Linear Technology Corp. (LTC, Milpitas, CA) introduced the LTC4064, a standalone, linear charger optimized for prolonging the life of one-cell, lithium-ion (Li-Ion) batteries in battery backup applications. By charging to a float voltage of 4V instead of 4.1V or 4.2V, the LTC4064 slows battery aging and capacity degradation when the battery is unused, but must remain fully charged for long periods of time, which impedes the cell corrosion that naturally takes place within a battery when on continuous charge. The primary application is in industrial systems such as RAID servers where a one-cell, Li-Ion is used as a backup power supply and may be needed for three years or more.
The LTC4064 is housed in a 5mm x 3mm footprint, 10-lead, MSOP package and requires no external MOSFETs, sense resistor or reverse-current blocking diode. The IC limits battery drain current to only 1µA during standby and shutdown modes. As a standalone charger, the LTC4064 requires no microcontroller interface and autonomously performs charging, pre-conditioning, charge termination, re-charging, temperature monitoring and fault detection. Patented thermal regulation allows maximum charge current without the risk of overheating by maintaining constant power dissipation regardless of ambient conditions.
Pricing for the LTC4064 starts at $1.85 each in 1,000-piece quantities.
