Linear Technology Announces LTC4230 Controller
Linear Technology Corp. (Milpitas, CA) announced its new LTC4230, a triple hot-swap controller that actively limits inrush current during live insertion. It also enables a timed circuit breaker for over-current transients and latches off an external n-channel MOSFET immediately during short-circuit faults for supplies from 1.7V to 16.5V.
The device monitors the output voltage and generates a reset signal for each supply if the voltage drops below a programmable threshold, eliminating external circuitry. It likewise provides hot-swap control and advanced fault protection for high-current cores, I/O and system voltages down to 1.7V in telecom, network server and high-end computing applications.
The controller is housed in a narrow 20-pin SSOP, occupying less board space and requiring minimal external components. The MOSFET gate drive circuitry does away with an external capacitor, reducing component count and allowing for a faster turn-off time. A single-fault output can be used to signal an over-current condition to the processor for any of the supplies. A filter capacitor is used to program the response time for the circuit breaker and the filter pin can also be used to program the circuit breaker to automatically retry or latch off after a fault.
