Switching Regulators Extend IoT Node Battery Operation by 2.5X

SII Semiconductor Corporation, a subsidiary of Seiko Instruments Inc., introduces the S-85S1P Series today, followed by the introduction of the S-85S1A Series on April 20. These series of step-down switching regulators feature ultra-high efficiency for low power consumption in wearable and IoT devices – claiming the world's lowest current consumption of 260nA.

S-85S1A Series features the industry’s lowest quiescent current of 260nA and a resulting high efficiency of 90.5% at a 100μA load. This allows design engineers to extend battery operation time by up to 2.5-times compared to conventional LDO regulators. The S-85S1A Series enables extended operation of wearable and IoT devices powered by small-sized batteries. SII Semiconductor Corporation’s proprietary constant on-time (COT) allows the circuit to achieve fast transient response to load fluctuation.

SII Semiconductor Corporation also introduces the S-85S1P Series. It features a power monitoring output function, which divides battery voltage input into fractions of half or one third. The connection of this output to a low voltage microcontroller A/D converter enables monitoring of the battery voltage, or input voltage to the regulator.

Conventional designs use external resistors to divide the voltage for monitoring. The S-85S1P Series allows for reduced external component count and less board space, while improving current consumption and accuracy when compared to the current conventional design.

Both the S-85S1A Series and the S-85S1P Series feature a small package to help reduce circuit design size and thickness. The packages are respectively SNT-6A (1.80x1.57x0.5mm) and SNT-8A (2.46x1.97x0.5mm).

In wearable, IoT and other small devices, battery capacity is limited. Extending operation time is a challenge, demanding high efficiency power ICs. To meet this demand, SII Semiconductor Corporation has developed these highly efficient step-down switching regulators and a solution with power monitoring function suited to battery-powered devices.