New Industry Products

Maxim’s Automotive Buck-Boost Controller Enables Automotive USB Power Delivery Ports

October 17, 2020 by Hailey Stewart

Maxim Integrated introduces MAX25430 that slashes design size up to 40 percent and eliminates microcontrollers, metal enclosures and heat sinks for 25 percent lower cost than competitive solutions

Designers of automotive chargers now have the industry’s smallest and lowest-cost solution with the MAX25430 100W USB Power Delivery (PD) buck-boost controller and protector from Maxim Integrated Products, Inc. (NASDAQ: MXIM). As the industry’s most integrated solution, the MAX25430 can reduce design size up to 40 percent compared to competitive solutions and offer the industry’s lowest cost for increasing the number of USB PD ports in vehicles.

 

Maxim's Automotive Buck-Boost Controller Enables Automotive USB Power Delivery Ports Figure

 

Automotive multimedia hubs, including rear-seat entertainment modules and head units, are all expanding in capability as more USB PD chargers are integrated into passenger vehicle cabins. However, there are size, cost and power constraints—and the MAX25430 addresses all of these.

The MAX25430 integrates a USB Type C Port Controller (TCPC) power regulator, VCONN cable power supply, buck-boost and protection thereby eliminating heat-sink requirements and metal box enclosures to further slash design size by 40 percent compared to competitive multi-IC solutions. In addition, bill-of-materials (BOM) costs are also reduced by 25 percent compared to competitive solutions. The MAX25430 runs 20-degrees (Celsius) cooler at full power compared to competitive automotive USB PD solutions. It needs only one microcontroller (MCU) regardless of the number of ports, while competitors require additional MCUs per port.

For a complete solution, Maxim Integrated also offers the MAX25410 automotive USB PD port protector and the MAX25431 automotive 40V H-bridge buck-boost controller, meeting a wide array of USB charger design needs.

 

Key Advantages

  • Smallest Size: Integrates TCPC power regulator, VCONN power cable supply, buck-boost and protection to reduce solution size up to 40 percent

  • Lowest Cost: Eliminates heat sinks, enclosure boxes and multiple MCUs to yield 25 percent cost savings

  • Power Performance: Robust performance in harsh automotive environments while running 20 degrees cooler than the closest competitor

 

Commentary

  • “Automakers are expanding the number of USB-C Power Delivery ports in cars,” said Richard Robinson, automotive director at Strategy Analytics. “With the market increasing nearly 10x between 2020 (5.7 million units) and 2027 (50 million units), Maxim Integrated is well positioned to take advantage of the significant increase in the in-cabin requirement for higher-power and faster data transfer on consumer devices.”

  • “Maxim Integrated had the needs of designers in mind when it comes to USB-C Power Delivery ports,” said Michael Mishko, director of business management for the Automotive Business Unit at Maxim Integrated. “The MAX25430 is ideal for small, high-efficiency, thermally-cool and flexible automotive-grade designs.”

 

Availability and Pricing

  • The MAX25430BATLG/V+T is available at Maxim Integrated’s website for $4.17 (1000-up, FOB USA); also available from authorized distributors

  • The MAX25430AEVKIT# evaluation kit is available for $299

 

About Maxim Integrated

Maxim Integrated develops innovative analog and mixed-signal products and technologies to make systems smaller and smarter, with enhanced security and increased energy efficiency. We are empowering design innovation for our automotive, industrial, healthcare, mobile consumer, and cloud data center customers to deliver industry-leading solutions that help change the world.