#powermanagement

USB C has a nifty power management system where, by default, you can get a classic 5V at 1A power out from a power supply or port, but with some fancy twiddling, you can request higher voltages and currents. We've always wanted a simple breakout that could get you a range of voltages using just jumper pads, but we only had a little luck with IP2721. Then we found this chip - the HUSB238 https://en.hynetek.com/pdsink.html - used in a USB-to-DC cable, which seems perfect! It can do 5V to 20V with just a resistor setting and set the current. There's also an I2C interface that can be used to set them if the settings are persistent - we'll have to try it out. There's a library here if you want to see what the registers are like https://github.com/ltyridium/HUSB238-lib. Here's our draft for a breakout design.

“MediaTek’s selection of our CMP180 for their 6G waveform verification work demonstrates the instrument’s capability to support cutting-edge research and development,” said Fernando Schmitt, Product Manager, Rohde & Schwarz. “As the industry advances toward 6G, we’re committed to providing test solutions that enable our customers to push the boundaries of wireless technology.”

The SAMD51 shortage is still killin' us, but we do have a reel of SAMD51J20's that we can use so we're revisiting this design for a SAMD51 M4 Feather with many upgrades. Think of it a a "Feather M4 v2" - with USB C instead of Micro B, 256KB SRAM chip, 8MB of QSPI flash, QT port, tactile switch, micro SD slot on the bottom and disable-able power for the NeoPixel, SD card and external I2C port.

Power outages have a way of reminding everyone just how much invisible engineering keeps modern life running — from the breaker in your hallway closet to the substation miles away. Eaton builds a huge chunk of that in-between infrastructure, the stuff nobody thinks about until it's the thing standing between them and a very dark, very quiet house.

Random but true: the electricity powering your phone right now traveled through more safety systems, circuit protection, and power management tech than most people ever think about. Wild when you actually trace it out. Eaton was founded back in 1911 and has grown into an intelligent power management company working across electrical, industrial, and mobility markets — a lot longer than most of the devices it protects have even existed.