USB Implementers Forum
The USB Implementers’ Forum (USB-IF) is a non-profit organization to promote and support the Universal Serial Bus. Its main activities are the promotion and marketing of USB, Wireless USB, USB On-The-Go, and the maintenance of the specifications, as well as a compliance program.
It was formed in 1995 by the group of companies that developed USB. Notable members include Apple Inc., Hewlett-Packard, NEC, Microsoft, Intel, and Agere Systems.
The working committees within USB-IF are:
- Device Working Group
- Compliance Committee
- Marketing Committee
- On-The-Go Working Group
The USB-IF web caters for developers who can freely sign up to the developer web-forums and access documentation, however to join a working group one has to work for a member company or register as a member. The developer forums cover USB hardware and software development and is not an end-user forum.
In 2014 they announced a new USB connection called "USB Type-C". It transfers data with 10 Gbit/s and charges devices with up to 100 Watts. The release is planned within 2014.
Obtaining a vendor ID
A vendor ID is necessary for obtaining a certification of compliance from the USB-IF. The USB-IF is responsible for issuing USB vendor IDs to product manufacturers. The cost for issuing this number is US$5,000. Additionally, the use of a trademarked USB logo to identify certified devices requires license fee of US$3,500 for a 2-year term.[1] Some microcontroller manufacturers offer a free or low cost sublicense of their vendor ID for development/testing and limited production (generally under 10,000 units). Vendors offering this free service include:
- Dream S.A.S.[2]
- Energy Micro[3]
- FTDI[4]
- Luminary Micro[5]
- Microchip[6]
- NXP [7]
- Silicon Labs[8]
- STMicroelectronics[9]
- Texas Instruments[10]
Alternatively, many members of the open source community promote the use of USB VID 0xF055 (visually similar to FOSS) for open-source hardware projects. Although this VID is not registered to any company (as of October 2015), the USB-IF did not released any confirmation about reserving it for this particular purpose.[11]
See also
- MTP (Media Transfer Protocol)
- Personal Computer Memory Card International Association (PCMCIA)
- USB On-The-Go
- Wireless USB
References
- ↑ How to get a vendor ID from the USB-IF
- ↑ Dream S.A.S. USB Vendor ID Application
- ↑ Energy Micro Application for USB PID Sublicense
- ↑ FTDI USB Vendor ID Application
- ↑ Luminary Micro (now part of Texas Instruments) USB Vendor ID Application
- ↑ Microchip USB Vendor ID Application (dead link)
- ↑ NXP to offer global USB Vendor ID program
- ↑ Silicon Labs USB Vendor ID Application
- ↑ STMicroelectronics USB Vendor ID Application
- ↑ Texas Instruments USB Vendor ID Application
- ↑ USB IMPLEMENTERS FORUM SAYS NO TO OPEN SOURCE
