Analog Devices Introduces Step-Down Buck Converters to Reduce Size of Multi-Cell Battery-Powered Products

     Analog Devices, Inc. (ADI) has introduced the MAX77540 step-down buck converter, which provides a single-stage power conversion solution for multi-cell battery-operated applications such as augmented reality/virtual reality (ARVR) headsets, terrestrial mobile wireless communications (LMR) devices, digital single-lens reflex (DSLR) cameras, etc. The higher power density MAX77540 step-down converter features 94% peak efficiency in a wafer-level package that is 61% smaller than traditional square flat no-lead packages.

    Multi-cell battery-operated products that require long battery life and the smallest possible solution size typically require two-stage power conversion. Most of the traditional solutions are inefficient and directly affect the battery life of the system. For example, a first-stage converter is used to step down the battery voltage to 5V or lower, and then a first-stage buck is used to further convert to the system supply voltage. Since this architecture requires an additional converter, which typically requires an external inductor, the solution is oversized and expensive.

    Using the MAX77540, design engineers can easily build dual 3A or single 6A output power converters. The default power-up configuration requires only two external resistor settings and allows further adjustment via the I2C interface, providing the user with an advanced power management scheme. External frequency synchronization and spread-spectrum modulation capabilities help significantly reduce electromagnetic interference (EMI) in power converters for noise-sensitive applications such as data sensing and data processing.

 Key features of the MAX77540 buck converter:

 ● 4V to 16V wide voltage input range, 3A dual-phase switch controller, single-stage conversion can realize the conversion from USB-C voltage or 2S, 3S multi-cell battery voltage to processor core voltage.

● Wafer-level package is 61% smaller than traditional square flat no-lead package (2.5 times smaller solution size), suitable for space-constrained applications.

● Under the conversion condition of 7.4V to 3.3V, the peak efficiency is as high as 94%, which effectively prolongs the battery life.