Tiny Texas Instruments power circuit simplifies USB battery charger design

1.1-A single-cell Li-Ion battery charger with integrated 50-mA regulator offers 2.3-A production test support, high-voltage protection

DALLAS .- Texas Instruments Incorporated (TI) (NYSE:TXN) introduced today the industry’s smallest 1.1-A Li-Ion linear battery charger with integrated 50-mA low-dropout regulator to support mobile phones and other handheld electronics. The new bq25040 comes in a small 2 mm x 3 mm package, and can regulate voltage within one-percent accuracy from a USB port or AC adapter. The device’s integrated LDO allows a mobile application to power up instantly from an external power source, even with an empty or absent battery. For details and samples see: www.ti.com/bq25040-pr.

The bq25040 also saves manufacturing time and cost by eliminating the need for battery setup during production test phase. The charger’s single-input interface selects the appropriate charge current and places the device into production test mode.

Key features and benefits

* 30-V input with overvoltage protection enables safe charging with unregulated or aftermarket adapters
* Up to 1.1-A charge rate
* Integrated 50-mA LDO supplies power to external circuits, such as a USB transceiver
* Production test mode regulates 4.2-V output without battery connection, and supplies up to 2.3 A
* Selectable 100-mA or 500-mA USB current limit complies with USB standards
* Input voltage dynamic power management provides protection against poor USB sources

Availability and pricing

The bq25040 is available now in a 10-pin, QFN package and is priced at $1.20 in quantities of 1,000. Other USB chargers include the bq24150 ultra-small switch-mode charger with integrated FETs, and the bq24072 with dynamic power path management. Samples and evaluation modules of the bq25040 are available today at http://power.ti.com.