IC Combines Digital Power Management and Battery Charging

Jan 25, 2006 3:40 PM

Summit Microelectronics has announced the newest addition to its second generation of multi-output Programmable Power Manager ICs. As a 1-chip solution, the SMB118 integrates six precision programmable regulators and programmable battery charging to reduce system size and cost in portable consumer electronics. The SMB118 combines analog power regulation and programmable digital power management, providing design flexibility for parametric adjustment and functional configuration.

Summit's PC-based graphical (GUI) development environment allows system designers to digitally program the entire multiple output power supply and associated power management functions into the device’s nonvolatile memory. In high-volume production, Summit provides product that is preprogrammed with the customer's custom configuration at no extra cost.

The SMB118 incorporates three synchronous stepdown converters, one stepup converter, one configurable stepup or stepdown converter, and one low-dropout (LDO) linear regulator. Also included is a fully programmable battery charger for single-cell Li-ion and Li-polymer cells. All charging parameters are configurable, enabling the utilization of a wide variety of battery packs without hardware changes.

The device offers an output voltage accuracy of ±1.5% for all dc-dc outputs and a float voltage accuracy of ±1.0% for the battery charger. The dc-dc power conversion efficiency of up to 95% reduces thermal dissipation and improves battery life in portable systems. Further enhancing battery life, a shutdown mode reduces current consumption to 0.1 mA while automatic PWM/PFM operation improves light load efficiency.

For noise-sensitive radio-frequency (RF) or audio applications, the SMB118's oscillator frequency is selectable between 500 kHz and 1 MHz in 250-kHz steps. Fixed-frequency PWM override inhibits PFM mode.

The device operates directly from +2.7 V to +6.0 V. Higher input voltages (2-cell Li-Ion, +12 V, etc.) can be accommodated in many cases with simple applications configuration.

The SMB118 is available in the 7-mm × 7-mm 48-pad QFN package that is lead-free and RoHS-standard compliant. Available now in production quantities, the device is priced at $4.89 each in quantities of 10,000 units.

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