Maxim’s PMICs offer hearables lowest standby power and high efficiency at less than half the size

Designers of Bluetooth^® headphones, activity monitors, smart garments, smartwatches, and other size-constrained devices can now increase battery life and efficiency using the MAX77650 /MAX77651 power management ICs (PMICs) from Maxim Integrated Products, Inc. (NASDAQ: MXIM).

Size is critical for hearables and wearables as they continue moving to smaller form factors. Most PMICs for these small, lithium-ion battery-operated devices require additional components, such as boost, buck, and low dropout (LDO) regulators; a charger; and current regulators for LED indicators. For space-savings and efficiency, Maxim has integrated all these functions into a complete power solution that is only 19.2mm² —less than 1/2 the size of existing component combinations.

The MAX77650 and MAX77651 feature single inductor multiple output (SIMO) buck-boost regulators that provide three independently programmable power rails from a single inductor, 150mA LDO, and three current sink drivers to reduce overall component count and maximize available board space. For design flexibility, the MAX77650 operates up to 3.3V and the MAX77651 operates up to 5V—both include an analog multiplexer (MUX) output for safe battery monitoring, making them ideal for low-power designs.

Key Advantages

• Lowest Standby Power: 0.3µA; 5.6µA operating current
• High Efficiency: 3-output SIMO channels plus LDO extend Li+ battery life
• Smallest Solution Size: Multi-channel SIMO regulator reduces component count

Commentary

• “The MAX77650 offers a lot of functionality for highly integrated wearable products, which allows us to make the next leap in reducing the size of Bluetooth music headsets,” said Tjapko Uildriks, CEO, Dopple B.V. “The MAX77650 integrates many essential power management features typically found in advanced wearable products, enabling Dopple to build high-quality Bluetooth music headset platforms.”
• “Demand for consumer battery management ICs is expected to grow at a CAGR of 5% from 2017 to 2020,” said Richard Eden, Senior Analyst, Power Semiconductors, IHS Markit Technology. “Among consumer applications, battery management for wearables—which includes hearables—shows the fastest CAGR of 29% over the same 3-year period.”
• “Maxim has leveraged its PMIC expertise to offer its smallest ultra-low power, battery-charging solutions with the MAX77650 and MAX77651, which are well positioned to take advantage of the projected market growth,” said Scott Kim, Executive Business Manager, Mobile Power, Maxim Integrated. “While we optimized the MAX77650 and MAX77651 for small battery size, we also include numerous factory programmable options that allow our customers to tailor these solutions to their requirements and get to market faster.”

Availability and Pricing

• MAX77650/MAX77651 are available from stock and priced at $1.99 (1,000-up, FOB USA)
• MAX77650EVKIT# and MAX77651EVKIT# are available from stock and priced at $193.63 each