iWatt, a provider of digital-centric power management integrated circuits (ICs) has launched two new products that the company says will raise the bar for no-load standby power consumption and efficiency for 12W to 24W power adapter and charger applications. The two new digital pulse width modulation (PWM) controllers (iW1761) and (iW1762) expand iWatt's latest PrimAccurate controller platform, lowering power draw in standby mode to just 10mW at up to 12W output power (iW1761) and 20mW at up to 24W output power (iW1762).
The iW1761 and iW1762 controllers offer even lower standby power consumption than iWatt's recently announced iW1699 and iW1760 with their respective 30mW (at 12W) and 50mW (at 40W) standby power consumption. All four devices exceed current energy standards in the markets in which the company competes, including the proposed stringent 2012 US Department of Energy (DOE) regulation requiring under 100mW AC/DC adapter standby power consumption and tighter efficiency requirements.
The iW1761 and iW1762 meet the compact size and low power requirements of next-generation compact media tablet power chargers and adapters and the company noted that they also offer significantly greener and smaller solutions for AC/DC power adapters in a wide range of electronic products that remain permanently plugged in to the wall in standby mode, including set top boxes, satellite receivers and home networking equipment.
In addition to very low standby power consumption, these new controllers take into account dynamic load response (DLR). Power supplies that achieve low standby power typically do so by entering a standby operating mode. However, when a load is applied, they need to "wake up" quickly to keep the output voltage from dropping too low. Dynamic load response is determined by the speed at which the system wakes up and responds to changes in the power load. The iW1761 and iW1762 offer a mix of low standby power with good DLR, while the recently announced iW1699 and iW1760 give designers options for higher DLR performance.
The iW1761 and iW1762 are available in production quantities. They come in a standard, low-cost, 8-lead SOIC package. Pricing is US$0.34 for both parts in 1000-piece quantities.