P-TCO Devices for USB-C™ Thermal Runaway Protection

Bourns' family of polymeric thermal cutoff (P-TCO) devices is designed to protect USB-C cables from destructive and potentially dangerous thermal runaway events. The P-TCO family includes two series: the P-TCO-U series in a 1210 footprint and the P-TCO-N series in an ultra-compact 1206 footprint.

The USB Type-C™ connector features 24 pins in a smaller form factor than previous USB connector designs, and can deliver up to 100 W of power. There are clear benefits to these enhanced features and capabilities. The downside to this combination of increased power and extremely tight pin spacing is a heightened concern about safety hazards due to the possibility of thermal runaway triggered by dirt or liquid entering the connector and causing a short. The P-TCO model family from Bourns offers an effective combination of compact, ultra-low resistance thermal protection to guard against such potentially dangerous runaway events.

Each P-TCO series has a 12 V maximum operating voltage rating, a 50 A maximum operating current rating, and comes in three different models designed to provide protection for six different temperature/current combinations. The ultra-low resistance materials used in the P-TCO family enable both the P-TCO-U and the P-TCO-N series to achieve initial resistance values as low as 2 mΩ and post-trip resistance values as low as 14 mΩ, thereby allowing the devices to achieve current-carrying capabilities as high as 4.5 A.