Product category:
Circuit Protection Devices
News Release from: ON Semiconductor | Subject: NCP346
Edited by the Electronicstalk Editorial
Team on 12 December 2003
Overvoltage protector withstands bigger
surges
The NCP346 is a novel overvoltage protection circuit optimised for applications with an external AC/DC adapter, a car charger accessory and/or a battery recharger.
Continuing its campaign to introduce power management devices that enable designers to deliver differentiated portable products, ON Semiconductor has released the NCP346 - an overvoltage protection circuit (OVP) optimised for applications with an external AC/DC adapter, a car charger accessory and/or a battery recharger Delivering superior voltage capability and faster turn-off speed than standard CMOS supervisory circuits, the device is ideal for cell phone, digital camera, portable computer, PDA and portable CD player applications
This article was originally published on Electronicstalk on 31 Mar 2003 at 8.00am (UK)
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The NCP346 OVP circuit is a key component in a battery charging system specifically intended to protect sensitive charging electronics from high-voltage events detected on the input by quickly disconnecting them from the adapter.
The rugged BiCMOS process on which the NCP346 is built enables it to turn off a series PFET in less than 1us and withstands up to 30V of overvoltage transients (or 25V steady state).
The only competing device options for the NCP346 are low voltage CMOS supervisors that have voltage ratings only as high as 12V and turn-off times in the range of 200us for comparable capacitive loads.
Because the NCP346 is capable of withstanding voltage transients up to 30V it is protected from a wide range of adapter faults.
An overvoltage turn-off time of less than 1us assists in preventing damage to protected circuitry.
The device is offered with detection thresholds of 4.45 or 5.5V that work with most AC/DC adapters used to charge Li-ion or Li-polymer batteries.
The devices can be adjusted to other voltage levels with the use of an external resistor divider.
"Depending on the complexity of the adapter, its output can have voltage transients that far exceed the maximum voltage capabilities of the sensitive electronic components that make up today's portable products", said Andy Khayat, ON Semiconductor Marketing Director for Portable Products.
"Circuit protection has become more critical as the operating voltages of many integrated circuits have been lowered due to advances in submicron silicon lithography".
The NCP346 is offered in thin SOT-23 packages and priced at $0.43 per unit in 3000-unit quantities.
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