Semtech Unveils the SC1401 Power Supply Controller
Semtech Corp. (Newbury Park, CA) unveiled a new power supply controller the company claims will lower battery life in notebook PCs and other portable applications. The SC1401 integrates an efficient switching controller and a linear regulator controller into one device that operates from a 6V to 30V input supply. The device has an onboard efficiency of more than 90 percent and the PWM synchronous power supply controller can be preset to generate 1.25V, or it can be adjusted with a resistor divider to provide any voltage between 1.25V and 5.5V.
The device contains a linear regulator controller capable of driving a low-cost N-channel MOSFET, with the output adjustable between 1.25V and 5.5V at up to 1A of current. In addition, the SC1401 offers fixed-frequency operation at 200kHz or 300kHz, with 200kHz offering the best efficiency, while 300kHz operation offers the lowest ripple, fastest transient response, and/or smallest inductor and output capacitor size. The device can also be synchronized to an external clock at frequencies up to 350kHz.
Semtech claims that the device prolongs battery life in portable applications and also provides an active low-reset output signal for controlling a microprocessor or DSP. Other features include built-in digital soft-start circuitry to minimize in-rush surge currents, tight regulation over-line, load and temperature; over-current, over-voltage and over-temperature protection; and under-voltage lockout. The SC1401 is rated for the industrial temperature range at -40 degrees to +85 degrees C.
The SC1401 is available now in SSOP-20 packaging and costs $2.75 each in quantities of 1,000.
