Silicon Laboratories UG233 User Manual
UG233: USB Type-C Reference Design
User's Guide
The EFM8 USB Type-C Reference Design is intended to aid the
development of various USB Type-C applications and consists of
a development board, Simplicity Studio libraries, and example
code.
The board contains Power Delivery (PD) controllers, Billboard devices, and Alternate
Mode functionality.
KEY POINTS
• Describes the Type-C reference design
board
• Explains how to load the software
examples and begin evaluation and
development
• Discusses the power scenarios/options
related to the reference board
• Shows how to configure the Debug Serial
Terminal
• Shows the reference design board
schematics
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UG233: USB Type-C Reference Design User's Guide
Introduction and Running the Demo
1. Introduction and Running the Demo
The USB Type-C Reference Design is intended to aid the development of various USB Type-C applications and consists of a development board, Simplicity Studio libraries, and example code. Out of the box, the board is configured as a DisplayPort alternate mode
video adapter. For a quick demo, simply plug the USB Type-C captive cable into a compatible host and a monitor cable into the mini
DisplayPort (mDP) receptacle. In the absence of a DisplayPort-capable monitor a video converter dongle, like the white VGA-to-mDP
shown in the image, can be used. However, in this case, J22 must be closed in order to power the external adapter.
Figure 1.1. Demo Setup
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UG233: USB Type-C Reference Design User's Guide
Board Description
2. Board Description
The Type-C reference design board is a platform for developing and evaluating hub and dongle Type-C solutions. The board contains
Power Delivery (PD) controllers, Billboard devices, and Alternate Mode functionality. The PD Controller is implemented with EFM8 Busy
Bee 3 (EFM8BB3) MCU, and takes advantage of the feature-rich peripherals available on-chip. The only necessary external circuits are
the CC lines voltage clamps for Dead-Battery, the slew rate control capacitors, and a Pull-Up (Rp) switch for Power Role SWAP function and DRP support. The board also contains a Billboard device implemented with the EFM8 Universal Bee 1 (EFM8UB1) MCU and
allows for Alternate Mode to be used and sent through the Type-C port. For debugging and communication purposes, a USB-to-Quad
UART Bridge Controller (CP2108) is used to print debug messages from all MCUs to a USB host serial terminal. Most of the available
GPIOs from each MCU are routed to pin headers for convenient interfacing with instrumentation and/or system-level integration. The
C2 debug interface for each MCU is also routed to headers so that individual firmware can be loaded onto each device.
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UG233: USB Type-C Reference Design User's Guide
Board Description
Figure 2.1. Board Layout
Table 2.1. Board Component Map
Component Name Function
J26 Jumper Must be closed for proper operation.
J17 Jumper Alternate Mode PD controller MCU power supply monitoring jumper. Must be
closed for normal operation.
J12 Jumper Billboard device MCU power supply monitoring jumper. Must be closed for nor-
mal operation.
U3 EFM8BB3 USB Type-C DisplayPort Alternate Mode Power Delivery controller.
J8 HEADER_EC3 C2 programming interface connector for U3 MCU.
U1 EFM8UB1 USB Billboard class device.
J1 HEADER_EC3 C2 programming interface connector for U1 MCU.
U6 EFM8BB3 USB Type-C charging port Power Delivery controller.
J3 HEADER_EC3 C2 programming interface connector for U6 MCU.
J5 mDP Socket Mini DisplayPort socket.
J4 Mini USB Used for printing debug messages to a serial terminal.
J30 USB Type-C Receptacle Charging port connector. The socket is rated 3A max.
S1 Switch Reset push button switch for U3 MCU.
S2 Switch Reset push button switch for U1 MCU.
S3 Switch Reset push button switch for U6 MCU.
J2 Pins header I2C bus.
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