USB Type-C PD Controller IC Enables 3A Current Delivery

FTDI Chip has introduced the USB power delivery technology necessary to go beyond the powering of consumer electronics products and support the elevated current levels required by larger items of electronic equipment. The FT4233H is an advanced bridge IC with USB Type-C connectivity and USB power delivery (PD) Rev. 3.0 controller capabilities - supporting applications up to 100W. 

Through the use of the FT4233H, it will be possible for currents of reaching 3A to be provided to connected hardware (power tools, lights, household appliances, etc.). All the negotiation and power gauging activities are taken care of directly, via the IC's integrated 32-bit PD Policy Engine and USB Protocol Engine elements (with no USB specific firmware programming being required). This means the system microcontroller does not have to get involved in such functions and system performance is thus not impacted upon.

Supporting USB High-Speed data rates (480Mbps), the USB bridge function of this device is compatible with the quad high-speed USB to multi-purpose bridging offered by the company’s previous generation FT4232H device - including UART, I²C, JTAG, Bit-Bang or SPI via its integrated MPSSE Engine, on up to 4 independently controllable channels. Support of two Type-C ports is encompassed, with a configurable port that can act as either a power sink or source (or in a dual role capacity) supporting Fast Role Swap, and the other port serving solely as a sink.  

The FT4233H USB bridge IC relies on a single 3.3V power source for both VCC and VCCIO. It is supplied in a 76-pin QFN package. An operational temperature range spanning from -40°C to +85°C is supported. 

About FTDI Chip

FTDI Chip develops innovative silicon solutions that enhance interaction with the latest in global technology. The major objective from the company is to ‘bridge technologies’ in order to support engineers with highly sophisticated, feature-rich, robust and simple-to-use product platforms. These platforms enable creation of electronic designs with high performance, low peripheral component requirements, low power budgets and minimal board real estate.

FTDI Chip’s long-established, continuously expanding Universal Serial Bus (USB) product line boasts such universally recognized product brands as the ubiquitous R-Chip, X-Chip, Hi-Speed and SuperSpeed USB 3.0 series. In addition to both host and bridge chips, it includes highly-integrated system solutions with built-in microcontroller functionality. The company’s Embedded Video Engine (EVE) graphic controllers each pack display, audio and touch functionality onto a single chip. The unique, streamlined approach utilised by these ICs allow dramatic reductions in the development time and bill-of-materials costs involved in next generation Human Machine Interface (HMI) implementation. FTDI Chip also provides families of highly-differentiated, speed-optimised microcontroller units (MCUs) with augmented connectivity features, specifically designed with compatibility to its USB and Display product lines in mind. These MCUs are targeted for key applications where they can add value with their superior processing performance and high levels of operational efficiency.

FTDI Chip is a fab-less semiconductor company, partnered with the world’s leading foundries. The headquarter is located in Glasgow, UK and is supported with research and development facilities in Glasgow, Singapore and Taipei (Taiwan) plus regional sales and technical support sites in Glasgow, Taipei, Tigard (Oregon, USA) and Shanghai (China).