New Industry Products

Maxim Releases Quad Power-Supply Controller For Digital Power-Management Solutions

November 01, 2009 by Jeff Shepard

Maxim Integrated Products introduced the MAX16064, a fully integrated, highly accurate (±0.3%), quad-channel digital power-supply controller. The MAX16064 offers a PMBus interface for programming, sequencing, monitoring, and margining power supplies.

According to the company, users can connect the MAX16064 to up to four all-analog low-cost power supplies to create a fully programmable, highly accurate, digital power-management solution. The MAX16064 digital controller is designed for high-performance, high-reliability systems with multiple power supplies. Applications include servers, storage devices, switches, base stations, routers, and networking equipment.

High-performance systems like servers, switches, and routers force power supplies to have some intelligence. The MAX16064 meets, and exceeds, these requirements by providing flexible monitoring, precise sequencing, and intelligent fault management. This controller also saves cost because customers no longer need to purchase expensive digital power supplies for the system(s). The MAX16064 allows any off-the-shelf power supply to perform PMBus control. This flexibility allows the user to make on-the-fly power-supply adjustments and avoid costly last-minute BOM changes.

The MAX16064 closes a slow loop around the power supply to bring what Maxim decribes as the industry’s highest accuracy and control in setting the output voltage. By tapping into the enable, feedback node, and/or reference input, the MAX16064 provides what is described as unmatched tracking, sequencing, and fine setting of the output voltage with ±0.3% accuracy over the operating temperature.

By storing fault data in external EEPROM, the MAX16064 also eases the process of identifying and debugging failures. The controller can poll each power supply at fixed intervals and log the information intelligently for future analysis. This is said to be extremely beneficial to customers, because it allows them to diagnose unrepeatable errors for failures during startup or normal operation.

The MAX16064 can also increase system reliability by margining up to four power supplies in the system. Margining system voltages is an effective means of stress-testing high-reliability systems. This feature is especially important for applications where field failures are unacceptable. Now manufacturers can identify failures during the manufacturing process, so their customers are not disrupted and costly product returns are avoided.

A graphical user interface (GUI) is supplied free of charge with the part. With no knowledge of digital-control theory or how to write software/firmware, any engineer can use this GUI and the MAX16064 to implement a digitally programmable power supply. This programmability is also a significant benefit to engineers and system integrators who do not want to discard legacy designs and risk a completely new architecture. Using the GUI, customers can program the MAX16064. This programmed performance is repeatable and independent of component tolerances and lot-to-lot variations, which cannot be said for all analog solutions.

The MAX16064 is available in a space-saving, 36-pin, lead-free, 6mm x 6mm TQFN package and is fully specified for the -40 to +85°C industrial temperature range. Prices start at $6.34 (1000-up FOB USA).