Innovation in cellphones and laptops has come by leaps and bounds in recent years. Almost all makers of the devices are now using slim bodies and now boast external batteries and fast charging capabilities. Now the development team at ROHM, which supplies the “USB Type-C” standard for the current gen of mobile devices, is taking a lead in the forthcoming “USB Power Delivery” standard.
They have announced ROHM testing kits that allow anyone developing new data devices to get the specifications and reference design right now and fast-track their designs. The kit will include detailed specs on all of the basic and key technology used in the currently available “Type-C” port, the chip infrastructure required to execute those specifications, and detailed specifications and schematics for the incoming “USB Power Delivery” port. USB Power Delivery will enable the next generation of ultra-high-speed data transfers of data and power.
While the current “Type-C” spec allows for “data transfer of 7.1 Gigabits/sec” (350 Mbps), Type-A standards can support faster transfers of between 18 and 280 Mbps. Type-C’s limits were originally intended for mobiles, but increasingly even desktop-level devices are evolving to feature the new spec. The new specs will create a super-fast data path for data transfer and may also allow for transfer of power. The grid is here. Both the “Quick Sync” and “Copy/Paste” functionality will allow transfer of data at speeds that would allow very fast file transfers and possibly data broadcasts that take place over a network of multiple data transmission devices.
The flash controller does not enable so fast a data stream. The system still has the capability of using a much slower standard “PCI Express” (PCIe) 3.0 standard for power, but that interface can act only for data transfers. ROHM says the new spec may offer power transfer speeds up to 2 Gbps, although it notes that “such speeds require additional design experimentation and will vary among system architectures.” That kind of speed would make transferring data rapidly extremely useful.
However, for data in a moving object, such as a cell phone, being able to transmit power over a limited range would probably be a bigger benefit. The kit comes packaged with the full Type-C and Type-A spec, all the specifications for the Type-A spec, and a USB cable with end directions showing where the cables should plug into the standard-issue Type-A connectors, as well as similar directions for Type-C connectors. All the information should give users plenty of time to create prototype designs and come up with the innovative functionality they want.
