Solar harvester targets space-constrained devices
Offered as ideal for space-constrained applications such as wearables and emerging internet of things (IoT) applications, the MAX20361 single-/multi-cell solar harvester with maximum power point tracking (MPPT) is claimed to reduce solution size by at least 50 percent while also improving harvest efficiency.
“This device offers exciting possibilities for a new supplemental power source to continually charge the battery of a device,” says Frank Dowling, director of the Industrial and Healthcare Business Unit at Maxim Integrated. “For example, if you can harvest just 30 mW of solar power per day on a 300 mAHr battery system which typically runs for three weeks, you can as a result extend that runtime by over 50 percent.”
The MAX20361, says the company, increases harvested energy with up to 5 percent better boost efficiency than the closest competitor, coupled with an adaptive MPPT approach that can improve the overall system level efficiency even further. Key advantages of the device are offered as the following:
- Smallest Size: Industry’s smallest solar harvesting solution due to reduced component size and smaller, fewer external components; at least 50 percent smaller solution size compared to the closest competitor
- Higher Efficiency: Increased boost efficiency maximizes harvested energy with up to 5 percent better boost efficiency than the closest competitor; additional harvesting gains can be achieved through adaptive MPPT features coupled with the unique integrated harvesting gauge for real-time indications of efficiency to optimize performance
The MAX20361 is available for $2.64 (1000-up, FOB USA). An evaluation kit – the MAX20361EVKIT – is available for $57.
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