New Industry Products

Micrel Intros MIC4681 DC/DC Switching Converter

October 19, 2000 by Jeff Shepard

Micrel Inc. (San Jose, CA) has developed the MIC4681, a surface-mount dc/dc switching converter. The newest member of Micrel's SO-8 SuperSwitcher family, the MIC4681 uses four external components. It features a 2A pulsed-output current limit that can handle the maximum currents of GSM power supplies. At the same time, the device's fused-copper lead-frame design allows it to handle more than 1A of continuous current. It offers built-in safety features of thermal shutdown protection as well as a wide input-voltage range of 4V to 30V. The MIC4681 has adjustable output voltages down to 1.25V, and fixed output voltages of 5V, with a 3.3V model due out soon. It has a cycle-by-cycle current limit as well as a thermal limit and up to 90 percent efficiency.

Possible applications for the new device include cellular phone power supplies, simple battery chargers, distributed-power designs and positive-to-negative converters. The MIC4681 comes in an SO-8 package and is priced at $2.30 when purchased in 1,000-piece quantities. Samples are available from stock, and production quantities are from stock to 12 weeks.