power News - Page 6 of 17 - CNX Software

June 28, 2021September 15, 2021 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 1 Comment

Rockchip RK835 & RK837 fast charger chips support USB PD 3.0, QC4+, and VOOC

Rockchip is better known for its application processors for TV boxes (RK3328), Chromebooks and other higher-end hardware (RK3399), AIoT applications (RK3566), and more, but the company has recently introduced the RK83x family with RK835 and RK837 chips designed for fast chargers compatible with USB PD 3.0 and/or Qualcomm Quick Charge 4+ and BBK Electronics’ VOOC. RK835 Specifications MCU sub-system – Arm Cortex-M0 with 60KB flash, 1KB RAM USB PD 2.0/3.0 and PSS with TID number 4325 USB Type-C and Vconn power source Supports proprietary protocols 8-channel 10-bit, 500Hz converter speed ADC sensing voltage and 1-channel 10-bit current ADC All GPIOs can be configured as ADC input or edge triggering input DP/DM pins can be configured as UART, BC 1.2, or GPIO mode High-voltage endurance DP/DM and CC1/2 pins I2C interface with slave and master modes Low-power RC oscillator, 3 timers, one watchdog Discharge N-MOSFETs for VCC and VBUS Power – […]

May 27, 2021 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 8 Comments

USB Type-C Specification 2.1 allows up to 240W Extended Power Range (EPR)

Many devices have switched from a Micro USB port or a power barrel jack to the USB-C port in recent years, as the latter allows for higher currents, and up to 100W power input in USB PD (Power Delivery) compliant systems. While 100W will be more than enough for most devices, more power-hungry devices or systems still need a power brick, for example, gaming laptops and mobile workstations. But the USB Type-C specification 2.1 aims to change that by upping the maximum power to 240W. As noted by Benson Leung in a Reddit Thread the part of the specification that handles the 240W power is the EPR (“Extended Power Range”) that defines requirements for cables, chargers, and devices: 3.11 Extended Power Range (EPR) Cables 3.11.1 Electrical Requirements Extended Power Range cables have additional requirements to assure that these cables can deliver the full defined voltage and current range for USB […]

April 16, 2021 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

Zoom i.MX 8M Mini Development Kit supports power usage monitoring

NXP i.MX 8M Mini 14nm Cortex-A53/M4 processor has been around for a couple of years, and several SoM-based development kits are available including Variscite Symphony starter kit, HummingBoard Ripple SBC, or congatec conga-SEVAL007010 evaluation board. Beacon EmbeddedWorks’ Zoom i.MX 8M mini development kit is based on the company’s i.MX 8M Nano System on Module (SOM) and offers features not found on most other devkits or single board computers such as power usage monitoring and control through their Wattson power measurement application. Zoom i.MX 8M mini development kit key features & specifications: System-on-Module SoC – NXP i.MX 8M Mini processor with up to four Arm Cortex-A53 cores @ up to 1.8 GHz, an Arm Cortex-M4 real-time core at up to 400 MHz, Vivante 3D & 2D GPU’s System Memory – Up to 8GB of 32-bit wide LPDDR4 memory Storage – eMMC flash, QSPI NOR flash Networking Gigabit Ethernet PHY Wireless module […]

March 30, 2021March 30, 2021 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 11 Comments

BLUETTI EP500 is a power bank & UPS for home appliances (Crowdfunding)

Many people are using a power bank to extend the battery life of their mobile device(s), and there are also laptop power banks which higher capacity and support for 12V and/or 19-20V besides the usual 5V. But BLUETTI EP500 & EP500Pro go up a notch as the systems aim at powering multiple home appliances or be used as UPS in case of power failure, or whenever you need to use tools or appliances away from the mains. BLUETTI EP500 & EP500Pro specifications: Control system based on Texas Instruments C2000 dual-core Arm+DSP real-time microcontroller AC Rated Power EP500 – 2000W (peak 4800W less than 500ms) EP500Pro – 3000W (peak 6000W less than 500ms) Power Input EP500 600W max, 100-264V AC via AC input – Charging time around 9 to 10 hours 1,200W max via PV input or T500 input (55-145V DC, 20A) – Charging time around 5 hours with solar panels […]

January 16, 2021 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 23 Comments

PinePower 120W desktop power supply features display, USB PD, QC 3.0 and wireless charging

Desktop Power Supply Qi Wireless Charging

Pine64’s January update includes the launch of PinePhone with Mobian operating system, some limited details about the upcoming Quartz64 RK3566 SBC that will ship with 4 to 8GB RAM, and other news about all their products. There’s not enough details yet to write a post about Quartz64, but another product caught my eyes: PinePower. Yes, Pine64 is now offering power supply, and last month they presented PinePower 65W GaN power adapter that looks similar to MINIX NEO P1 power supply, albeit slightly larger. But I find the desktop version of the power supply even more interesting with an integrated display that shows voltage and current for each port, and also adds Qi wireless charging. PinePower “Desktop” version specifications: Display – Shows individual port voltage and current status USB charging ports 1x USB Type-C PD port up to 65W output with support for 5V/3A, 9V/3A, 12V/3A, 15V/3A, 20V/3.25A 1x QC 3.0 […]

December 18, 2020 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 14 Comments

When USB-C to USB-A adapter meets USB PD charger…

USB-C PD charger and USB-C to USB-A adapter

MINIX NEO P1 is a 66W USB-C power supply/charger that can handle up to 3 devices, but I’m already using its big brother NEO P2 (100W) to power single board computers or other compatible devices that I may have to review. So instead, I plugged it in my bedroom’s power extension since it’s so tiny and provides three extra USB ports for charging devices. The problem is that two of those are USB-C ports, and I don’t own any USB-C to USB-C cable, so I went shopping for such cables, but soon realized I could probably “save money” by purchasing USB-C to USB-A adapters for less than one dollar each as I already own several USB-A to USB-C / micro USB cables. I got two of those and inserted them in the tiny USB PD charger. Spacing between the two USB-C ports was wide enough to the adapter fitted just […]

November 24, 2020November 24, 2020 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 4 Comments

MINIX NEO P1 tiny 66W GaN USB-C power supply can handle up to 3 devices

I’m now using MINIX NEO P2 GaN USB-C charger for all review using USB powered devices. But with four-ports and up to 100W of power, it’s a bit over-powered for one or two Raspberry Pi 4 or equivalent SBCs, and it also costs around $60. So the Hong Kong company has now introduced a new model with MINIX NEO P1 being a tiny 66W GaAN USB-C power adapter with two USB-C ports and one USB Type-A port and international plug adapters that make ideal to use on the go. MINIX NEO P1 key features and specifications: Power Input – 100-240V AC input with 2-prong US plug and adapters for EU, UK, and AU Power Output Up to 66 W in total 2x USB Type-C ports support up to 65 W with USB PD 3.0 (5-15V/3A, 20V/3.25A) 1x USB Type-A port supports up to 36 W with QC 3.0 (5V/3A, 9V/3A, […]

November 19, 2020November 19, 2020 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 1 Comment

8-MOSFET solid-state power driver works with Raspberry Pi, Arduino, ESP32 and other maker boards (Crowdfunding)

Using inexpensive relays to switch AC or DC loads work well in most cases, but those relays will be quickly damaged when faced with high DC voltages, fast switching times, or other endurance requirements for which MOSFET’s are better suited, and that’s why MOSFET power supplies are found in 3D printers. Sequent Microsystems has made a habit to provide specialized Raspberry Pi HAT with relays or terminals for resistance temperature detectors that are stackable to supports a larger number for I/O or sensors. The company is now back at it with the 8-MOSFET stackable, DIN-rail mountable board that works not only with Raspberry Pi SBC, but also popular Arduino, ESP32, and other maker boards. 8-MOSFET key features and specifications: Eight MOSFETs with status LEDs 4 optimized for high-current (HC) loads up to 10 A / 24 VDC 4 optimized for high-voltage (HV) loads up to 2 A / 240 VDC […]