AnalogicTech unveils energy saving 12V Step-down DC/DC Converter

With companies and individuals alike now focussed on reducing their “carbon footprint”, few of us would deny the value of any device that delivers power savings and in turn, lower carbon emissions on a broad scale. One major energy waster is the power used by devices when not in use and it is this issue that the latest release from power management specialists AnalogicTech seeks to address. The AAT1162 is a synchronous step-down DC/DC converter that delivers higher efficiency to a wide range of 12V industrial applications by limiting energy consumption when in stand-by mode, as well as providing better power management and extended battery life in mobile consumer electronics products including cell phones, laptop computers and digital cameras.

AAT1162 is the first in a family of synchronous step-down DC/DC converters. It operates from a 12V input to deliver up to 1.5A to 5V or lower outputs and consumes an extremely low 115 uA quiescent current (the current that flows in an electrical circuit when no load is present). With a wide input voltage range of 4.0V to 13.2V, the AAT1162 is an ideal choice for dual-cell Lithium-ion battery-powered devices and mid-power-range regulated 12V-powered industrial applications.

Bill Weiss, product line director for AnalogicTech explains: “Many applications, even in non-battery powered systems, spend the majority of their life in a stand-by mode consuming only milliamps or microamps of current from their power supply. The AAT1162's extremely low quiescent current significantly lowers the system's total stand-by mode current consumption, thereby improving total power efficiency and enabling designers to more easily achieve green certifications."

Operating at a high 800 kHz switching frequency, the AAT1162 uses relatively small external components, thereby minimizing total solution size. Soft start control limits input surge current and eliminates output voltage overshoot at startup. The device also features current limit and over-temperature protection.

The new converter is manufactured using AnalogicTech's ModularBCD process technology. Devices manufactured using this process offer higher efficiency, smaller size, and higher levels of integration than devices fabricated in traditional processes.

The AAT1162 is qualified across the -40 degree C to +85 degree C temperature range and comes in a Pb-free, 16-pin, 3x4-mm TDFN package. It sells for $0.94 each in 1,000 piece quantities.