USB 3.0 is rapidly gaining in popularity, but due to its high speed of 5 Gbps it also presents a challenge to designers of hardware since the maximum cable length for a device can be 127 mm – or about 5” without compromising the signal quality.
If you need longer cables then you will need a repeater and now Parade Technologies is releasing the world’s smallest receiver/repeater with a footprint of just 3 x 6 mm. Parade Technologies also claim that the chip has the lowest power consumption of any superspeed repeater.
PS8720 is packaged as a QFN-package with 32 pins and is available in 2 different versions. Both support 2 bi-directional channels at full speed. The difference between the two chips is that PS8720A requires 1.5V whereas PS8720B requires a single power supply of 3.3V.
PS8720B has not received silicon certification by USB-IF – basically because Parade Technologies has decided to leave it up to board designers to apply for certification for their finished product.
The chip is already sampling and production quantities are expected in September with a price of $2 if you purchase a large enough pile at once.S|A
Mads Ølholm
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