10-A controller IC powers 4 supercap stacks

The LTC3350 is a supercapacitor charger and backup controller IC that provides a standalone capacitor-based backup power solution. Examples include data backup for solid state drives and nonvolatile dual in-line memory modules, power fail alarms in medical and industrial applications, as well as other dying gasp power fail indicators. The chip provides all PowerPath control, capacitor stack charging and balancing, and capacitor health monitoring for backup operation.

The LTC3350 features a 4.5 to 35-V input voltage range and over 10 A of charge/backup current capability. The device also provides balancing and overvoltage protection for a series stack of one to four supercapacitors. The controller drives n-channel MOSFETs for constant current / voltage charging of the capacitor stack at up to 5-V per cell. In backup mode, the step-down converter runs in reverse as a synchronous step-up dc/dc to deliver power from the supercapacitor stack to the system supply.