahem.
The USB-C connector is much easier to insert and remove. It also has higher
power delivery capability with USB-PD, much higher data transfer rates and
significantly less chance of damaging the connector if you yank the cable. It’s
certainly a lot better overall than either micro-B USB or Lightning connectors.
While the USB-C connector was introduced with USB 3.0, it also supports
Thunderbolt and USB4. So it clearly is the way forward.
Our USB Cable Tester (which I think is a brilliant project, starting on page
28) features two USB-C sockets to test cables with these connectors at one or
both ends. I will definitely be building one of those as I have lots of USB cables,
and I’m unsure which ones are good.
The USB naming scheme is a disaster
When USB 3.2 was introduced, they decided to eliminate the USB 3.0 and USB
3.1 naming schemes and retroactively rename all these standards as variations
on USB 3.2. USB 3.0 becomes USB 3.2 Gen 1, USB 3.1 becomes USB 3.2 Gen
2x1 and the newly introduced standard is USB 3.2 Gen 2x2.
How confusing! It would have made a great deal more sense if USB 3.0 was
used for 5Gbps capable devices, USB 3.1 for 10Gbps capable devices and USB
3.2 for 20Gbps capable devices.
Worse still, USB 3.2 devices capable of either 10Mbps or 20Mbps will carry
the “SuperSpeed+” designation, even though 10Mbps is no faster than USB
3.1. Most consumers will not understand this scheme and will be bamboozled,
thinking that a slower device supports the faster technology.
Hopefully, the naming will become a lot simpler with the upcoming USB4,
which will merge USB with Thunderbolt. Thankfully, USB4 also uses the
Type-C connector.
by Nicholas Vinen
24-26 Lilian Fowler Pl, Marrickville 2204
4
Silicon Chip
Australia’s electronics magazine
siliconchip.com.au
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