Recently, a news release titled "Revised Version 2.1 of USB Type-C Cable and Connector Specification" has attracted the attention of Charging Head Network. Subsequently, upon consulting relevant materials, it was found that this is an extension of the "Fast Charging Technology Major Update, USB PD3.1 Release, Support for 48V and 240W Output" released by Charging Head Network in May this year.

The USB-IF association responsible for maintaining the USB-C protocol has issued new certification labels, mainly used to identify whether cables or ports support 60W or 240W power. We hope customers can understand these labels. USB C is increasingly becoming a standard, but different USB C cables support different cable powers. Now, the USB Association (USB-IF), a non-profit support group, wants buyers and users to immediately understand what type of cable they are receiving.

In a nutshell, this update updates the latest specifications for USB C cables, supporting up to 240W fast charging, further improving the entire USB PD3.1 standard ecosystem. In short, it is enough to power your gaming laptop and almost any other electronic device.

Jeff Ravenclaft, President and Chief Operating Officer of USB-IF, said, "With the USB PD 3.1 specification achieving new and higher power capabilities, it releases up to 240W of power on USB type-c cables and connectors. USB-IF sees an opportunity to further strengthen and simplify its certification logo program for end users

"With our updated logo, consumers can easily identify the usb 4 performance and USB Power Delivery function of certified usb c cables. These cables support the expanding Consumer electronics ecosystem, from laptops and smartphones to monitors and chargers."

The E-Marker chip released by USB type-c2.1 is a required chip for every USB C data cable exceeding 3A. Only a data cable with this chip built-in can be recognized by the charger, supporting fast charging of 100W and higher power, providing fast charging for mobile phones and laptops.

Currently, Android phones have been fully equipped with USB C ports for charging, and more and more laptops are starting to use USB C ports for charging. The advantages of USB PD fast charging, such as good universality and strong compatibility, have been fully utilized, and the market potential is enormous.

The USB-IF Association successfully held the USB Developer Conference in Seattle, USA from September 30 to October 1, 2021, announcing the new certified USB type-c cable rated power logo. The certified USB type-c cable will display the logo to support the recently released USB Power Delivery (USB PD) 3.1 specification definition of 60W or 240W power.

In addition, the certified USB4 logo is about to be updated to unify the entire certified USB logo program, providing consumers with a simple way to identify performance and the power supply capabilities of certified USB cables, hosts, peripheral devices, and chargers.

The USB-IF's new certified USB logo program proposes a cable logo that explicitly supports 60W or 240W as defined in the USB Power Delivery 3.1 specification. The organization has also released a new USB 4 logo. These signs aim to provide a "unified brand" for different types of cables.

All of this is thanks to the new USB type-c2.1 revision, of course, the biggest change is the 240W specification improvement we have seen. Previously, type-c connectors were limited to providing 20V voltage when outputting 5A current, which means they cannot provide power exceeding 100W.

Even at 100W, it is impressive for standard laptops or flagship smartphones, but if you are using a gaming laptop that includes a standard voltage or even overclocking CPU or desktop GPU, then 100W is not enough to keep it running for a long time. Moreover, many laptops connected to 100W PD charging heads can only obtain 65W or even lower power.

The new USB type-c revised version can provide up to 48V, 5A power support, which means it can reach a peak power of 240W. Almost all current laptop needs can be powered by a USB cable that will soon become popular. However, it should be noted that this optional power upgrade requires a new Extended Power Range (EPR) cable, rather than the standard SPR cable we are currently using.

This means that SPR cables will soon be replaced by EPR cables. But at the same time, we must understand the fact that devices that do not require such high power supply may still continue to use the existing standard USB type-c cables in the market, and can also enjoy improved transmission performance beyond power supply.

The arrival of USB PD3.1 specification categorizes the original USB PD3.0 content into the Standard Power Range (SPR), with a maximum power of 100W unchanged; At the same time, the Extended Power Range (EPR) has been added, expanding the maximum power from 100W to 240W.

According to data released by the USB-IF Association, three fixed voltage ranges of 28V, 36V, and 48V, as well as three adjustable voltage supplies (AVS), have been added to the extended power range EPR.

Here is a summary of the development history of USB charging standards on the Charging Head Network, which is convenient for everyone to understand the changes in each stage.

Recently, the news about the EU's unified USB C charging interface has caused a sensation in the industry. At present, the USB C interface recommended by the EU is from the USB-IF association, and the EU also recommends USB PD as the fast charging standard as its preferred choice.

Important Notice: The charging head network has learned the following important information from the USB-IF authorized laboratory Baijiatai, reminding manufacturers to pay attention.

USB-IF has established a new certified USB type-c cable logo to display the function of cable power in watts, clearly indicating support for USB defined 60W or 240W power transmission 3.1 specifications.

The certified USB 4 logo is updated simultaneously to unify the certified USB logo program.

Remind consumers to purchase USB certified products from trusted sources and display the USB-IF certification logo on packaging, product introduction, or cables or devices.

According to the latest information announced by USB-IF Compliance Updates, the association has clearly defined in Table 3-1 of Chapter 3 of USB type-c Cable and Connector Specification Revision 2.1 that 240W C to C Cable (48V 5A) will replace 100W C to C Cable (20V 5A), and will cease certification of all 100W C to C Cables (20V 5A) starting from December 22, 2021.

These manufacturers have prepared in advance. Currently, USB-IF has officially announced the USB PD3.1 fast charging specification and USB type-c2.1 cable standard, indicating that the future fast charging ecosystem will develop towards high-power. If you need fast charging, you cannot do without the support of the charger, cable, and device. Currently, the charger chip and cable chip are ready, and corresponding solutions have been provided by Infineon, Yichong, and Weifeng Electronics.

Finally, it's the device side. Who will be the first laptop brand to release support for USB PD3.1 fast charging? Can you experience devices with over 100W fast charging in 2021? At present, there are no exact answers to these questions, let's wait and see together.

Infineon is the first to launch a protocol chip that supports USB PD3.1. The specific model is EZ-PD PMG1-S3, which is the new generation USB PD protocol chip of Infineon brand and supports 28V 5A (140W) output and power consumption. The PMG1 protocol chips are equipped with built-in MCU microprocessors, which can provide additional control functions and are suitable for smart speakers, laptops, power tools, and storage devices.

The PMG1-S3 protocol chip that supports USB PD3.1 has two packages, QFN-48 and BGA-97. The two supported interfaces have different numbers and packaging, and the differences are presented in the form of tables. It is worth mentioning that BGA packaged fast charging chips are very rare.

The PMG1-S3 protocol chip integrates the USB PD3.1 protocol, with built-in ARM M0 and M0+processors. It integrates 256K Flash and 32K SRAM on the chip, supports GPIO pins, and is equipped with a path transistor driver circuit. It is used as a voltage regulator and pin high voltage protection circuit for on chip power supply. At the same time, PMG1 also provides overvoltage and overcurrent protection, short circuit protection, and reverse current protection. The newly introduced firmware protection feature supports security features such as secure firmware startup and signed firmware updates.

In addition, Infineon has also launched the USB4 emaker chip CPD2103, which has been adopted by multiple manufacturers.

Yichong Semiconductor Charging Head Network has learned that the latest USB4 E-Marker chip CPS8821 launched by ConvenientPower has passed the certification test of the USB-IF Association with TID number 4244.

CPS8821 has thus become the first E-Marker chip in China and the fifth globally certified by USB-IF and USB4. Easy to impact semiconductor CPS8821 adopts DFN-6L 2mmx2mm, DFN-8L 2mmx2mm, and CSP 1.4x1mm packaging methods, which are environmentally friendly, lead-free, and halogen-free.

It is understood that Easy Impact Semiconductor CPS8821 is a high-performance USB type-c passive cable electronic label chip (E-marker) that can provide cable main information including current carrying capacity, data transmission capacity, supplier information, etc; Supports the latest USB PD3.0 V2.0 version and USB4 features, supports Discover Identity, Discover SVID, Discover Modes, Enter Modes, and Exit Modes commands, and supports Manufacturer_ Info data package facilitates manufacturers to store relevant information in cables.

The VL153 E-Marker chip of Weifeng Electronics adopts WLCSP-6 packaging, with a packaging size of 1.1 * 1.245mm, which is very compact and has no external components, reducing the footprint of plug PCB area.

The Weifeng Electronics VL153 E-Marker chip can be used for USB C and Thunderbolt 3 passive lines, complies with USB PD and USB 4 specifications, supports programming using unstructured supplier customized information through CC lines, and supports SMBus programming and debugging.

VL153 does not require peripheral components and integrates all components internally. Simultaneously supports two writes of information, supports write protection, and has the advantages of long lifespan and data retention. VL153 can be used for fully functional USB C cables and passive lightning cables. Complies with RoHS and HF directives.

Weifeng Electronics VL153 provides DFN-8 and WLCSP packaging, suitable for various applications. The chip supports multiple programming methods and write protection, complete overvoltage and electrostatic protection, and no peripheral components, which can simplify design, reduce costs, and help accelerate the popularization of USB C interfaces.

In 2010, the BC (Battery Charging) group under the USB-IF Association developed the BC1.2 (Battery Charging V1.2) protocol, mainly used to regulate the requirements of battery charging. This protocol was first implemented based on the USB2.0 protocol.

In July 2012, USB-IF released the USB PD1.0 standard based on the ubiquitous USB-A and USB-B interfaces at the time, depicting a beautiful imagination of up to 100W power supply capacity through USB 3.0 and USB 2.0 interfaces.

In August 2014, the USB-IF Association released revolutionary type-c 1.0 interface standards and USB PD2.0 standards.

At the end of 2015, the USB-IF Association launched the USB PD3.0 standard.

In February 2017, an important update to the USB PD3.0 standard was released, adding a programmable power supply PPS to the USB PD3.0 standard.

In May 2021, the USB-IF Association unveiled the USB PD3.1 fast charging specification, proposing a vision for charging up to 48V 5A and 240W.

In October 2021, the USB-IF Association released the USB type-c2.1 cable standard and completed the 240W cable technical specification.

In ten years, from 7.5W to 240W, we have witnessed the transformation of USB PD fast charging Leopard.

Source: Charging head network