Compact USB-C to DisplayPort Alternate Mode adapter reference design


The compact USB Type-C to DisplayPort adapter reference design, with USB Type-C connector and DisplayPort connector, exploits Alternate Mode of the USB Type-C and Power Delivery specifications to offer a comprehensive VESA® DisplayPort Standard interface.

With this adapter, you can connect a monitor with a DisplayPort interface to any laptop, tablet or smartphone with a reversible USB Type-C connector that is compliant with the Power Delivery specification.

The DisplayPort Alternate Mode allows video data to be delivered through the SuperSpeed USB lines on the Type-C connector, while Auxiliary lanes (AUX) and hot plug detection (HPD) signals are sent through other Type-C lines.

The high-performance ARM® Cortex®-M0 32-bit STM32F072 microcontroller engages in DisplayPort Alt Mode negotiation through vendor-defined messages (VDM) according to the USB Power Delivery Specification. The messages are transmitted along configuration channel (CC), through a simple discrete analog front end (AFE) interface between the STM32 MCU and the USB Type-C connector.

The STM32 microcontroller running the ST USB Middleware stack and the embedded USB 2.0 controller provide the Billboard Device Class support as required by the USB Power Delivery standard, as well as the Device Firmware Upgrade capability.

Key Features

  • Full reference design for USB Type-C to DisplayPort adapter with USB Type-C connector and DisplayPort connector.
  • Single chip solution based on the STM32F072 series 32-bit microcontrollers with integrated USB 2.0 peripheral.
  • Based on certified X-CUBE-USB-PD middleware stack, compliant with the following standards and specifications:
    • USB Type-C Cable and Connector 1.3
    • USB Power Delivery 2.0 and 3.0
    • VESA DisplayPort Alternate Mode on USB Type-C Standard 1.0a
    • USB Device Class Definition for Billboard Devices 1.21
  • EMI filtering and ESD protection circuits.
  • Compact PCB design: 5.5 x 2.3 cm
  • RoHS compliant

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