Programmable Industrial 4-port USB Switch for USB-C

The USB-C-Switch is a 4:1 software-programmable USB TypeC port selector and multiplexer switch, designed for demanding industrial environments where advanced control and monitoring of USB Type-C ports is required.

The USB-C-Switch can be used to selectively switch a USB connection from one common port to one of 4 mux ports, conduct Type-C cable flip operations, measure current and voltages on VBUS and VCONN lines of all ports, and independently control USB data and power connections on each port.

SKU:

S85-RDVR-USBCSW

Manufactured by

Acroname, Inc.

United States

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Overview

Programmable 4-Port USB Switch for Type-C

A 4:1 software-programmable USB TypeC port selector and multiplexer switch, designed for demanding industrial environments where advanced control and monitoring of USB Type-C ports is required.

USB-C-Switch is a programmable, bi-directional 4-channel USB type-C port selector used by major OEMs and CMs throughout the world. The USB-C-Switch automates testing and validation in manufacturing and test environments and enables control in any complex type-C or USB system.

Automate testing of USB Type-C functions and lower the cost of testing next-generation products. Software-controlled, programmable, and bi-directional 4:1 or 1:4 multiplexing switch. Supports power delivery (USB-PD), Apple CarPlay, Android Automotive, and Alt-Modes. Designed to withstand ±15kV ESD strikes.

Uses for USB type-C multiplexer

Manufacturing testing of USB Type-C ports
USB device validation and development
USB functional testing
USB peripheral management
USB Alt-mode testing
USB PD profile testing
Regression test environments
Automating USB Type C port “flip”
Automating USB plug/unplug operations
Automation of Apple CarPlay® or Android Auto® testing

Why choose Acroname’s industrial 4-Port USB-C Switch?

The USB-C-Switch gives engineers advanced control of USB connections in testing and development applications. The USB-C-Switch consists of several layers of internal switches to achieve the 4:1 selector and USB line control functionality. Without any hub or other directional intermediary devices, the USB-C switch is can behave “like a cable” to connected devices. USB2, USB3, power, CC, Vconn, and SBU, are passed through the USB-C-Switch between the common-port and the selected mux port. Data link, power negotiations and power between USB devices are provided by the attached devices themselves, allowing the USB-C-Switch to be used bidirectionally in either a 1:4 or 4:1 configuration.

Power and software control connections to the USB-C-Switch are established and maintained over a dedicated USB-C control port.

Each USB-C-Switch is uniquely addressable and controllable from a host PC via USB-C control port which also provide power. Built on top of Acroname’s BrainStem® platform, the USB-C-Switch is easily controlled over USB with simple highlevel APIs in C, C++, Python and LabVIEW.

Includes:

one 1.5ft USB-C male-to-male full-featured, e-marked cable
one 1.5ft USB-C to A male-to-male cable
one 1.5ft Acroname Universal Orientation Cable (UOC)

Passive and Redriver models are available

Passive: Best for emulating off the shelf cables and connections.
Re-Driver: Best for general connectivity or longer cables; allows USB signal tuning to compensate for insertion and other losses.

This product may expose you to chemicals which are known to the State of California to cause cancer, birth defects or other reproductive harm. For more information, go to www.P65Warnings.ca.gov. A list of specific chemicals can be found in the product documentation.

Features

Enable/Disable any port
Automate type-C hot-plug / unplug actions
Automate type-C connector flip actions (using C38-USBC-UOC cable)
Customize USB signal equalization settings (Redriver option only)
Monitor voltage on all ports
Monitor current on the common port
Monitor voltage and current on CC and VCONN
Individually enable/disable SuperSpeed and HiSpeed data, CC, SBU and power connections for any port
Maintain software control through a dedicated control port
Separate or combine USB lines between Mux Channels using advanced SPLIT mode
MacOSX 10.8+, Linux, ARM6, ARM7, and Windows 7, 8 and 10 (32bit and 64bit) platform support
Python, C, C++, LabVIEW APIs (C# coming soon)
Selectively connect one USB Type-C® (USB-C) connection to any one of 4 channels
Bidirectional 1:4 or 4:1 configurations
All ports support USB 3.2 Gen 2x1 link speeds up to 10Gbps1
All ports support USB PD profiles up to 100W (20V, 5A)2 – Execute USB-C cable flip via software control3
Supports pass through of USB Alt-Modes
Available in Passive or Redriver versions
DIN rail mountable using C31-DINM-1
Certified to withstand ±15kV ESD strikes

Applications

Cable Flip

A key feature of the USB-C connector is its symmetric design allowing for insertion in either orientation. This makes the USB-C connector user-friendly yet complicates the development of devices using the USB-C standard. The orientation is defined by the cable or downstream device in the system; more specifically, by components inside of the USB-C male plug of a connection. The USB-C specification makes determining connector orientation a responsibility of the active devices in the system.

Figure 11 shows example block diagrams of the flip feature when connecting a host through a full-featured, non-marked cable to a direct-connected downstream device. Related USB SS, HS and SBU lines are also routed appropriately, though omitted from the diagram for clarity.

Keep-Alive Charging (KAC)

It is common to use battery powered devices on either side of the USB-C-Switch. When these devices are not in the active path, either on the common or mux side, the device battery may discharge. The USB-C-Switch has the unique feature of Keep-Alive Charging (KAC) for the mux channel connections. When KAC is enabled, the KAC circuit connects power from the control port VBUS to all non-selected mux channel VBUS lines. KAC power is applied only to inactive mux channels and is not applied to the actively selected mux channel since the actively selected channel has a power path to the common port. KAC is automatically disabled when mux split mode is enabled.

Mux Split Mode

The default behavior of the USB-C-Switch is to act as a port selector, where all USB-C lines are connected between the common port and one selected mux channel. In some cases, it is desirable to split the connections in a USB-C cable and route them to different mux paths. A common application is to be able connect a USB device to a host machine for USB data while connecting VBUS charging from a device specific charger.

Split mode gives control over individual signal groups, allowing each group to be connect to a mux channel. VBUS can be connected to any combination of mux channels or disabled on the mux channels. Signal groups under Split control assignment are: VBUS, SSA (TX1+/-, RX1+/-), SSB (TX2+/-, RX2+/-), HSA (D+/-, Side A), HSB (D+/-, Side B), CC1, CC2, SBU1, and SBU2.

Downloads

Files

Attachment	Size
USB-C-Switch Datasheet v1.8	2.35 MB

Specs

Typical Performance Characteristics

Specifications are valid at 25°C unless otherwise noted. Indoor use only. Sample rates are typically limited by the USB throughput of the host operating system except where bulk capture is supported.

Parameter	Conditions/Notes	Min	Typ.	Max	Units
VBUS common to mux port ON		200	250	350	mΩ
VBUS current measurement resolution		-	1.95	-	mA
VBUS current measurement accuracy		-	±0.5	-	%FS
VBUS voltage measurement resolution		-	8	-	mV
VBUS voltage measurement accuracy		-	±0.2	-	%FS
CCx current measurement resolution		-	976	-	µA
CCx current measurement accuracy		-	±0.5	-	%FS
CCx voltage measurement resolution		-	4	-	mV
CCx voltage measurement accuracy		-	±0.5	-	%FS
Keep-alive charge (KAC) voltage	Sourced from control port VBUS	4.5	5.0	5.5	V
Keep-alive charge (KAC) current limit	Constant current mode short circuit to ground	600	800	1000	mA
A5 common to A5 mux DCR		1.0	-	1.1	Ω
B5 common to B5 mux DCR		1.0	-	1.1	Ω
A5 common to B5 mux DCR	Software flip condition	1.0	-	1.1	Ω
B5 common to A5 mux DCR	Software flip condition	1.0	-	1.1	Ω

Reviews

Comments

Android Auto and CarPlay regression, done!

Average: 5 (1 vote)

We set up our whole lab with the USB-C-Switch to test our car stereo headunit software. This is a game changer for our lab. It allowed us to quickly swap headunit software loads and test against multiple mobile devices all with programmed switching. Love it! Worth every penny.

2021-07-15

Great product and wonderful technical support

Average: 5 (1 vote)

Very good equipment a support. We had some issues with the shipping due to customs borders and the support servcie was able to unblock fastly. In addition, we did not choose the correct equipment the fist time and the support service helped us to decide what equipment was the best one. We had no problem to give it back and get the refund. Finally, the ordered the right equipment for our use case and it works perfectly!! Thanks you very much.

2020-03-13

Programmable Industrial 4-port USB Switch for USB-C

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