USB 3.1 and USB Type-C: What you need to know

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USB 3.1 and USB Type-C: What you need to know [Copy link]

There are few technologies or standards as ubiquitous as the Universal Serial Bus, the USB we are familiar with. For nearly 20 years, USB has always played a great role in helping us transfer data and power continuously, and the speed is constantly improving. Although the USB standard has been constantly improving, it seems that different users are not very familiar with this change. In addition, the recent popularity of USB Type-C technology has once again made the latest USB standard a hot topic. So let's take a look at what we need to know about USB 3.1, USB Type-C, and USB power supply range. USB 3.1 and USB Type-C are not the same thing Some people must have noticed that sometimes the terms USB 3.1 and USB Type-C are interchangeable in some cases, which leads to many people blurring the line between the two concepts. Simply put, USB 3.1 is an industry standard and also the revision number of the current standard. It is a technical standard, not a physical product. However, USB Type-C is a new type of connector, consisting of a Type-C plug and a Type-C receptacle. More importantly, although USB Type-C is designed based on USB 3.1, it does not mean that all devices using this connection method support the USB 3.1 standard. For example, the Nokia N1 tablet, although it uses a USB Type-C plug, is still a USB 2.0 device. At the same time, for devices using USB 3.0 Type-A interfaces, this blue interface often appears on laptops and desktops, but is compatible with the USB 3.1 standard, so what is the point of doing this? Why do some devices use USB Type-C interfaces that are not compatible with the USB 3.1 standard? Yes, it is for convenience. USB Type-C is reversible, durable, and takes up little space We all use USB cables and USB drives, and often there is a problem that they can't be inserted in the wrong direction by accident. USB Type-C solves this problem very well. It adopts a reversible design without limiting the direction. In other words, you can easily plug the USB Type-C plug into any USB port, whether it is USB 3.1, 3.1 or 2.0. Another benefit of doing this is that it reduces wear and tear. Usually the number of plug-ins and unplugs of USB Type-C is no less than 10,000 times, which is basically consistent with the current mainstream MicroUSB. Equally important, USB Type-C can also take up less circuit board space, which is good news for product hardware designers, so that more valuable space can be reserved for other functions of electronic devices. USB Type-C will become the dominant form of USB connection We must have seen many advantages of USB over USB Type-C in the past, and in addition to these advantages, the new plug and interface can support USB 3.1 high-speed connection, can transmit 4K standard signals in the line port, and bear 100W of power, and all this is done at the same time. As long as all technical standards are met. Since it seems that USB Type-C will not be obsolete, it is likely to become the dominant form of USB connection in the future. At present, some manufacturers and products have begun to take action. For example, Apple's new Macbook uses a single Type-C interface design, which can be used for charging, data transmission, video output and other functions. USB 3.1 is faster, much faster We've already covered USB Type-C in detail, so now it's time to take a look at USB 3.1. The USB standard was proposed to regulate the connection and communication between computers and external devices. It was first popularized in 1996 with version 1.0, updated to version 3.0 in 2008, and finally became the latest version in 2013 with version 3.1. The first generation of USB 1.0 had a transmission rate of 12 Mbps for large-scale commercial use, but as bandwidth requirements continued to grow, USB 1.0 soon failed to meet actual needs. Subsequently, USB 2.0 brought a significant increase in transmission rate, reaching a peak of 480 Mbps. Later, USB 3.0 increased to 5Gbps, and the latest USB 3.1 can reach a rate of 10 Gpbs. The more common rate at present is around 7.2 Gpbs.