Maxim Integegrated Products Announces the MAX1838 USB Switch

Maxim Integrated Products (Sunnyvale, CA) announced the new MAX1838, a dual current-limited USB switch with auxiliary input supply. Each switch meets all IEC specifications for USB ports and is guaranteed to supply 500mA from either of two input supplies. A control pin selects the power source from either the main or auxiliary supply.

The MAX1838 has multiple protection features, including independent thermal shutdown on each channel to limit junction temperature, internal current-limit, and reverse-current protection. When powered from the auxiliary supply, the current limit on each channel is set independently with an external resistor. An auto-reset feature latches the switch off if the output is shorted. The switch automatically turns back on when the short is removed. Independent fault signals notify the microprocessor that the internal current limit has been reached. A 20ms fault-blanking feature prevents the unit from issuing false alarms to the host during a power-up or when hot-swapping into a capacitive load.

The MAX1838 is available in a 16-pin QSOP. It has a 4V to 5.5V range. UL-listing is pending.