Linear Technology Corporation introduced μModule regulators with 13A to 100A digital interfaces

     Linear Technology Corporation (Linear Technology Corporation) introduces the LTM4676A, a two-channel 13A or single-channel 26A micromodule step-down DC/DC regulator capable of current sharing up to 100A with a PMBus serial digital interface. This digital interface enables system designers and remote operators to issue commands to the system power supply and monitor the condition and power consumption of the power supply.

     The LTM4676A µModule regulator features a 70ms power-on time, 8ms ADC telemetry update rate, and an I2C serial interface to the 400kHz PMBus standard. These improvements enable shorter system startup times and faster data collection in applications with maximum power-up time requirements, such as PCI-based platforms. Examples of end products include optical transmission systems, data communications and telecommunications switches and routers, industrial test equipment, robots, RAID, and enterprise systems where the cost of electrical utility equipment, cooling, and maintenance is extremely important and must be continuously and accurately measured.

     The LTM4676A consists of an EEPROM, power MOSFETs, inductors, and supporting components. The device has two fast analog control loops and a precise mixed-signal circuit in a 16mm x 16mm x 5.01mm BGA (Ball Grid Array) package.

     In addition to supplying power to the point of load, the LTM4676A enables the configuration and telemetry of power supply and power management parameters via PMBus, an open standard digital serial interface protocol based on I2C. The LTM4676A operates in the 4.5V to 17V input supply voltage range and depresses the VIN to two outputs ranging from 0.5V to 5.4V. Both channels share current to provide up to 26A (i.e. 13A + 13A as an output). Up to four LTM4676A devices can operate multiphase to evenly distribute output currents up to 100A.

     To evaluate the performance of the LTM4676A, Linear Technology provides the LTpowerPlay™ GUI (a free downloadable graphical user interface), a USB to PMBus converter, and a demonstration kit (DC1811B-KIT). With a temperature-dependent maximum DC output error of ±0.5%, current read-back accuracy of ±2.5%, and integrated 16-bit incremental accumulation ADC and EEPROM, the LTM4676A offers both best-in-class analog switching regulator performance and accurate mixed-signal data acquisition. At startup, the output voltage, switching frequency, and channel phase Angle allocation can be set by a pin-bond resistor.