JRE USB 3-1 USB 3.0 ‘SuperSpeed’ Filtered Interface

Test USB 3.0 "SuperSpeed" devices in a sealed RF environment without throttling your data. The USB 3-1's patented design is not a low-pass filter, it rejects wireless RF interference without touching the high-speed data the way conventional filters do.

• Fully passive USB filtered interface — handles USB 2.0 and USB 3.x "SuperSpeed" over standard Type-A connectors
• Patented signal-phasing topology (two US patents), NOT a low-pass filter — discriminates data from RF interference rather than attenuating both
• No inherent data-speed limit in the filter itself — achievable speed is set by total cable attenuation, not by the filter
• Proper USB enumeration over a direct "copper" path — test hiccups are exchanged end-to-end, with none of the silent hang-ups a fiber or media-converter link can hide
• Fully passive by design, no active components, no firmware, nothing that could be subverted in a data-side attack
• 100% made in USA
• ~80 dB conducted attenuation, 50 MHz to over 6 GHz
• Appears to the link as roughly 1–1.5 m of USB cable — budget for it in your overall cable length
• One USB 3.0 Type-A male-to-male jumper cable included
• Rugged machined-aluminum housing
• Works with any RF test enclosure or screen room

The JRE USB 3-1 is a fully passive USB 3.0 SuperSpeed filtered interface built into a machined-aluminum housing that gives exceptional RF shielding on every data and power line. It uses standard Type-A connectors and is backward compatible with USB 2.0 and 1.1.

It works on an entirely different principle from older USB filters. Earlier designs low-pass filtered the data lines to knock down interfering wireless RF — but as USB rates climbed into the SuperSpeed range, the data itself moved up into the same frequency band as the interference, and a low-pass filter can no longer tell them apart: it attenuates both. Our patented design — for which we hold two US patents — instead exploits the fact that the USB data travels as a balanced differential signal while the interfering RF appears as common mode. Using signal-phasing techniques and topology, it discriminates between the two — rejecting the RF while passing the data clean — with no low-pass filtering anywhere on the data conductors, plus filtered power and return lines.

Speed and cables — what actually governs your data rate. The filter has no speed limit of its own; electrically it "looks like" roughly 1 to 1.5 meters of USB cable, and it's the total attenuation of the filter plus your connecting cables that sets the achievable rate. With the short jumper included, you'll reliably pass 5 Gbps and often up to 10 Gbps, depending on how robust your devices and cabling are. If you need a longer run, use an active cable or a powered USB hub — both carry active circuitry that regenerates and equalizes to make up cable loss. And there's a built-in safety net: if total loss is too high for SuperSpeed, the USB protocol simply falls back to a slower speed (down to USB 2.0) to keep the link alive rather than failing silently. There's a full write-up in our USB-3 and USB-C Special Considerations white paper.

The fully passive design is deliberate. We could put active equalizer or regenerator chips inside the filter — we choose not to, because a fully "copper," passive path is exactly what sensitive-data and secure testing demands: no active silicon, no firmware, nothing in the data path that could be compromised. When you need to make up cable loss, that conditioning lives in an external active cable or hub you control, not buried inside the wall. Combined with 100% USA manufacturing, that makes the USB 3-1 an easy fit for defense and security work.

Standard USB Type-A connectors make for simple, reliable hookup, and because the connection through the filter is direct copper, your devices enumerate normally and exchange any test hiccups between themselves — none of the undetected hang-ups that fiber-optic or media-converter interfaces can introduce. The data filtering passes USB 1.1, 2.0 and 3.x SuperSpeed while providing 80 dB of rejection to undesired wireless RF.

Reliable shielding starts at the mounting. The USB 3-1 secures to the enclosure wall with a ring of 4-40 screws (drilling template included for standalone installation), drawing the filter flange flat and tight against the wall around its entire perimeter. We have tested competitive filters that use a single center hole and a large securing nut — those are prone to leakage, because the coarse nut thread never seats the body reliably flat, and a single mechanical anchor works loose over time. Even a tiny loss of contact pressure opens an RF leak. Every USB 3-1 specification is measured with the filter installed in an enclosure, and it holds that performance no matter how many times the connector is mated or the filter gets bumped and jostled on the bench. The compact footprint also leaves room for more filters on the same I/O plate.

Download datasheet: USB3-1

Download hole pattern and drawing:  USB3-1 Outline drawing
Mounting screws are 4-40 and included with filter. Clearance hole size is 0.1285" diameter - #30 or 3.3mm drill

• Patented unique design discerns between data and RF signals
• Extremely wideband operation, from low VHF through microwave
• Low loss, appears to the devices as a one meter long cable
• Heavy duty machined aluminum case for reliable shielding and ruggedness
• Multiple points of attachment secures without rotation or loosening

• Insertion Loss on Data lines: less than 1.5 dB
• 80 dB isolation in test system configuration
• Data Line Balanced Impedance: 90 Ohms typical
• DC Power line: 0.1 ohms DC resistance, -20 db @ 1 MHz, -80 db @ 10 MHz to 6 GHz

Outside: 2" H x 3.2" W x 0.8" D (50 x 80 x 20 mm)

USB Inside: USB 3.0 Type A Female connector

USB Outside: USB 3.0 Type A Female connector

Cable: Type A Male to Male jumper cable included

Power capability: USB standard or up to 50 VDC at 1 amp. DC resistance each leg, 0.1 ohms max.

JRE Test’s RF Shielded Test Enclosures deliver real value and save time over in-house fabricated test solutions. Our fast off-the-shelf delivery, unbeatable price and performance make us the first choice for all your RF test needs. The industry's widest line of enclosures provides superior RF isolation from 10 MHz to over 6 GHz, covering the entire range of popular commercial, private and government communications systems. Whether you are designing, integrating, or conformance testing the next generation Wi-Fi, WLAN, 3G Cellular device, you can rely on JRE Test to provide a seamless solution that is compatible with today’s technology and is ready for the future.