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Tuesday, May 31, 2016

USB-C powers world’s first single port smartphones



By Nick Flaherty www.flaherty.co.uk

The USB-C technology from Cypress Semiconductor has been used to develop the world's first signle port smartphone. 

LeEco has used a USB-C port on its flagship Le Max2 superphone—providing the only physical connector on the phone. The Cypress EZ-PD CCG2 controller helps enable the one-port design of the Le Max2, which is the first phone to remove the ubiquitous audio jack and use the USB-C port for audio, in addition to charging and data. 

LeEco’s Continual Digital Lossless Audio (CDLA) technology delivers true fidelity audio and lossless music experience via the USB-C port. The Le Max2 is also the market’s first phone to enable fast charging utilizing the USB Power Delivery (PD) standard, which allows transfer of more than 15W of power over the Type-C connector. The Le Max2 charger uses Cypress’s USB-C controller solution to implement USB PD as well.

Optimized for the 2.4-mm thin USB-C connector, the programmable EZ-PD CCG2 controller is capable of fully supporting USB PD and other proprietary charging standard implementations in smartphones, tablets, and mobile chargers. CCG2 provides a complete, robust solution by integrating the USB-C transceiver, PD protocol and policy layer functions. Available in a 3.3 mm2 20-ball Wafer Level Chip Scale Package (WLCSP), a 14-pin DFN and a 24-pin QFN, CCG2 also includes system-level ESD protection and termination resistors needed for all USB-C applications. 

“LeEco selected the Cypress USB Type-C and Power Delivery solution because of its interoperability performance and robust implementation of the PD protocol for flexible, on-demand PD charging,” said Gao Chao, Hardware Director of LeEco. “With Cypress’s strong support, we were able to get to market first with faster PD charging in our Le Max2 phone.”

“The Le Max2 marks a new generation of smartphones that will use a single USB-C port to connect and charge,” said Ajay Srikrishna, vice president of the USB product line at Cypress. “Cypress’s programmable EZ-PD controllers enable our customers to bring their innovative designs to market quickly, with the confidence that comes with our USB-IF-certified solutions. The Le Max2 charger is one of only three chargers on the market to be certified as compliant to the USB Power Delivery standard, and the other two are also based on Cypress solutions.”

The USB Type-C standard is gaining rapid support with top-tier PC and electronics manufacturers by enabling slim industrial designs, easy-to-use connectors and cables, and the ability to transmit multiple protocols and deliver up to 100W of power. The USB Type-C standard’s 2.4-mm-high connector plug is significantly smaller than the current 4.5-mm USB Standard-A connector. In addition to the transport of USB signals, DisplayPort and Thunderbolt signals can be delivered over the same connector via the USB Type-C standard’s Alternate Mode capability.

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