Diodes Incorporated — AP3377x USB Type-C Power Controllers

The new AP33771 and AP33772 USB Power Delivery (PD) 3.0 sink controllers from Diodes Incorporated regulate the power supplied to products such as home appliances and cordless power tools over a USB Type-C® connection.

Compliant with the USB Power Delivery (PD) 3.0 specifications, these controllers operate from a wide voltage range, and enable sink equipment to negotiate the appropriate voltage and power level when drawing power via USB. The built-in firmware in these devices automatically carries out the PD 3.0 negotiation procedure with a USB PD 3.0-compliant charger. Both devices also support the programmable power supply (PPS) function.

The AP33771 provides for easier design integration, as it has a preloaded menu of eight output voltages of 5 V, 9 V, 15 V and 20 V standard USB PD voltages, plus four PPS voltages and 10 power levels. The voltage requirements are set through three pins, while the power requirements are set by adjusting the value of a resistor connected to a fourth pin. The AP33771 also supports 5 V charging when connected to a USB Type-A charger, and enables USB Type-C-to-USB Type-C cable voltage-drop compensation.

The AP33772 provides greater flexibility for designs which require the freedom to set voltage and power levels when used with a suitable PPS-enabled power adapter. Designers can specify voltage and current requests in 20 mV and 50 mA steps, and access various protection features via the I2C interface.

Both devices can drive LED indicator lights through one of their GPIOs to communicate charging state and faults.