USB-C Power for embedded systems

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USB#PD


https://www.silabs.com/products/development-tools/mcu/8-bit/usb-type-c

Power Delivery Controller  - unlock the 9V and 15 V outputs from USB Power suplies
https://www.silabs.com/products/development-tools/mcu/8-bit/usb-type-c/efm8-busy-bee-power-delivery-controller

https://cambrionix.com/products/powersync4-usb-type-c-power-delivery-oems/

In July 2012, the USB Promoters Group announced the finalization of the USB Power Delivery (PD) Specification (USB PD rev. 1), an extension that specifies using certified PD aware USB cables with standard USB Type-A and Type-B connectors to deliver increased power (more than 7.5 W) to devices with larger power demand. Devices can request higher currents and supply voltages from compliant hosts – up to 2 A at 5 V (for a power consumption of up to 10 W), and optionally up to 3 A or 5 A at either 12 V (36 W or 60 W) or 20 V (60 W or 100 W).[106] In all cases, both host-to-device and device-to-host configurations are supported.[107]

The intent is to permit uniformly charging laptops, tablets, USB-powered disks and similarly higher-power consumer electronics, as a natural extension of existing European and Chinese mobile telephone charging standards. This may also affect the way electric power used for small devices is transmitted and used in both residential and public buildings.[108][109] The standard is designed to coexist with the previous USB Battery Charging specification.[110]

The Power Delivery Specification defines six fixed power profiles for the power sources. PD-aware devices implement a flexible power management scheme by interfacing with the power source through a bidirectional data channel and requesting a certain level of electrical power, variable up to 5 A and 20 V depending on supported profile. The power configuration protocol uses a 24 MHz BFSK-coded transmission channel on the VBUS line.

The USB Power Delivery Specification revision 2.0 (USB PD rev. 2) has been released as part of the USB 3.1 suite.[111] It covers the Type-C cable and connector with four power/ground pairs and a separate configuration channel, which now hosts a DC coupled low-frequency BMC-coded data channel that reduces the possibilities for RF interference.[112] Power Delivery protocols have been updated to facilitate Type-C features such as cable ID function, Alternate Mode negotiation, increased VBUS currents, and VCONN-powered accessories.

As of USB Power Delivery Specification revision 2.0, version 1.2, the six fixed power profiles for power sources have been deprecated.[113] USB PD Power Rules replace power profiles, defining four normative voltage levels at 5 V, 9 V, 15 V, and 20 V. Instead of six fixed profiles, power supplies may support any maximum source output power from 0.5 W to 100 W.[105]

The upcoming USB Power Delivery Specification revision 3.0 defines new power rules based on supplied wattage. Programmable power supply protocol allows granular control over VBUS power in 10 mV steps to facilitate constant current or constant voltage charging. Revision 3.0 also adds extended configuration messages, fast role swap, and deprecates the BFSK protocol.[114]

As of April 2016, there are silicon controllers available from several sources such as TI and Cypress.[115][116] Power supplies bundled with Type-C based laptops from Apple, Google, HP, Dell, and Razer support USB PD.[117] In addition, accessories from third party vendors including Anker,[118] Belkin,[119][120] iVoler,[121] and Innergie[122] support USB PD rev. 2 at multiple voltages. Asus make a PD compliant adapter card, the USB 3.1 UPD Panel

Elantric


admin

#2
https://electronics.stackexchange.com/questions/361391/how-to-get-20-v-from-a-usb-c-charger

QUESTION:
I want to power my DIY stuff with a MacBook Pro USB C charger. The label on a charger says that it can provide three different power profiles:


USB-C charger specs



* 20.2V - 4.3A
* 9V - 3A
* 5.2V - 2.4A

There is a ton of information about what USB-C power distribution is capable of, but I can't find any examples of how exactly to do it.

Is there an easy way or workaround to request one of those power profiles without using a microcontroller?

For example, I got apple MacBook Pro charger, apple USB-C cable, and a breakout board like this one:


USB-C simple breakout board



ANSWER:

In a word, no. You need to implement the USB Power Delivery protocol through the CC line of the Type-C connector and that's a two way communication at 300kbps complete with preamble, CRC and so on that is pretty much impossible to do without a microcontroller.

The PD message format looks like this:



For full details you'll need the USB Power Delivery specification,
http://www.usb.org/developers/powerdelivery/

but there's a useful introduction here
https://www.embedded.com/design/power-optimization/4458400/USB-Type-C-and-power-delivery-101-----Power-delivery-protocol

which is where the diagram above came from.

shareimprove this answer
answered Mar 13 at 16:05

Finbarr
3,266723
+1. This is only the physical format of communication packet. There are several more layers of logical protocols one needs to obey before the charger outputs 20 V. – Ale..chenski Mar 13 at 16:30
@AliChen I added this purely to show the level of complexity that needs to be implemented and illustrate the point that without a microcontroller it's a non-starter. – Finbarr Mar 13 at 17:17
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Is there an easy way or workaround to request one of those power profiles without using a microcontroller?

In theory: yes, you could make a circuit using standard logic chips to emulate the protocol and "fool" the charger to output more than 5 V. This will be a very complex circuit though and will require some reverse engineering and detailed study of the protocol. Since this is an Apple product, it might not strictly adhere to the public standards either.

In practice: no as a microcontroller will offer much more flexibility than a bunch of logic chips. Also precise timing will be much easier to achieve.

But for both cases: I do not think it is worth the effort to do this in the first place. It will be much cheaper and much less effort to buy a power adapter which will output the voltage you require.

Also, there is the risk that you somehow break or damage the adapter. Then you have no way of charging your MacBook until you buy a new adapter. Since this is an Apple product, that might not be cheap. So why risk that?
-----
As Finbarr noted, you need to implement Power Delivery communication protocol to negotiate the 20 V output profile. The PD specification was designed by a community of more than 300 fine engineers from top semiconductor and software companies. It took 3 major revisions and about 5 years of work to come up with current functional standard. Trying to implement the protocol from scratch (as Finbarr seems to suggest) is an obviously losing proposition.

However, there is a solution at DIY level. Due to horrible protocol complexity, several semiconductor companies offer a set of ICs that embed the PD protocol, a turnkey solution. To start, look at overview of PD solutions at TI, and select proper cluster.
http://www.ti.com/interface/usb/type-c-and-power-delivery/overview.html


You already have the functional PD source. So you need to select "Device UFP" and "Sink". You will have about 5 variants of ICs performing the function of PD controllers, something like TUSB422 or TPS65981. Unfortunately, the IC will need some control over I2C interface to perform the actual negotiation, so you will need some microprocessor with some software support for PD. They should offer development kits with full examples how to do this.

So, good luck.

EDIT: Other companies as NXP, Maxim, Linear, Cypress, ON Semi, STMicro, might offer controllers with pin straps (with no microcontrollers), but you need to search for this.

http://www.cypress.com/documentation/reference-designs/ccg2-60w-car-charger-reference-design
https://www.coolgear.com/product/usb-car-charger-board-60w-high-power-pcb?


admin

#3
https://camo.githubusercontent.com/933fd8ca205c5fee5ebb8a9e1cf9a69a8c3ba1ea/687474703a2f2f692e696d6775722e636f6d2f783935335061382e6a7067








http://laptop006.livejournal.com/59591.html
Some time back we ran a post on those cheap USB soldering irons which appeared to be surprisingly capable considering they were really under powered, literally.
https://hackaday.com/2016/04/25/usb-soldering-iron-is-surprisingly-capable/

But USB Type-C is slated to change that. Although it has been around for a while, we are only now beginning to see USB-C capable devices and chargers gain traction. USB-C chargers featuring the USB-PD option (for power delivery) can act as high power sources allowing fast charging of laptops, phones and other devices capable of negotiating the higher currents and voltages it is capable of sourcing. [Julien Goodwin] shows us how he built a USB-C powered soldering iron that doesn't suck.
http://laptop006.livejournal.com/59591.html


He is able to drive a regular Hakko iron at 20 V and 3 Amps, providing it with 60 W of input power from a USB-C charger. The Hakko is rated for 24 V operating voltage, so it is running about 16% lower power voltage. But even so, 60 W is plenty for most cases. The USB-C specification allows up to 5 A of current output in special cases, so there's almost 100 W available when using this capability.

It all started while he was trying to consolidate his power brick collection for his various computers in order to reduce the many types and configurations of plugs. Looking around, he stumbled on the USB-PD protocol.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USB#Power_Delivery_.28PD.29

After doing his homework, he decided to build a USB Type-C charger board
http://laptop006.livejournal.com/59323.html
with the PD feature based on the TI TPS65986 chip – a very capable USB Type-C and USB PD Controller and Power Switch.
http://www.ti.com/product/TPS65986


The TI chip is a BGA package, so he had to outsource board assembly, and with day job work constantly getting in the way, it took a fair bit of time before he could finally test it. Luckily, none of the magic smoke escaped from the board and it worked flawlessly the first time around. Here is his deck of slides about USB-C & USB-PD [PDF] that he presented at linux.conf.au 2017 Open Hardware Miniconf early this year. It provides a nice insight to this standard, including a look at the schematic for his driver board.
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/3239420/USB-C%20%26%20USB-PD.pdf



Being such a versatile system, we are likely to see USB-C being used in more devices in the future. Which means we ought to see high power USB Soldering Irons appearing soon. But at the moment, there is a bit of a "power" struggle between USB-C and Qualcomm's competing "Quick Charge" (QC) technology. It's a bit like VHS and Betamax, and this time we are hoping the better technology wins.

Posted in Peripherals Hacks, Tool Hacks
Tagged Hakko, soldering iron, usb, USB C, USB Type-C, USB-PD


admin

https://www.tindie.com/products/clayghobbs/pd-buddy-sink/

What is it?
PD Buddy Sink is a smart power jack for USB Power Delivery. Configure it with the voltage and current your project needs, then plug it into any USB PD power supply with a high enough power capability. It negotiates with the power supply and turns on its output, giving your project up to 3 A at 5, 9, or 15 V, and up to 5 A at 20 V. With the latest firmware release, the Sink can also make requests from USB PD programmable power supplies, providing any voltage from up to 4-21 V at 20 mV increments.

PD Buddy Sink is simple to configure. Just plug it into a computer while holding the Setup button, and connect to the USB CDC console interface. Alternatively, use the (still experimental) configuration GUI. The configuration interface works with Linux, Mac OS X, and Windows 10.

All units ship with the latest stable firmware (1.2.2), supporting Power Delivery negotiations while in Setup mode. To use this feature with an external power supply, I recommend adding a PD Buddy Wye to your order. The latest release also supports making requests from USB PD programmable power supplies (PPS), which offer voltages at 20 mV increments from a wide range (up to 3-21 V is offered, but the Sink can't run far below 4 V).

Note: Power supply, USB Type-C cable, voltmeter, and breadboarded example circuit not included.

Why did you make it?
One day I was digging through a box of wall warts, trying to find one that would work for my latest project. I needed one with 12-16 V output at no less than 0.5 A, and with a reasonable output connector. Untangling cords and checking labels was taking a while, and I started thinking. "If I could use USB Power Delivery, I wouldn't ever have to do this again." Since USB PD power supplies can provide a multitude of voltages at sizable currents over a USB-C cable, all you'd need is a little circuit board that takes the place of a power jack and tells the power supply what your project needs. I searched the web, and to my surprise, no such device was available! I realized I'd have to make it myself.

What makes it special?
To the best of my knowledge, PD Buddy Sink is the first complete device that allows any hacker, maker, tinkerer, or electronics hobbyist to easily power their projects from USB Power Delivery.

admin

UPD005 PD To DC Spoofing Detection PD2.03.0 Fast Charge Trigger HID Programming



https://www.ebay.com/itm/USB-3-1-Type-C-USB-C-to-DC-20V-Power-Plug-PD-Emulator-Trigger-Charge-Cable-GL/113677986333

SKU: CE1094

Features:

USB 3.1 Type C USB-C to DC 20V 5.5 2.5mm & 2.1mm Power Plug PD Dummy Emulator Charge Cable for Laptop

Build-in the PD Emulator Trigger at Type-C female end.

Input: Type-C Female, 65W or 87W Type-C Charger

Output:DC 5.5 2.5mm & 2.1mm male, DC 18v-20v(not support 5v)

Use it with the 65W or 87W Type-C Charger to conveniently charge your Laptop with DC5.5mm 18v-20v port from a wall outlet.

Please note the Type-C charger power must be over than the output end.



HAMERMAN409

At work all our machines are moving to Windows 10 so I just got a new Dell laptop. We use docking stations and traditionally the laptop sat on top of the docking station and connected through a large proprietary connector. With the new one there is no connector underneath and the dock connects using USB-C (which seems to be the new norm). The funny thing is that since this is a power hungry machine the dock connects to the Laptop using a pair of USB-C cables since one isn't capable of providing enough power.   





Elantric