Battery charger chip needs no supervision

The LTC4060 is an autonomous one- to four-cell, 0.4 to 2A linear NiMH and NiCd battery charger.

Linear Technology has introduced the LTC4060, an autonomous one- to four-cell, 0.4 to 2A linear NiMH and NiCd battery charger.

The LTC4060 includes all the functions required for a battery charger circuit, operating without the aid of a microcontroller or firmware.

The design is simple and needs only three passive components.

The LTC4060 also eliminates the need for a sense resistor and blocking diode, which increases efficiency and lowers the solution cost.

This IC is targeted at applications including portable medical equipment, automotive diagnostic systems and industrial/telecom test devices.

The LTC4060 is offered in two packages, a 16-lead TSSOP or a 5 x 3mm DFN.

It uses an external PNP transistor to supply current to the battery or battery pack.

The operating voltage ranges from 4.5 to 10V.

The LTC4060 provides three options for terminating the charge cycle: negative delta-V, maximum voltage or maximum time.

Moreover, the IC permits the use of a thermistor for temperature.

The charge current is adjustable with a resistor and has +/-5% accuracy.

The LTC4060 also has automatic battery detection, charge and AC present status output, precharge qualification, automatic recharge, reverse current protection and manual shutdown.

Battery drain current is less than 1uA during sleep mode.

The LTC4060 is rated for operation from -40 to +85C.

Pricing starts at $3.80 each in 1000-piece quantities.

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