High-density evaluation board for 65W multi-port fast chargers released

Silanna Semiconductor has revealed an evaluation board that streamlines the design, testing and prototyping of 65W multi-port USB-PD and QC fast charging applications.

Developed to supply a real-life implementation when employed with a front-end AC/DC converter, the SZPL3002AA-EVB03 combines three Silanna SZPL3002A DC-DC converter ICs, which are the world's first integrated buck converters to deliver intelligent power sharing capabilities. Two USB-C female connectors and one USB-A connector are supplied, while screw terminals are located at the input for connection to a DC supply (typically 24V).

The board is preconfigured from the factory with contract configurations for two 65W Type-C PD ports and an 18W QC Type-A port. The total power supplied by the EVB is limited to 65W and is continuously monitored and re-allocated between ports by the firmware. The switching frequency is set to 667kHz with 8ms of soft-start time. An I2C bus interface provides inter-IC communication among the devices for advanced applications in shared power and multiple output charging ports. The bus also enables programming onboard OTP memories.

"This new evaluation board will dramatically simplify the evaluation of advanced multi-port USB-PD and QC designs featuring intelligent power sharing between ports," says Hubie Noto, Silanna Semiconductor's director of marketing. "As a result, OEMs can deliver ultra-high-density solutions that dynamically adapt to real-life device power needs to optimize charging across a variety of use cases."

Including a built-in USB PD/FC port controller and operating with efficiencies to 98%, the SZPL3002 DC-DC converter is provided in a QFN 5mm x 5mm thermally enhanced package and greatly decreases the number of components required to implement 65W fast charger and adapter applications. These include AC/DC chargers, multiple output USB-PD charging strips and USB-PD outputs in displays, televisions, docking stations and laptops. The integrated port controller fully supports USB PD V3.0 Type C interfaces and QC2.0/3.0/4.0/5.0 support for Type A/C connections. Enabling power sharing and port power re-balancing functionality across two or three ports, the controller provides that port power adapts to the requirements of a particular device, irrespective of when connections are made.

Typical applications include AC/DC Chargers with USB-PD Support, Multiple Output USB-PD Charging Strips, USB-PD Outputs in Displays and TVs, and Docking Stations and Laptops.