Corning Develops Optical USB & Thunderbolt Cables

[ravneillal]

Corning displayed the USB and Thunderbolt optical cables at CES this year. These products are yet to be authorized by Federal Communications Commission.

CES youtube link:

Corning's Website:http://www.corning.com/CableSystems/OpticalCablesbyCorning/products/USB-3.Optical.aspx#.UfLseI1TDiM

 

[stevv]

30 meters.. nice.  Hope not too expensive.  I just ran two 100 footer usb2 cables through the drop ceiling a few months ago in a office lol.  These would be great since there's no electrical interference, especially from power lines in long runs.

 

Also useful in putting computer in other side or another room.  :D

 

A little disappointing these guys haven't put much thought into use cases.  If only they made pcie usb3 cards that turn your computer into shared storage, that would even replace setting up 10GB network connections.

[Kajornkeat]

This is kinda cool but I'm pretty sure you will need a new cable if you kink it. I think it will cost around the same as Thunderbolt cable because it must have a chip inside the connector to convert electricity->light. Only solution that won't make this technology so expensive for consumer is make a new port for it. Let the PC/peripheral do all the conversion and all you need is an optical cable.

[Scheer]

This is kinda cool but I'm pretty sure you will need a new cable if you kink it. I think it will cost around the same as Thunderbolt cable because it must have a chip inside the connector to convert electricity->light. Only solution that won't make this technology so expensive for consumer is make a new port for it. Let the PC/peripheral do all the conversion and all you need is an optical cable.

 

I would assume that is is either very similar or identical to a Corning fiber cable, so kinking isn't much of an issue as I've never managed to mess up a fiber patch cable. The only delicate thing about fiber is the connector ends, which are extremely delicate to the point touching them can ruin them.

[martinrox1568]

This is kinda cool but I'm pretty sure you will need a new cable if you kink it. I think it will cost around the same as Thunderbolt cable because it must have a chip inside the connector to convert electricity->light. Only solution that won't make this technology so expensive for consumer is make a new port for it. Let the PC/peripheral do all the conversion and all you need is an optical cable.

im pretty sure that there is nothing inside the cable, but the dongle thing connected to the optical cable

[txus.palacios]

30 meters.. nice.  Hope not too expensive.  I just ran two 100 footer usb2 cables through the drop ceiling a few months ago in a office lol.  These would be great since there's no electrical interference, especially from power lines in long runs.

 

Also useful in putting computer in other side or another room.  :D

 

A little disappointing these guys haven't put much thought into use cases.  If only they made pcie usb3 cards that turn your computer into shared storage, that would even replace setting up 10GB network connections.

 

I don't know why someone would need 100ft runs of USB.

 

Could you explain why you had to do that?

[Scheer]

 

 

I don't know why someone would need 100ft runs of USB.

 

Could you explain why you had to do that?

 

 

Anytime that you would want a monitor/kb/mouse somewhere other than the PC. I've done it to put a computer out in the shop but keep the PC out of the dust, and also for our conference room to have a dedicated PC to the projector mounted on the wall, with USB ports in the center of the conference table.

[stevv]

I don't know why someone would need 100ft runs of USB.

 

Could you explain why you had to do that?

 

The 100 footers were for a small medical office, and we moved all the system to terminals (getting rid of the desktops and separate machine), and everything to the back room where the servers resided.  They needed for USB for some medical equipment and device access, and the other options were too slow, not consistent or incompatible.  Ran two for backup.  If it where non critical, I might have stuck with the usb from the terminals, or use usb-ethernet adaptors.

 

For my personal use, I ran 50 footers of all my cables (3x usb,2xhdmi, optical, etc... ) from my computer that was on the other side of the room on a bookcase.  Cleared my workspace of large computer equipment (except monitors of course) and noise.  I was going to run it to the living room too so I can play on the TV but haven't got around to that.

 

I'm looking forward to having just one optical cable to access my whole computer.  I would go as far as getting rid of the rear IO panel on motherboards and have everything externally through a single (long run capable) cable.

Anytime that you would want a monitor/kb/mouse somewhere other than the PC. I've done it to put a computer out in the shop but keep the PC out of the dust, and also for our conference room to have a dedicated PC to the projector mounted on the wall, with USB ports in the center of the conference table.

matrox extio... lol

looking forward to thunderbolt + optical.

[MdX MaxX]

Only solution that won't make this technology so expensive for consumer is make a new port for it. Let the PC/peripheral do all the conversion and all you need is an optical cable.

*glares at Intel*

 

C'mon Intel, where's the Lightpeak you promised us?