USB Type-C 240W: Leading the future of power!

Home News Industry News USB Type-C 240W: Leading the future of power!

2022-03-17 255

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Major update to USB PD fast charging standard

Recently, the Universal Serial Bus (USB) standards organization USB-IF announced the revision of the USB PD protocol 3.1 specification, increasing the maximum power of USB Type-C from 100W (20V, 5A) to 240W (48V, 5A).

At the same time, the USB Type-C specification has also been updated to version 2.1 to define the requirements for 240W cables to meet the application needs of greater charging power. This is a major revision made by the USB standards organization to the mechanical and electronic characteristics of the USB-C interface since the USB Type-C 2.0 specification in August 2019.

In the v2.1 version of the USB Type-C cable and interface standard updated by the USB-IF organization, the charging power can reach up to 240W and is named Extended Power Range, which is more than double the current maximum of 100W. However, to support 240W PD, a new USB-C cable is required.

The new USB PD protocol stipulates a more stringent charging protocol, especially for products in the 100 ~ 240W range (relatively lower power).

New features of USB PD protocol 3.1 specification:

1) Three new fixed voltages are added:

28V voltage, used for more than 100W;
36V voltage, used above 140W
48V voltage, used above 180W

Plus the previously defined fixed voltages of 5V, 9V, 15V, and 20V.

2) A new adjustable voltage mode

Available from 15V to one of three maximum voltages (28V, 36V or 48V) depending on available power.

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Wide range of applications, everything can be charged

The USB PD3.1 standard has pushed the power supply industry into the era of "everything can be charged", making the USB PD fast charging standard more and more widely applicable.

Image source: charging head network

For example, for devices such as game laptops and monitors, most charging voltages are below 20V. When applying the USB PD3.1 fast charging standard, you only need to add a step-down circuit to the computer input end to meet the high-power charging requirements of more than 100W.

For multi-string lithium-ion battery equipment such as power tools, electric bicycles, and industrial power supplies or equipment that requires high-voltage power supply, due to the high-voltage characteristics of the multi-string battery pack, it can be directly adapted through the voltage of the extended power range of USB PD3.1.

The USB PD3.1 standard further improves the versatility of the USB PD fast charging standard. The voltage and power range cover laptops, monitors, power tools, industrial power supplies, servers and other products, truly achieving "everything can be charged". At the same time, it will also bring about the unified situation of USB Type-C interface. The highlights of the USB Type-C interface are its slimmer design, faster transmission speed and more powerful power transmission.

Thanks to the USB Type-C interface integrating various functions such as data, power, video, audio, and network, it has been widely used in smart hardware devices such as smartphones, tablets, laptops, desktop hosts, and monitors, as well as chargers, mobile hard drives, headphones, U disks, mobile power supplies, data cables, cameras, razors, and many other accessories.

The USB PD3.1 standard will further expand the application of USB Type-C interfaces in monitors, servers, power tools, security POE power supply, DC motors and other fields.

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QC fast charging and PD fast charging

There are currently two mainstream fast charges, one is QC fast charge led by Qualcomm, and the other is PD fast charge.

technology	Quick Charge (QC)	USB Power Delivery (PD)
Developer	Qualcomm	USB Developers Alliance
LogoLOGO
Historical version	QC 1.0/2.0/3.0/4/4+/5	PD 1.0/2.0/3.0/3.1
Maximum output power	100W	240W
Communication protocol	Quick Charge USB PD 3.0 compatible	USB PD
Note	As long as the charger supports QC fast charging technology and has obtained certification, its LOGO can be seen on the case.	As long as you obtain USB-PD certification, you can see the corresponding LOGO.

QC fast charge

Quick Charge? (QC) is a fast charging technology developed by Qualcomm. Any Android phone equipped with its Xiaolong Snapdragon system chip can use its fast charging technology. In addition to supporting a variety of mobile phones using Xiaolong Snapdragon processors, it also supports some processors from other brands.

technology	Voltage	current	Maximum power	release date
QC1.0	5V	2A	10W	2013
QC2.0	5V，9V，12V	2A、1.67A	18W	2014
QC3.0	3.6V to 20V, 200mV dynamic increment	2.5A or 4.6A	22W	2015
QC4.0	5V，9V	3A 4.7A~5.6A	28W	2016
QC4.0+	5V、9V（USB-PD） 3V to 5.9V or 3 to 11V in 20mv increments (with USB-PD 3.0 programmable power supply) 3.6V to 20V, 200mv increments (QC charger)	3A(USB-PD) 2.5A or 4.6A(QC)	28W	2017
QC5	5V、9V、12V、15V、20V	3A、5A或>5A	>45W	2020

USB PD fast charging

It is a fast charging specification developed by the USB-IF organization. This specification can achieve higher voltage and current, deliver power up to 240W, and can freely change the direction of power delivery.

It can be seen from the development history of the USB charging standard that before the release of the USB PD fast charging standard, most devices were charged through the BC1.2 protocol, the charging power was only 7.5W, and the scope of use was limited to mobile phones, digital cameras and other products. Even when used to charge functional phones with extremely small battery capacity, it usually takes 2-3 hours to complete.

Until the release of the USB PD2.0 specification, USB-C was stipulated as a standard interface and a maximum fast charging power of 100W was achieved. The application scope expanded from traditional feature phones to smartphones, laptops, some monitors and other product fields.But we have to admit that the 100W power that we were proud of 7 years ago has now become a shortcoming limiting the development of USB PD fast charging.

The launch of the USB PD3.1 standard not only raised the charging voltage standard to 48V, but also increased the output power to 240W, which also expanded the scope of application of the USB PD fast charging standard.

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Summarize

The current maximum output power of USB-C is 100W. In the notebook computer industry, 100W power can only cover most thin and light notebooks. Although some high-performance gaming notebooks also support the PD protocol, they can only be used for charging. 100W is far from meeting the power consumption of the graphics card + CPU. After upgrading to 240W, it can basically meet the charging needs of most notebooks. This means that in the future, you can carry one charger to meet the charging needs of mobile phones, tablets and notebooks, which can greatly improve portability. Therefore, we predict that the new Type-C standard will accelerate its popularity. However, under the new specifications, users need a new USB charging head and USB Type-C cable to achieve 240W charging power. USB-IF stated that "all new EPR cables should have obvious markings on their appearance." To meet the 240W standard, a USB Type-C cable needs to support 5A 50V voltage and current. Therefore, the new standard will also drive the update of the entire charging field supply chain. We will pay close attention to the development of the new standard, and everyone is welcome to follow our WeChat ID to learn about the latest power supply dynamics.

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