Zetex Debuts ZXCT1011 Current Monitor IC

Zetex Semiconductors (UK), a subsidiary of Zetex plc (Chadderton, Oldham), debuted its new ZXCT1011 current monitor that assures accurate measurement of dc currents over the temperature range of -40 °C to +125 °C. With a typical temperature coefficient below 100 ppm/°C, the IC is designed to sense current on the high side, and avoids any disruption of the ground plane, often a cause of offset and the loss of true ground reference.

Simple to use and needing few external components, the five-pinned ZXCT1011 measures the voltage across a low-value sense resistor and converts it into a proportional output current via an external shunt resistor. The current is scaled by an output resistor to produce a 1-percent accurate ground-referenced output voltage. A maximum sense voltage of 500 mV and a bandwidth of 1.5 MHz mean the current monitor provides accurate monitoring of supply or load current in real time, and over a wide range of load currents, from microamps to hundreds of amps. Coupled with its wide input-voltage range of 2.5 V to 20 V and ability to withstand circuit transients, the ZXCT1011 will meet the requirements of demanding applications in automotive, telecom, and industrial control sectors.

The ZXCT1011's miniature SOT23-5 package and typical operating current of 4 µA also makes it a good choice for portable battery-operated equipment designs. The ZXCT1011 is now available, and is priced at $0.58 in 1,000-piece quantities.