USB Implementers Forum

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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:

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

References

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External links

  1. ↑ How to get a vendor ID from the USB-IF
  2. ↑ Dream S.A.S. USB Vendor ID Application
  3. ↑ Energy Micro Application for USB PID Sublicense
  4. ↑ FTDI USB Vendor ID Application
  5. ↑ Luminary Micro (now part of Texas Instruments) USB Vendor ID Application
  6. ↑ Microchip USB Vendor ID Application (dead link)
  7. ↑ NXP to offer global USB Vendor ID program
  8. ↑ Silicon Labs USB Vendor ID Application
  9. ↑ STMicroelectronics USB Vendor ID Application
  10. ↑ Texas Instruments USB Vendor ID Application
  11. ↑ USB IMPLEMENTERS FORUM SAYS NO TO OPEN SOURCE
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