New Industry Products

36-V, 1-A Step-Down DC-DC Shrinks Board Space by up to 58%

February 23, 2018 by Paul Shepard

Texas Instruments (TI) today introduced two 36-V to 4-V power modules that measure 3.0mm by 3.8mm and require only two external components for operation. The 0.5-A LMZM23600 and 1-A LMZM23601 dc-dc step-down converters achieve up to 92% efficiency, which minimizes energy loss, and feature tiny MicroSiP™ packaging that shrinks board space by up to 58%.

The converters expand TI's power module portfolio to address up to 1-A performance-driven, space-constrained communication and industrial designs, including field transmitters, ultrasound scanners and network security cameras.

TI will demonstrate the 1-A LMZM23601 power module in booth No. 501 at the Applied Power Electronics Conference (APEC) in San Antonio, Texas, March 6-8, 2018.

The LMZM23600 and LMZM23601 modules are offered with either fixed 5-V or 3.3-V output voltages, or with external synchronization and adjustable 2.5-V to 15-V output voltages. The LMZM23601 features a mode pin that allows flexibility to operate at a fixed frequency for low electromagnetic interference (EMI), or an automatic pulse frequency modulation control mode for high efficiency at light loads.

Key features and benefits of the LMZM23600 and LMZM23601

  • Provides 92% peak efficiency and 85% full-load efficiency for 24V-to-5V power conversions.
  • 30µA quiescent current increases light-load efficiency and extends battery life in battery-powered applications.
  • Small, 10-pin, 3.0mm-by-3.8mm-by-1.6mm MicroSiP package with integrated inductor enables a complete fixed 3.3V or 5V output solution measuring just 27mm2. With only two external components, the module reduces solution size by up to 58% when compared to a discrete solution with similar input and output voltages, output current and switching frequency.

Availability and pricing

Prototype samples of the 1-A LMZM23601 with an adjustable output voltage are available now through the TI store. Production samples of the 0.5-A LMZM23600 with fixed output voltages, as well as the LMZM23601 with adjustable and fixed output voltages, will be available in May 2018. The LMZM23600 is priced at US$1.95 and the LMZM23601 is priced at US$2.40 in 1,000-unit quantities.