Motorola Intros MC33260 Dual-Mode PFC Circuit

Motorola Semiconductor Components Group (Phoenix, AZ) has introduced what they claims is the first power factor controller (PFC) circuit that allows a power supply to operate in both the traditional and follower boost modes. This is claimed to enable designers to create simpler, cheaper and more robust IEC1000-3-2 compliant design solutions and make possible up to a 50 percent system cost reduction, while offering minimal power losses and low harmonic pollution in off-line appliance applications. The new MC33260 PFC IC is designed to detect any direct uncontrolled charges of the output capacitor from the mains which occurs during start-up and overload, when the output voltage is lower than the input voltage. The Follower Boost mode is a technique designed by Motorola that enables designers to create more compact system designs as well as to reduce the system cost. In this mode, the voltage output from the PFC pre-converter is not forced to a constant regulation level, but to a value dependent on the ac line amplitude. Use of this mode is claimed to significantly reduce the size of the inductor ferrite and the conduction losses of the power MOSFET by approximately 50 percent in specific main applications. This enables a significant reduction in system cost.The MC33260 includes safety features such as over-voltage, under-voltage, over-current protection and zero current detection. The MC33260 is available in a DIP-8 package. development of an SO-8 version is underway. samples and production quantities of the DIP-8 device are now available. Pricing is suggest at $0.60 for quantities of 10K.