Over the years, USB-IF, the organization that oversees USB technology, has progressively released improved USB specifications that offer significantly faster speeds and additional features. From USB 2.0 that introduced High-speed USB to USB 3.1 Gen 1 and Gen 2, we have seen major developments since USB was first introduced in 1996, especially with improvements in data rates.
How USB Performance has Advanced since 1996
In 2017, USB-IF released its latest specification, USB 3.2, which offers the fastest data transfer rates yet. This version of the specification allows for USB speeds of up to 20 Gbps. This is accomplished by including two-lane operation using existing USB Type-C cables. Because of this configuration, it is able to operate twice as fast as USB 3.1 Gen 2, which runs at 10 Gbps. It is important to note that cable length must be sub 1 meter for passive cables to experience the increase in speed. This version of the specification utilizes the existing SuperSpeed USB physical layer data rates and encoding techniques. It also includes minor updates to the hub specification to address increased performance.
Advanced USB Analysis with the USB Power Delivery Analyzer
Total Phase’s USB Power Delivery Analyzer supports USB 3.2 devices. The USB Power Delivery Analyzer works in conjunction with our Data Center Software to capture, decode, and display Power Delivery (PD) traffic on the CC1 and CC2 lines between two USB Type-C devices in real time. The Data Center Software also monitors and presents the current and voltage bus measurements in an easy-to-read, correlative graph. This graph shows the current for VBUS and VCONN and displays voltage for VBUS, VCONN, and CC1/CC2 lines. Since all widgets in the Data Center Software are correlated, matching specific data transactions in the trace with power measurements on the graph is easy. The PD power negotiation data can be seen in the transaction log, and all other USB 2.0, USB 3.1 Gen 1 and Gen 2, and USB 3.2 signals are able to pass through. The Data Center Software has also released new features to support PD 3.0 which include extended messages, handling of new messages, and DisplayPort VDM decoding.
Capture and View USB Power Delivery Data in Real Time
The Data Center Software transaction view displays captured data in real time, monitors and plots current and voltage levels, and provides details about the underlying PD data:
Learn more about the USB Power Delivery Analyzer or our Data Center Software to see how they can work for your projects. Have any questions? Feel free to contact us at sales@totalphase.com. You can also request a demo that applies to your application.