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SILICON SILIC CHIP www.siliconchip.com.au Publisher/Editor Nicholas Vinen Technical Editor John Clarke, B.E.(Elec.) Technical Staff Jim Rowe, B.A., B.Sc. Bao Smith, B.Sc. Tim Blythman, B.E., B.Sc. Nicolas Hannekum, Dip. Elec. Tech. Advertising Enquiries Glyn Smith Phone (02) 9939 3295 Mobile 0431 792 293 glyn<at>siliconchip.com.au Regular Contributors Allan Linton-Smith Dave Thompson David Maddison B.App.Sc. (Hons 1), PhD, Grad. Dip. Entr. Innov. Geoff Graham Associate Professor Graham Parslow Dr Hugo Holden Ian Batty Phil Prosser, B.Sc., B.E.(Elec.) Cartoonist Brendan Akhurst Founding Editor (retired) Leo Simpson, B.Bus., FAICD Staff (retired) Ross Tester Ann Morris Greg Swain, B. Sc. (Hons.) Silicon Chip is published 12 times a year by Silicon Chip Publications Pty Ltd. ACN 626 922 870. ABN 20 880 526 923. All material is copyright ©. No part of this publication may be reproduced without the written consent of the publisher. Subscription rates (Australia only): 12 issues (1 year): $120 24 issues (2 years): $230 new prices from October 31st 2021 For overseas rates, see our website or email silicon<at>siliconchip.com.au Recommended & maximum price only. Editorial office: Unit 1 (up ramp), 234 Harbord Rd, Brookvale, NSW 2100. Postal address: PO Box 139, Collaroy Beach, NSW 2097. Phone (02) 9939 3295. ISSN 1030-2662 Printing and Distribution: 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