National Semiconductor Announces the LM2655 Switching Regulator

National Semiconductor Corp. (Santa Clara, CA) recently announced the LM2655,an integrated 2.5A switching regulator in a TSSOP-16 package. According to National, the LM2655 delivers a conversion efficiency of 92 to 95 percent, resulting in increased battery life and decreased PCB area, which are factors of success in today's design challenges.

The LM2655 is designed for converting 5V to 3.3V or 2.5V, and targets a myriad of applications, including laptop PCs; PC peripherals; Internet access devices; nonportable applications such as TFT monitors, cable modems and set-top boxes; and a variety of industrial applications. The LM2655 switches at 300kHz and can also be used in synchronous or nonsynchronous mode. This device has a low-side FET driver that allows the use of an external FET for synchronous operation.

According to National, the LM2655 is extremely flexible and designed for small size, high-performance and low cost. John Perzow, marketing manager for National's switching regulators, states, "National's LM2655 presents a compelling alternative to a controller-based design when dynamic performance, board space and ease-of-design are important considerations." He adds, "With very few external components, the device yields an extremely efficient, fast transient-response circuit in a very small space. This family of integrated synchronous regulators reduces the design time and component count typical with controller-based power supplies. Using National's switchers results in a high-performance switching power supply that can be designed in hours or days instead of weeks; and that gives our customers a meaningful time-to-market and cost advantage.

Pricing for the LM2655 starts at $3.10 each in quantities of 1,000. This device is currently available.