USB Type-C®: The universal connector of the future

Support power, data and video all on a single interface

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What is USB Type-C? 

With applications in personal electronics, automotive, industrial and enterprise systems, USB Type-C, often shortened to USB-C®, is an industry-standard connector that enables the transmission of both data and power on a single interface. USB Power Delivery (PD) is a standard using the USB-C connector to increase the capabilities and features of a USB-C interface. With USB PD, you can now transmit up to 240 W of power and up to 80 Gbps of data simultaneously. You can also implement pre-defined alternate modes such as DisplayPort™ and Thunderbolt® to support video and other advanced features.

A Primer on USB-C and USB Power Delivery Applications and Requirements

Learn about USB-C and USB PD in this white paper, which examines various applications and their data and power requirements.

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Why choose TI USB-C products?

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High efficiency and power density 

Our USB-C solutions enable designers to achieve more power in smaller spaces and enhance system functionality through comprehensive hardware integration.

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Easy-to-use design tools and resources

Through easy-to-use GUI and configuration tools, our USB-C solutions are flexible requiring no custom firmware development or scripting.

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Industry engagement 

We develop cutting-edge USB-C features in parallel with USB Implementers Forum (IF) specification releases and identify market trends accelerating USB-C adoption across markets.

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System-level design support

We offer devices and solutions for entire USB-C applications and architectures.

USB-C architectures

USB-C battery-powered systems can act as a power sink or power source, or provide dual-role power

More battery applications are adopting USB-C for input power to provide a convenient charging experience using readily available USB-C adapters. In order to support USB-C inputs, battery chargers must be able to handle USB-C input power ranges (from 15 W up to 240 W). It is important to find the right battery charger that can handle the application's USB-C input range and efficiently charge the batteries.

Find USB-C products for your battery-powered system:

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Resource
Designing an Application to Support a Wide Input Voltage and Battery Voltage
A discussion of the benefits of a wide VIN and VOUT battery charger to support new technologies like USB-C.
Reference design
100-W integrated evaluation module for USB Type-C PD charging reference design
This reference design provides a 100-W charging power for 4- to 10-cell batteries with USB Type-C® power delivery (PD). 
Resource
Integrated USB Type-C® Power Delivery (PD) evaluation module (EVM) and charging reference design
This EVM is used to evaluate the combination of a high-efficiency 5-A switch-mode buck-boost charger (BQ25798) and the USB Type-C and PD Controller (TPS25750) with integrated switches.
Featured products for battery-powered systems
BQ25798 ACTIVE I²C controlled, 1-4-cell, 5-A buck-boost solar battery charger with dual-input selector and MPPT
NEW BQ25756 ACTIVE Stand-alone or I²C-controlled 70-V bidirectional buck-boost charge controller with MPPT
NEW TPS25751 PREVIEW USB Type-C® and USB Power Delivery (PD) controller with integrated power switches

Systems operating as a power sink, moving from a proprietary barrel connector to a USB-C port

With USB-C continuing to expand, more and more systems are transitioning from proprietary barrel jacks to a standardized USB-C port. Implementing a standardized charging port such as USB-C potentially eliminates the need for manufacturers to ship a custom adapter with their systems. Instead, consumers can leverage existing USB-C chargers. Our USB-C and USB PD controllers follow the latest standards so that your products can interface with any compliant USB-C power supply.

Find USB-C products for your barrel connector replacement:

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White paper
Circuit protection for your next USB Type-C design white paper
Why adding proper circuit protection to your USB Type-C design reduces the risk of system damage and field failures.
PDF
Resource
Replacing Proprietary Barrel Connector with USB-C Port
Learn about the industry migration from barrel connectors to USB-C and the solutions we offer.
Featured products for barrel connector replacement
NEW TPS25730 ACTIVE Sink-only USB Type-C® and USB Power Delivery (PD) controller with no firmware development required
NEW LM51772 PREVIEW 55-V wide VIN four-switch buck-boost controller with I2C interface
TPD6S300A ACTIVE USB Type-C® port protector: short-to-VBUS overvoltage and 6ch ESD protection with improved OVP

Deliver high power over USB-C from the AC line

USB-C AC adapters dominate battery chargers in consumer electronics. The advent of Extended Power Range and the Universal Fast Charging standard enables wider USB-C adoption of high-power end equipment such as gaming laptops and e-bikes. However, balancing form factor, thermal concerns, scalability, cost and quality while mitigating electromagnetic interference (EMI) becomes increasingly complex.

We offer a comprehensive ecosystem and consistently introduce innovative technologies to address these challenges, empowering you to develop highly compact, efficient, scalable and reliable solutions and speed time to market.

Find USB-C products for your AC power adapter:

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Reference design
High-Power Density 65-W, USB Type-C Charger Using Active Clamp Flyback Reference Design
This reference design is a 65-W, high-power-density USB charger using the UCC28782 active-clamp flyback controller, achieving 30 W/in power density.
Resource
The Benefits of Low-Power GaN in Common AC/DC Power Topologies
Consumers want portable, fast and efficient chargers for the various electronic devices they carry with them daily. With a majority of electronics moving to USB-C charger...
Featured products for AC power adapter
NEW UCC25660 ACTIVE Wide-VIN/VOUT 750-kHz LLC controller
UCC28782 ACTIVE High-density flyback controller for active-clamp (ACF) and zero-voltage switching (ZVS) topologies
NEW LMG3624 PREVIEW 650V 170mΩ GaN FET with integrated driver, protection and current sensing

Enable fast charging in cars with USB-C

With more devices transitioning toward USB-C for charging, there is an increased need for USB-C chargers within cars. Charger integration, power efficiency, bill-of-materials (BOM) size, USB IF compliance and signal integrity are all necessary when designing a USB-C charger for an automotive environment.

Our solutions fully integrate the buck-boost converter and cost-effective power-management devices to reduce the BOM. Through easy-to-use configuration tools, we offer USB-C solutions with configurable power vs. thermal management to address the challenges of limited vehicle space.

Find USB-C products for your automotive USB-C charger:

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Application note
TPS2576x/TPS2577x-Q1 Source Power Policy Management (Rev. A)
See how an integrated source power policy management engine enables dynamic USB port power management for multiport charging or data USB systems.
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Reference design
CISPR 25, Class 5, 400-kHz-rated, 120-W, automotive dual USB Type-C® PD charger reference design
Learn how to overcome design challenges in automotive electromagnetic interference and speed your time to market.
Video
Solving Design Challenges for Automotive USB Type-C and USB Power Delivery
Watch this video to see how we're overcoming the challenges of high-power modules in automotive USB.
Featured products for automotive USB-C charger
TPS25772-Q1 ACTIVE Automotive dual-port USB Type-C® PD controller with buck-boost regulator and smart power management
TPS55288-Q1 ACTIVE 36-V, 16-A buck-boost converter with I2C control, AEC-Q100 qualified
TPS25762-Q1 ACTIVE Automotive USB Type-C® PD controller with integrated buck-boost regulator

USB-C systems that implement power, data, and/or video

USB-C's ability to support both power and data for various protocols is increasing its deployment in diverse applications. USB-C enables simplified system designs by merging power source and sink features (or both), and facilitates the high-speed transmission and reception of data and video over the USB standardized interface.

We offer USB-C solutions that enable power source and sink capability through USB Power Delivery controller products. We also offer data and video multiplexing and signal-conditioning solutions to support USB-C alternative modes, combining both data and video transmission into one port and cable.

Find USB-C products for power, data and video:

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White paper
Strengthening the USB Type-C signal chain through redrivers
Learn about the need for a signal conditioner in a USB-C system, and the benefits that a redriver can bring.
PDF
Application note
PD Alternate Mode: DisplayPort (Rev. B)
Learn about the implementation of DisplayPort over a USB-C cable, and TI solutions for DisplayPort such as USB PD controllers and software tools.
PDF
Reference design
Docking USB Type-C Power Delivery Reference Design for Personal Electronics Applications
The output specifications are designed to be 5-V to 20-V, 5-A maximum continuous current under a 19-V adapter input and 3-A maximum continuous current under a 12-V battery input.
Featured products for USB-C with power, data and video
TPS65987D ACTIVE USB Type-C® and USB PD controller with integrated power switches
TUSB1146 ACTIVE USB Type-C® supporting USB 3.2 data rates alt-mode redriver/MUX with adaptive EQ
TUSB1064 ACTIVE USB Type-C® DP alt mode 10Gbps linear redriver crosspoint switch for sink side

How TI products can help you achieve Thunderbolt certification

Thunderbolt technology is an Intel-developed connectivity standard that delivers power, data and a video signal over a single USB-C connection. The Thunderbolt certification establishes mandatory minimum requirements for cables, PCs and accessories to help ensure greater reliability and interoperability across devices and vendors.

We offer a variety of ICs designed to support Intel's latest chipsets and enable end products to achieve official Thunderbolt certification, including USB PD controllers, signal multiplexers and port protection ICs.

Find USB-C products for your Thunderbolt design:

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Resource
Thunderbolt References Designs with TI USB PD Products
Read this TI E2E™ design support forums post to learn which TI USB PD products to use in your Thunderbolt designs.
External resource
Learn more about Thunderbolt technology
Visit the Intel Thunderbolt technology page to learn more about Thunderbolt, how it differs from USB PD, and all of the benefits that Thunderbolt can bring to systems implementing power, data and video.
Reference design
USB Type-C Power Delivery and Redriver Reference Design
This reference design provides outputs from 5 V to 20 V with a maximum of 3 A for a total output power of 60 W. The redrivers support USB 3.2 (10 Gbps), USB 3.2 x 2 (20 Gbps) and DisplayPort 1.4 (8.1 Gbps).
Featured products for Thunderbolt applications
TPS65988DK ACTIVE Dual port USB Type-C® and USB PD controller with integrated power switches for USB4 devices
TS3USBCA4 ACTIVE USB Type-C® SBU multiplexer
TPD4S311A ACTIVE USB Type-C® port protector: short-to-Vbus overvoltage, IEC ESD protection and surge protection