TI power chips extend battery life in MCUs
Texas Instruments (TI) has introduced a multi-mode power management unit (PMU) that enables ultra-low, total system quiescent current of just 100 nA.
The device is claimed to minimise power consumption in battery-powered, microcontroller-based water and gas meters and other industrial applications.
The TPS65290 PMU manages all power requirements in the system, including load conditions from 100 nA to 500 mA.
Free samples can be ordered from the firm's website.
The TPS65290 PMU incorporates three factory configurable "always-on" power supplies for microcontroller (MCU) sleep mode and an automatic function for choosing power from either the input voltage or buck-boost converter.
What's more, the TPS65290 operates seamlessly with TI's ultra-low power MSP430 MCUs, such as the MSP430F5328.
Key features and benefits of the TPS65290:
Extend battery life: Designers can develop systems to last beyond 10 years on a single battery by taking advantage of the new PMU's low-power, always-on bias supply for MCU sleep mode with the following three factory-selectable options:
10-mA, 100-nA quiescent current (IDDQ) sleep mode, leakage current bias controller with preset voltage.
10-mA, 400-nA IDDQ low-dropout regulator (LDO).
30-mA, 300-nA IDDQ buck converter.
Minimise board footprint, number of components and cost: Integrates a 500-mA buck-boost converter, 150-mA LDO, eight power distribution switches, input voltage recovery comparator, state machine, and factory-selectable SPI/I2C interface onto one 20mm2 power management chip.
Configurable for multiple applications: Extensive EEPROM configurations and programmable output voltages allow designers flexibility to optimise their systems' output voltage.
Availability and pricing
The TPS65290 is now available in a 24-pin, 4mm x 5mm, VQFN package for a suggested retail price of US$1.75 in 1,000-unit quantities. Designers can order the TPS65290BMEVM and TPS65290LMEVM evaluation modules to quickly evaluate their designs and speed time to market.
