According to the company, products using the power delivery (PD) voltage range of 5V to 20V can generate an always-on (1.8V/3.3V/5.0V) digital supply rail for the port controller using the MAX77756 step-down converter. Efficiency is said to be up to 92% with integrated power MUX.
In addition, the MAX77756 has a 20µA quiescent current that is said to extend battery life by reducing idle power consumption. To simplify the system design, the MAX77756 has a dual input ideal diode ORing circuit that allows the chip to power from the external USB source if the battery is empty.
The company claims that multi-cell battery-operated devices – such as ultrabooks, laptops, tablets, drones, and home automation appliances – can easily evolve to Type-C with PD using the flexible MAX77756 power supply.
The MAX77756 has I²C for flexibility and programmability but there is also a default power mode if customers do not want to use the I²C bus. The MAX77756 is a robust IC with short-circuit and thermal protection, 8ms internal soft-start to minimise inrush current, proven current-mode control architecture, and up to 26V input voltage standoff.
Available in a 2.33 x 1.42 15-bump WLP, no external Schottky array is needed. The converter operates on full VBUS range of 5V to 20V and VBATT (2S, 3S, 4S Li+).
