As electronics companies worldwide increasingly look to implement the new USB Type-C(TM) and Power Delivery (PD) technology, STMicroelectronics is making the task easier with a certified embedded software solution based on its industry-leading STM32 microcontrollers.
The free STM32 USB-C and PD Middleware Stack is compliant with USB Type-C 1.2 and USB Power Delivery 2.0 specifications, enabling customers to rapidly deploy this new technology in their end-products, exploiting the rich feature set of the Company's STM32 ARM Cortex-M based microcontrollers.
The new firmware stack, X-CUBE-USB-PD, initially based on the STM32F0 entry level Cortex-M0 processor, allows designers to upgrade their USB legacy devices to provide significant benefits to their end users.
USB-C together with Power Delivery technology provides a reversible connector, the ability to carry all necessary data (including video or proprietary protocols), and up to 100W of power to supply or charge equipment connected to the USB port.
An important benefit in terms of cost and PCB footprint is that solutions using the STM32 with the stack require only a very simple Analog Front End comprising a few passive components, because it fully exploits STM32 embedded features such as comparators, ADCs, timers, and Direct Memory Access.
ST supports the new USB-C technology with an STM32 Nucleo Pack as a discovery and development tool to minimize design effort. The pack includes a NUCLEO-F072RB board, a USB-C and PD expansion board, and a full-featured USB Type-C cable. The expansion board features two Dual-Role Power USB Type-C ports with a discrete Analog Front End.
