Texas Instruments Inc. (TI) introduced what the company says is the industry’s most accurate current shunt monitor. With a maximum offset voltage of 10µV and a maximum gain error of 0.1%, the INA226 is said to be 10 times more accurate than leading competitors. The device is a complete 16-bit, single-chip solution, and provides fully programmable measurements for current, voltage and power across a digital I2C interface. The INA226 is well suited for designers working with servers, telecom equipment, computers, power management devices and testing equipment, where accurate power measurements are crucial.
Key features and benefits include: single-chip digital solution with I2C interface provides current, voltage and power measurements, simplifying board design and layout constraints with no external mux or ADC required; a maximum offset voltage of 10µV and maximum gain error of 0.1 percent results in greater precision at low currents and allows for using smaller shunt resistors, reducing I*R loss; independently programmable conversion times and sample averaging make it easy to customize to the speed requirements of each system, and reduce software and memory requirements; maximum quiescent current of 420µA and maximum shutdown current of 2µA result in efficient operation that the company says consumes 3.5 percent less power than competitors’ discrete solutions, even with the INA226’s integrated ADC and power mux; and 140-dB common mode rejection ratio (CMRR) and 36V common mode voltage (CMV) ensure there is little to no change in offset voltage throughout the entire range of operation, simplifying error analysis.
The INA226 is available now in a 10-pin MSOP package, priced at $1.30 in quantities of 1,000.
An evaluation model is available for the INA226, priced at $75, featuring a USB interface and software for configuring and monitoring the performance of the device. An IBIS model is also available for designers to evaluate the INA226.
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