USB Type-C Connector Revolution

What is the USB Type-C Connector?

The USB-IF has secured the ubiquitous nature of USB for years to come with introduction and radically updated USB Type-C connector. Along with a industry specification created in August, 2014, the new USB Type-C connector is a reversible 24-pin interconnect capable of supplying blazing fast data transfer speeds of up to 10 Gbps, 100W of continuous power flow, and ultra high bandwidth video made available with a single connection.
Why is it better than the existing connectors?


The USB Type-C cable is a universal cable that addresses the needs for a wide range of computing, display, and charging applications. The longterm objective of the USB Type-C cable is to replace all previous iterations of the USB cable while greatly expanding the overall capabilities. The recent introduction of the USB Power Delivery and Alternate Modes further expand the raw potential for even greater adoption of the USB standard in a wider range of applications


What are the Features of USB Type-C?


    USB Type-C is designed to support current generation USB2.0 (480 Mb/s), USB3.0 (5Gb/s), USB3.1 (10Gb/s), and future USB specifications reaching up to 20Gb/s data rates.
    USB Type-C enable power configuration over a USB connection to be dynamically modified. The default 5V voltage on VBUS can be reconfigured up to any level up to 20V. The maximum current supplying capability can also be raised to a maximum of 5A with a 100W compatible electronically marked PD USB Type-C cable.
    Alternate Modes allow 3rd party protocols to be transmitted over a USB Type-C cable. They are negotiated on port-to-port basis with the Power Delivery protocol.
    While BC1.2 is still supported over USB Type-C, Battery charging is also greatly simplified with the Power Delivery protocol. This simplified approach involves resistor pull-down/pull-up relationships over a dedicated set of control pins (CC1/CC2).
    A thin, reversible, 24-pin connector is used to ensure a quick and secure connection. Because of its reversibility, the pins are arranged in a mirrored configuration. There are a total of 6 differential pairs in a full-featured cable assembly. There are also 4 pins that serve functions new to USB: CC1, CC2, SBU1, SBU2.