Semtech Announces New SC1538 and SC1548 Regulators
Semtech Corp. (Newbury Park, CA) announced a new family of FET controllers, the SC1538; a dual regulator, and the SC1548, a single regulator. Both are linear voltage regulator controllers that, with external N-channel FETs, can be used to generate regulated output voltages with over-current protection.
The dropout voltage for an application can be met by selecting the required FET Rds(on). Key applications include instantly available PCs, next-generation computers, network hubs and routers, telecommunications systems and line cards, PC cards, industrial PCs and DSP-based systems.
The SC1538 is a dual linear-FET controller that provides voltage regulation over variations in line, load and temperature. It controls two separate series-pass FETs to provide regulation for two independent supply planes. It is available in three versions.
The first is the SC1538CS15/18, which is intended for microprocessor-based designs and provides a 1.515V power supply. The SC1538CS25/25 furnishes two separate 2.525V supplies and is suitable for clock and memory signal planes. Lastly, the SC1538CS12/23 provides 1.2V for AGTL and 2.3V for I/O.
The SC1548, on the other hand, is identical to the SC1538 except that it provides only a single linear FET controller. It also has three options, including fixed 1.515V and 1.818V versions as well as a user-adjustable voltage configuration.
Key features of the new devices include under-voltage lockout, low quiescent current in shut-down mode, transient response for load and line regulation; and an over-current protection.
“The SC1538 and SC1548 products expand Semtech's portfolio of application-specific power-management devices," said Don Ashley, vice president of system power-management products at Semtech. He added, “These devices are indispensable for a whole host of applications, ranging from telecommunications and networking hardware, to computers, peripherals and industrial control systems."
The SC1538 comes in an eight-pin SOIC package, and is priced at $1.74 each in 1,000-piece OEM quantities. Meanwhile, the SC1548 is available in a five-pin SOT-23 package, and costs $1.59 each in 1,000-piece quantities.
