The USB-C Explorer is a development board with everything needed to start working with USB Type-C. It contains a USB-C port controller and Power Delivery PHY chip, a microcontroller, and several opti…
The USB-C Explorer is a development board with everything needed to start working with USB Type-C. It contains a USB-C port controller and Power Delivery PHY chip, a microcontroller, and several options for user interaction. Here are the hardware features.
SAMD21E17A microcontroller
FUSB302B USB PD PHY
OLED Display
Capacitive-sense slider
Power header (up to 5 Amps)
Debug port (UART and/or GPIO)
SWD connector (Tag-Connect)
Reset and User Buttons
Onboard regulator, input up to 20 V.
The default firmware will identify as a USB Power Delivery Sink and list out all power capabilities from a corresponding Source. It will then request the highest power option. This voltage will be available on the power header. The example photo shows the capabilities of an Apple MacBook 87W Charger.
The default firmware also includes a USB bootloader. If you hold the User Button during reset, it will show up as a USB Mass Storage Device with a single file "FLASH.BIN". Copy the file to inspect the application firmware. Delete it and replace it with a new .bin file to rewrite the firmware. No programming cable is required.
To use the Single Wire Debug (SWD) function for live debugging, you will need a Tag-Connect TC2050-IDC-NL "plug of nails" cable and clip. You can then use an adapter to something like a Segger or J-Link.
This design is open source under an MIT license. All hardware designs, documentation, and firmware are freely available. You can find all design files at this github repository. I welcome feedback, so please let me know what you think. In particular, help with firmware would be appreciated.
Here are some other ideas for firmware upgrades
List out available Alternate Modes on the other side
Detect USB Battery Charging mode, in addition to Type-C Current
Use the cap-sense slider to navigate more complicated menus
Operate as a USB PD Source, powered from the VCONN pin on the power header
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(5.00)
Documentation:
(4.50)
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(4.50)
Ivan |
Dec. 17, 2021
An amazing one-of-a-kind tool
The USB-C explorer makes it possible to (finally) grasp how USB-PD works.
The out-of-the-box experience for the USB-C explorer is flawless: just plug it in, and it will tell on the display which modes the charger supports. I was able to test all my USB-C chargers and power banks with some unexpected learnings.
For those of us who want to learn more, there's an option to take a look at the schematics ([1]) and the source code ([2]).
Thank you, Jason, for sharing your knowledge with others in the best possible way.
Farley |
Oct. 17, 2021
Got it, seems to work great
Got it in the mail today, plugged into a few different USB-C devices and it wonderfully does what I hoped, telling me what modes they support. I haven't used the debug-ey features with the console or pins, but am happy to simply get info on various batteries and power bricks to see what voltages/amperages they support. Thanks!
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