Texas Instruments (TI)  today introduced two new 4-V to 36-V power modules that measure just 3.0 mm by 3.8 mm and require only two external components for operation. The 0.5-A LMZM23600 and 1-A LMZM23601 DC/DC step-down converters achieve up to 92 percent efficiency, which minimizes energy loss, and feature tiny MicroSiP packaging that shrinks board space by up to 58 percent. The converters expand TI’s power module portfolio to address up to 1-A performance-driven, space-constrained communication and industrial designs, including field transmitters, ultrasound scanners and network security cameras.

TI will demonstrate the 1-A LMZM23601 power module in booth No. 501 at the Applied Power Electronics Conference (APEC) in San Antonio, Texas, March 6-8, 2018. Read this blog post to find out about all of the products TI will unveil at APEC, as well as end-to-end power-management system solutions including hardware, software and reference designs that help engineers get to market quickly.

The LMZM23600 and LMZM23601 modules are offered with either fixed 5-V or 3.3-V output voltages, or with external synchronization and adjustable 2.5-V to 15-V output voltages. The LMZM23601 features a mode pin that allows flexibility to operate at a fixed frequency for low electromagnetic interference (EMI), or an automatic pulse frequency modulation control mode for high efficiency at light loads. Read the white paper, “Simplify low EMI design with power modules,” to understand the EMI advantages of modules verses discrete converters.

Key features and benefits of the LMZM23600 and LMZM23601

• Provides 92 percent peak efficiency and 85 percent full-load efficiency for 24-V to 5-V power conversions.
• 30-µA quiescent current increases light-load efficiency and extends battery life in battery-powered applications.
• Small, 10-pin, 3.0-mm-by-3.8-mm-by-1.6-mm MicroSiP package with integrated inductor enables a complete fixed 3.3-V or 5-V output solution measuring just 27 mm². With only two external components, the module reduces solution size by up to 58 percent when compared to a discrete solution with similar input and output voltages, output current and switching frequency. Read the article, “Deciding between DC/DC modules or discretes when facing a space jam,” to understand how DC/DC modules offer a shorter design cycle, and watch a video to learn more about TI’s wide variety of power module package options.

Availability and pricing

Prototype samples of the 1-A LMZM23601 with an adjustable output voltage are available now through the TI store. Production samples of the 0.5-A LMZM23600 with fixed output voltages, as well as the LMZM23601 with adjustable and fixed output voltages, will be available in May 2018. The LMZM23600 is priced at US$1.95 and the LMZM23601 is priced at US$2.40 in 1,000-unit quantities.