National Semiconductor Unveils LM5080 Controller IC
Power management technology company National Semiconductor Corp. (Santa Clara, CA) unveiled a new load-share controller integrated circuit (IC), the LM5080, for balancing currents from parallel power supplies in a variety of distributed power applications, including telecom and data communications systems. The LM5080 implements the average program method of active load-share control, which adjusts the output voltage of individual power supplies either up or down to deliver nearly equal currents to a common load, improving stability and output-voltage tolerance.
The LM5080 is a versatile load-share controller that provides all the functions required to balance the currents delivered from multiple power converters operating in parallel. The LM5080 supports two common applications for load-share controllers: external control, in which the load-share circuit balances currents between separate power modules; and internal control, where the load-share circuit is integrated into the voltage-regulation loop of each power converter module or circuit.
The LM5080 also features a wide input-voltage range that allows it to operate from bias voltages as low as 3 V or up to 15 V; a flexible architecture with four operating modes that allows it to control load sharing using the positive remote-sense pin, negative remote-sense pin, or the trim pin of the power module; and a single-wire, current-share bus that connects and controls multiple devices and eases the design of the printed circuit board. No precision or matched external resistors are required, reducing component count and cost, and the LM5080 is adaptable for high-side or low-side current sensing, allowing it to be used with a variety of current-sensing configurations.
Available now, the LM5080 is priced at $0.60 in 1,000-unit quantities.
