Simple USB C Socket breakout

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I while back I bought the https://core-electronics.com.au/simple-usb-c-socket-breakout.html with the intent of using it with a PGA2040 | Pimoroni PIM577 | Core Electronics Australia I used a piicoDev protoboard and a couple of small tactile switches for reset and run. Not the tidiest of jobs, but it’s electrically sound, i.e. no short curcuits and all the pins go where they should.

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When I plugged it in via to the USB C port on my laptop and I got nothing. I checked VCC and it didn’t show anything. Did the same with a USB C power supply and had the same result. A USB-A to USB-C worked! The same cable with a USB-A female to USB-A male plugged into my laptop worked :slight_smile:

The solution is “fine” for now, but reading the breakout page I saw this:

It does not have any resistors to set direction/current

On a different breakout board I saw this

The two 5.1K resistors on the CC1 pins indicate to the upstream port to provide 5V and up to 1.5A

I can probably make do, but if I were to add the resistors which are the CC1 and CC2 pins I’d have to attach them to? The sheild is grounded, so I could go between the pins and there. It might nobe worth it, but it’d be nice to avoid the C :arrow_right: A :arrow_right: C stack.

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There is no attachment point available for these pins, so it is only usable with sources that do not expect to connect with a type C. The description should probably be “It does not have any resistors to set direction/current or anywhere to connect them…”. You can see the pinout for a type C connector here.

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Hi all
Referring to resistors connected to CC1 and CC2 pins. I don’t profess to knowing a great deal about this or even what CC1 and CC2 mean but would it not be sensible to have these as part of the host equipment. That way a simple cable would be multifunctional and not have to be anything special. I dived down into that link in the original post and a couple of diagrams suggest this to be the case. I took a look at the Microchip app note linked in the Core page, ap note AN1953 Sect 3.5 Fig 6 and Sec 4 Fig 7 which seemed to suggest this. Also something which could be a bother there seems to be a “flipped” and “unflipped” version of cable where the “flipped” one has the CC1 and CC2 cross connected. Good idea that isn’t it??? I may have misinterpreted that bit, I hope I have.
Cheers Bob

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You may get some idea about betterment of your design from here: GitHub - adafruit/Adafruit-USB-C-Downstream-Breakout: Eagle PCB design files for the Adafruit USB C breakout

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That would make the host unable to negotiate with any slave. OP wants to do this for the slave (which does not need the type C functionality) but the pins aren’t broken out to enable this it to be done. There are other socket breakouts available that do have the required connection points, but of course they are much larger.
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005004101248328.html

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Hi Jeff
Sorry I may have confused the issue there. What I meant by “host” is the equipment the socket is mounted to, Master (Host) or slave as against being part of a connector or breakout. But you are right of course, if the connections are not extended on this breakout board nothing much can be done.
Cheers Bob

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Thanks, and you’re mostly right, it would be theoretically possible to solder the pin on the connector to the sheild/ground. Your link helped me identify the right pin, it’s next to the VCC (5V) pin on the connector. That said, it’s definitely not possible for me to do it.

The lesson for me is to read the product details more closely. Also to use a different breakout next time :smile: possibly micro to type A

I do wonder what other values for the resistor you can use to get other values for the power on the VCC pin

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