At Plugfest 2024, you can verify your USB device compliance
The global electronics market exceeds a trillion dollars, and is projected to continue to grow by nearly 3% annually for the foreseeable future. And, there is tremendous competition for market share among OEMs, ODMs, and others that design and develop circuit boards. However, the requirement of interconnectivity between components and devices from various manufacturers to ensure reliable operation and quality performance creates a sense of camaraderie at events such as plugfests.
Plugfests, as the name implies, are opportunities for designers, developers, manufacturers, and others to plug their product into a device or product from another company and put it to the test. The primary objective of these industry gatherings is typically to validate a product’s compliance with a particular standard(s). For USB boards and devices that require USB compliance testing, Plugfest 2024 events that are sponsored or sanctioned by the USB-IF provide opportunities to verify that your product meets USB compliance standards. Capitalizing on these industry plugfests; however, requires preparation.
USB Plugfest 2024 Events
Below is a list of scheduled plugfests for 2024.
NOTE: Plugfest events may be scheduled at any time throughout the year.
Why Attend a USB Plugfest in 2024?
Many organizations sponsor plugfests or compliance testing events throughout the year. And there are benefits to attending a USB plugfest regardless of where you are in PCBA development.
As the list above illustrates, testing and verifying your product is the main reason for attending a plugfest. However, several benefits can be advantageous to your PCBA design process. Note that testing and compliance verification can be done at any plugfest. However, testing for certification can only be done at a USB-IF authorized independent testing laboratory (ITL), Platform Interoperability Lab (PIL), or plugfest like Compliance Workshop #133.
The organization’s Plugfest 2024 focuses on USB 3.1 power delivery (PD 3.1), including the following:
USB-IF Plugfest 2024 Compliance Testing Categories
- USB PD 3.1
- Power bricks
- Only silicon
- E-markers
- USB 4 E-markers
- Shared capacity chargers
- Sinking devices (single and multi-port)
- Power banks (including DRP)
As the above categories exhibit, plugfests are specific standard events. Therefore, it is crucial to adequately prepare to take advantage of the benefits these events offer.
Optimizing a USB Plugfest for Your PCBA Development
Plugfests are organized to use compliance testing to ensure interconnected USB products operate smoothly and perform reliability irrespective of the manufacturer/distributor. Maximally leveraging these events, which is best achieved by following the guidelines listed below, can also be a significant asset for optimizing your development process.
Preparation Guidelines for a USB Plugfest 2024
Know the specific standard focus, including sub-categories
As is the case for the USB-IF Plugfest 2024, these events typically have a constrained focus. For example, USB 3.1 Gen 1 hubs, hosts, and compound parts are not eligible for testing, while USB 3.1 PD products are.Know the explicit certification requirements for your product
Different product types have different test regimens and metrics that are evaluated. Therefore, it is essential to know what these are to prepare for the tests.Use software tools to pretest your design for compliance
The best way to prepare for success at a plugfest is to pretest. Care must be exercised here to ensure that your choice of product development software can emulate the test regimens used to test/verify the compliance of your product.To learn how to verify USB compliance during design and avoid wasteful manufacturing costs and time consuming redesigns, see this eBook.
Market competitiveness, tight development schedules, and other profitability issues are major concerns for new product introductions (NPI). For USB products, testing and verifying compliance can significantly impact design and development costs. One way to minimize these and help optimize ROI is to take advantage of events like Plugfest 2024.
EMA Design Automation is a leading provider of the resources that engineers rely on to accelerate innovation. We provide solutions that include PCB design and analysis packages, custom integration software, engineering expertise, and a comprehensive academy of learning and training materials, which enable you to create more efficiently. For more information on Plugfest 2024 and how we can help you or your team innovate faster, contact us.
