User:Rpj33/USB-C

Connectors
The 24-pin double-sided connector is slightly larger than the micro-B connector, with a USB-C port measuring 8.4 mm wide, 2.6 mm high, and 6.65 mm deep. Two kinds (genders) of connectors exist, female (receptacle) and male (plug).

Plugs are found on cables and adapters. Receptacles are found on devices and adapters. Connectors can be used to transfer high speeds of data and files from 10 gigabytes of data per second when plugged in a USB 3.1 port. The USB-C connector uses a Power Delivery (PD) protocol that allows the connector to deliver up to 100 watts. With the addition of a Thunderbolt 3 connector on the other end, USB-C can generate and deliver up to 40 gigabytes per second for data speeds and power.

Cables
USB 3.1 cables are considered full-featured USB-C cables. They are electronically marked cables that contain a chip with an ID function based on the configuration channel and vendor-defined messages (VDM) from the USB Power Delivery 2.0 specification. Cable length should be ≤2m for Gen 1 or ≤1m for Gen 2. The electronic ID chip provides information about product/vendor, cable connectors, USB signalling protocol (2.0, Gen 1, Gen 2), passive/active construction, use of VCONN power, available VBUS current, latency, RX/TX directionality, SOP controller mode, and hardware/firmware version.

USB-C cables that do not have shielded SuperSpeed pairs, sideband use pins, or additional wires for power lines can have increased cable length, up to 4m. These USB-C cables only support 2.0 speeds and do not support alternate modes.

All USB-C cables must be able to carry a minimum of 3 A current (at 20V, 60W) but can also carry high-power 5 A current (at 20V, 100W). USB-C to USB-C cables supporting 5A current must contain e-marker chips (also marketed as E-Mark chips) programmed to identify the cable and its current capabilities. USB Charging ports should also be clearly marked with capable power wattage.

Full-featured USB-C cables that implement USB 3.1 Gen 2 can handle up to 10Gbit/s data rate at full duplex. They are marked with a SuperSpeed+ (SuperSpeed 10Gbit/s) logo. There are also cables which can carry only USB 2.0 with up to 480Mbit/s data rate. There are USB-IF certification programs available for USB-C products and end users are recommended to use USB-IF certified cables.

Audio Adapter Accessory Mode
A device with a USB-C port may support analog headsets through an audio adapter with a 3.5 mm jack, providing four standard analog audio connections (Left, Right, Microphone, and Ground). The audio adapter may optionally include a USB-C charge-through port to allow 500 mA device charging. The engineering specification states that an analog headset shall not use a USB-C plug instead of a 3.5 mm plug. In other words, headsets with a USB-C plug should always support digital audio (and optionally the accessory mode). The audio adapter accessory mode has compatibility with USB-C connectors to be accessible with its receptacle size being 85% smaller than previous versions.

Analog signals use the USB 2.0 differential pairs (Dp and Dn for Right and Left) and the two side-band use pairs for Mic and GND. Analog signals and the audio adapter uses D+ and D- lines pass through the USB-C connector. The presence of the audio accessory is signalled through the configuration channel and VCONN.