Power Protection FEATURED ARTICLE

Power Integrations (News - Alert), a Silicon Valley-based supplier of high-performance electronic components for high-voltage power-conversion systems, recently revealed its latest generation of TinySwitch products, which are known for their excellent standby efficiency and ease of design.

The TinySwitch-4family serves as the latest generation of the company’s industry-leading TinySwitch series of off-line switcher integrated circuits (ICs). Featuring line-compensated overload power protection and incorporating 725 V MOSFET that easily allows 80 percent de-rating for high reflected voltage and high bus-voltage designs, the TinySwitch-4 devices are expected to dramatically reduce the maximum overload power that can be delivered over the entire AC input voltage range, according to a news statement.

A scalable family of devices covering an extended power range up to 36.5 W, TinySwitch-4family comes with efficiency of more than 70 percent at five percent load, which enables designers to meet the stringent European standby specifications scheduled to take effect in 2013.

Its no-load power consumption of less than 30 mW at 230 VAC meets critical energy-saving requirements in the market today.

TinySwitch-4ICs are particularly helpful in applications such as PC standby and appliances where unusually high current demands from the load may be indicative of a fault. It is also suitable for DVD/PVR and other low-power set-top decoders, appliances, industrial systems, utility meters and chargers/adapters for mobile and cordless phones, digital cameras, portable audio, etc.

TinySwitch-4family helps further limit the current to a designed maximum value, preventing damage to the circuitry and therefore enhancing overall system safety and reliability.

“The TinySwitch name is synonymous with excellent standby efficiency and ease of design,” Product Marketing Manager at Power Integrations Chris Lee (News - Alert) noted in said statement.

“The high level of integration and comprehensive system-level protection in TinySwitch-4 ICs enable ultra-simple power supplies that easily meet safety specifications as well as all current and proposed efficiency standards such as ENERGY STAR (News - Alert) EPS V2.0 and EC ErP Ecodesign Directive Tier 2. Importantly, TinySwitch-4 ICs are pin-compatible with existing TinySwitch-III devices, simplifying the task of migrating to the upgraded device,”

TinySwitch-4ICs are available in three package options: the industry standard PDIP and SOIC packages as well as the new SMD eSOP package, which enables designers to eliminate external heatsinks, but rather use PCB copper area for thermal dissipation.