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USB Power Delivery

Total watts are not a profile.

The device and active charger port need a mutually supported voltage, current, protocol, cable, and occupied-port state.

Fixed PDOs: voltage first

A charger advertises Source Capabilities containing power data objects. For a fixed-voltage request, one fixed PDO must use the requested voltage and supply at least the requested current. A 100 W headline does not prove a particular 15 V or 20 V profile, and values from two PDO rows cannot be combined.

Power is voltage × current, but matching watts at the wrong voltage is not a match. Start with the device’s documented fixed request, then compare it with the exact active port’s fixed profile list.

PPS APDOs are ranges

Programmable Power Supply entries describe a voltage range and current/power boundary. The requested operating point must fit within one APDO simultaneously. “PPS supported” without the range is incomplete, and fixed PDO matching does not establish PPS behavior.

Cable current and EPR

Up to 60 W at 3 A can use an appropriate 60 W C-to-C cable. Paths above 3 A require a 5 A electronically marked cable. Current certified new-purchase power marking uses 60 W or 240 W. USB PD Extended Power Range adds higher fixed voltages and reaches up to 240 W; every source, sink, cable, and intermediate device must support the required EPR path.

Why multi-port chargers change

When another cable is inserted, a charger may switch from one manufacturer table row to another, lower one port, disable a port, or renegotiate existing devices. The total printed on the box is not each port’s output, and the difference must not be divided proportionally unless the manufacturer explicitly documents that rule.

  1. Identify the exact occupied ports in Scenario A.
  2. Copy the per-port outputs from that row.
  3. Repeat for Scenario B after adding or moving a cable.
  4. Compare each port, including zeros for explicitly disabled ports.
  5. Screen each device target against the chosen row and its profile list.
Keep evidence scoped: profile list, PPS range, and multi-port table must all refer to the exact charger model, physical port, and active-port combination.

Primary sources and tools

Match fixed profiles · Check one PPS range · Compare two table rows