Step-down DC/DC converter extends battery life

Operating from input voltages between 2.7V and 5.5V, the austriamicrosystems AS1234 DC/DC converter delivers output voltages as low as 0.6V. A step-down regulator, the supply is designed for low-power battery-based applications. Typical applications use Li-Ion or triple AA cells. The converter features 10 percent duty cycle operation allowing the design to extract maximum energy from the battery.

The AS1324 is available in both fixed-output-voltage configurations and in a variable output model. The fixed versions come in 1.2V, 1.5V, and 1.8V outputs and require no external voltage dividers for configuration. In the variable version, an external voltage divider sets the output to any value between 0.6V and the input voltage.

Targeted for industrial, medical and automotive applications, the AS1324 DC/DC converters rely on a fixed 1.5MHz switching frequency that allows packaging in the small 5-pin TSOT23. The converters integrate a power-save mode, consuming only 30?A of quiescent current. The design offers a 100nA shutdown mode combined with an output disconnect feature.

The AS1234 is available at $0.59 for 1,000 unit quantities.

-Maury Wright
Power Management DesignLine