Evaluation and measuring of USB Power Delivery and Type-C Cables

Question from the Customer:

I have an evaluation to run for a customer that includes both power and resistance measurements. Here’s what I know I can do so far – what do I need to add to this setup?

I am using the USB Power Delivery Analyzer with the Data Center Software to check CC status between a USB Type-C Device and USB Type-C AC Adapter.

What do I need to add to my set up to check the CC1/CC2 hardware connection, such as Rd/Rp measurements?

Response from Technical Support:

Thanks for your question! For this evaluation, we recommend using both the USB Power Delivery Analyzer and the Advanced Cable Tester.

Why Use the USB Power Delivery Analyzer and Advanced Cable Tester Together

The USB Power Delivery Analyzer acts as a pass through of signals through CC1 and CC2. It is able to monitor the PD traffic between a Type-C Source and Type-C Sink.  The Advanced Cable Tester can check Rp/Rd values of the cable. This way, you can monitor and collect all the data you need for the evaluation for your customer.

What the USB Power Delivery Analyzer Provides for Power Measurement

The hardware capabilities of the USB Power Delivery Analyzer include:

• Sniffing Power Delivery (PD) traffic on Control Channel (CC) lines
• Transparent interposing on a USB Type-C connection
• Monitor VBUS and VCONN voltages and currents
• Injecting PD packets on CC1 or CC2 lines

Here is a video about using the USB Power Delivery Analyzer:

How the Advanced Cable Tester Completes the Evaluation

The Advanced Cable Tester – Level 1 Application for the Promira Serial Platform can measure Rp/Rd/Ra, as well as other important cable traits such as continuity, E-marker accuracy, DCR of individual ground and power pins as well as the DCR for power and ground wires of the entire cable.

The Advanced Cable Tester can be used for legacy cables including USB 3.1 Standard-A and USB 3.1 Micro-B connectors.  For more information, here is a video about using the Advanced Cable Tester