USB Implementers Forum
The USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF) is a nonprofit organization created to promote and support the Universal Serial Bus (USB). 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.
Abbreviation | USB-IF |
---|---|
Founded | 1995[1] |
93-1296452[2] | |
Legal status | 501(c)(6) professional association[2] |
Headquarters | Beaverton, Oregon, U.S.[2] |
Coordinates | 45.492060°N 122.832878°W |
President, Chief Operating Officer | Jeff Ravencraft[3] |
Revenue (2015) | $4,789,113[2] |
Expenses (2015) | $4,579,090[2] |
Employees (2015) | 0[2] |
Volunteers (2015) | 57[2] |
Website | www |
The USB-IF was founded in 1995[1] by the group of companies that was developing USB, which was released in 1996. The founding companies of USB-IF were Compaq, Digital, IBM, Intel, Microsoft, NEC and Nortel. Notable current members include Hewlett-Packard, NEC, Microsoft, Apple Inc., Intel, and Agere Systems.
The working committees within USB-IF are:
- Device Working Group
- Compliance Committee
- Marketing Committee
The USB-IF web caters to developers who may sign up freely to the developer web-forums and access documentation. To join a working group, however, one has to work for a member company or register as a member. The developer forums oversee the development of the USB connector, of other USB hardware, and of USB software; they are not end-user forums.
In 2014, the USB-IF announced USB-C. USB-C connectors can transfer data with rates up to 10 Gbit/s and provides up to 100 watts of power.[4]
In 2015, the seven-person board of directors, led by USB-IF President and Chief Operating Officer Jeff Ravencraft, consisted of representatives of Apple, HP Inc., Intel Corporation, Microsoft Corporation, Renesas Electronics, STMicroelectronics, and Texas Instruments.[2]
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 per year. Additionally, the use of a trademarked USB logo to identify certified devices requires license fee of US$3,500 for a 2-year term.[5] 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.[6]
- Energy Micro[7]
- FTDI[8]
- Luminary Micro[9]
- Microchip[10]
- NXP [11]
- Silicon Labs[12]
- STMicroelectronics[13]
- Texas Instruments[14]
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 have not released any confirmation about reserving it for this particular purpose.[15]
See also
References
- "Members". USB.org. USB Implementers Forum, Inc. Retrieved 13 July 2018.
- "Form 990: Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax". USB Implementers Forum. Guidestar. December 31, 2015.
- "About". USB Implementers Forum. Retrieved February 5, 2018.
- "USB 3.0 Promoter Group Announces USB Type-C Connector Ready for Production" (PDF).
- 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 Archived 16 October 2012 at the Wayback Machine
- FTDI USB Vendor ID Application
- Luminary Micro (now part of Texas Instruments) USB Vendor ID Application
- Application for Sub-License to Microchip Universal Serial Bus Vendor ID
- 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