LTC Intros LTC4062 Battery Charger with SmartStart

Linear Technology Corp. (LTC, Milpitas, CA) introduced its new LTC4062 standalone, linear, single one-cell, lithium-ion battery charger, which offers advanced features for charging safely, increased charge termination flexibility, improved status reporting and prolonged battery life.

The LTC4062 is equipped with an adjustable timer for charge termination and a precision float voltage to prevent over-charging of the cell. The LTC4062 includes an integrated precision, micropower comparator, which is an undedicated comparator with a general purpose input and open-drain output. The device can charge lithium-ion batteries to a 4.2 V float voltage with ±0.35% accuracy. It also does not require an external sense resistor, MOSFET or blocking diode, thereby simplifying design. At any point in the charge cycle, the new battery charger can be shut down, limiting battery current drain to less than 2 µA.

The LTC4062 prolongs battery life by eliminating unnecessary re-charge cycles with its SmartStart feature. Since frequent recharge cycles decrease battery capacity and shorten battery life, SmartStart operation prevents a new charge cycle from starting if the battery voltage is above 4.1 V.

The LTC4062 is housed in a 10-lead, 3 mm x 3 mm x 0.75 mm, DFN package, and is designed for charging a battery from a wall adapter or USB in MP3 players, digital cameras, PDAs and cellphones. For 1,000-piece orders, pricing starts at $1.95 each.