I've seen conflicting information across the internet on where and whether or not to bond the GND with GND Drain. My application is a USB-3 Redriver which is connected in the middle of two cables serving as a bulkhead connector in our system, so the board is a 1" circular standalone PCB. I mention this because perhaps GND_DRAIN would serve a different purpose for termination if my redriver application were placed on the Host or Slave PCB.
AFAIK the different grounding strategies for the GND_DRAIN on USB3 would be as follows:
- Reducing EMI emissions
- Reducing EMI susceptibility
- Defining cable impedance
- Providing a discharge route for ESD
Ultimately my question is, given my application as outlined: Would I want to bond GND and GND_DRAIN (pin 4 and 7 respectively) on my redriver board?
