Texas instruments TPS65981EVM User Manual

User's Guide

SLVUAW8–August 2016

TPS65981EVM User's Guide

This document is the user's guide for the TPS65981 evaluation module (TPS65981EVM). The
TPS65981EVM allows for evaluation of the TPS65981 device as part of a stand-alone testing kit and for
development and testing of USB Type-C and Power Delivery (PD) end products.

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TPS65981EVM User's Guide

1

ATTENTION

STATIC SENSITIVE DEVICES

HANDLE ONLY AT

STATIC SAFE WORK STATIONS

About this Manual

1 About this Manual

This user's guide describes the TPS65981EVM. The guide consists of an introduction, setup instructions,
the EVM schematic, board layouts, component views, internal PWR and GND plane layouts, and a bill of
materials (BOM).

2 Information About Cautions and Warnings

This EVM contains components that can potentially be damaged by
electrostatic discharge. Always transport and store the EVM in the supplied
ESD bag when not in use. Handle using an antistatic wristband. Operate on an
antistatic work surface. For more information on proper handling, refer to

Electrostatic Discharge (ESD) [SSYA010].

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CAUTION

3 Items Required for Operation

The following items are required to use the TPS65981EVM:

• TPS65981 data sheet (TPS65981 USB Type-C and USB PD Controller, Power Switch, and High

Speed Multiplexer, SLVSDC2)

• TPS65981EVM

• DP-EXPANSION-EVM (DP-EXPANSION-EVM User Guide, SLVUAR1)
– Testing for DisplayPort, USB data, or both
– Mini DisplayPort to DisplayPort cable

• TPS6598x Application Customization Tool (www.ti.com/tool/tps6598x-config)

• Barrel-jack adapter or DC power supply

• USB micro-B to Type A or TotalPhase Aardvark

• USB Type-C cable

• USB Type-C to Type-A cable

4 Introduction

The TPS65981 device is a stand-alone USB Type-C and Power Delivery (PD) controller providing cable­plug and orientation detection at the USB Type-C connector. Upon cable detection, the TPS65981 device
communicates on the CC wire using the USB PD protocol. When cable detection and USB PD negotiation
are complete, the TPS65981 device enables the appropriate power path and configures alternate mode
settings for internal and (optional) external multiplexers.

This user's guide describes the TPS65981EVM and its capabilities with the DP-EXPANSION-EVM. This
guide also contains testing procedures of various PD power and alternate mode configurations. The EVM
comes with preloaded firmware for out-of-the-box functionality and is also customizable through the
TPS6598x Application Customization Tool. Additionally, the EVM has a USB micro-B and Aardvark to SPI
or I2C interface for debugging and development. The TPS65981EVM is a module based design, allowing
the user to design a custom board to prototype Type-C and PD products using the TPS65981 device.

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5 Setup

This section describes the various EVM features and how to test the various configurations.

5.1 Switch, Connector, and Test Point Descriptions

5.1.1 Switch Banks

5.1.1.1 S1: Configuration Switch

The S1 switch bank is used to configure the EVM. By default, all switches should be placed in the right or
off (pulled down to GND) position. The top switch is tied to BUSPOWERZ and allows the EVM to be
powered from dead battery using different the different power paths. The second, third, and fourth
switches are bits 0, 1, and 2, respectively. These switches are reserved for future use and, currently,
should always be set right. Bit 0, bit 1, and bit 2 are connected to DEBUG_CTL1, GPIO6, and GPIO5,
respectively. The left or high position is pulled up through an 11-kΩ resistor to LD0_3V3.

5.1.1.2 S3: FTDI Enable and Disable

The switches labeled 3.3V EN and 5V EN pass the supply from the FTDI board to the J8 header. These
two switches should be disabled by default and should be in the down position.

The BP Enable and Force Enable switches control the reset on the FTDI device. When BP Enable is set
high, the TPS65981 device holds the FTDI in reset until it has successfully loaded the firmware. When set
low, a weak pulldown on the FTDI reset pin occurs, holding the device in reset. This switch should be set
low by default in the down position.

The Force Enable switch has a weak pullup to the board 3.3-V supply to always enable the FTDI device
and a weak pull down on the FTDI reset pin which holds the device in reset when switched low. This
switch should be set high in the up position by default.

Setup

5.1.2 Connectors

5.1.2.1 J1: Barrel-Jack Power Connector

The barrel-jack power connector accepts a 19-V to 20-V DC supply. A standard Dell or HP notebook
adaptor (or similar adapter) provides the required power. This input provides the SYS_PWR with 19 V to
20 V for high-power PD contracts up to 60 W. Be sure to select an appropriate power adapter that is
capable of 60-W operation. For example, the Dell 130W part number, 492-BBGP, could be used.

The TPS65981EVM is capable of requesting a power-role swap when the barrel jack is connected on an
EVM that is currently bus powered. This is valid for the configurations that are capable of delivering power.
The barrel-jack voltage is sensed by a comparator, which drives GPIO2 on the TPS65981 device. To
enable barrel-jack detect or other GPIOs, refer to the TPS6598x Utilities Tool User's Guide and

TPS65981, TPS65982, and TPS65986 Firmware User’s Guide (SLVUAH7).

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Setup

5.1.2.2 J3 and J8: Headers

These headers allow the EVM to be connected to any debug board. Additionally, this allows the left and
right halves of the board to be stacked, which produces the equivalent connections prior to breaking off.
See Figure 27 for names of all connections.

NOTE: Some of the header pins are not connected unless a 0-Ω option resistor is placed.

5.1.2.3 J4: Expansion Board Connector

The connector routes the power, SSTX/RX, USB_RP_P/N, AUX_P/N, HPD, I2C, and GPIO control signals
for the DP-EXPANSION-EVM.

5.1.2.4 J5: Type-C Connector

This receptacle is a full-feature port, with power, SSTX/RX, SBU1/2, and DP/N signals. The TPS65981
device can be used in self-powered and bus-powered configurations for added flexibility. When self­powered, the EVM can provide up to 60 W of power (20 V/3 A). The EVM is also capable of sinking 60 W
of power (20 V/3 A) when device is powered or in dead battery or consumer mode.

5.1.2.5 J6: Power Path Connector

This connector allows jumpers to be placed based on which paths are being used for sourcing and
sinking. When using the default firmware, the Variable DC/DC pin (bottom-middle) should be connected to
the PP_HV pin (left) and the Barrel Jack pin (top-middle) should be connected to PP_EXT (right). See

Figure 23 and the EVM labeling for the pin locations and routing.

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5.1.2.6 J11: Debug Connector

This connector is only used for TI testing purposes.

5.1.2.7 J13: USB micro-B Connector

J13 is the USB connection to the PC for the TPS6598x Utilities GUI and TPS6598x Application
Customization Tool. A standard USB micro-B to Type-A cable can be used to connect the EVM to the
USB port on a computer.

5.1.2.8 J14: Aardvark Connector

This connector matches the Aardvark I2C or SPI master that allows the user to access the I2C and SPI
pins on the TPS6598x EVM. In other words, this allows the user to use the TotalPhase Aardvark.

NOTE: The FT4323 will load the I2C or SPI pins when powered. TI recommends leaving the FT4323

in reset by having the Force Enable and BP Enable switches in the off (down) position.

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5.1.3 Test Points

5.1.3.1 TP1 and TP2: CC1/CC2 Test Points

These test points can be used to tie a PD-protocol analyzer for PD BMC data or to verify the BMC signal
integrity with an oscilloscope (depending on the cable orientation). A multimeter or oscilloscope can be
used to measure VCONN when an electronically marked Type-C cable is connected. These test points
are not intended to provide an external load on VCONN. Figure 1 shows the BMC data oscilloscope
capture.

Setup

Figure 1. TPS65981 BMC Data

5.1.3.2 TP3, TP4, TPS, TP7, and TP8: GND Test Points

Two GND test points are provided for attaching an oscilloscope, multimeter, or external load GND. These
test points are connected to the board GND planes through four vias.

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Setup

5.1.3.3 TP5: VBUS Test Point

The VBUS test point is used to measure VBUS at the connector. With PD power possibly going up to 20
V, use caution when connecting and disconnecting probes on the TPS65981EVM. The VBUS test point is
capable of drawing up to 3 A for an external load. A PD-power contract with the required capability must
be negotiated to draw current from the VBUS test point. Refer to the TPS6598x Application-Customization

Tool User Guide (SLVUAR8) for configuration instruction. Figure 2 shows the VBUS voltage during PD-

power negotiation.

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Figure 2. TPS65981 VBUS Voltage Transition

5.1.3.4 TP9 and TP10: 5V and 3.3V Test Points

These test points can be used to measure the output voltage of the DC-DC converters that produce the
required functionality of the voltage rails including power delivery, the TPS65981, LEDs, and more.

5.1.4 LED Indicators

5.1.4.1 MXCTL0-2 LEDs (Super-Speed Mux Contol LED)

These LEDs correspond to the GPIOs required to drive a super-speed mux for the SSTX/RX signals to a
Type-C connector. Table 1 lists the LED behavior according to the type of connection.

Table 1. MXCTLx LED Functions

LED Indicator GPIO Function

MXCTL0 GPIO 0 Type-C Connection
MXCTL1 DEBUG1 (GPIO 15) HD3SS460 POL
MXCTL2 GPIO 3 HD3SS460 AMSEL

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5.1.4.2 Var DC-DC Enable

This LED is high when the variable DC-DC converter is on which occurs when SYS_PWR is
approximately 20 V.

5.1.4.3 PDO LED 0 and PDO LED 1

These LEDs are high depending on which high-voltage PDO is negotiated. Table 2 lists the LED behavior.

PDO PDO LED 1 PDO LED 0

PDO 1 (5 V) 0 0

PDO 2 (9 V) 0 1
PDO 3 (15 V) 1 0
PDO 4 (20 V) 1 1

6 Using the TPS65981EVM

This section describes the EVM configurations on the preloaded firmware, getting started, and debugging
the EVM.

6.1 Powering the TPS65981EVM

The main power supply for the EVM is J1 barrel jack, which accepts 19 V to 20 V through a barrel jack
adaptor. The EVM can also be powered with an external power supply on J6. The input voltage can range
from 12 V to 20 V, but the appropriate power profile should be configured in the firmware using the
configuration tool. The EVM can also be powered from a TI MCU LaunchPad Development Kit by placing
0-Ω resistors (see Figure 18). If powering with a LaunchPad Development Kit, the EVM does not support
high-voltage contracts or provide high currents at 5 V because of the limited power capability. The EVM
can also be bus powered from the Type-C connector and accepts 5 V to 20 V on VBUS, depending on the
sink configuration.

Using the TPS65981EVM

Table 2. PDO LED Functions

6.2 Firmware Configurations

The EVM is shipped with a preloaded firmware image that supports various Type-C and PD products:
dock and notebook. The firmware is loaded at start-up and the configuration is defined by the state of the
third switch on the S1 configuration switch (see Section 5.1.1.1). The top three switches in the switch bank
represent B0, B1, and B2, respectively. Table 3 lists the configurations on the EVM.

CFG

ID

0

1

Switch S1

0 → ■
0 → ■
0 → ■
0 → ■

0 → ■
0 → ■

■ ← 1
0 → ■

Port Type

Data Power A

DRP

Rp/Rd

DRP

Rp/Rd

Table 3. Firmware Configurations

Type-C

Power

V atAV atAV atAV atAV atAV at

3 5at 3 9at 3

5 at

3

0.9

PD Source

15 at320 at35 at

— — —

PD Sink

Capabilities

A

—

0.9

12 to

5 at

20 at

3

3

DP Support

UFP_D

Config C and D

DFP_D

Config C, D and E

PD Control

Initiated DR/PR Swaps

Initiate DR swap to UFP

Initiate PR swap to Src

Initiate DR swap to DFP

Initiate PR swap to Snk

Application

Docking system

Notebook

system

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TPS65981EVM

DP-EXPANSION-EVM

(Source)

Notebook

(DP and USB

Source)

USB Source

DP Source

Type-C to Type-A Flash Drive

Notebook with

TPS6598x Utilities

GUI

(Connected with

Type-A)

TPS65981EVMType-A to Type-C Cable

Using the TPS65981EVM

6.3 Connecting the TPS65981EVM

Various Type-C cables can be used to connect the EVM to a legacy Type-A host, legacy Type-A device,
or Type-C device.

6.3.1 Connecting to a Legacy Type-A Host

Using a Type-A plug to Type-C cable allows connection to a legacy host. When the billboarding and
endpoint functions are enabled on the EVM, the user can access the registers and update the firmware by
using the TPS6598x Utilities GUI. The EVM can be powered from the Type-A to Type-C cable and does
not require a power-supply function with the TPS6598x Utilities GUI. Figure 3 shows how the TPS65981
device is connected to a notebook with the TPS6598x Utilities GUI.

Figure 3. Connecting EVM to Legacy Host

6.3.2 Connecting to a Legacy Type-A Device

Using a Type-C to Type-A receptacle cable allows for connection to a legacy USB device, such as a flash­drive. The TPS65981 device cannot act as a host but can pass the USB connection to a host by using the
DP-EXPANSION-EVM (DisplayPort source board). Figure 4 shows how the notebook, DP-EXPANSION­EVM, TPS65981EVM, cable, and flash drive are connected

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Figure 4. Connecting EVM to Type-A Device

6.3.3 Connecting to Type-C Devices

Using a Type-C cable allows for connection to a Type-C device or host. When two TPS65981EVMs are
used with the DP-EXPANSION-EVM (source and sink boards), a complete Type-C system can be verified.
The DisplayPort alternate mode is entered when the two setups appropriately configure as defined in

Table 3. The source setup requires a USB source with DisplayPort to provide data to the sink board. A

monitor can be connected to sink board, along with a USB device to connect to the source board. Figure 5
shows how the boards are connected.

NOTE: Signal integrity can be a factor on USB and DisplayPort video quality because of going

8

TPS65981EVM User's Guide

through multiple connectors and cables.

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Type-C Notebook

(MacBook/

ChromeBook)

TPS65981EVM

DP-EXPANSION-EVM

(Sink)

Monitor

(DisplayPort)

USB

Device

USB SinkDP SInk

Type-C Cable

Type-C Cable

TPS65981EVM

DP-EXPANSION-EVM

(Source)

Notebook

(DP and USB

Source)

USB Source

DP Source

Type-C to Type-A Cable

Type-C to DP/HDMI Dongle

Type-C

Docking System

Type-A

Flash Drive

Monitor

Connection Options

TPS65981EVM

DP-EXPANSION-EVM

(Source)

TPS65981EVM

DP-EXPANSION-EVM

(Sink)

Notebook

(DP and USB

Source)

USB Source

DP Source

Monitor

(DisplayPort)

USB

Device

USB SinkDP SInk

Type-C Cable

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Figure 6 shows how a source setup can be connected to a Type-C device (DisplayPort, USB, or both),

such as a Type-C flash drive, Type-C to DisplayPort dongle, Type-C to HDMI, or Type-C docking system.

Using the TPS65981EVM

Figure 5. Connecting EVM to EVM for Type-C System

Figure 7 shows how a sink setup can be connected to a Type-C host, such as MacBook or ChromeBook

Pixel, to enter the DisplayPort alternate mode. The sink allows DisplayPort and USB connections to the
notebooks.

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Figure 6. Connecting EVM to Type-C Devices

Figure 7. Connecting EVM to Type-C Host

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TPS65981EVM User's Guide

9

Using the TPS65981EVM

6.3.4 Testing DisplayPort Alternate Mode

The DisplayPort alternate mode can be tested with a non-Type-C notebook, allowing the user to simulate
a DisplayPort DFP_D (video source) or UFP_D (video sink). Table 4 lists the testing flow used to verify
DisplayPort functionality with two TPS65981EVMs and the DP-EXPANSION-EVM (DIsplayPort source
and sink boards).

Do not connect the DP-EXPANSION-EVM to the TPS65981EVM when the
barrel jack is connected—this may result in a short if the expansion board
connectors are misaligned.

The required hardware is listed as follows:

• A Windows PC with a USB Type-A receptacle and DisplayPort video output
– USB3.0 Type-A to Type-B cable
– USB3.0 flash drive
– USB2.0 Type-A to Type-B cable

• USB Type-C Cable

• 1080p Monitor with DisplayPort input

• Mini DisplayPort to DisplayPort cable

• On board FTDI or Aardvark I2C/SPI Host Adapter (Used for programming the TPS695986-EVM and
interfacing with Utilities GUI)

• ACS002 DP-EXPANSION-EVM (source and sink board)

• Two TPS65981EVMs with base firmware (preloaded before shipping)

• Dell laptop power-supply model: DA130PE1-00

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CAUTION

Table 4. DisplayPort Testing Table

Test Step Pass Criteria

Left switch setting:
0 → ■
0 → ■

■ ← 1
0 → ■
Right switch setting:
0 → ■
0 → ■
0 → ■
0 → ■

Connect the ACS002 DisplayPort
source board to board on left output of
the PC and USB3.0 output of the PC.

Connect the ACS002 DisplayPort sink
board to board on right of the monitor
and to a USB3.0 flash drive.

DisplayPort source board should be connected to the DisplayPort

DisplayPort sink board should be connected to the DisplayPort input

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