2022/01/21

USB4  Thunderbolt4

The Challenge of Launching a Superior Peripheral Range Before Competitors

Comprehensive USB Type-C® Range Provides Perfect Solution for Every Application

Background

ポーカー ゲーム テキサスeripheral manufacturer, Company X, that is the subject of this case study had decided to complement its range with a new series of peripherals aimed at the latest big brand PCs. When defining the development concept, the manufacturer agreed that all input/output ports should support the USB Type-C standard. However, the manufacturer envisaged that ポーカー ゲーム テキサスrocess of selecting appropriate connectors would be challenging due to the need to satisfy demands from its marketing division, designers, the manufacturing division, the quality control division, and ポーカー ゲーム テキサスrocurement division within a short development timeframe.

USB4  Thunderbolt4

Challenges

Ensuring Compatibility with Latest Standards Without Sacrificing Design

To satisfy the various demands, ポーカー ゲーム テキサスroduct development team had to rush the specification definition process so they could make a start on selecting connectors as soon as possible. In ポーカー ゲーム テキサスrocess of finalizing the specifications, the team decided that in addition to guaranteeing data transmission performance, there was also a need to better harmonize with the design of the target PCs, which led the designers to specify precise connector positions down to the nearest 10th of a millimeter. In regard to data transmission characteristics, the USB-C® ports needed to support the latest USB4TM standard and ThunderboltTM 4 interface.

ポーカー ゲーム テキサスroduct development division employee in charge of ポーカー ゲーム テキサスroject recalls ポーカー ゲーム テキサスroject’s early days:
“Many of those who use our products are particular about design and branding. On this project, the designers were more careful than usual because of the need to position connectors on ポーカー ゲーム テキサスrinted circuit boards inside the devices so that they satisfied height and depth requirements,” he says.

USB4  Thunderbolt4

The manufacturing, quality control, and procurement divisions also demanded that a reputable component brand be used to ensure quality (in particular strength and ease of assembly) and reliability of supply. To keep ahead of the competition, the selection of a connector vendor was a matter of urgency. While the employee had established that many vendors manufactured and sold USB-C connectors, finding a manufacturer whose components he could use with confidence for his team’s project was more difficult than he initially thought.

Summary of Challenges

The marketing division believed compatibility with USB4 and Thunderbolt 4 was imperative.

To better harmonize with the designs of target PC models, the designers had precisely specified the connector mounting positions to the 10th of a millimeter.

The manufacturing and purchasing divisions had demanded that connectors be sourced from a reputable manufacturer.

Solutions

Wide Range of Connectors Suit Various Applications