To this day, Power over Ethernet (PoE) continues to gainpopularity in today’s networking world. The 12.95Wdelivered to the Powered Device (PD) input supplied bythe Power Sourcing Equipment (PSE) is a universal supply.Each PD provides its own DC/DC conversion from anominal 48V supply, thus eliminating the need for a correctvoltage wall adapter. However, higher power devicescan not take advantage of standard PoE because of itspower limitations, and must rely on a large wall adapteras their primary supply. The new LTC4268-1 breaks thispower barrier by allowing for power of up to 35W for suchpower-hungry 2-pair PoE Applications. The LTC4268-1provides a complete solution by integrating a high powerPD interface control with an isolated fl yback controller.
Speed and accuracy don’t always go hand-in-handin DC/DC converter systems—that is, until now. TheLTC3811 is a dual output, fi xed frequency current modeDC/DC switching regulator controller designed for one oftoday’s most demanding power supply Applications: highcurrent, low voltage processor core supplies.
Typical industrial and automotive Applications requiremultiple high current, low voltage power supply solutionsto drive everything from disc drives to microprocessors.For many of these Applications, particularly thosethat have size constraints, the LT3501® dual step-downconverter is an attractive solution because it’s compactand inexpensive compared to a 2-chip solution. The dualconverter accommodates a 3V to 25V input voltage rangeand is capable of supplying up to 3A per channel. Thecircuit in Figure 1 produces 3.3V and 1.8V.
Many telecommunications and computing Applicationsneed high effi ciency step-down DC/DC converters thatcan operate from a very low input voltage. The highoutput power synchronous controller LT3740 is idealfor these Applications, converting input supplies rangingfrom 2.2V to 22V to outputs as low as 0.8V with loadcurrents from 2A to 20A. Applications include distributedpower systems, point-of-load regulation and conversionof logic supplies.
The LTC®3562 quad output step-down regulator is designedfor multicore handheld microprocessor Applications thatoperate from a single Li-Ion battery. Its four monolithic, higheffi ciency buck regulators support Intel’s mobile CPU P-Stateand C-State energy saving operating modes. The outputvoltages are independently controllable via I2C, and eachoutput can be independently started and shut down. Designerscan choose from power saving pulse-skipping mode orBurst Mode® operation, or select low noise LDO mode. Thespace-saving LTC3562 is available in a 3mm × 3mm QFNpackage and requires few external components.
Handheld designers often grapple with ways to de-bounceand control the on/off pushbutton of portable devices.Traditional de-bounce designs use discrete logic, fl ipflops, resistors and capacitors. Other designs includean onboard microprocessor and discrete comparatorswhich continuously consume battery power. For highvoltage multicell battery Applications, a high voltageLDO is needed to drive the low voltage devices. All thisextra circuitry not only increases required board spaceand design complexity, but also drains the battery whenthe handheld device is turned off. Linear Technology addressesthis pushbutton interface challenge with a pairof tiny pushbutton controllers.
Avalanche photo diode (APD) receiver modules arewidely used in fi ber optic communication systems. AnAPD module contains the APD and a signal conditioningamplifi er, but is not completely self contained. It stillrequires signifi cant support circuitry including a highvoltage, low noise power supply and a precision currentmonitor to indicate the signal strength. The challenge issqueezing this support circuitry into Applications withlimited board space. The LT®3482 addresses this challengeby integrating a monolithic DC/DC step-up converter andan accurate current monitor. The LT3482 can supportup to a 90V APD bias voltage, and the current monitorprovides better than 10% accuracy over four decades ofdynamic range (250nA to 2.5mA).
Linear Technology’s DC/DC step-down μModule®regulators are complete switchmode power supplies in asurface-mount package. They include the DC/DC controller,inductor, power switches and supporting circuitry.These highly integrated regulators also provide an easysolution for Applications that require negative outputvoltages. In other words, these products can operate asinverting buck-boost regulators. As a result, the lowestpotential in the circuit is not the standard 0V, but –VOUT,which must be tied to the μModule regulator’s GND. Allsignals are now referred to –VOUT.
Once relegated to the hinterlands of low cost indicatorlights, the LED is again in the spotlight of the lightingworld. LED lighting is now ubiquitous, from car headlightsto USB-powered lava lamps. Car headlights exemplifyApplications that capitalize on the LED’s clear advantages—unwavering high quality light output, tough-assteelrobustness, inherent high effi ciency—while a USBlava lamp exemplifi es Applications where only LEDs work.Despite these clear advantages, their requirement forregulated voltage and current make LED driver circuitsmore complex than the venerable light bulb, but some newdevices are closing the gap. For instance, the LTM®8040μModule™ LED driver integrates all the driver circuitryinto a single package, allowing designers to refocus theirtime and effort on the details of lighting design criticalto a product’s success.
The LTC®4155 and LTC4156 are dual multiplexed-inputbattery chargers with PowerPath™ control, featuring I2Cprogrammability and USB On-The-Go for systems suchas tablet PCs and other high power density Applications.The LTC4155’s float voltage (VFLOAT) range is optimizedfor Li-Ion batteries, while the LTC4156 is optimized forlithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4)batteries, supportingsystem loads to 4A with up to 3.5A of battery chargecurrent. I2C controls a broad range of functions and USBOn-The-Go functionality is controlled directly from theUSB connector ID pin.
