TI's PMU allows low quiescent current down to 100nA

Texas Instruments (TI) has announced the TPS65290 multi-mode power management unit (PMU) that the company said enables ultra-low, total system quiescent current as low as 100nA. This feature minimises power consumption in battery-powered, MCU-based water and gas meters and other industrial applications, and manages all power requirements in the system including load conditions from 100nA to 500mA, noted the company.

The TPS65290 PMU incorporates three factory configurable "always-on" power supplies for MCU sleep mode and an automatic function for choosing power from either the input voltage or buck-boost converter. In addition, the TPS65290 operates seamlessly with TI's ultra-low power MSP430 MCUs such as the MSP430F5328, the firm added.

According to TI, designers can develop systems to last beyond 10 years on a single battery by taking advantage of the PMU's low-power, always-on bias supply for MCU sleep mode with the following three factory-selectable options: 10mA, 100nA quiescent current (IDDQ) sleep mode, leakage current bias controller with preset voltage; 10mA, 400nA IDDQ low-dropout regulator (LDO); and 30mA, 300nA IDDQ buck converter.

The device integrates a 500mA buck-boost converter, 150mA LDO, eight power distribution switches, input voltage recovery comparator, state machine and factory-selectable SPI/I2C interface onto one 20mm² power management chip. Additionally, the extensive EEPROM configurations of the PMU and programmable output voltages allow designers flexibility to optimise their systems' output voltage, indicated TI.

The TPS65290 is available in a 24-pin, 4 x 5mm, VQFN package for a suggested retail price of $1.75 in 1,000-unit quantities.