Portenta USB-C cable compatibility?
I am trying to incorporate a Portenta H7 Lite Connected as the main processor in a sensor I am building. I was originally placing the H7 in an enclosure with the USB-C connector integrated so a USB-C cable can easily be inserted into it. The sensor would be used by customers, and what I am finding is that there is (well, WAS) only a single combination of cables that I could get to work.
The cable that used to work was a USB-C to USB-A adapter connected to a USB-A to USB-C cable that I connect to my new MacBook Pro.
Because the Portenta H7 has a USB-C connector on it, any customer that is using my sensor will assume that any USB-C cable can be connected. This is not the case. So, to fix this, I created a USB-C breakout board that fakes a USB-2.0 4-pin connection using VBUS, GND, D+, D− only to communicate with the Portenta H7. This worked, but only temporarily. Having taken a week-long break from this project, the SAME hardware which used to connect my H7 + USB-C-to-2.0 PCB adapter to my MacBook Pro now no longer works.
I have been struggling for a while with these boards and am wondering if anyone has successfully connected a Portenta H7 Lite Connected to a MacBook Pro using a USB-C cable?
This seems WAY harder than it should be.
Any insight would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Ryan
1 Reply
I'd strongly suggest moving away from relying on the H7's native USB-C implementation. Either:
- Use a proper USB 2.0 Type-B or Micro-B connector with appropriate labeling
- Implement a robust USB-C to USB 2.0 converter with proper CC termination and possibly a USB hub chip