Diodes Inc.'s DC/DC converters increase efficiency

PLANO, USA: Diodes Inc., a leading global manufacturer and supplier of high-quality application specific standard products within the broad discrete, logic and analog semiconductor markets, has introduced the AP6507 and AP6508 synchronous DC/DC buck converters.

Delivering a continuous load current of up to 3A, the AP6507 and AP6508 converters offer designers of distributed power systems an operating efficiency as high as 90 percent. With input voltage ranges of 4.5V to 18V and 4.5V to 21V respectively, these compact converters will support the needs of low voltage 5V and 12V bus systems in a broad range of consumer electronic products, including monitors, LCD TV and set-top box.

Using a simple external resistor divider, the adjustable output of the DC/DC converters can be set to any voltage down to as low as 0.8V. To meet demands for increased power densities, the converters are provided in space-saving exposed pad package options: the AP6507 in SO-8EP, and the AP6508 in DFN4030-14EP.

By operating at a high switching frequency of 500kHz, the converters can also make use of smaller external components. That smaller footprint along with the devices’ integration of high- and low-side MOSFET switches, internal compensation and protection features, enables significant system board space savings.

The integrated overcurrent protection and thermal shutdown features of both DC/DC converters combine to increase system stability and achieve long-term reliability. Additional features provided by the AP6508 are an externally programmable soft-start function and a power good flag, enabling the implementation of power sequencing and ramp control.