New family of P-TCO devices to protect USB-C cables

Bourns has introduced a new family of Polymeric Thermal Cutoff (P-TCO) devices created to protect USB-C cables from destructive and potentially dangerous thermal runaway events. The new family provides an optimised overtemperature protection solution for USB C-C, C-B, and C-A connector configurations accommodating USB 3.2, 3.1, 3.0, and 2.0 protocols, as well as other types of data/charging cables. Capable of delivering up to 100W of power, the USB Type-C connector features 24 pins in a smaller form factor than earlier USB connector designs. The company's new model series provides a combination of compact, ultra-low resistance thermal protection to assist and safeguard against potentially dangerous overtemperature events. Designed to meet small footprint specifications, the new P-TCO family includes two series: P-TCO-U series in a 1210 footprint, and the P-TCO-N series in an ultra-compact 1206 footprint. The company provides the family with a 12V maximum operating voltage rating and a 50A maximum operating current rating. Each series is offered in three different models intended to protect a mixture of temperature-current combinations. The ultra-low resistance materials used in the family allows both series to obtain initial resistance values as low as 2mOhms and post-trip resistance values as low as 14mOhms, thereby enabling the devices to achieve current-carrying capabilities as high as 4.5A.