Reference design supports Qualcomm quick charging

Quick Charge 4 is the latest fast-charging specification from Qualcomm Technologies, a subsidiary of Qualcomm Incorporated, offering up to 20% faster charging, up to 30% greater efficiency, and running five percent cooler when compared to Quick Charge 3.0. Quick Charge 4 also supports USB PD and PPS (programmable power supply), helping to standardise the capabilities of adaptors using these technologies, while being designed to deliver headline-making charging performance that provides five hours of talk time from just five minutes of charging, along with comprehensive safety features.

“Diodes’ key corporate strength is rooted in its integrated device manufacturing (IDM) operations model. Leveraging our vertical integration manufacturing strength in conjunction with a platform solution approach provides the relevant active components required for target systems, especially as Diodes has a well-established business in providing primary- and secondary-side power regulation products for chargers and power adapter applications,” said Ernest Lin, Division Manager, AC/DC Power and Lighting Division. “Diodes recognised Weltrend’s core competency in MCU-based power management applications and its established market position in protocol decoding products for quick charging, which made for a logical partnership for developing a reference design to meet the demanding requirements of the Qualcomm Quick Charge 4 specification.”

The reference design uses Diodes’ AP3302 peak-current control, quasi-resonant (QR) PWM controller, which is optimised for high performance, low standby power and cost-effective offline flyback conversion, and its APR345 secondary-side MOSFET synchronous rectification driver that directly supports CCM, DCM and QR flyback topologies. Weltrend provides the highly integrated WT6615F programmable protocol decoder that supports the latest programmable power supply specification for Quick Charge protocols and USB PD, and consequently fully implements all the requirements of the Quick Charge 4 specification.

Tony Lin, Executive Assistant to the CEO and Acting VP of Marketing at Weltrend, said: “Working closely with Qualcomm Technologies, our expertise lies in understanding fast charge protocols and we are excited to be one of the first in our industry to provide a Quick Charge 4 compatible chipset. The joint development of this 27W Quick Charge 4 Class A reference design with Diodes provides a cost-effective, ready-to-go charger design that enables a rapid time-to-market solution for our mutual customer bases.”

Weltrend’s WT6615F Qualcomm Quick Charge 4 Controller is certified by GRL. The reference design supports Quick Charge 4 Class A (18-27W) and also provides optional Quick Charge 2.0 and Quick Charge 3.0 compliance to support the Quick Charge 4+ programme. It provides support for USB PD 3.0 and PPS, including PDO at 5 and 9V, ADPO from 3-11V in 20mV steps, and current from 0-3A in 50mA steps. Its safety management capability provides monitoring of voltage, current, and temperature, with reporting and protection features. The charger design supports low standby current consumption and meets Energy Star DOE VI and CoC Tier II efficiency requirements.