iWatt PrimAccurate Controllers Break New Ground in Ultra-Low Standby Power in 12W to 24W Power Supplies

The iW1761 and iW1762 controllers offer even lower standby power consumption than iWatt’s recently announced iW1699 and iW1760 with their respective 30mW (at 12W) and 50mW (at 40W) standby power consumption. All four devices exceed current energy standards in the markets in which the company competes, including the proposed stringent 2012 U.S. DoE(1)regulation requiring under 100mW AC/DC adapter standby power consumption and tighter efficiency requirements. Like the previous iWatt parts, both the iW1761 and iW1762 enable high power density in an ultra-small overall adapter size.

The iW1761 and iW1762 meet the compact size and low power requirements of next-generation compact media tablet power chargers and adapters. They also offer significantly greener and smaller solutions for AC/DC power adapters in a wide range of electronic products that remain permanently plugged in to the wall in standby mode, including set top boxes, satellite receivers and home networking equipment.

In addition to very low standby power consumption, these new controllers provide good dynamic load response (DLR). Power supplies that achieve low standby power typically do so by entering a standby operating mode. However, when a load is applied, they need to “wake up” quickly to keep the output voltage from dropping too low. Dynamic load response is determined by the speed at which the system wakes up and responds to changes in the power load. The iW1761 and iW1762 offer the ultimate in low standby power with good DLR, while the recently announced iW1699 and iW1760 give designers options for higher DLR performance.

“There are always trade-offs in power management design and in the case of power adapters and chargers, the trade-off between dynamic load response and standby power is critical,” said Zahid Rahim, vice president and general manager of iWatt’s AC/DC business unit. “All four devices in iWatt’s new PrimAccurate controller platform set a new standard for iWatt in reducing standby power consumption while at the same time maintaining good DLR. This gives our customers the choices and flexibility they need to optimize their systems to their specific design priorities.”

iWatt’s ultra-low standby power AC/DC controller platform employs the company’s patented PrimAccurate primary-side control. This unique technology uses proprietary digital algorithms to eliminate the need for a secondary side regulator and optical feedback isolator, lowering the total BOM cost, reducing the overall solution size, and improving reliability. PrimAccurate technology enables accurate control of the output over a wide range of operating conditions and ensures tight load and line regulation, along with full protection from fault conditions, without costly additional components.

iW1761, iW1762 Key Features

-iW1761: optimized for up to 12W, < 10mW standby power consumption
-iW1762: optimized for up to 24W, < 20mW standby power consumption
-Efficiency exceeds proposed DoE standard
-PrimAccurate primary-side control increases reliability, reduces solution size, lowers BOM cost
-User-configurable, five-level cable drop compensation eliminates challenges and cost of stocking multiple product versions for various output voltage needs
-Adaptive multi-mode PWM/PFM optimizes efficiency, EMI, and power consumption

Pricing and Availability

The iW1761 and iW1762 are available now in production quantities. They come in a standard, low-cost, 8-lead SOIC package. Pricing is $0.34 for both parts in 1000-piece quantities.