USB 3.1 Type C connector is ready for production

[DAP]

http://hardware.slashdot.org/story/14/08/12/2131247/reversible-type-c-usb-connector-ready-for-production

I hope this becomes available for purchase before the Pyra is finalized. I hate the micro-B USB 3.0 connector.

 

[ekianjo]

Duplicate post, while yours is in the right category:

http://boards.openpandora.org/topic/16819-reversible-usb-type-c-connector-finalized-devices-cables-and-adapters-coming-soon/

 

[_wb_]

Great, another connector to take into account. This is probably going to be too late for the Pyra though. In any case the SoC has only USB 2.0 ports except for one USB 3.0 port, so it would be a bit misleading to put USB 3.1 type C connectors in it that can only reach USB 2.0 speeds.

Also, is this type C cable useful for on-the-go? (so the device can be both host and peripheral)

It is not clear for me from the articles, but I assume it is.

Maybe if everything is available in time, we could use this new port type instead of the planned micro-USB 3.0 OTG port.

For the USB 2.0 ports, I think it makes more sense to use the old port types, since that is still the de facto standard for most devices and it is all there is in current laptops, so it will not immediately disappear. Having to connect USB memory sticks etc using an adapter cable would suck.

 

[ekianjo]

For the USB 2.0 ports, I think it makes more sense to use the old port types, since that is still the de facto standard for most devices and it is all there is in current laptops, so it will not immediately disappear. Having to connect USB memory sticks etc using an adapter cable would suck.

Yeah, and several governments actually REQUIRE the current 2.0 microUSB standard - so they are not going to adopt any new standard any time soon. Change will be slow.  

 

[Grench]

Maybe an idea for a Pyra successor ~3 years from now.

 

[ekianjo]

Maybe an idea for a Pyra successor ~3 years from now.

Or potentially a revised version of the Pyra (updated board, etc...).

 

[Ligachamp]

Great, another connector to take into account. This is probably going to be too late for the Pyra though. In any case the SoC has only USB 2.0 ports except for one USB 3.0 port, so it would be a bit misleading to put USB 3.1 type C connectors in it that can only reach USB 2.0 speeds.

Also, is this type C cable useful for on-the-go? (so the device can be both host and peripheral)

It is not clear for me from the articles, but I assume it is.

Your statement confuses me a bit. First you say there's one USB 3.0 Port on the SoC and then you say there would be just USB 2.0 speeds? The used connector makes no difference to the functionality of the port. And as far as i know the 3.0 OTG Port supports the superspeed mode, which means we reach the 3.0 speeds. So I can't see the problem in putting there a Type-C plug.


As I read before it would also be nice to win some space, which can be used for an eventually line-in plug (which is actually not planned cause of missing space). It would be nice to know how difficult that would be?

 

[WizardStan]

So I can't see the problem in putting there a Type-C plug

The type-C isn't OTG. We only have one USB3.0 port and that is also the OTG port. If we want to be able to connect the Pyra to a PC as a slave device it needs to be through the single USB3.0 port, ergo we cannot put a Type-C on the USB3.0 port. If EvilDragon wants to include a type-C, he can either put it on one of the USB2.0 ports, or make the USB3.0 just a Type-C and include an adapter. I wouldn't recommend doing either of these things, but that's just me.

 

[slaeshjag]

No OTG detection, but the same port is used for both master and slave. Meaning it can still be connected as a slave, but it can not switch modes without hacks.

A bigger problem I see though, is that nobody have those cables yet.

 

[Ligachamp]

So I can't see the problem in putting there a Type-C plug

The type-C isn't OTG. We only have one USB3.0 port and that is also the OTG port. If we want to be able to connect the Pyra to a PC as a slave device it needs to be through the single USB3.0 port, ergo we cannot put a Type-C on the USB3.0 port. If EvilDragon wants to include a type-C, he can either put it on one of the USB2.0 ports, or make the USB3.0 just a Type-C and include an adapter. I wouldn't recommend doing either of these things, but that's just me.

But if Type-C means only the plug, why shouldn't OTG work? OTG is just a feature handled by the used chip/SoC as far as i know. The difference between the Type-C plug and the "normal" 3.0 micro plug is just the pin assignment. Electrically and functionally the rest should stay the same?

 

[Wally]

Alright as we've already got a prototype board i'm moving this to Off-Topic discussion as it's not going to happen

 

[Ligachamp]

you don't know how the future of the pyra will be So let's hope ^^

 

[WizardStan]

But if Type-C means only the plug, why shouldn't OTG work?

as slaeshjag mentioned

No OTG detection

OTG currently knows when you've plugged in a B slave cable or an A host adapter, type-C has no way of doing that.mini-A to normal-A adapters are everywhere and cheap. I have no idea how common type-C to type-A adapters will be, how much they will cost in the near future, or if they'll even exist at all.

edit: actually yeah, I'm pretty confident they'll exist, if type-C takes off then there'll be too many type-A devices that people will want to keep using for there NOT to be a type-C to type-A adapter. It would still need to be manually switched in software though.

 

[Wally]

you don't know how the future of the pyra will be So let's hope ^^

There's enough keyboard threads to know the future of the Pyra

 

[sebt3]

There's enough keyboard threads to know the future of the Pyra

Many of those that created the pandora's numerous keyboard threads vanished after the device production started...

 

[slaeshjag]

And if any of the currently suggested keyboard layouts get put into the production device, I will go the same way

 

[Wally]

NO DONT! D:

 

[Ligachamp]

But if Type-C means only the plug, why shouldn't OTG work?

as slaeshjag mentioned

No OTG detection

OTG currently knows when you've plugged in a B slave cable or an A host adapter, type-C has no way of doing that.
mini-A to normal-A adapters are everywhere and cheap. I have no idea how common type-C to type-A adapters will be, how much they will cost in the near future, or if they'll even exist at all.


edit: actually yeah, I'm pretty confident they'll exist, if type-C takes off then there'll be too many type-A devices that people will want to keep using for there NOT to be a type-C to type-A adapter. It would still need to be manually switched in software though.

that means OTG detection is given by the type of the plug? That doesn't make much sense for me

you don't know how the future of the pyra will be So let's hope ^^

There's enough keyboard threads to know the future of the Pyra

haha ^^ I hope it will get better than that

 

[slaeshjag]

Yes. In current mini/microUSB implementation, there's a pin that is either left floating for client mode, or grounded for host mode.

 

[ssokolow]

Any ideas where a Canadian could get such an adapter cheaply? I bought two different designs off eBay and both seem to have left the pin floating.