Power manager takes on six convertors

The SMM665 is a six-channel active controller that includes both sequencing and margining functions.

Summit Microelectronics claims to have raised the bar in intelligent power management devices with the introduction of the SMM665, a six-channel active controller that includes sequencing and margining functions.

Ideal applications for the device include networking and communications equipment where carrier-class availability (ie 99.999% up-time) is essential.

The SMM665 uses a new engineering concept created by Summit called "active DC output control" (ADOC).

The ADOC function intelligently maintains the output voltage of up to six DC/DC convertors on the user's board, dramatically improving voltage accuracy in normal system use - typically +/-0.1% of voltage output, and guaranteed to +/- 0.2%, compared with several percent without ADOC.

In addition, the SMM665 is highly useful in initial turn-on of the board during production to perform "margining".

This is the temporary adjusting of each of the six DC/DC convertor supply voltages up to +/-10% in any combination - so that sensitivity of the system to power supply changes can be determined.

Margining can be performed either just on prototype boards before production launch, or can be done board-by-board in production to test for manufacturing variations.

Finally, the SMM665 can be configured to sequence up to six voltage supplies in any order during both power-up and power-down transitions.

This sequencing can be set by the user to cascade each supply as the prior supply completes its transition, therefore relieving the user of the need to calculate the slew rate of each supply voltage depending on its loading, and specifying a safe delay time before the next supply can be actuated.

This guarantees that unwanted crossover will not occur.

The SMM665 can be accessed by the popular I2C bus to exercise complete control of the board's power characteristics.

This can be done during production, or each time that the board is booted up, or during normal operation "on the fly." To speed user product development using the SMM665 and Summit's other programmable products, Summit offers customers the SMX3200 programming system.

This is a complete development tool that lets designers easily manipulate the characteristics of their system.

The SMX3200 design kit includes menu-driven Microsoft Windows graphical user interface (GUI) software to automate programming tasks and also includes all necessary hardware to interface to the parallel port of a laptop or PC.

Once a user completes design and prototyping, SMX3200 automatically generates a hex data file that can be transmitted to Summit for review and approval.

Summit then assigns a unique customer identification code to the hex file and programs the customer's production devices prior to final electrical test operations.

This ensures that device will operate properly in the end application.

The design kit software can be downloaded today from Summit's website.

An evaluation card containing the SMM665 controller, six DC/DC convertors, all required associated circuitry, and a port for "plug and play" programming via the SMX33200 dongle interface is available.

A three-digit digital voltmeter is required to see the voltage accuracy enhancement provided by the SMM665 - typically as low as +/-0.1% error (guaranteed to +/- 0.2%), compared to the +/-2% or even +/-4% variation of typical convertor bricks when the SMM665 is removed.

Available in volume quantities today, the SMM665 comes in a 48-pin TQFP surface-mount package.

Pricing is $9.00 in 10,000 unit quantities.

Back to top