Being on a plane right now, I do wish my notebook was a little bit smaller. But thanks to all the innovation in portable devices, like notebooks, tablets, and electronic point of sale machines, I know that this wish will likely be delivered soon. In fact, here is a TI Design that does just that—a notebook power system that is 30% smaller than previous generations with a 48% reduction in BOM count. While saving space and cost, TIDA-00194 reduces power consumption as well.
Integration is the main driver behind board space and BOM count reductions thus, reducing cost to build. Packaged in a tiny 2 mm x 3 mm chipscale package, the TPS62180 delivers 6A of output current from a 2-3 cell lithium battery in the same 100 mm2 total area as its predecessor the TPS62130A. The dual-phase approach and integration of numerous passive components provides an efficient and small solution that can be as short as 1.2 mm.
Nicely pairing with such a high-current regulator, the TPS22993 4-channel load switch uses an I2C interface to save passive components. All 4 channels are controlled via this I2C communication with the notebook’s host. Using load switches reduces power consumption by removing the leakage or shutdown current of unused peripherals, such as Wi-Fi and sensor sub-systems, from the output. This greatly reduces the power loss, especially when the notebook is in standby or sleep modes.
Operating from a 2-3 cell lithium battery, TIDA-00194 supports the most common battery arrangements of these higher-powered, portable systems and provides the necessary rails to meet the requirements of new processor platforms. By using the TI Design, designers gain access to all design files, such as the BOM and test reports. If you are searching for a way to make your next notebook smaller, consider using this reference design to save time and money.
What portable systems are you shrinking the size of?