Linear Technology Debuts LTC4061-4.4 Li-Ion Battery Charger
Linear Technology Corp. (LTC, Milpitas, CA) introduced its new LTC4061-4.4, a stand-alone, linear, one-cell, 4.375 V (4.4 V, maximum) lithium-ion (Li-Ion) battery charger that improves charging safety, simplifies charge termination and status reporting, and prolongs battery life. The LTC4061-4.4 is suitable for charging a battery from a wall adapter or USB in MP3 players, digital cameras, PDAs and cell phones.
The LTC4061-4.4 is equipped with a thermistor interface for temperature-qualified charging, an adjustable timer as a backup charge termination, and precision float voltage to prevent cell over-charging. The LTC4061-4.4 prolongs battery life by eliminating unnecessary re-charge cycles with its SmartStart™ feature. The IC offers four methods for charge termination: user-adjustable current and time, external digital control or automatic C/10.
The LTC4061-4.4 can charge new 4.375 V float-voltage, Li-Ion batteries with ±0.4% accuracy. It requires no external sense resistor, MOSFET or blocking diode. The LTC4061-4.4 includes a soft-start circuit to minimize the inrush current at the start of a charge cycle. After a battery is fully charged, the LTC4061-4.4 enters a standby mode. The SmartStart feature starts re-charging the battery only if the battery voltage drops below 4.275 V. At any point in the charge cycle, the LTC4061-4.4 can be shut down, limiting battery drain current to less than 2 µA.
The LTC4061EDD-4.4 is offered in a 10-lead, 3 mm x 3 mm, DFN package. Pricing for 1,000-piece quantities starts at $2.05 each.
