HWM Singapore — May 2017

/HWȇV WDON DERXW

WUDQVIHU VSHHGV

Is USB Type-C the same as
USB 3.1? Short answer: no.
The long answer is easy to
understand once you know
that USB-C is a cable and
connector spec, whereas
USB 3.1 deals mainly with
performance signaling (think:
transfer rates). They aren’t the
same, and they don’t need to
go hand-in-hand. So if your
device has a Type-C port,
don’t assume it can do 5Gbps
(aka USB 3.1 Gen 1 or USB
3.0) or 10Gbps (aka USB 3.1
Gen 2). For all you know, that
device only supports USB 2.0
speeds.
To add to the confusion,
there’s another thing called
Thunderbolt 3. This is yet
another standard that has
decided to adopt the USB-C
connection type. And while all
Thunderbolt 3 cables will work
as USB-C cables, don’t assume
that all Thunderbolt 3 devices
will function if plugged into
a standard USB-C port. This
is because Thunderbolt 3
devices require discrete
Thunderbolt chips to work.
Thunderbolt 3 isn’t the
same as USB 3.1 either. With
a top data transfer speed of
40Gbps, it supports far more
bandwidth, which is why up
to six Thunderbolt devices
can be daisy-chained to a host
and have power and all kinds
of data and HD video and
audio signalsȵowing through
them.

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way to identify a properly-built

USB-C cable or adapter, but sadly,

that alone isn’t foolproof. For one,

there are many cables that are

properly built but don’t carry those

markings because their makers

can’t be bothered to apply for the

certiïcation. Secondly, like Apple’s

MFi (Made for iPhone/iPod/iPad)

logo, there are way too manyðy-

by-night manufacturers that use

USB-IF’s logos on their untested

products. If anything, I’d trust a

cable which packaging says it uses a

56kšresistor, because to me, that’s

the cable maker telling me that it

knows its stuff.

Google engineer Benson Leung

(yes, the same one) has also taken

upon himself to review USB-C

accessories on Amazon in his free

time (http://gohwz.ws/2nXhMad).

It’s a list I always check before I buy

a new USB-C cable or charger.

It may sound strange, but the truth

is everyone - be it manufacturers or

consumers - is still learning about

USB-C. Device and accessory makers

are learning fast, but since there

are way too many of them, we can’t

expect all of them to get their act

together overnight. Ultimately, we’re

responsible for our own (and our

devices’) safety.

*ESV

*ESV

*ESV

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MAY 2017 | +:0 87