iWatt Announces New iW2202 Digital Power Control IC
iWatt Inc. (Los Gatos, CA), a power management IC company developing and marketing digital controllers for power supplies, announced its new iW2202 power control IC based on the company's proprietary adaptive digital control techniques. The new chip enables power supply manufacturers to produce smaller, lower-cost and higher-efficiency ac adapters. The part is suitable for ac power adapters that are used in battery-charging applications, as well as use in notebook computer adapters, flat panel displays, utility meters and LCD televisions.
The iW2202 uses a new digital control technology to eliminate entire circuit blocks from a typical power supply. For example, the part enables accurate regulation of the power supply's output without opto-couplers, references and external compensation circuits, which are required in current adapters. Digital signal analysis techniques allow the iW2202 to achieve key performance objectives while reducing the number of components required inside the power supply.
Regulatory agencies, such as Energy Star™, have mandated increasingly stringent power saving measures, including restrictions on the harmonic distortion that complex electronic equipment is allowed to reflect back onto the ac line. In order to meet the latest agency standards, power supply manufacturers must include power-factor correction (PFC) in any adapter over 75 W. The PFC circuit requires an additional power converter that is used to condition ac line current, so that it is in phase with ac line voltage. The iW2202 has an intelligent digital core that combines both the PFC converter and the output regulation stage.
The iW2202 is available now in production quantities with a starting price of $1.29 in 1,000-piece quantities. The part is offered in a lead-free, small outline, 14-lead package, with an option for tape and reel.
