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USB between two MCUs & host PC

Hayden
Associate

I am looking to design a split keyboard that requires USB communication between two keyboard halves and  a host computer. The left half will have a USB-C connection to a host computer and appear as a USB HID with regular keyboard functionality. This connection will also source power from the host.

The left half will also have a USB-C connection to the right keyboard half providing power to the right.

The right half will have a USB-C connection to the left half and must source power from the left half.

Keeping cost low is critical so the USB-C connection between the halves would not need to use standard USB-C communication and could implement a USB alternate mode as per the USB-C specification and then use UART between the MCUs.

The STM32G0B1xB/xC/xE series have two USB Type-C Power Delivery controllers available. Would I be able to use UCPD1 on the left half PCB to negotiate power delivery from the host computer and establish a USB 2.0 connection to the host. Then use the UCPD2 to connect to the right half PCB and establish an alternate mode using UART on the SBU1&SBU2 pins, with the left half sourcing power and the right sinking power.

 

All USB-C connections would need to be USB compliant.

 

 

 

 

2 REPLIES 2
J.Christ
Associate II

Why not just put a USB HUB chip in the left half?

 

Jacob

Using a hub would mean it appears as two separate devices? I need the halves to communicate with each other then appear to the host as one device.