EZ-PD barrel connector replacement enables universal power adapters

By Carolyn Mathas, contributing writer

Cypress Semiconductor is planning to take a serious bite of the annual e-waste that includes 1 million tons of power adapters produced annually with its new USB-C Power Delivery (PD) solution. The Cypress EZ-PD Barrel Connector Replacement (BCR) solution will replace barrel connectors used in power adapters and can also replace all legacy USB micro-B connectors that provide only 7.5 W. These micro-B connectors lack the power for most consumer devices and industrial uses.

In comparison, USB-C connectors with USB PD provide up to 100 W and will power electronics for automobiles, smartphones, laptops and peripherals, and tablets. Ideally, as a universal power adapter standard, it will eliminate customized chargers servicing electronics such as IoT devices, smart speakers, power tools, electric shavers, drones, and other rechargeable devices.

The Cypress EZ-PD BCR controller provides high integration, including a Type-C USB-PD transceiver, a load switch controller with a soft start, all termination resistors necessary for a USB-C port, and system-level ESD protection. USB Type-C transmits multiple protocols and uses a slimmer connector with a height of just 2.4 mm, allowing for increasing miniaturization of consumer and industrial products.

Conversion to the USB-C connector design is easy, with a few external components and no firmware required. A Cypress EZ-PD BCR Kit enables fast, three-step conversion by selecting a USB PD power adapter that fits the power required, setting up the power profile with the EX-PD BCR Kit and embedding the EZ-PD BCR controller into the product, replacing the barrel receptacle with a USB-C version.

The one-chip solution minimizes cost, integrating error amplifiers, a 30-V regulator that allows direct operation from VBUS, VBUS short protection on configuration channel (CC) pins, gate drivers for high-voltage power FETs, a low-side current-sense amplifier, and dedicated hardware for legacy charger detection protocols, plus system-level electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection.

The CYPD3177 EZ-PD BCR controller is available in a 24-pin QFN (16-mm² ) package. An EZ-PD BCR Kit (CY4533) is also available for $25.