Sunday, November 29, 2009

USB Battery Charging Test Tool For Mobile Phones, Devices

(November 17th, 2009)
Recently, Allion announced a
USB Battery Charging Test Fixture pre-sale, which runs through the end of this month. This USB testing tool easily measures the performance of mobile phone device chargers. The test fixture looks at power consumption, over shoot (signal or function exceeding steady-state value), under shoot (signal or function lower than steady-state value) and short-recover time. The USB test fixture was developed to adhere to the Battery Charging 1.1 Specification defined by the USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF).USB Battery Charging 1.1One feature that makes USB a compelling interconnect technology is its battery charging ability. As USB devices become more powerful and advance with new features, new battery charging capabilities are needed. This is where the USB Battery Charging 1.1 specification, which was released as a new USB Device Class specification earlier this year, comes into play.
New capabilities enabled by Battery Charging 1.1:
Device detection whether they are attached to a PC or charging port. When attached to a charging port, devices can draw power before they are recognized.
Portable devices with dead batteries are now able to draw current from a PC before they are recognized.
Devices plugged into a docking station can act as host to downstream peripherals, while drawing current from the docking station.
The Accessory Charger Adapter enables a portable device with a single Micro-USB connector to charge at the same time it is attached to another device, such as a headset.
Portable devices can reduce connector costs by offering battery charging, connection to a host and/or connection to a peripheral using a single Micro-USB receptacle.
USB test equipment can effectively enhance testing during all product development stages. Allion strives to deliver the most cost effective and competitive testing fixtures to fulfill the needs of developers. Quality testing ultimately leads to quality products and financial savings for customers.