USB cable for highest speeds

Transport data reliably with USB cables

USB (Universal Serial Bus) is a serial bus system used to connect external devices to a computer. Introduced in 1996, it was mainly used on home and personal computers. However, it is now also being used more and more in industrial applications, e.g. vision cameras. Since its introduction, the multitude of interface types, which were generally all equipped with different connectors, has been replaced. USB has thus developed into a standard that also has the advantage that the devices can be connected during operation (hot plugging) and the connected devices are automatically recognised.

When USB 1.0 was introduced in 1996, the data rate was still quite slow at max. 12Mbit/s. In 2000, USB 2.0 was specified with a data rate of 480Mbit/s. This is still the most widely used version today. The USB 3.1 Gen 2 introduced in 2014 already has a maximum transfer rate of 10Gbit/s, which was increased to 20Gbit/s with the USB 3.2 specified in 2017.

USB cable application areas

Devices with a USB connection are primarily used in industry in the field of industrial image processing. Of course, USB keyboards and other external devices for operating machines and systems are also conceivable. Another area of application is the monitoring of mobile phone cameras during production.

USB cables are usually available as flexible cables for low loads, such as the connection cable of a mobile phone. These are often offered harnessed in fixed lengths so that the user only has to select the appropriate length.

For applications in the energy chain, however, it is necessary to use USB cables with a high-quality cable structure that is matched to the movement in the energy chain. This is the only way to guarantee reliable data transmission for years to come. Especially for optical quality control systems, chainflex USB cables have established themselves.

Cables and cables for USB applications from igus

The chainflex cable product range from igus offers both USB 2.0 and USB 3.0 cables in various designs. With CFBUS.065 and CFBUS.066, 2 USB 2.0 cables with different cross sections are available for the data pair to accommodate longer transmission lengths. CFBUS.PVC.068 and CFBUS.PUR.068 can be used for the USB 3.0 standard.

Like all chainflex cables, the USB cables are also subject to the same quality standards. It does not matter whether it is a USB 2.0 or USB 3.0 cable. Therefore, the chainflex guarantee also applies here for 36 months with a service life of up to 10 million double strokes.

Transmission lengths

The issue of the maximum transmission length of USB cables is often underestimated. Caution is generally advised here, as the maximum cable length can depend heavily on the type of cable. A cable for fixed installation always has a lower attenuation than a flexible cable, which is designed for permanent movement. This means that the transmission length is shorter than with a fixed installation cable.

Depending on the cable family, chainflex bus cables are mechanically designed for travels of up to 400 metres and more, but the data rate of the bus system decreases with increasing cable length. With USB 2.0, the specification allows a maximum cable length of 5m without repeaters. With USB 3.0 it is even only 3 metres. Especially with USB devices that require the full data transfer rate, such as HD cameras, the cable length can become a problem. The attenuation of the cable in combination with the cable length reduces the transmission speed and can lead to transmission errors. With highly flexible USB cables for the energy chain, however, our experience shows that a cable length can be shorter if necessary. Depending on the required transmission speed, only up to 2.50 metres may be possible for a moving USB 3.0 cable. However, this length can also vary upwards and downwards depending on the ambient conditions and application requirements.