Discharge ICs are certified for TVs & IT equipment

The CAPZero high-voltage switches are placed in series with the resistors used to provide a safe discharge path for a power supply’s X capacitor. These discharge resistors can cause a constant power drain while AC is connected, contributing to no-load and standby input power consumption. The X-capacitor discharge ICs block current flow to the discharge resistors when AC voltage is applied. This cuts the power wasted in these components to zero. By closing the circuit and directing the energy away from the exposed AC plug, CAPZero automatically and safely discharges the X capacitor when the AC voltage is disconnected.

The CAPZero ICs are suitable for all AC/DC converters with X capacitors in applications such as PCs, servers/workstations, monitors and TVs, printers and notebooks, appliances requiring ErP Lot 6 compliance and adapters requiring ultra-low no-load consumption.

"Once the new standards reach a mandatory phase, mains-voltage electrical equipment must carry the IEC 62368 certification. CAPZero ICs are certified to the new standard and deliver a simple, cost-effective solution to eliminate discharge resistor loss while requiring minimal modification to system or PCB layout. This approach allows engineers total flexibility in their choice of the X capacitor used, optimising differential-mode EMI filtering and providing a highly cost-effective option for designers optimising no-load consumption, power factor and EMI, as well as meeting the most up to date safety regulations,” commented Edward Ong, Product Marketing Manager, Power Integrations.

Available now in an SO-8 package, the CAPZero ICs are priced at $0.40 each in 10,000 unit quantities.