Charging my ThinkPad X1 Gen4 using USB-C

[laptop006]

As with many massive time-sucking rabbit holes in my life, this one starts with one of my silly ideas getting egged on by some of my colleagues in London (who know full well who they are), but for a nice change, this is something I can talk about

Comments

[ext_4041423]

This is very cool. Are you thinking of possibly making and selling these?

P.s. found you though hackAday

[laptop006]

I probably won't sell these, but I am working slowly on creating a generic USB-PD termination module that I might get one of the well known FOSS-focused electronics components stores to sell.

Question about integration on existing project

[ext_4059073]

I have a project using an ATmega32U4 microcontroller and USB PD would be very useful for it. From what I understood from the datasheet, I could connect the USB 2.0 part of the project directly from the type C receptacle and use the TI TPS65986 chip to deal with the PD protocol, am I correct?

Does the TI TPS65986 chip needs to be programmed in some sort? I'm still learning to deal with USB 3.1 stuff.

Thank you for your time.

(Also here because of Hackaday.)

Re: Question about integration on existing project

[laptop006]

"I could connect the USB 2.0 part of the project directly from the type C receptacle"

Yes, although not VBUS (the traditional USB 5v line), so if the chip needed that you'd need to regulate it yourself.

"and use the TI TPS65986 chip to deal with the PD protocol, am I correct?""

That's correct.

"Does the TI TPS65986 chip needs to be programmed in some sort?"

Yes, on startup, which is what the SPI flash chip (the little 8pin SOIC you can see) does. The TPS65986 has enough intelligence to read it as one of several bootstrap options.

Availability or equivalent function?

[steven6282]

Hello, I see that this is an old post but did you ever send anything like this off for electronic stores to sell, or do you know of anything with a similar function is available?

I've been looking today as I have a project where I'd like to be able to make an adapter to pull power from a USB C connector. Having the option to pull up to the 20V 5A would be really useful. Most of the breakout boards I can find are limited to lower voltage and 3A max.

Found your post after following a Hackaday article on the usb c powered soldering iron that you did. It looks like a board like this would work great for what I want to do.

If you never sent anything off do you know of anything equivalent available anywhere, or would you be willing to share your board files so that I might could get some manufactured myself?

Thanks!

Re: Availability or equivalent function?

[laptop006]

I never did a further run of them, there is a fairly close analog that's now available, the PD Buddy sink which can do most of what mine did.