Ecosystem extensions support USB-C on microcontrollers

26th February 2019

Lanna Deamer

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STMicroelectronics is shortening the learning curve for STM32G0 users to take advantage of the microcontrollers’ support for certified USB Type-C and the Power Delivery (PD) 3.0 protocol with the addition of new tools and capabilities to the STM32Cube ecosystem.

STM32G0 devices are general-purpose microcontrollers to support the USB Type-C specifications. ST’s USB Type-C Power Delivery (UCPD) interface IP combines certified USB Type-C connector management and handling of the PD protocol with MCU features that include an Arm Cortex-M0+ core, up to 512 Kbytes Flash, and peripherals including a 12-bit 2.5 MSPS ADC, a 2-channel DAC, fast comparators, and high accuracy timers.

Up to two UCPD interfaces are integrated on-chip. Each supports USB-C Sink (SNK), Source (SRC), or Dual-Role Power (DRP) roles, as well as optional USB PD features such as PPS (Programming Power Supply) mode, firmware upgrade over communication (CC) lines, and authentication messages.

New updates to the STM32CubeMX configurator allow setting the number of ports and selecting SNK, SRC, or DRP role.

The latest STM32 ecosystem extensions let developers choose the UCPD settings and visualise data and power-control signals flowing through the USB-C interface: they include the new, free USB PD analyser graphical tool - STM32CubeMonitor-UCPD - for monitoring interface status and inspecting USB PD protocol messages.

STM32CubeMonitor-UCPD also lets users interact with the application environment by sending PD commands to the target board. Other features include easy changing of power-role and data-role settings with a single click, easy handling of sink or source power profiles, and live monitoring of protocol messages, bus voltage, and bus current for debugging the application.

The STM32G0 Discovery kit (order code: STM32G071B-DISCO) gives access to the USB-C port for checking the status of power capabilities when connected to any USB-C host such as a computer, smartphone, or USB-C docking station.

Together, the STM32G071B-DISCO and STM32CubeMonitor-UCPD create a professional-grade Power Delivery analyser that allows intensive interaction for debugging and development. The user can also trace or inject USB PD data packets between two USB-C devices.

Finally, the STM32G081B-EVAL high end development platform features a daughter card containing two USB-C ports managed by the STM32G0 MCU.

Application firmware examples are provided to help evaluate the USB-C technology through various use cases.