New Industry Products

TI Intros TPS6420x Family of DC/DC Controllers

September 15, 2003 by Jeff Shepard

Texas Instruments Inc. (TI, Dallas, TX) announced its TPS6420x family of non-synchronous, dc/dc, step-down controllers with a low quiescent current and up to 95% power efficiency. The tiny controllers help conserve battery life in battery-powered applications with input voltages between 1.8V and 6.5V that must be stepped down to a regulated voltage to 1.2V, and provide output currents from 1A to 3A. The new devices are suitable for applications such as personal digital assistants, digital cameras, notebooks, and medical and industrial appliances.

The TPS6420x family feature a quiescent current of only 20µA and drive an external p-channel MOSFET, which allows for added design flexibility with the application's output current. The controllers are suited for systems powered from a 5V or 3.3V bus, or for battery-powered applications using a single-cell, lithium-ion battery, or two-cell to four-cell alkaline, nickel-metal-hydride or nickel-cadmium batteries.

The TPS6420x devices are available now in volume. The dc/dc controllers come in a six-pin, SOT-23 (DBV) package, and are priced in quantities of 1,000 at $0.50 per unit. Evaluation modules of the TPS64200 are available.