Is PD same as USB-C?

USB PD and USB Type-C often appear together in the public, and some people even equate them with Type-C chargers as PD chargers. So what is the relationship between USB PD and USB Type-C? Is PD same as USB-C?

Type-c development history

Since 1998, USB has been released for more than 20 years. In the past 20 years, the USB-IF organization has released a variety of interface states, including A-port, B-port, MINI-A, MINI-B, Micro-A, Micro-B and other interface forms. Due to the different preferences of each product, Different products use different types of sockets, so the tragedy is coming. We also have to prepare a variety of interfaces for unknown purposes.

At present, the most popular USB interface is Type-A interface, which is all kinds of computer interfaces that we touch every day. The USB Type-B interface is currently commonly found in printers and some external hard drives. They have some common problems: Large interface, few pins, distinction between upper and lower pins. Large interfaces are not conducive to mobile devices. If there are fewer pins, it is difficult to increase the transmission rate and current. The distinction between upper and lower pins is also unfavorable for users.

In order to unify the physical design of the interface, USB-IF released the Type-C interface in August 2014. Its characteristics are thin, small, non-directional, and many pins (24 pins), which increase the PD power supply and increase the maximum current rate. Therefore, the USB Type-C interface is now the standard interface for low-voltage and high-current fast charging. Also, due to more pins, more copper wires for transmission, and increased shielding, it can support faster data transmission.

The USB Type-C interface has the characteristics of reversible insertion direction and cable direction, and the plug height is only 2.4mm, which perfectly solves some of the main problems of traditional USB, including:

• must be inserted in the forward direction;
• fixed Cable direction-Type-A connector must be connected to upstream equipment, Type-B connector must be connected to downstream equipment;
• The larger connector size hinders the realization of ultra-thin industrial design.

What is PD fast charge? 

PD fast charging is a fast charging protocol released by the USB-IF Association. It communicates through the A5 or B5 pin of the Type-C port, so only the Type-C port can support PD fast charging. The PD fast charging protocol stipulates that it can support 5V, 9V, 12V, 15V and 20V and other voltage charging, and can also support 3.3V-5.9V 3.3V-11V 3.3V-16V 3.3V-21V voltage charging, the maximum support 100W Charging, compared to the traditional 5V 2A (10W) charging, PD fast charging supports 9V 2A (18W) 20V 3A (60W), etc., charging with more power, charging faster.

The full name of USB PD should be called USB Power Delivery Specification, which is a fast charging standard launched by the USB standardization organization, which can support up to 100W power transmission and data communication in one cable. This fast charging standard has been in operation for several years. USB PD has reached version 3.0. The PD fast charging we are talking about now usually refers to PS 3.0.

So what does this PD do?

We know that fast charging of mobile phones can be achieved through high voltage or high current. For example, Qualcomm’s QC 3.0 uses a 9V/2A charging solution, while OPPO’s VOOC flash charging and OnePlus’s Dash flash charging both use a 5V/5A high-current solution. Since each fast charging solution is slightly different, it is required to use special wires provided by the corresponding manufacturer. This incompatibility causes great inconvenience to consumers.

The USB PD protocol was launched under this situation. It “naturalizes” many fast charging protocols on the market. Since mobile phone charging is charged through the USB interface, the USB standard stipulates that the voltage and voltage must be adjusted through the USB PD protocol. Current. At the same time, Google also stated that fast charging must be used through the USB PD protocol, which in disguise made everyone accept the “Overlord Clause” of USB PD. Become one of the most mainstream fast charging protocols at present.

But USB PD≠USB

Type-C Type-c refers to the shape of the interface. The PD fast charge you mentioned means that it supports the PD protocol. With this hardware support, it is implemented through the type-c interface. For example, this interface can also be used to transmit data, but ordinary mobile phones The type-c only has the usb2.0 protocol, so it can only transmit about 20M/s, while the 3.0 protocol can reach 500M/s. In addition, type-c also supports the Thunderbolt protocol, vr transmission, as long as the chip supports it.

So we say type-c is the interface type, and if it is full-featured, it means that it can be used for data, display transmission and charging, if it says that it only supports PD protocol, it means that this type-c port can only Is charged.

If the Type-C interface does not support the USB PD standard, it means that the maximum voltage supported by this device is 5V and the maximum current is 1.5A, and it is basically a “goodbye” fast charge. Therefore, the Type-C port that does not support the USB PD protocol cannot be used for PCs, mobile phone hosts, Dock, Dongle, chargers, mobile power supplies and other devices, but can be used for simple peripherals such as U disks. A device with a Type C interface and supporting the USB PD standard can support up to 20V/5A, which is 100W efficiency, making your charging faster!

USB PD+ Type-C becomes the mainstream of fast charging 

The charger that supports the USB PD protocol uses the Type-C interface as the output, because USB Type-C has new features that our common USB-A interface does not have, such as: support for positive and negative insertion, support for stronger power transmission (Maximum power 100W), faster transmission speed (up to 10Gbps), etc. This is also the reason why more and more Android phones and Apple Macbooks are beginning to use the Type-C interface. For the USB-PD fast charging protocol, undoubtedly the most important thing to use as an output interface is the maximum power of 100W. Although USB-A under USB3.1 can also do it, the size is too large. Relatively speaking, Type-C interface has become the best choice in line with the mainstream of the times, and today’s electronic devices are becoming thinner and lighter.