Ultra-small DC/DC modules deliver widest voltage range

By Gina Roos, editor-in-chief

Maxim Integrated Products, Inc. has expanded its Himalaya power offering with four new step-down power modules, touting the widest input voltage range (4 V to 60 V) with the smallest solution sizes. The new micro-system-level IC (uSLIC) modules include the MAXM17552,MAXM15064,MAXM17900, and MAXM17903. Target applications include factory automation, medical, communications, and consumer markets.

With the latest uSLIC power modules, Maxim has expanded the voltage range up to 60 V compared to the previous maximum of 42 V in a 2.6 × 3.0 × 1.5-mm footprint. The company said that the footprint is less than half the size of the closest competitive offering.

The expanded voltage range allows the devices to be used in a variety of system designs that require a wide range of input voltages. Maxim cited a few examples, including supply voltages in factory automation equipment that are susceptible to large fluctuations due to long transmission lines and USB-C and broad 12-V nominal applications that require up to 24 V of working voltage protection against transients due to hot plugging of supplies and/or batteries.

Key module features include a synchronous wide-input Himalaya buck regulator with built-in FETs, compensation, and other functions with an integrated shielded inductor. “Having the inductor in the module simplifies the toughest aspect of power supply design, enabling designers — even those with little power expertise — to create a robust, reliable power supply in less than a day,” said Maxim.

“One of the toughest design challenges for inexperienced designers is to choose an inductor that will meet the power, size, emission, and temperature requirements for a given design,” added Maxim. “Himalaya uSLIC modules have an integrated shielded inductor, which conforms to the standards of the datasheet, meeting all electrical requirements and allowing designers to build a power supply in a few hours. Getting a fully working power supply can be as easy as choosing the input and output capacitor and setting the output voltage through the resistor divider network.”

The new uSLIC modules include:

• MAXM17552, a 4-V to 60-V, 100-mA module with 100- to 900-kHz adjustable switching frequency, 82% efficiency (24-V V_IN at 5 V/0.1 A), and external synchronization frequency in a 2.6 × 3 × 1.5-mm package
• MAXM15064, a 4.5-V to 60-V, 300-mA module with 500-kHz adjustable switching frequency, 82% efficiency (24-V V_IN at 5 V/0.1 A), external synchronization frequency, and built-in output voltage monitoring in a 2.6 × 3 × 1.5-mm package
• MAXM17900, a 4-V to 24-V, 100-mA module with 100- to 900-kHz adjustable switching frequency, 86% efficiency (12-V V_IN at 5 V/100 mA), external synchronization frequency, and built-in output voltage monitoring in a 2.6 × 3 × 1.5-mm package
• MAXM17903, a 4.5-V to 24-V, 300-mA module with 500-kHz fixed switching frequency, 77% efficiency (12-V V_IN at 3.3 V/300 mA), external synchronization frequency, and built-in output voltage monitoring in a 2.6 × 3 × 1.5-mm package

The modules are compliant to CISPR 22 (EN 5022) Class B EMI and are JEDEC-certified to withstand drop, shock, and vibration.

Module pricing (1,000-up, FOB USA) includes:

• $2.53 for the MAXM17552
• $2.78 for the MAXM15064
• $1.39 for the MAXM17900
• $1.48 for the MAXM17903

The MAXM17552EVKIT#,MAXM15064EVKIT#,MAXM17900EVKIT#, and MAXM17903EVKIT# evaluation kits are priced at $29.73 each. EE-Sim models are available.