News from: Xicor
Edited by: Electronicstalk Editorial Team on 5 August 2003
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Xicor has a new family of power supply sequencers designed for processor subsystems and multivoltage systems.
The X80200 family of devices provides power up timing between primary and secondary voltage supplies.
The family solves simple to complex power sequencing problems in which one to several devices can be cascaded to control a large number of multivoltage supply sources.
The X80200 family consists of five device options that support power sequencing of supplies from 0.9 to 5V.
Each device integrates three drivers to enable/disable external N-channel mosfet switches, voltage monitors, power up/down sequencing logic and two-wire bus interface circuits and provides flexible sequencing for three power supplies.
Each X80200 device can independently sequence three separate voltage supply sources in various ramp-up and ramp-down timing schemes.
Up to eight devices can operate on a single two-wire bus allowing sequencing for up to 24 supplies.
The two-wire bus also provides remote shutdown of the supplies and a monitor of the power supply status.
The architecture of the X80200 allows for a wide range of timing between output voltages.
Embedded into each X80200 is a "core voltage up first, down last" sequencing logic scheme that is required by new microcontrollers, ASICs and FPGAs.
Power sequencers are used in various applications in the communications, consumer, and industrial markets.
These end applications include routers, gigabit Ethernet, cellular base stations, mass storage devices, industrial or process controllers, ATE or data acquisition equipment and multi-processor processing.
Controlled power sequencing is crucial between the system control chips and peripheral chips such as CPUs, DSPs, FPGAs, ASICs and other various chips.
Proper power sequencing resolves latch-up problems associated with tight voltage supply timing requirements for multiple voltage supply systems and regulates power ramp surges.
Improper power sequencing can damage integrated circuits, shutdown a system and compromise the quality and reliability of the system.
In many cases, sequencing failures are intermittent and difficult to detect.
The X80200 supports intelligent power sequencing by providing status and bypass control of each of the drivers through the two-wire serial bus.
This feature is significant for smart power designs by providing system diagnostics to determine the status of the control mechanisms of each of the voltage supply paths.
Xicor will be offering an evaluation platform using three DC/DC regulators with the X80200 to demonstrate various power sequencing solutions for key customers.
Production samples are available in 20-lead TSSOP packaging.
