HummingKit is a professional-grade, software-defined power platform that ditches the "black box" of USB Type-C charging in favor of a transparent, programmable approach. This approach aligns with the Software-Defined Charger (SDC) concept, where power hardware is decoupled from control logic, allowing charging behavior to be defined, inspected, and iterated on with software rather than fixed hardware rules. It combines an industrial AC-DC core with an FPGA-driven architecture to provide five independent, high-power USB Power Delivery 3.2 ports, each exposed through a feature-rich set of open APIs.

By integrating an ESP32-C3 for Wi-Fi/BLE connectivity and a dedicated Amlogic SALELF2 FPGA for high-speed logic, HummingKit allows developers to treat power with the same precision as code. Within an SDC architecture, this means power behavior is no longer fixed at design time, but can be continuously observed, adjusted, and integrated into higher-level software systems. Whether you are a DevOps engineer automating a test rack or a maker building a smart home energy dashboard, HummingKit provides the visibility and control necessary to master the modern USB-PD ecosystem.

Tidy Desk, Tidy Workflow

Imagine a hardware CI/CD pipeline where power isn’t just a switch, but a variable. In an SDC-based system, power becomes part of the CI/CD loop itself—a software-managed parameter that can be versioned, scripted, monitored, and rolled back just like code.

HummingKit solves the "silent failure" problem in automated testing by allowing engineers to script voltage sweeps, monitor real-time current draw via Prometheus, and simulate brown-out conditions—all through APIs or custom integration. It turns a messy desk of bench power supplies into a single, network-attached power hub that can be controlled from a terminal or a Python script.

For the embedded developer, HummingKit eliminates the guesswork of USB-PD interoperability. Instead of wondering why a device won’t fast-charge, you can use the platform to inspect PDO/RDO negotiation steps and even simulate edge-case protocol behaviors to harden your firmware. This level of visibility reflects the core promise of SDC: making power behavior explicit, inspectable, and debuggable rather than implicit and opaque.

It also excels in smart environments; for instance, you can integrate it with Home Assistant to slow-charge your laptop overnight to maximize battery longevity, or trigger power-downs based on thermal thresholds. It is a platform designed to grow with your project, moving power from a static wall plug to a dynamic part of your development stack.

Features & Specifications

HummingKit interior view

• Architecture: Software-Defined Charger (SDC) platform with software-managed power control and open interfaces
• Power core: Mean Well LOP-series industrial AC-DC module for 24/7 reliability
• Processing: Espressif ESP32-C3 (Wi-Fi/BLE) & Anlogic SALELF2 FPGA core
• Output ports: 5 x USB Type-C ports, each managed by a dedicated SW3566 controller
• Power:
  • Single port: Up to 140 W (PD 3.2 EPR); 3.3 V to 28 V via PD, PPS, AVS, or API
  • System total: DC-DC stage supports up to 700 W (actual output limited by the built-in AC-DC module).
  • PSU options: 200 ~ 300 W (passive/active cooling) and 400~600 W (active cooling)
• Connectivity: 2.4GHz Wi-Fi, BLE, GPIO headers, and OLED display header
• Enclosure: CNC-machined 5052 aluminum alloy, sandblasted and anodized
• Dimensions: 191 × 100 × 63.2 mm (7 1/2 × 3 15/16 × 2 1/2 in)
• Weight: 1033 g (2 lb 4 oz)
• Software: Fully open-source firmware, with fully open BLE protocol, API, MQTT, and Prometheus

Block Diagram

Open Source

At CANDYSIGN, we operate on an "Open-Source-First" principle. HummingKit is designed to be a community-driven platform, and as such we will release hardware, firmware and gateware files to users. For an SDC platform, transparency is essential—open access to power control logic and interfaces ensures that software-defined power remains observable, extensible, and trustworthy. You can expect complete schematics, PCB design files, and BOM will be released under an OSHW-compliant license before the end of the crowdfunding campaign. All controller source code and non-proprietary FPGA logic are available now. We use a fully open-source toolchain (GCC, CMake).

Check our GitHub repo for more information. We welcome issues and pull requests on our GitHub. A dedicated Discord channel is available for real-time developer discussion.

Interested in This Project?

You can sign up at the top of this page to be notified when the campaign launches and to receive other updates. We only send out relevant content, and you can unsubscribe at any time.