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CharlesW7y ago· 3 in thread

"Active Thunderbolt 3 cables support Thunderbolt at 40Gbps data transfer at lengths of up to 2m. Optical cables are targeted later, with lengths of up to 60m."

https://blog.startech.com/post/thunderbolt-3-the-basics/

izacus7y ago

They are, of course, significantly stupidly expensive and would cost more than many devices using USB as connecting protocol.

wongarsu7y ago

Of course the optical cable won't transfer 100W of power, so we're back to needing two types of cable (power delivery USB-C and non-power-delivery USB-C).

I guess technically you could make a USB-C cable that transfers signals optically and has high-gauge wire for power, but that sounds unwieldly and expensive.

nybble417y ago

> Of course the optical cable won't transfer 100W of power

You sure about that? The optical cables will still have copper wires for power transfer. Only the high-speed data is carried over optical fiber. Eliminating electrical interference from the data path might even permit higher voltages, and thus thinner, more flexible wires for the same power.

wmf7y ago

And don't forget that the One Cable costs $40.

Dylan168077y ago

As long as the only difference between cable capabilities is speed, I'm happy. We're not quite there but we're close.

Also it would need to be marked on the cable somewhere.

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