New Industry Products

Allegro Offers A3212/13/14 Hall-Effect Switches

August 26, 2003 by Jeff Shepard

Allegro MicroSystems Inc. (Worcester, MA) introduced a new family of micropower, omnipolar, digital switches consisting of ultra-sensitive, pole-independent, Hall-effect switches with a latched digital output. The new omnipolar parts are suitable to the detection of open/closed positions in battery-operated equipment such as mobile telephones, pagers and laptop computers.

The A3213 and the A3214 have nominal current consumption of only 300µA and 5µA, respectively, and the devices are available for operation from battery voltages of 2.4V to 5.5V, which is suitable for use in almost all hand-held portable electronic equipment. Other features include chopper-stabilized, high-sensitivity thresholds; superior temperature stability; low switch-point drift; and insensitivity to physical stresses. In addition, the popular A3212 (designed for 2.5V to 3.5V operation) is now available in a new ultra-slim, micro lead-frame package (MLP). The package measures 0.75mm x 2mm x 3mm.

All three devices are offered in a single-inline package, and the SOT23W surface-mount package. The A3212 is also offered in a MLP. The A3212, A3213 and A3214 are priced at $0.50 in quantities of 10,000.