Mouser Now Stocking Microchip Technology’s Li-Ion/Li-Polymer Chargers with Auto USB or AC Power-Source Selection

Early access to Microchip's new products is what our engineering customers have come to expect from us, commented Mike Scott, Mouser’s Vice President of Active Products. Offering off-the-shelf availability of their newest charge-management controllers allows our customers to add AC/USB power functionality to their newest designs.

The single-cell, fully integrated chargers enable charge currents of up to 1A from an AC power source, plus charging currents of up to 100 mA or 500 mA from a USB port. They have several on-chip safety features and are available in 10-pin MSOP and 3 mm x 3 mm DFN packages, to enable smaller, faster, and safer battery-charger designs.

The devices feature auto power-source selection from either a USB port or AC adapter, which provides an automatic charge from a PC’s USB port when no AC power is available. When powered from a USB port, the devices ensure compliance with USB power specifications and adjust outputs accordingly, resulting in support for multiple power sources by one charger design. Additionally, with high charge currents up to 1A from an AC power source, the devices enable faster charging cycles and less recharging down time. Safer and more efficient charger designs are created due to on-chip safety features, including thermal regulation, cell-temperature monitoring and charge timers that minimize charger-related system damage.

In addition to VREG output and safety timeout period, charging parameters available as standard options on the MCP73837/8 devices include preconditioning current threshold and current ratio, charge

termination threshold, and recharge threshold ratio. The devices are ideal for portable, battery-powered consumer electronic devices, such as PDAs, portable DVD players, personal media players (PMPs) and more.

Known for its broad-based product line, unsurpassed customer service and streamlined warehouse operations, Mouser continuously offers customers the most innovative products and latest technologies for their new design projects.

Mouser Electronics is the only major distributor to publish a new 2,100+ page print catalog every 90 days. In addition, its website with interactive online catalog is updated daily, contains more than 940,000 products for easy online purchase, provides over 1.5 million cross-references, as well as more than 677,000 downloadable data sheets, supplier-specific reference designs, application notes, and other technical design information.