NCP370 improves front-end protection

ON has introduced a bi-directional device, with positive and negative overvoltage protection for mobile phones, MP3/4, and PDAs and overcurrent protection for FM transceivers and load speakers.

The fully integrated solution streamlines design in portable electronics by eliminating the need for external components that have - until now - been necessary to protect vulnerable portable devices against electrical surge damage from wall adapters and accessories, unsuitable after-market AC/DC adapters, and problems caused by inverting polarity in some USB cables.

The NCP370 improves the front-end protection of the portable devices by providing positive protection up to +28V and negative protection down to -28V.

The device also provides OCP for the external accessories - which are connected on the bottom connector - and supplied via a lithium-ion battery.

Integrated low on resistance (Ron) N-channel Mosfets effectively support the direct high charge current up to 1.3A requested by the portable electronics industry's latest lithium battery charge levels.

The NCP370 is one of ON Semiconductor's OVP generation products.

It is available with several overvoltage thresholds to address the maximum rating of the downstream applications.

Additionally, the device offers a second 'reverse' mode, enabling the regulation of the reverse current coming from a portable device's battery to supply the external accessories such as an FM transceiver, audio functions or flash capabilities universally connected on the bottom connector of the portable devices.

The device is designed to internally limit current up to 1.6A - a value that can be externally decreased by a pull-down resistor - eliminating the need for an external OCP device in the application, reducing production costs and lessening the required PCB area in the final portable application.

The standby current of the device, which is lower than 1 micro-ampere (uA), avoids any battery discharge when the wall adapter is unplugged or when the phone is off, and so increases battery life and limits recharge iterations.

The NCP370MUAITXG is now available in a 3 x 3 x 0.55 mm LLGA-12, lead-free (Pb-free), RoHS compliant package.

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