PCB of the day! Requiem for a 5.1K CC resistor 🔌💡🔧
We have a few gadgets around the house that, despite having a USB type C connector, do not abide by the USB C power delivery specification! They leave off or mis-connect the two 5.1K resistors required to tell a USB PD wall adapter that they want 5V 1A power, a common issue because the devices work fine with a USB A to C cable, and only Macbooks seem picky about this stuff: cheap power supplies blast 5V and call it a day.
This doo-hickey is a solution. It has two USB sockets nestled back-to-back, and instead of connecting the CC lines through, each half has its own dedicated resistor set. It makes for an excellent symmetrical design. Pair it with a short USB C-C cable to create an inline extender. We considered having one side be a plug, but the SMT-able plug connectors seemed like they needed to be more mechanically stable.
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