STWBC2-HP Qi transmitter and CC Handling with Macbook Pro M1 and Mac Mini while using USB data lines

[2M]

We are developing a wireless charger with additional wireless-to-USB gateway functionality.

We have a design where we use the STWB2-HP as a wireless power transmitter - works fine most of the time.

In parallel, we implemented an ESP32-S3 with BT and WiFi.

We use a USB2 compatible USB-C connector.
USB power is used for the whole system.
CC lines are connected to the STWBC2-HP.
Data lines are connected to the ESP32.

On Windows and Linux machines, the data connection works as expected. The STWBC Studio interface reports USB-BC and USB-PD power modes at 5V, depending on the connected host devices.

With a PD wall adapter, all power modes (PD: 5V, 9V, 20V) are available and charging works.

However, when we connect our hardware to a MacOS machine (Macbook Pro M1 2021 or Mac mini), the device is visible for about 1 second and then disappears. The power to the USB port stays on and charging works as expected. Only the data lines are disabled on the USB host (manually resetting the ESP has no effect on the USB connection - unlike non-Apple machines)

We narrowed it down to the CC pin handling between STWBC and the Mac. After the ESP is detected, it is listed in the list of USB devices for about 1 second. The "console" log shows the handling of various CC states and ends with the USB port being disabled. There is no obvious message about excessive power consumption or other errors.
With a USB hub between the charging station and the Mac, everything works. Also, connecting directly to the ESP (STWBC bypassed and 5k1 resistors on both CC lines) works fine.

Anyone got any ideas?

I would be grateful for help. Thanks.

[willzhou]

Sorry to keep you waiting. I would like to inquire about the shipment volume of your project?

The internal PD function of the STWBC2-HP is implemented by the STM32G0.

You can also consult experts in the PD section of STM32 for advice.
Regarding the CC issue of the MAC, can you provide the relevant sniffer log of the PD for us to check?

[2M]

Hi willzhou,

thank you for your reply.

Actually I wrote my question in the STM32G0 section but it was relocated in the power management forum.

The shipment volume of the project is potentially very high, since the usage of the final products would be in healthcare and logistics industry.  I cannot tell you more about it in this public forum.

We do not have real protocoll sniffer logs but the logging from the Mac's Console app, respectivly the kernel log.

Thank you for looking into it.