Charger ICs target photovoltaic sources

Used for managing charging with photovoltaic sources, the ZSPM4521 Li‑ion battery charger and the ZSPM4523 supercapacitor charger are configurable for termination voltages and charge currents to allow optimum charging for a wide range of Li-ion batteries or super capacitors. They can regulate up to 1.5-A continuous drive current and use a maximum power point tracking (MPPT) function to extract the maximum possible power from the photovoltaic charging source.

Features include a switching frequency of 1 MHz, an efficiency of up to 92%, an integrated I² C interface with EEPROM registers. Available each per 1,000, ZSPM4521 is $1.85 and ZSPM4523 is $1.58. The ZSPM4521 has an additional charge timeout feature to protect the Li-ion battery from overcharge. Both provide protection for overcurrent, overtemperature, overvoltage and undervoltage. Housed in a 16-L PQFN package, the parts operate from –40º to 125ºC.