USB Power Delivery Trigger HAT
Overview
In this tutorial, we will build a USB Power Delivery (PD) Trigger HAT. This board negotiates voltages (5V, 9V, 12V, 15V, or 20V) from any standard USB PD charger or battery pack and routes that power to a high-current terminal block.
This board is extremely useful for powering hobbyist projects, single-board computers, or DC motors directly from a USB-PD wall adapter.
We will use the CH224K USB PD sink controller, which handles the CC (Configuration Channel) negotiation protocol automatically without requiring a microcontroller.
📋 Components Checklist
Our circuit will consist of:
- CH224K PD Controller (U1) — Low-cost USB PD sink chip in an ESSOP-10 package.
- USB Type-C Female Port (J1) — Input receptacle for USB-PD source.
- DIP Switch (SW1) — 3-position switch to select the requested voltage.
- 2-pin Screw Terminal (J2) — High-current output terminal for external devices.
- Decoupling Capacitors (C1, C2) — Filtering capacitors to stabilize VBUS and internal VDD.
- LED Indicator (D1) & Current Limiting Resistor (R1) — Visual feedback for power output.
🛠️ Step-by-Step Implementation
Create a new file in your project or editor and paste the following tscircuit design code.
Complete Circuit Code
⚡ How the Voltage Negotiation Works
The CH224K chip negotiates voltages based on the state of the configuration pins (CFG1, CFG2, and CFG3). By toggling the DIP switch, you pull these pins to GND (LOW) or leave them floating (HIGH).
| CFG1 | CFG2 | CFG3 | Negotiated Voltage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Floating | GND | Floating | 5V (Default USB voltage) |
| GND | GND | Floating | 9V |
| Floating | Floating | GND | 12V |
| GND | Floating | GND | 15V |
| GND | Floating | Floating | 20V |