Fairchild Semiconductor’s Integrated PFC Controller Reduces Power Loss Up To 320mW and Eliminates Components in Under 250W Power Supply Designs

Fairchild Semiconductor's Integrated PFC Controller Reduces Power Loss Up To 320mW and Eliminates Components in Under 250W Power Supply Designs

To meet the stringent green standards confronting today’s design engineers, Fairchild Semiconductor (NYSE: FCS) introduces a power factor correction (PFC) controller IC that reduces standby power as much as 320mW in switch-mode power supply (SMPS) designs under 250 Watts, such as notebook adaptors. In addition to dramatically increasing energy efficiency, the highly integrated FAN7528 saves board space by reducing component count.

AN7528 helps applications designers meet energy-efficiency regulations

The FAN7528 is an active PFC controller that operates in critical conduction mode (CRM), and it integrates a dual-output control function to increase efficiency with a universal AC input. This feature renders the sensing of the rectified AC line voltage for power factor correction unnecessary, leading to a pronounced drop in standby power in certain adaptor applications.

“Engineers designing power supply adaptors must adhere to a number of energy-efficiency standards such as Energy2000, Blue Angel and the EU Code of Conduct,” said CJ Kim, Fairchild’s Power Supply Product Line Manager. “Fairchild designed the FAN7528 to automatically sense AC line voltage by integrating dual-output control. In addition to offering a dramatic efficiency improvement, this integration helps designers eliminate discrete components.”