USB-C buck charger reduces design size by 30%
The MAX77860 3A switch-mode USB-C buck charger integrates the USB-C port controller and charger to eliminate the need for a separate host controller. This, says the company, simplifies software development and reduces overall bill-of-materials (BOM) costs for applications such as financial point-of-sale terminals, power banks, industrial computers, scanners, radios, medical devices, charging cradles, portable speakers, and game players.
“The MAX77860 dramatically reduces system complexity by integrating the charger, the power path, the low-dropout regulator, the ADC, and the USB-C CC detection in a small 3.9mm x 4.0mm package,” says Perry Tsao, executive director, Mobile Solutions Business Unit at Maxim Integrated. “This level of integration simplifies the design, enabling the delivery of more power and more functionality in minimal printed circuit board space.”
The MAX77860 integrates USB-C configuration channel (CC) port detection and a battery charger for 15W applications, allowing battery charging at the fastest rate possible under the USB-C specification and contributing to 30% smaller design size while also simplifying software development. The CC pin detection feature also shortens the design effort by eliminating the need to support end-to-end USB port connection and allowing charging to start automatically.
Key advantages of the MAX77860 are offered as the following:
- Highly Integrated: Eliminates a separate port controller and many discrete components. Reduces the size of an inductor and a capacitor due to a high switching frequency of 2MHz/4MHz, resulting in a solution size that is 30% smaller than the closest competitive device. This high level of integration also reduces overall BOM costs.
- High Efficiency: High-efficiency buck reduces heat dissipation with more than 93% efficiency and up to 3A charging capability.
- Design Flexibility: Backward compatibility allows designs to work with both USB-C and legacy BC1.2 or proprietary adapters. Integrated analog-to-digital converter (ADC) frees up resources in the microcontroller, while providing accurate voltage and current measurements.
The MAX77860 is available for $3.03 (1000-up, FOB USA). An evaluation kit – the MAX77860EVKIT – is available for $70.
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