STMicro ac line switches eye household appliances

The ACS series of ac line switches from STMicroelectronics is protected against overvoltages and is designed to control household appliances such as dishwashers, refrigerators, ovens, washing machines, and dryers.

Manufactured using the company's proprietary ASD process, the switches integrate high-voltage protection circuitry that meets the requirements of the IEC61000-4-5 standard. They also exhibit a noise immunity of 500V/?s, enabling the equipment to meet the transient burst immunity requirements of the IEC61000-4-4 standard.

The switches have a blocking voltage of up to 500V and a clamping voltage of up to 1.1kV,which allows them to withstand the back-EMF created by inductive loads running from 240V mains voltage. They are also claimed to exhibit high gate sensitivity, enabling them to be directly driven by microcontrollers and ensuring low power consumption.

The ACS series is available in single-switch (ACS110-7S and ACS120-7S) or in three-switch (ACS302-5T3) arrays. Maximum current per switch is 2A. They are available in SO-20, SOT-223, DIP-8, DPAK/IPAK, and TO-220AB/FPAB packages.