TI Unveils TPS6040x/REG710 Series Inverters/Converters
Texas Instruments Inc. (TI, Dallas, TX) announced two switched capacitor dc/dc converter families, which give designers increased simplicity and small size for a wide variety of applications, including portable devices and PC peripherals.
The TPS6040x Series of 60mA voltage inverters generate a negative output of
any dc input voltage between 1.6V and 5.5V with a quiescent current of just
65uA (TPS60401). The other family, the REG710 Series of 30mA buck-boost converters, delivers a fixed regulated output over a wide range of input voltages without the need for a linear voltage regulator.
Key specifications of the TPS6040x are its 60mA maximum output current and a conversion efficiency of up to 98 percent. Despite its high-current capability, the only external components required by the TPS60400 are three
small ceramic capacitors with values as low as 1uF. Unlike competitive parts, the TPS6040x needs no external Schottky diode to start under load; instead, an "active Schottky diode" is built in, reducing the
overall inverter footprint to less than 0.08 sq. in.
The TPS6040x is available in three fixed-frequency versions -- the 20kHz TPS60401, the 50kHz TPS60402 and the 250kHz TPS60403 -- as well as the variable frequency version TPS60400, which keeps the operating current low and efficiency high over a wide range of loads.
The second device, the REG710 switched-capacitor buck-boost converter, maintains a fixed, regulated output voltage across an input voltage range of 1.8V to 5.5V. Reducing system size and cost, the REG710 automatically steps up or down the input voltage to maintain the specified output, 2.5V, 2.7V, 3V, 3.3V, or 5V, eliminating the need for both a boost converter and a
linear or low drop-out-voltage regulator to perform the same task. To save power and extend battery life, the REG710 also employs pulse frequency operation that switches only when under load. Since the REG710 has a 1MHz switching frequency, it works with ceramic
capacitors, eliminating the need for tantalum capacitors at the output, or anywhere else on the device, saving space and cost. The REG710 includes over-temperature and over-current protection, and automatically limits in-rush current to protect the system and further
suppress EMI while maintaining design simplicity.
The TPS6040x is available in a five-pin SOT23 package. The REG710 comes in a
six-pin SOT23 package. Prices start at $0.60 each for the TPS6040x family, and $0.89 each for the REG710, both in quantities of 1,000.
