STMicroelectronics aims to ride the "green" wave with its new integrated protection IC that enables standard battery chargers for mobile devices, potentially keeping half a billion scrap chargers out of the world's landfills, the company says.
Implemented inside a battery-powered product, the STBP120 monitors voltage from the connected charger. If detected voltage exceeds a preset threshold, an internal solid-state switch is opened, preventing the overvoltage from damaging the internal circuitry.
Four options spanning threshold values from 5.375V to 6.02V allow engineers to optimize for USB chargers at up to 5.25V or other chargers at higher voltages up to 6.8V. Each device protects against overvoltages as high as 28V. In normal operation, the internal switch, an N-channel MOSFET, has very low resistance of 90mΩ to promote efficiency and minimize heat dissipation.
The STBP120 is delivered in a 2mm by 2.5mm, 10-lead TDFN package.
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