USB-IF Launches New Conformity Test Program in Support of EU Common Charger Directive

[btarunr]

USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF), the support organization for the advancement and adoption of USB technology, today announced the launch of the USB-IF Conformity to IEC 62680 (USB) Specifications Program. This new initiative is designed to assist Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs)/Original Device Manufacturers (ODMs) in conforming to the basic requirements of the European Union (EU) Common Charger Directive, which mandates the use of standardized charging technology across a wide range of portable battery-powered devices in the EU.

In response to the EU's 2022 approval of the common charger directive—which will take effect on January 1, 2025, for portable battery-powered devices and in 2026 for laptops—the USB-IF Conformity to IEC 62680 (USB) Specifications Program specifically addresses key aspects of the directive. These include portable battery-powered devices, USB Type-C receptacles, USB Type-C cables and connectors, external power supplies (EPS), and the USB Power Delivery (USB PD) protocol for devices advertising more than 15 Watts.



"The USB-IF has enjoyed a longstanding relationship with IEC. We contributed the core USB specifications to IEC which, once adopted, became the IEC 62680 series of USB specifications," said USB-IF President and Chief Operating Officer Jeff Ravencraft. "The EU mandate covers only a portion of the entire USB specifications. As the industry group responsible for developing and overseeing all aspects of the USB specifications and testing, the USB-IF's new program is designed to assist OEMs/ODMs in demonstrating conformity with the EU's requirements of the common charger directive."

The USB-IF Conformity to IEC 62680 (USB) Specifications Program creates a simple, cost-effective process for OEMs/ODMs to demonstrate conformity to the EU Common Charger Directive. Using the USB-IF program, OEMs/ODMs can have their USB Type-C products formally tested by USB-IF authorized independent test labs (ITLs). Upon successful completion of testing, OEMs/ODMs will receive documentation to demonstrate to the EU that their products conform to the IEC 62680 (USB) specifications. This streamlined process allows for a quick testing turnaround, ensuring that manufacturers can meet regulatory deadlines:

• OEMs will continue to register their products and submit test results through ITLs, following USB-IF's already established process.
• A minimum set of required tests has been defined by the USB-IF to demonstrate baseline conformity.
• The USB-IF will review all test result submissions and provide official approval.
• A Vendor ID (VID) is required, and USB-IF will be utilizing a Test ID (TID) as a tracker reference.

"The USB-IF Conformity to IEC 62680 (USB) Specifications Program has been crafted to ensure that all submitted products undergo evaluation, focusing on the critical elements we believe are necessary for conforming with the EU mandate," said USB-IF Chief Technology Officer and Chairman of the Board Abdul Ismail. "Our testing levels are designed to offer a precise and reliable assessment, enabling OEMs/ODMs to confidently show to the EU that their products conform to the regulatory obligations."

While the USB-IF Conformity to IEC 62680 (USB) Specifications Program provides a vital service to OEMs/ODMs by offering a formal method to demonstrate conformity to EU mandates, it is important to distinguish this from the more extensive USB-IF Compliance Program. The USB-IF Compliance Program offers in-depth testing that not only establishes conformity with the IEC 62680 specifications but also fully verifies a product's adherence to the comprehensive USB-IF specifications for data performance, reliability and interoperability. Additionally, fully certified products qualify to be able to use the Certified USB Logo, which consumers recognize and trust to provide what they have come to expect from USB products.

"While this program is not a full certification of USB technologies, it provides a formalized pathway for OEMs/ODMs to test their products quickly," said Ravencraft. "We are confident this new program will help the industry achieve conformity so they can continue to sell their products in the EU marketplace."

An online public listing of OEMs/ODMs products that have passed the "USB-IF Conformity to IEC 62680 (USB) Specifications Program" is located on the USB-IF product search page at www.usb.org. This platform also differentiates between products that are fully USB-IF certified and those that have met only the conformity requirements.

View at TechPowerUp Main Site

 

[Wirko]

Good but late. Four months before the directive goes into effect?

 

[TheLostSwede]

Good but late. Four months before the directive goes into effect?

Most things are already compliant anyhow, if they're USB PD certified.

 

[Hakker]

A bit late, but at least it is enforced here. Done with the 54 versions to connect stuff. Especially now that USB-C can pass through a lot of power to charge things. The only ones still needing to learn it are laptop manufacturers. They still give entire bricks of power supplies for stuff that PD chargers can do as well with a fraction of the size.

 

[Geofrancis]

They need to stamp down on the BS that Apple and Nintendo are up to, where instead of supporting PD3.0 properly so it automatically goes from 5v>9v>12v>15v when charging they have bastardized their chargers and devices so they go from 5v>12v or 5v>15v so if you try and charge anything type C PD3.0 with an apple or Nintendo charger it won't work, it tries to charge but as soon as it tries to negotiate up to 9v as the standard defines it fails since Nintendo doesn't support that voltage as it should. this is why you can't fast charge a Nintendo on anything other than a Nintendo charger. and nothing charges on the Nintendo charger and I'm sure Apple are doing the same thing now.

 

[TheLostSwede]

A bit late, but at least it is enforced here. Done with the 54 versions to connect stuff. Especially now that USB-C can pass through a lot of power to charge things. The only ones still needing to learn it are laptop manufacturers. They still give entire bricks of power supplies for stuff that PD chargers can do as well with a fraction of the size.

My now two year old Acer laptop came with a USB PD "brick", but I can charge it from smaller USB PD chargers.

They need to stamp down on the BS that Apple and Nintendo are up to, where instead of supporting PD3.0 properly so it automatically goes from 5v>9v>12v>15v when charging they have bastardized their chargers and devices so they go from 5v>12v or 5v>15v so if you try and charge anything type C PD3.0 with an apple or Nintendo charger it won't work, it tries to charge but as soon as it tries to negotiate up to 9v as the standard defines it fails since Nintendo doesn't support that voltage as it should. this is why you can't fast charge a Nintendo on anything other than a Nintendo charger. and nothing charges on the Nintendo charger and I'm sure Apple are doing the same thing now.

12 V is actually a depreciated part of the USB PD spec and was replaced with 20 V in version 2.0 of the spec, which was ratified in 2014.
Also note that devices don't have to support all power modes, although chargers should, for obvious reasons as the ones you mention.
The negotiation doesn't have to go through the entire range of Voltages though, but always starts at 5 V, but can then jump straight to 20 V, but that depends again on how the device was designed.
It could be that Apple and Nintendo are relying on the PPS mode as well, which allows for a wider range of strange Voltages and doesn't make a whole heap of sense imho.
In all fairness, they're not the only companies doing things like this, my SO has a Lenovo tablet that only charges at full speed with the provided charger (with a USB A port), despite the spec saying USB PD compliant. Most xinese phones, as well as Samsung phones also rely on proprietary standards for fast charging.

 

[bonehead123]

This is great for the UK, and hopefully will spread worldwide, but now they just need to fix the conglomerated clusterf*ck that is the USB version/naming conventions.....

 

[Wirko]

This is great for the UK, and hopefully will spread worldwide, but now they just need to fix the conglomerated clusterf*ck that is the USB version/naming conventions.....

The European power limit for vacuum cleaners has already infected America, me heard. Because manufacturers like to design just one model for the entire world. So now you have 900-watt vacuums instead of V8. Ha-ha.

 

[Geofrancis]

My now two year old Acer laptop came with a USB PD "brick", but I can charge it from smaller USB PD chargers.


12 V is actually a depreciated part of the USB PD spec and was replaced with 20 V in version 2.0 of the spec, which was ratified in 2014.
Also note that devices don't have to support all power modes, although chargers should, for obvious reasons as the ones you mention.
The negotiation doesn't have to go through the entire range of Voltages though, but always starts at 5 V, but can then jump straight to 20 V, but that depends again on how the device was designed.
It could be that Apple and Nintendo are relying on the PPS mode as well, which allows for a wider range of strange Voltages and doesn't make a whole heap of sense imho.
In all fairness, they're not the only companies doing things like this, my SO has a Lenovo tablet that only charges at full speed with the provided charger (with a USB A port), despite the spec saying USB PD compliant. Most xinese phones, as well as Samsung phones also rely on proprietary standards for fast charging.

9v is part of the spec, if you try and charge a tablet or phone from the Nintendo charger it will start at 5v then fails as soon as it tries for 9v, as the charger will only do 5v and 15v nothing between as every phone and tablet I have tried will negotiate up through the voltages. so you just end up with the tablet making the charging noise over and over again, the Nintendo won't charge on anything other than 5v and 15v so unless you use a 65w charger your stuck at 5v, it wont even attempt to use 9v .

 

[Wirko]

12 V is actually a depreciated part of the USB PD spec

Wow. 12 volts, the greatest standard of all standards (historically based on the 6-cell lead-acid battery), has indeed dropped out.

PPS mode as well, which allows for a wider range of strange Voltages and doesn't make a whole heap of sense imho.

It probably makes sense because it takes some power electronics out of the device (where space may be very limited) and into the charger (which must support multiple voltages anyway).

The problem is that the PPS capability is optional in all PD revisions, it's not clearly marked on chargers, but devices may require it for fast charging. New Samsung phones, I think, are an example.

 

[TheLostSwede]

It probably makes sense because it takes some power electronics out of the device (where space may be very limited) and into the charger (which must support multiple voltages anyway).

The problem is that the PPS capability is optional in all PD revisions, it's not clearly marked on chargers, but devices may require it for fast charging. New Samsung phones, I think, are an example.

Yeah, this is why PPS doesn't make sense to me, it's sort of part of the standard, but not all modes are supported, both by chargers and devices, which makes it really confusing.

 

[trsttte]

I'm sure Apple are doing the same thing now

I can't speak to whatever the hell nintendo is doing, the switch is indeed notorious for being very picky with chargers, but Apple received a stern warning from the EU to not try and pull any crap as soon as rumours suggested they might be doing something like that.

EU Warns Apple About Limiting Speeds of Uncertified USB-C Cables for iPhones

Last year, the EU passed legislation that will require the iPhone and many other devices with wired charging to be equipped with a USB-C port in...

www.macrumors.com

EU-Verordnung : EU-Kommission warnt Apple vor Einschränkungen bei Ladekabeln

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www.zeit.de