Charging with USB
23 July 2008
Texas Instruments has introduced a 3MHz, switch-mode battery charge management integrated circuit for portable electronics that can be charged from an adaptor or a USB port.
According to the company, the 2mm x 2mm BQ24150 Li-Ion charger improves charge time, reduces power dissipation, and cuts board space in half, compared to typical implementation with linear chargers.
A reverse boost USB OTG (On-the-Go) mode generates a voltage supply to power accessories that are plugged into a mini-USB port, which eliminates the need for another discrete device. It is claimed that the device can achieve high peak efficiency of up to 92 per cent, while supporting a USB battery charging current up to 900 mA. This speeds the charging rate without exceeding the 500mA input current limit mandated by the USB standard.
In addition, the new model features input current sensing and offers multiple programmable charge parameters through an I2C communications interface.
Masoud Beheshti, manager of Texas Instruments’ battery charge management products said: "USB charging continues to grow in popularity, primarily driven by the standardisation of a mini-USB 5V connector interface, the reduced use of inefficient AC/DC adapters, and implementation of new Chinese charging specifications. With billions of USB power ports installed in portable devices worldwide, incorporating TI's new high-efficiency switching charger not only allows for quickly re-charging a battery from a USB port, it significantly reduces the amount of heat dissipation when charging - potentially saving consumers millions of watts per year."
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