Fairchild Semiconductor - Dual Switches Offer Tight Current Limit Tolerance

This current limit protection design challenge can be seen in multiple-USB port power applications, where designers must protect their systems from excessive loads on the USB interface. USB 2.0, the current standard, specifies a maximum current of 500mA. Using Fairchild’s IntelliMAX, advanced load switches, designers meet this specification by setting the device’s minimum current limit to 500mA, which at 15 percent tolerance, equates to a maximum current limit of approximately 700mA. The equivalent performance using a 25 percent tolerance-device is 500mA minimum and 900mA maximum, or almost twice the set point. This performance, coupled with its low (<3uA) leakage current draw and an ultra-fast (<20us) protection response, make Fairchild’s FPF23xx series ideal for providing current-limiting protection in set-top boxes, computing and cell phone applications.

The FPF2300, FPF2302, FPF2303, FPF2310, FPF2312 and FPF2313 are part of a comprehensive family of IntelliMAX advanced load management switches. These devices provide robust protection and power conditioning for a broad range of computing, consumer and portable applications. With their high-level of integration, these solutions are easy to design-in, save valuable PCB space and reduce overall component count.