New Industry Products

Discovery and Evaluation Kits for USB-C Power Delivery 3.0 Protocol

February 25, 2019 by Scott McMahan

STMicroelectronics has added new tools and capabilities to the STM32Cube ecosystem. The company says that these new tools shorten the learning curve for STM32G0 users to take advantage of the microcontrollers' support for certified USB Type-C™ and the Power Delivery (PD) 3.0 protocol.

ST has introduced the STM32GO Discovery kit (order code: STM32G071B-DISCO) gives access to the USB-C port for checking the status of power capabilities when connected to any USB-C host such as a computer, smartphone, or USB-C docking station.

The company has also launched the STM32G081B-EVAL high-end development platform. (See image above). STM32G081B-EVAL features a daughter card containing two USB-C ports managed by the STM32G0 MCU. Application firmware examples are provided to help evaluate USB-C technology through various use cases.

Together, the STM32G071B-DISCO and STM32CubeMonitor-UCPD create a professional-grade Power Delivery analyzer that allows intensive interaction for debugging and development. The user can also trace or inject USB PD data packets between two USB-C devices.

ST asserts that STM32G0 devices are the world's first general-purpose microcontrollers to support the USB Type-C specifications.

The company's USB Type-C Power Delivery (UCPD) interface IP combines certified USB Type-C connector management and handling of the PD protocol with MCU features that include an Arm® Cortex®-M0+ core, up to 512 Kbytes Flash, and peripherals including a 12-bit 2.5 MSPS ADC, a 2-channel DAC, fast comparators, and high-accuracy timers.

Up to two UCPD interfaces are integrated on-chip. Each supports USB-C Sink (SNK), Source (SRC), or Dual-Role Power (DRP) roles, as well as optional USB PD features such as PPS (Programming Power Supply) mode, firmware upgrade over communication (CC) lines, and authentication messages.

New updates to the STM32CubeMX configurator allow setting the number of ports and selecting SNK, SRC, or DRP role.

The latest STM32 ecosystem extensions let developers choose the UCPD settings and visualize data and power-control signals flowing through the USB-C interface: they include the new, free USB PD analyzer graphical tool -- STM32CubeMonitor-UCPD -- for monitoring interface status and inspecting USB PD protocol messages.

STM32CubeMonitor-UCPD also lets users interact with the application environment by sending PD commands to the target board. Other features include easy changing of power-role and data-role settings with a single click, easy handling of sink or source power profiles, and live monitoring of protocol messages, bus voltage, and bus current for debugging the application.

STM32G071B-DISCO Discovery Kit

The STM32G071B-DISCO Discovery board is a demonstration and development platform for the STMicroelectronics Arm® Cortex® -M0+ core-based STM32G071RB USB Type-C and Power Delivery microcontroller. The STM32G071B-DISCO Discovery board is presented with all necessary interfaces for easy connection and interoperability with other USB Type-C devices. The STM32G071B-DISCO Discovery board is intended for discovery and display of USB Type-C port characteristics such as data role, power role, VBUS, and IBUS monitoring.

It offers an advanced user mode when associated with the STM32CubeMonUCPD software GUI and can be used as a USB Type-C and Power Delivery analyzer.

Key Features of STM32G071B-DISCO Discovery Kit

STM32G071RBT6 microcontroller featuring 128 Kbytes of Flash memory and 32 Kbytes of RAM in LQFP64 package
Plastic case
1" 128 x 64 pixels OLED LCD module with SPI interface
USB Type-C interface plug cable and receptacle connector accessible by door with reed sensor detection
3 x bidirectional current and power monitors with I²C interface to measure Vbus, CC1 and CC2 protected and isolated lines
On-board dc-dc converter to sustain power supply with V_BUS varying from 3 V to 20 V (+/- 5 %)
4 user status LEDs about USB Type-C configuration
3 x LEDs for power and ST-LINK communication
4-way joystick with selection button
Reset push-button
Board external connectors:
- USB Type-C plug cable
- USB Type-C receptacle connector
- 8-pin user extension connector including ADC, SPI, USART and I²C communication signals
- USB with Micro-AB (ST-LINK)
Board internal connectors:
- 2 x 8-pin GPIOs free pins from microcontroller (accessible internally when case is removed)
- USB Type-C test points for main signals
Flexible power-supply options: ST-LINK USB V_BUS or USB Type-C V_BUS
On-board ST-LINK/V2-1 debugger/programmer with USB enumeration capability: mass storage, Virtual COM port and debug port
Comprehensive free software libraries and examples available with the STM32Cube™ MCU Package
Support of a wide choice of integrated development environments (IDEs), including IAR™, Keil^® and GCC-based IDEs

STM32G081B-EVAL Board

The evaluation board includes a mother board, a legacy peripheral daughterboard and a USB-C and power delivery daughterboard, which help to evaluate all peripherals (USB Type-C connector with USB PD, motor control connector, RS232, RS485, audio DAC, microphone ADC, TFT LCD, IrDA, IR LED, IR receiver, LDR, MicroSD card, CEC on two HDMI connectors, smart card slot, RF E2PROM & Temperature sensor…).

The board integrates an ST-LINK/V2-1 as an embedded in-circuit debugger and programmer for the STM32 MCU.

The daughterboard and extension connectors provide an easy way to connect a daughterboard or wrapping board for the user's specific applications.

The USB-C and Power Delivery daughterboard features two independent USB-C ports controlled by an STM32G0. USB-C port 1 is dual role power (DRP) and can provide up to 45W. USB-C Port 2 is sink only. Both support USB PD protocol and alternate mode functionality.

Application firmware examples are provided to evaluate the USB-C technology through various use cases.

Key Features of STM32G081B-EVAL Board

Mother board
- STM32G081RBT6 microcontroller with 128 Kbytes of Flash memory and 32 Kbytes of RAM in LQFP64 package
- MCU voltage choice fixed 3.3 V or adjustable from 1.65 V to 3.6 V
- I²C compatible serial interface
- RTC with backup battery
- 8-Gbyte or more SPI interface microSD card
- Potentiometer
- 4 xcolor user LEDs and one LED as MCU low-power alarm
- Reset, Tamper and User buttons
- 4-direction control and selection joystick
- Board connectors:
  - 5V power jack
  - RS-232 and RS485 communications
  - Stereo audio jack including analog microphone input
  - microSD card
  - Extension I²C connector
  - Motor-control connector
- Board extension connectors:
  - Daughterboard connectors for legacy peripheral daughter board or USB-C daughterboard
  - Extension connectors for daughterboard or wire-wrap board
- Flexible power-supply options:
  - 5V power jack
  - ST-LINK/V2-1 USB connector
  - Daughterboard
- On-board ST-LINK/V2-1 debugger/programmer with USB re- enumeration capability: mass storage, virtual COM port and debug port
- Comprehensive free software libraries and examples available with the STM32Cube package
- Support of a wide choice of Integrated Development Environments (IDEs) including IAR, Keil, GCC-based IDEs
Legacy peripheral daughterboard
- IrDA transceiver
- IR LED and IR receiver
- Light dependent resistor (LDR)
- Temperature Sensor
- Board connectors:
  - 2 x HDMI connectors with DDC and CEC
  - Smart card slot
USB-C and Power Delivery daughterboard
- Mux for USB3.1 Gen1 / DisplayPort input and Type-C port1 output
- Mux for Type-C port2 input and DisplayPort output / USB2.0
- VCONN on Type-C port1
- USB PD on Type-C port1
- Board connectors:
  - Type-C port1 DRP (dual-role port)
  - Type-C port2 Sink
  - DisplayPort input
  - DisplayPort output
  - USB 3.1 Gen1 Type-B receptacle
  - USB 2.0 Type-A receptacle
  - 19V power jack for USB PD

The recommended retail price for the STM32G071B-DISCO Discovery kit is $65.00. The STM32G081B-EVAL platform is $382.00. STM32CubeMX and STM32CubeMonitor-UCPD are provided free of charge.