TI Boost Converter Enables Solar and Micro-Fuel Cell Innovation

TI Boost Converter Enables Solar and Micro-Fuel Cell Innovation

March 28, 2007

0.3-V Input Power Management Chip with 0.5-V Start-Up
Allows Battery-Driven Devices to Tap New Wave of Low-Power
Energy Sources


    DALLAS, March 28 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- Texas
Instruments Incorporated (TI) (NYSE: TXN) introduced today
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 can 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. See: http://www.ti.com/sc07062
.

    (Logo:
http://www.xprn.com.cn/xprn/sa/20061107170439-20.jpg )

    The new TPS61200 step-up converter with integrated
1.5-A switch supports input voltages of 0.3 V to 5.5 V
during normal operation, and continues to manage power down
to 0.0 V if the under-voltage lockout pin is connected
directly to the output voltage.  The converter provides an
extremely low 0.5-V start-up capability in any load
condition, and can operate with more than 90 percent
efficiency.  In contrast, today's best step-up converters
can only support an input voltage beginning at 0.7 V with
start-up at 0.9 V - good for primary re-chargeable battery
cells or main supplies, but not low enough to support new
applications using energy harvesting power sources.

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

    "Portable equipment designers, including those in
the portable medical, wireless and portable audio fields,
are continuing to look at how to apply solar and fuel cell
technology into their devices to extend battery life and
differentiate their products," said Uwe Mengelkamp,
director of TI's DC/DC converter product line. "It's
not certain what we will see first, but the ideas are
endless. What is certain is that designers can use the
TPS61200 to achieve low-voltage operation to connect these
new low-power energy sources with the ICs in their
system."

    Protecting the System at Low Voltages

    The TPS61200, which comes in a 10-pin, 3 mm x 3 mm QFN
package, offers several features that are critical during
low-voltage operation, including output short-circuit
protection, programmable under-voltage lockout and a unique
"down-conversion mode" that helps protect the
device when an input voltage rises higher than the output
voltage. In addition, the converter can be disabled to
further minimize battery drain. While the end equipment
shuts down, the TPS61200 protects the system from receiving
any additional power from the battery.

    Extends the Operating Range of Single-Cell Alkaline,
NiCd and NiMH Batteries

    The integrated circuit's extremely low operating
voltage also eliminates 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
TPS61200 extends the operating time of many pulsed-load
applications that experience pass-load conditions at
low-voltage inputs.

    SwitcherPro(TM) and TINA-TI(TM) 7.0 Design Tools

    Designers can simplify power design with the TPS61200
by leveraging TI's new Analog eLab(TM) Design Center,
http://www.ti.com/analogelab . The recently announced
design center features TI's SwitcherPro(TM) power supply
design tool and a new release of TINA-TI(TM) 7.0 simulation
environment, which includes switch-mode power supply
simulation with acceleration. 

    Pricing and Availability

    The TPS61200 boost converters are available today in
volume from TI and its authorized distributors. The device
comes in a 3 mm x 3 mm, 10-pin QFN package. Suggested
resale pricing in quantities of 1,000 units is $1.68. The
TPS61200EVM-179 evaluation module, application notes and
TI's new Power Management Selection Guide are available
through power.ti.com.

    Leading Power Management IC Portfolio

    TI is focused on meeting the power design needs of its
customers through innovative products, easy-to-use design
tools and local technical support. TI uses its application
knowledge and high-performance analog manufacturing
capabilities to provide discrete and integrated power
management solutions for any portable, line-powered,
isolated or non-isolated power design challenge - from cell
phones and portable medical equipment to telecom, industrial
and computing applications. 

    About Texas Instruments:

    Texas Instruments Incorporated provides innovative DSP
and analog technologies to meet our customers' real world
signal processing requirements.  In addition to
Semiconductor, the company includes the Education
Technology business.  TI is headquartered in Dallas, Texas,
and has manufacturing, design or sales operations in more
than 25 countries.

    Texas Instruments is traded on the New York Stock
Exchange under the symbol TXN. More information is located
on the World Wide Web at http://www.ti.com .

    Please refer all reader inquiries to:

     Texas Instruments Incorporated
     Semiconductor Group, SC-07062
     Literature Response Center
     14950 FAA Blvd.
     Ft. Worth, TX  76155
     1-800-477-8924

    Trademarks

    Analog eLab, SwitcherPro and TINA-TI are trademarks of
Texas Instruments. All other trademarks and registered
trademarks are property of their respective owners


    For more information, please contact: 

     Matt McKinney
     Texas Instruments
     Tel:   [phone]
     Email: [e-mail] 

     Jacqi Moore
     GolinHarris
     Tel:   [phone]
     Email: [e-mail]