Configurating USB Power Delivery connection
Configurating USB Power Delivery connection
Ok so here's a question, if anyone was to even hazard a guess about USB's Power Delivery standard and how it can do cool things, I'm wondering about how exactly it works. Depending on iteration, there's some fixed ones like 5, 9, 15, 20, 28, etc volt, and it all seems like 5A, no matter the voltage. USB-C has this cool variable thing though recently, where it's just "pick a voltage and send it" however if I have a device that's micro usb, and a hub that provides power from a PD usb-c port, it's easy for me to just get a usb-c to micro-usb cable, but how do I know if it's pinned correctly? Will it send 75w to my mouse and explode? Will it do nothing at all because it doesn't have the right pins to talk correctly? I'm not exactly in the running for world's best electrical engineer, so some input from people who play with cables a bit more than I do would help. The goal is split (by whatever means) this 1 usb-c PD capable of "87w" (which assuming everything is 5A) then 17v plus change Edited March 24, 2023 by Onyx666 Formatting
Each gadget should agree on its power and current needs. If you force a hub to deliver a constant voltage to many devices, it could cause serious harm or failure—think of it as sending a strong jolt to your mouse (just a joke, but it gets the point). In most cases, I wouldn’t place high-power draw items on any USB hub. Only Type C and a specific version of Type A support +30W reliably. Not all devices require 5A through USB; in that situation, current is simply electrons moving at a steady pace. Many items use less than 5W, often just 1A at 5V. When we talk about electricity to people who prefer mechanical explanations, we usually compare voltage to water pressure and current to flow rate.
From what I understand, sending a cable directly to the port without any adjustments usually results in a standard 5V output, up to around 5A, which is typical for charging a wireless mouse. It should work as long as you're not using devices that require 3.3V. Let me know if this matches your expectations.
USB typically uses 5V as the standard and minimum. When connecting one device at a time, it will match the device's requirements. If several devices with different needs connect to a hub, proper negotiation is likely only if the hub supports power delivery. For high-power devices like those drawing over 10W, it's best to use their own USB ports. If you're just charging a phone quickly, you might tolerate slower charging or use a separate power source, usually the one included. Voltage and current depend on the device; higher voltages are usually safe up to a point, but too low can harm the unit. Electronics generally need both a specific voltage and sufficient current to work correctly.