Thunderstorm interface, commonly known as lightning interface.
Thunderbolt connection technology combines PCI Express data transmission technology and DisplayPort display technology, which can transmit data and video signals at the same time, and each channel provides bidirectional bandwidth of 10Gbps. The latest Lightning 4 reaches 40Gbps.
Thunderbolt technology integrates PCI Express and DisplayPort communication protocols. Among them, PCI Express is used for data transmission and can easily expand any type of equipment. DisplayPort is used for display, and can transmit 1080p or even ultra-high definition video and up to 8 channels of audio synchronously.
Moreover, both channels have their own independent channels during transmission, which will not cause any interference.
The physical appearance of Thunderbolt interface is the same as the original Mini DisplayPort interface at first. The display of Mini DP interface and the adapter from Mini DP to HDMI/DVI/VGA interface can be used on Thunderbolt interface, and Thunderbolt interface can be used on Mac.
At present, the physical appearance of lightning interface is mostly Type-C interface.
Generally speaking, the existing physical interfaces have advantages in compatibility. Thunderbolt interface is driven by Intel control chip, connected to the system chipset through PCI-E x4 and DisplayPort bus, or directly connected to the core graphics card of Intel processor for DisplayPort output.
The transmission mechanism based on PCI-E protocol makes data transmission more convenient, omits the conversion step, and can also adapt to more occasions. Thunderbolt uses a copper cable with a length limit of 3 meters.
Optical cable products will also be launched. The theoretical transmission rate of optical fiber can reach 100Gbps, and the copper wire is only set at 10Gbps. Copper wire will retain an advantage in the future, that is, it will provide 10W power supply through cable, while optical fiber thunder will not provide power supply function.