Active cable

Active cables are copper cables used for data transmission that use an electronic circuit to boost the performance of the cable. Without an electronic circuit, a cable is considered a passive cable. Passive cables are liable to data degradation, due to channel impairments, including attenuation, crosstalk and group velocity distortion. In active cables, a circuit using one or several integrated circuits is embedded in the cable to compensate for some or all of these impairments. This active boosting allows cables to be more compact, thinner, longer and to transmit data faster than their passive equivalents. Active cables are used in enterprise networks which form the backbone of modern data communication systems. They are also used to connect consumer devices such as cameras, gaming consoles, and HDTVs. Embedding circuitry in cables can allow for less copper to be used in cable production while retaining performance, reducing the weight of the cable by as much as 80%, and reducing cable size. Other benefits include longer reach and lower power consumption. Active cables are more compact and portable than passive cables, and as such, they are ideal for use with products such as smartphones, HDTVs, gaming consoles, and DV cameras. DisplayPort is the latest consumer electronics standard that has enabled support for active cables by allocating power supply pins inside the connector. Active DisplayPort cables enable ultra-thin (32 AWG and thinner) and long-reach interconnects which are particularly valuable for the use with the miniature Mini DisplayPort form-factor. Active cables play an important role in enterprise and storage applications due to the confined space and air-flow requirements in data centers and the long reaches (typically up to 30 meters) required to make some of the rack-to-rack connections. Because active cables can facilitate thin cable gauges the cables have a tighter bend radius, which can give cables in these applications easier maneuverability and allow for better airflow.