Summit Introduces Four-Channel Programmable Power Management Solutions for Consumer Applications
Summit Microelectronics has expanded its family of Programmable Power Manager (PPM) integrated circuits (ICs) with two new devices targeted at higher-power applications. The SMB113A and SMB117 are claimed to enable ease-of-use, unparalleled flexibility and high-performance. Using Summit’s PPM ICs, system designers are said to be able to digitally program the entire multiple output power supply and associated power management functions with a few clicks of a mouse compared to the tedious iterative hardware design of conventional, "hard-wired" analog power solutions.
The SMB113A and SMB117 combine precise power delivery and power control in a single, space-saving device. The integration of four Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) controllers and a wide range of sophisticated power management functions eliminate the need for many external components and reduce system cost and space. Summit’s configurable technology enables the implementation of flexible "platform solutions" that can be easily modified for different designs without any hardware changes. Incorporating a level of programmability, integration and precision previously missing in power management offerings, the SMB113A and SMB117 can reduce development time and engineering investment and bring end-products to market faster and with reduced cost.
The SMB113A and SMB117 offer four identical channels of PWM dc-dc step-down (buck) converters. The PWM channels on both devices are digitally programmable for output characteristics and monitoring, including voltage output levels to +/-1.5% accuracy. The SMB113A operates at a switching frequency of 800kHz, whereas the SMB117’s switching frequency is 400kHz. Switching "dead-time" is adjustable and can be programmed at the factory for optimized performance. Furthermore, the devices’ high drive capability allows a current delivery of 10A or higher, while using a wide variety of industry-standard MOSFETs.
Complementing the precise power regulation is a suite of advanced power control features including: static and dynamic output voltage scaling and margining, independent channel sequencing/enable, and output slew rate control. Additionally, the devices provide complete power system diagnostics, including input and output monitoring for under/over-voltage (UV/OV) conditions, as well as a RESET/HEALTHY monitor that eliminates the need for external RESET ICs.
Both products operate directly from +2.7 to +6.0V input; higher input voltages (two-cell Li-Ion or +12V) can also be accommodated in many cases with simple applications configuration. The SMB113A and SMB117 are offered in both the commercial (+0 to +70°C) and the industrial (-40 to +85°C) temperature range. Programming is achieved via the convenient I2C bus and configuration data is safely stored in non-volatile EEPROM memory of which 96 bytes are available for user data storage. The devices can be programmed during development and then used in a "fixed" configuration or they may be re-programmed in-system via the I2C interface.
The SMB113A and SMB117 are well suited for increasingly complex consumer and computing electronics applications such as RAID cards, ADSL/Cable modems/routers, printers, DVD/MP3 portable media players/recorders, global positioning (GPS) receivers, car/marine navigation systems, high-definition televisions (HDTV), LCD/TFT TVs/monitors, digital set-top boxes (STB) and digital video recorders (DVRs).
The SMB113A and SMB117 are offered in a thermally-enhanced 5mm x 5mm, 32-pad QFN package that is lead-free and RoHS-standard compliant. Available now in production quantities, both products are priced at $2.26 each for the commercial temperature range and at $2.56 each for the industrial temperature range in quantities of 1,000 units.
