Extend IoT device battery life with power-switching regulator

By Carolyn Mathas, contributing writer

Texas Instruments Inc. launched the TPS62840,  a synchronous step-down converter, touting the industry’s lowest operating quiescent current (I_Q ) of 60 nA, one-third that of the closest competitive device. The TPS62840 delivers very high light-load efficiency of 80% at 1-µA load. The DC/DC converter’s wide input voltage (Vin) range of 1.8 V to 6.5 V supports a variety of battery chemistries and configurations — for example, two lithium manganese dioxide (2× LiMnO₂ ) cells in series, a single-cell lithium thionyl chloride (1× LiSOCL₂ ), four-cell and two-cell alkaline, and lithium polymer (Li-Po).

The solution enables designers to either extend their system’s battery life or choose to use fewer or smaller batteries to shrink their overall power supply size, allowing them to solve critical design challenges inherent in battery-powered applications. Applications targeted by the TPS62840 require more flexibility, greater accuracy, reduced electromagnetic interference (EMI), and an extended wireless range, including always-on industrial and personal electronics including narrowband (IoT, grid infrastructure equipment, and wearables).

The TPS62840 is housed in a variety of packages.

The TPS62840 also features selectable mode and stop functions to improve noise performance and reduce signal distortion. This lowers cost by eliminating expensive precision signal-chain components, sensors, or radio solutions. The mode pin enables continuous conduction mode to improve ripple or noise performance, lessening the impact on transmissions in sensitive radio-frequency applications. The stop pin turns off all switching to reduce EMI or ripple, minimizing distortions passed to precision signal-chain, measurement, sensors, or wireless connectivity components.

Pre-production samples are available through the TI store. Packages include an eight-pin small-outline no-lead  (SON), 1.5 × 2.0 mm, and a six-pin wafer chip-scale package  (WCSP), 0.97 × 1.47 mm. An eight-pin thermally enhanced package (HVSSOP), 3 × 5 mm, is scheduled to be available later in 2019.

Pricing starts at $0.85 in 1,000-unit quantities. TPS62840-1DLCEVM55  and TPS62840-1YBGEVM56 evaluation modules are available for $49 each.