New Industry Products

Sipex Announces the Availability of the SP6122 Buck Controller

May 31, 2001 by Jeff Shepard

Sipex Corp. (Billerica, MA) announced the availability of its new SP6122 low-voltage dc/dc PFET buck controller. It operates from a 5V or 3.3V supply and sources up to 5A using an external PFET. The SP6122 is designed for applications transitioning from linear- to switching-based power-management solutions where a very small footprint, few components and ease-of-use is needed.

The SP6122 has a control loop that allows it to operate as a PWM controller at a constant frequency under heavy loads, and then shift to a PFM control topology under light loads. Sipex maintains that this feature, combined with its low quiescent current, contribute to its efficiency, which is greater than 90 percent.

“The SP6122 makes the switcher transition easy and worthwhile because the difficult power-management applications have been addressed on-chip,” remarked Todd Sherman, manager of Sipex’s power-management product line. “Jitter and frequency stabilization are built in, no loop compensation is required, and the input/output filter design has been simplified. And, unlike other stripped-down “micro” switchers, the SP6122 has an array of value-added features such as optional hiccup mode, TTL enable, jitter and stabilization, fault flag, and bullet-proof fault protection.”

The SP6122 is currently available for $0.86 each in 10,000-piece quantities. Samples and evaluation boards are available.