Linear Technology Corp. (Milpitas, CA) announced its new LT1970, a precision amplifier that features voltage-programmable output-current limit with guaranteed two-percent accuracy. The LT1970 greatly simplifies the task of supplying a precisely controlled amount of voltage and/or current to a load.
The LT1970 guarantees an output current of up to 500mA, however the IC can directly drive external power transistors to boost the output current to any desired level. The LT1970 op amp offers precision and speed with a 600mV maximum input-offset voltage and a 3.6MHz gain-bandwidth product with a 1.6V/ms slew rate. Additional features include a wide total supply range of 5V to 36V, a shutdown/enable control input, built-in self current limit of 800mA if the source resistor is lost, and thermal shutdown protection.
The LT1970 is housed in a small 20-pin, thermally enhanced, TSSOP package to handle power dissipation. Operational over the industrial temperature range of -40 to +85 degrees C, pricing starts at $4.95 each in 1,000-piece quantities.
