If you like to know more, google is your best friend Current and Voltage USB-C cables can have different current and voltage ratings, affecting their ability to transmit power. The original USB-C Cables had a maximum voltage rating of 20V, but with technology progressing and the need for more power, 20V isn't enough anymore. The latest USB Power Delivery standard includes an Extended Power Range (EPR) which raises the maximum voltage to 48V. Along with the voltage increase, the original cable standard had a 3A maximum for current. Since that just wasn't enough for tablets and power-hungry laptops, the standard increased to 5A. These updates in the standard have increased the max power from 60W to a whopping 240W of available power. Now just because the cable can withstand higher voltage and currents it doesn't mean it has high marks in regards to data transfer. Some cables are designed solely for charging, while others can handle both charging and data transfer. Data Lines There are multiple sets of data lines with a wide range of data transfer rates and uses ranging from the configuration channel running at 500kbps to the super speed data lanes running at up to 20Gbps. Just like the power, the standard for these signals has changed over time along with ensuring support for charging only and legacy devices. A charging-only cable may simply have support for USB 2.0 at 480Mbps which is a significant limitation. In complement, a USB 4 full-featured cable will have support for up to 80Gbps. Passive and Active Cables USB-C cables can also be categorized as passive or active. Passive cables do not have any active components, while active cables have built-in circuitry that can boost the signal and provide higher data transfer rates. Although more expensive, they provide better performance, especially for longer cable lengths. These cables will often use either a redriver which amplifies the super speed signal or a retimer which amplifies and fixes the timing skew of the super speed signal.
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