Power Integrations' LinkZero-LP integrated offline switcher IC cuts no-load power waste to 0.00 W

SAN JOSE, USA: Power Integrations has introduced the newest member of its “Zero” product portfolio, LinkZero-LP.

This highly integrated offline switcher IC automatically enters an innovative zero-input-power mode when the load is disconnected, cutting no-load power consumption to 0.00 watts. The new IC targets chargers and adapters up to 3.2 W for a broad range of small portable devices, including mobile phones, media players, eBook readers, tools, and toothbrushes.

No-load power – the energy consumed by chargers left plugged into an outlet while disconnected from the end product – has been estimated to account for two-thirds of all energy consumed by mobile devices. Short of unplugging the charger, the only means of eliminating this waste until now has been with a mechanical switch – a feature rarely found on mobile-device chargers.

LinkZero-LP eliminates no-load waste without a mechanical switch, using PI’s patented EcoSmart energy-efficiency technology, in combination with a proprietary power-down mode that senses when no load is present and then disables switching of the IC’s internal high-voltage MOSFET. The LinkZero-LP device automatically restarts when a load is detected.

LinkZero-LP is based on the successful LinkSwitch-LP family of ICs, which is used widely in mobile phone chargers and other low-power charger/adapter applications. LinkZero-LP maintains the hallmark simplicity of LinkSwitch-LP, enabling power supplies with fewer than 20 external components. The new device is even backward-compatible with existing LinkSwitch-LP designs, enabling quick, easy conversion to zero-no-load with no increase in component count.

Suitable for low-cost clampless designs, LinkZero-LP exhibits very tight IC parameter tolerances which improves system manufacturing yield. An extended creepage distance in the SO-8C package, plus an integrated 700 V MOSFET with hysteretic thermal shutdown protection, further improves system field reliability. Moreover, the 100 kHz operating frequency minimizes charger size, and frequency jittering greatly reduces the cost of EMI filtering.

Silvestro Fimiani, product marketing manager at Power Integrations, said: “LinkZero-LP seals the fate of the energy vampire, enabling adapter designers to reach the ultimate performance with no increase in system complexity. The new IC, along with Power Integrations’ other recently introduced “Zero” products – LinkZero-AX, CAPZero, and SENZero – underlines PI’s technical leadership in power conversion technology and demonstrates our commitment to energy efficiency.”

LinkZero-LP devices are available now starting at $0.32 each for 10,000-piece quantities.