Active-Semi announces most cost effective 30mW standby primary switching regulators for 'green power' charger and adapter apps

SAN JOSE, USA: Active-Semi announced the release of three additions to their family of low voltage IC solutions for power-efficient charger and adapter applications: the ACT334, ACT336 and ACT337. The ACT33x family of Primary Switching Regulators are suitable for all charger and adapter solutions requiring up to 14.5 Watts with standby power of less than 30mW. These devices incorporate unique start-up circuitry to reduce standby power lost from the startup resistor.

Additionally, fewer circuits are required, when compared to similar products on the market, yielding a cost savings of 5 percent across a 5W charger Bill of Materials (BOM). For a 10W charger, another 5 percent cost savings can be achieved by using an NPN switch instead of a high cost, power MOSFET.

The ACT33x family belongs to the high performance patented ActivePSRTM family of devices designed to improve power usage in cellphone chargers and adapter applications. Active-Semi's solutions are currently in 10 percent of the mobile phone chargers worldwide. The ACT33x product line meets all of the global energy efficiency regulations, including CEC, European Blue Angel, and US Energy Star standards, while using very few external components.

For 30mW architectures, the ACT33x devices utilize a 30M-ohm startup resistor to reduce standby power loss. Similar devices on the market require extra circuits, including a high voltage fast-switching NPN or MOSFET switch, to achieve the same functionality. This increases BOM by 4 cents, or 5 percent for a 5W solution.

The ACT334 is optimized for compact 2W to 6W charger applications. It is available in a space-saving 6-pin SOT23-6 package.

The ACT336 is optimized for compact 5V/1.2A charger applications. It is available in a 8-pin SOP-8 package.

The ACT337 is optimized for compact 7W to 12W charger applications in space-saving 8-pin SOP-8 packages.

Prices for the new family of devices range from $0.15 for the ACT334 to $0.18 for ACT337 in 1,000 unit quantities.

Active-Semi's ActivePSRTM family of digital Primary-Side Regulation (PSR) controllers simplify today's AC/DC designs for charger, adapter and LED lighting with low component-count, and exceed all green power efficiency or standby power standards.