New Industry Products

Maxim Hot-Swap Controller Integrates a 10-Bit ADC for Current & Voltage Monitoring

May 31, 2010 by Jeff Shepard

Maxim Integrated Products introduced the MAX5970, a dual hot-swap controller for systems with two 0 to 16V supply voltages. This device allows line cards to be safely inserted and removed from a live backplane without causing glitches on the system power-supply rail. The MAX5970 integrates a 10-bit ADC for monitoring voltages and currents, thus allowing system designers to conserve energy and improve accuracy in high-availability systems. This hot-swap controller is well suited for networking, base-station, storage, computer, and server line cards.

The integrated 10-bit ADC and I²C-compatible interface allow for precise monitoring of currents, voltages, and fault conditions. The ADC is multiplexed to monitor and measure the output voltage and current of each hot-swap channel. Additionally, the MAX5970 integrates a circular buffer that stores 5ms of past current and voltage measurements. The buffer can be read through the I²C interface at anytime or after a fault has occurred for system debugging and failure analysis.

Rated for 0 to 16V inputs, the device can withstand transients or inductive spikes up to 30V. The MAX5970 provides controlled inrush current at startup and two levels of overcurrent protection after startup. The device also includes five digital comparators per hot-swap channel to provide overcurrent warning, two levels of overvoltage detection, and two levels of undervoltage detection. Other features include four programmable LED outputs, as well as alert outputs to indicate undervoltage, overvoltage, and overcurrent faults.

The MAX5970 is available in a 36-pin TQFN-EP package, and is fully specified over the -40 to +85°C extended temperature range. Prices start at $4.42 (1000-up, FOB USA).