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highpowerZONE Products for the week of October 5, 2009
Summit Microelectronics Says…
SMB211: 10 A Synchronous Dc-Dc Controller with Digital Power Control
High-power output and integrated digital power control functions address increasingly complex and challenging power management requirements
Summit Microelectronics has expanded its family of Programmable Power Manager (PPM) integrated circuits (ICs) with the SMB211 single-channel, synchronous DC/DC controller. The SMB211 continues Summit's innovative approach to power supply design by combining flexibility, features and performance with ease-of-use. With a serial digital interface, the SMB211 can be easily configured during development (on-board, non-volatile memory) and re-programmed in system by host software. The result is a high-performance digitally controlled power supply design that is easily customizable without tedious hardware design cycles or complex microcontroller-style software coding.
The SMB211 combines high-performance power conversion and digital control in a single, space-saving device. The integration of advanced power control functions eliminates external components and cost, improves functionality and performance, and minimizes development time. Summit's non-volatile configurable technology enables the implementation of flexible "platform solutions" that can be easily modified for different designs without any hardware changes.
"Summit is expanding its portfolio of intelligent DC/DC controllers to address the industry's increasing demands for high performance, ease-of-use, and reduced Bill of Materials, size and cost. The SMB211's efficient operation combined with its sophisticated power control enable complex system designs to meet Energy StarT and other energy-saving standards," stated George Paparrizos, Summit marketing director.
EN-Genius Says…
The SMB211 is a single output power manager with an integrated switching buck dc-dc controller and digital control. The switching frequency can be set to one of four frequencies from 250 kHz to 1 MHz in 250 kHz steps, allowing the designer the ability to balance his application from a noise/component size compromise, together with efficiency. The part can operate in PWM mode for larger loads, also giving the lowest noise performance, or in a switched PWM/PFM mode for lighter load efficiency.
The control MOSFETs for a full converter circuit will be external and there is the usual external switching inductor. With an input range from 4.5 V to 13.5 V Summit suggest only 1 µF on the input. What is different about the architecture is that with output voltages up to +2.5 V no resistive divider is required to the feedback pin. Above 2.5 V one is needed.
The output voltage can be either static or programmable with ranges from +0.5 V to +2.5 V in 10 nV steps or +1.0 V to +5 V in 20 nV steps. The output accuracy is ±1.0% with a load regulation of typically 2 mV/A with an output between 100 mA and 2 A. The output undervoltage and overvoltage thresholds can be programmed and have hysteresis levels of +30% and -30%, respectively. There is also an overcurrent protection threshold with 8 programmable settings, measured by the voltage drop across the top external n-channel MOSFET.
An example of efficiency is quoted in the advance data sheet as 85% with 5 V in 1.8 V out and with a load of 2 A: with no switching frequency quoted.
Programming in on SMBus with all settings stored in non-volatile registers. A configurable logic out can be used for reset, power good, or as an SMBus alert. Summit also offers an evaluation board and GUI for faster prototyping.
It’s nice to see Summit go back more to its roots and core skills – with some twists, of course. Flexibility is there in abundance and the HEX factory programming that allows users to get what they need directly from the delivered product has always been Summit’s key investment in IP. The SMB211 will sell extremely well into a lot of communications and printer/server types of application. Not many will necessarily use the full 10 A drive capability but going to a single supply, instead of the rather specialist (single customer sometimes?) multi-channel outputs (with and without battery charger) products that have been the norm over the last few years, is refreshing – and will be profitable.
The SMB211 is in production in thermally-enhanced QFN-24 and is being priced at $0.66 in 10-k piece lots.
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