TI launches lowest input voltage DC/DC boost converter

Bangalore, Mar 28 (UNI) Texas Instruments Incorporated today launched the industry's lowest input voltage DC/DC boost converter, which will enable portable electronic end-equipment to draw power from new energy sources such as solar and micro-fuel cells.

The tiny power circuit could operate with input voltages lower than 0.3 V with high efficiency, allowing designers to overcome the low-voltage design barrier of incorporating these alternative energy sources in applications such as mobile phones, portable medical devices and media players, a company release here said.

The new TPS61200 step-up converter with integrated 1.5-A switch supported input voltages of 0.3 V to 5.5 V during normal operation and continued to manage power down to 0.0 V if the under-voltage lockout pin was connected directly to the output voltage. It provided an extremely low 0.5-V start-up capability in any load condition and could operate with more than 90 per cent efficiency.

The TPS61200's ability to operate from a single solar cell eliminated the need for multiple solar cells in series and the required protection circuitry associated with series connection.

This opened the door to new potential innovative designs such as a built-in solar-powered cell phone charger that uses indoor ambient lighting to help provide an infinite amount of standby time, the release said.

The integrated circuit's extremely low operating voltage also eliminated many of the design challenges that occur when operating a single-cell Alkaline, nickel-cadmium (NiCd) and nickel-metal hydride (NiMH) batteries to power anything from toys to portable medical devices, the release added.

UNI