ON Semi Introduces GreenPoint™ Reference Design

ON Semiconductor introduced a GreenPoint™ reference design for 200W power adapters used to power game consoles. This solution is said to provide a blueprint for design engineers to implement adapters that minimize both active- and standby-mode power consumption.

Although regulatory agencies such as the California Energy Commission (CEC), ENERGY STAR®, and European Code of Conduct (COC) target single output voltage adapters, the 200W adapter for game consoles has a dual output voltage, which makes the requirements for maximum active efficiency and minimum standby mode power even more challenging to meet. Delivering active-mode energy efficiency of 90% at full load, this GreenPoint™ reference design achieves standby-mode power consumption of <1W – exceeding CEC, ENERGY STAR®, and European COC requirements. A typical 200W adapter used to power today’s game consoles consumes > 3W in standby mode.

"The 200 watt power adapter reference design joins our expanding portfolio of GreenPoint™ power adapter designs, and further strengthens ON Semiconductor’s position as the leading semiconductor supplier for energy efficient power adapters," said Laurent Jenck, Director of Power Supply Applications and marketing for ON Semiconductor’s Power Regulation Group. "Our growing family of GreenPoint™ designs showcases not only ON Semiconductor’s technical expertise but our continued commitment to providing real world solutions that beat existing regulatory standards. In fact, we contend that even more stringent standards are plausible at existing system cost levels."

The GreenPoint™ 200W design topology delivers higher power density, which allows this reference design to be housed in a smaller form factor than typical power adapters with the same power rating. The design can also be modified to include power factor correction.

The enabling device for the reference design is the NCP1562, an active clamp pulse width modulation (PWM) voltage mode controller designed for power supplies requiring high efficiency and power density. Featuring an accurate (±5% maximum) duty cycle limit, the NCP1562 is said to allow designers to optimize the selection of the MOSFET to enable the best combination of performance and cost. The new controller features a soft-stop which is said to prevent the typical oscillations in the forward active-clamp topology and in turn to provide a safer and more robust design. Enhancing the safety and reliability of designs, the device features a dual mode over-current protection circuit that handles momentary and continuous over-current conditions differently.

The NCP1562 is offered in RoHS-compliant, Pb-free SOIC-16 and TSSOP-16 packages. It is priced at $1.60 per unit in 2,500 unit quantities.