Unitrode Corp. (Merrimack, NH) recently announced the UCC3952 battery protection IC. According to Unitrode, the device provides the world's smallest lithium-ion battery protection from over-charging and over-discharging. The UCC3952 contains an on-chip MOSFET with Rds(on) of 50 milliohms that reduces the external component count to minimize board space. The device is also designed with a charge pump which reduces power losses while charging or discharging a battery pack with low cell voltage. The device also is designed to go into ultra-low-power sleep mode requiring only 1.0uA quiescent current when the battery is in the under-voltage state. Cell-protection features of the device include precision internally trimmed charge and discharge voltage limits and discharge current limit with a delayed shutdown. The device also provides over-current protection with a preset time delay. The device is offered in four standard over-voltage thresholds, 4.20V, 4.25V, 4.30V, and 4.35V, and each threshold has a maximum tolerance of 50mV from -20 degrees C to 70 degrees C. The UCC3952 is packaged in an 18-pin bump chip carrier (BCC), 16-pin TSSOP (PW), or 16-pin SOIC (DP) package. In quantities of 1,000, the device is priced at $2.00 each.